lanejohann

Hi Fodorites
I have just tentatively booked this hotel just for one night ( OH is joining me and daughter for the night before we fly to dublin the next morning)
This hotel has good reviews ..(unlike the The Somerset in Baker St ...good location but woeful premises apparently..i cancelled our booking upon researching further)

Has anyone stayed at the Darlington? Is there anything to do at night- being winter..cold/dark for two females to venture out whilst OH rests up after his long haul flight.
Any suggestions for room requests?

Incidentally, i asked for a triple room and there were none available..yet it wasnt suggested that I take a family room which also sleeps three...strange that the receptionist didnt offer this...( I rang the hotel direct )
Anyway, heres hoping that for 139 pound for the three of us with full English breakfast I have made a good choice
Will await to hear anything to the contrary from the experts here.
Thanks!

flanneruk

What does "Is there anything to do at night- being winter..cold/dark for two females to venture out" mean?

It's obviously never too dark or cold for anyone to venture out of a hotel not too far from central London. You may live somewhere in the Arctic, without street lights or that's awash with gangs of wild dogs - but you're coming to London.

There's nothing, except a few dozen adequate to mediocre restaurants, within 10 mins' walk. But you're a few yards from a tube station, so why does it matter?

Tulips

That's not really near Oxford Street, it's in Paddington.

There are some nice shops and restaurants in Connaught Village, Connaught Street. I cycled past Cocomaya Bakery recently, that looks very nice. http://connaught-village.co.uk/

And of course there are plenty of Lebanese and middle Eastern restaurants on nearby Edgeware Road, Maroush for instance.

lanejohann

thanks Tulips...re the oxford st reference...the receptionist at the hotel told me that it was within walking distance of oxford st...ill look out for that bakery..thats a good tip thanks!

flanneruk..thanks for the reassurance!
you're close...im not close to the arctic but antarctica isnt too far away from where i am
my hesitancy to actually venture out into the cold night air of london stems from my general naiivety, i guess and im glad you replied to my thread cos you sure have made me feel better!

you see..where i come from, if we must ever walk at night, we only do so with trained muzzled hounds...one flick of the wrist and the muzzle can be whipped off and the dog is at the ready..poised to do its master's bidding ( cool, hey?)

now..im not supposed to tell anyone but...currently i am training a german shepherd cross that, no doubt, will be a pioneer in his field..once that field is identified, that is..

hes crossed with a saluki (he has the white mark of a great hunter on the back of his neck..blessed by Allah)..one of the fastest dogs on the planet and can, not only ward off a would-be attacker, but chase down any accomplices within seconds...

if it werent for the lengthy quarantine and other restrictions, id be taking this hound on this trip to london with me...then i wouldnt have to ask silly questions about personal security and what to do at night in perfectly safe london! lol

thanks..you made me chuckle !

Tulips

Well, anything in London can be walking distance.
Oxford Street sounds better than Paddington.

Take bus 23 from Praed Street/Sussex Gardens to go east to Oxford Street, and further to Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, St Paul's. Or west to Westbourne Grove; lots of restaurants and shops. It's a handy route.

Don't go to Praed Street for dinner, it's not particularly nice. Not dangerous, no need for your dog, but a bit shabby. Edgeware Road is very middle eastern, and restaurants stay open very late.

ter2000

I have stayed twice at the Darlington and would have no problem staying there again. There is a good gastropub nearby - The Victoria? - which was nice for lunch. Middle Eastern restaurants nearby looked good but we haven't tried them.

Darlington is clean and safe. Breakfasts are good too. It is excellent value for London.

walkabout

I stayed at the Darlington for two nights a couple years ago. Normally I wouldn't stay in Paddington, but I was catching a train the next day, and it was walking distance to the train station.

I have to say I thought the hotel was overpriced for the room I got. But I had a single room at the very top of the stairs, and my experience is that single rooms are often the worst in the house. I think the double rooms are probably nicer though. There's a lift, but it didn't go all the way to my floor, so the front desk clerk graciously took my luggage upstairs for me.

The breakfast room is lovely, and the breakfast is good and has lots of options. I wouldn't stay there again unless I got a better rate and wanted to be near the train, but it's not a bad choice.

thursdaysd

Five minutes from Paddington wouldn't be my choice of a place to stay - unless, like walkabout, I had a train (an <i>early</i> train) to catch. Not that I could afford this hotel in the first place. I prefer Bloomsbury, or if you have more money, Kensington.

But, as flanner pointed out, all you need is a nearby tube station. Your dog sounds fabulous, but maybe not for London streets!

janisj

>>thanks Tulips...re the oxford st reference...the receptionist at the hotel told me that it was within walking distance of oxford st...<<

That's because they lie - just like Earls Court properties say they are in South Kensington, and because a lot of people wouldn't stay there if they said it was in Paddington.

Nothing dangerous or gawd awful - but you certainly could stay in nicer/more central neighborhoods

lanejohann

Ok thanks for all the input folks...good of you all to chime in ..every bit helps

It really is only for one night..my daughter and I will be either coming back from a tour of England ( if the tour goes ahead in winter) or something else of an independent nature that I will start researching if the tour falls through

OH will be most likely tired after his haul from Syd but knowing him he will try to soldier on through the jetlag...
if hes up for it, the three of us might venture into somewhere a bit more central...otherwise if we are all bushed/knackered/exhausted then we will just find a place to eat and get an early night...flying out to dublin next day and OH has to drive...

I think the fact that the Darlington has a good breakfast and is close to the tube to take us to Heathrow ...that will do us

Is it really so hard to find triple rooms in a more central location?

thursdaysd

if you want to be close to the tube to Heathrow you want stations on the Piccadilly line - it's one reason I like the Bloomsbury area You may be confusing the tube with the Heathrow express, which does go to Paddington, but is expensive.

The Ridgemount, on Gower St in Bloomsbury, where I like to stay, has en suite triples within your budget. The Arosfa, just up the street, probably does too. http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/

Tulips

From Paddington you can take the Heathrow Express - it's very convenient and fast (15 minutes), but also expensive. 20 pounds pp.
The tube to Heathrow, the Piccadilly Line, is much cheaper, but also takes much longer.

janisj

>>I think the fact that the Darlington has a good breakfast and is close to the tube to take us to Heathrow ...that will do us<<

The Darlington is NOT on the tube to LHR. It is a slog to get to the airport from there by tube. Do not book there if convenience to LHR is your main criteria. (The Heathrow Express train would work but it is VERY expensive.)

You want to look in the Earls court, South Kensington, Russell Square/Bloomsbury areas (look at a tube map - any area along the dark blue Piccadilly tube line.

lanejohann

Thanks Janisj
I have slept on all your replies and woke up resolute to search again and find something more central..thanks for your advice

I called the Premier Inn Leicester Sq where my daughter and I have already booked the first seven days before our England tour and have booked a family room for the three of us (161 pounds per night)

i did try to book some superduper deal online on the website that the receptionist told me about- 99 pounds for any room if you book early in advance...couldnt get the hotel we wanted so rang the hotel again and just bit the bullet for the one night..

it is straight on the picadilly line and after breakfast OH can have a little look around where daughter and I spent our time without him...
again
thanks for steering me on this one everybody!

janisj

That's great. It's location is much better for getting to LHR . . and for seeing places like Trafalgar Sq, Covent Garden, Chinatown etc which are all practically on the door step.

A much better choice IMO.

lanejohann

Yes...feel better now...even though i did miss out on that exciting 99pounds deal!

fingers crossed that the england tour will go ahead cos otherwise i will still have to plan out a further seven days in london and further afield ...more hotels...more research...eeek..
never mind..has to be done and im sure ill find valuable advice here... as usual!

Tulips

Leicester Square is much better than Paddington - and easy for the Piccadilly Line. You'll save quite some money too, if you don't take the Heathrow Express.