Help with choice between a few London hotels, please!
 

Hi,

My husband and I will be spending 3 days in London in early August of 2005, on the way to a Baltic cruise. I have been researching hotels in London on this forum and several other sites!! We are in our early 50's.

I have narrowed our choices (I think) down to the Marriott on Grosvenor Square, the Chesterfield Mayfair, and Rubens at the Palace. I would appreciate any input or suggestions as to which of these would suit our needs the best.

Important things to us:

No street noise
Non-smoking rooms with A/C
Good quality bed and linens
Nice decorating and atmosphere (not outdated or "tired")
Nice (and fun) places to eat lunch or dinner within a couple of blocks
Helpful and friendly staff
"Cute" in-hotel bar for late evening drink

Would all these 3 fit the bill or would you recommend one over the others?

Thanks!

Ginny

I certainly haven't stayed at all three, but Rubens fits the bill. I really like their little bar. Great evening pianist, drinks and even a nice bar menu.

Ditto for the Reubens. We just stayed there two weeks ago and the hotel abd staff were fabulous. The breakfast that was included was huge. The bar was great although we only used it once.

We stayed at the Chesterfield Mayfair in August 2003. Like the Rubens, it is also a Red Carnation Hotel.

It fits your requirements perfectly. Very thoughtfully decorated, a/c, no smoking rooms, and is on a quiet street in Mayfair. Small friendly bar/lounge.

It is perfectly situated to walk to many locations and is quite close to the Green Park underground stop.

Shepherd's Market is a block away with some good reasonably-priced restaurants, and there is a nice pub up the street, the Red Lion, with good food. The hotel staff can direct you to other restaurants, and Mayfair is a lovely area to walk around, especially during those late summer evenings.

Thanks for your replies so far!

Jay and Grasshopper,

Did you hear street noise at night at the Rubens? I know it is on a busier street and I am fairly sensitive to noise. Would you recommend a room at the rear of the hotel? Or are the views so much better from the front?

CW,

What type of room did you have a the Chesterfield? I am wondering about how "small" their regular king rooms are. The early bird price on their website is pretty tempting but I am wondering if we will feel really cramped in a regular king.

Also, I noticed a poster who said the rooms were drab and not as nice as they look on the website. Did you feel that way??

Thanks again!!

I know I sound like a nit picky old bag! I guess I am pretty picky. To me, a nice pretty hotel room in a nice hotel is as important to me as the sightseeing. Sometimmes, even more so! And I just don't want to dish out more money at this point to stay at the Ritz or Claridge's. Maybe someday.

Rubens is near Victoria, not a good position. Grosvenor Sq. is far more centrally located which is of benefit given your short time in the capital.

m_kingdom2,

Could you expand on your comment about the area near Victoria? Is that area not as desirable in your opinion because of traffic noise? Or what? It will help me narrow down my decision.

Thanks,

Ginny

Dear Gopack,

I can't remember the exact name of the room category we had at the Chesterfield but it was one up from the standard double. We reserved it from the special on their website. It came with a full breakfast.

The rooms are not large (probably average for London) but they were well thought out. There was a desk, and a chair, a window that opened a bit. The walls were covered with fabric, there were layers of curtains, which made the room seem cheery and cozy. The decor was not tired or worn, either in our room or in the public rooms, which are also filled with color, fabric, and colorful throw pillows on all the seats.

The bathroom was a good size, with marble tiles.

We left to tour northern England and came back for one night at the Chesterfield and they upgraded us to a junior suite. It was a nice room but actually we preferred the original room that we had. It was on the 4th floor, I think, in the back (or side) of the hotel.

If you haven't done so yet, take a look at the comments on tripadvisor. I believe there are recent postings.

I do enjoy the Mayfair area. It is such a pretty, interesting, and quiet area to explore.

CW

All I associate with Victoria is the station, and if I'm not mistaken "a handbag"!

There's nothing much happening there, it's not seedy or rundown, just not desirable. Mayfair is real London, unique, full of character, and you will love it.

There were double glazed windows and no noise. It's about 3 or 4 blocks from Victoria Station. Let's see, anything else in the area? Hmmmm, OH, just Buckingham Palace. :-)

gopack -- PLEASE don't let m_kingdom scare you off. He likes to send folks up and sometimes (more than sometimes lately) goes overboard. By "Victoria" he means the neighborhood around Victoria Station. Technically the Ruben's is in Victoria but it is right across from Royal Mews/Buckingham Palace Gardens. It is not next door to the train station (but close enough to make for easy transport choices)

You would be fine at either the Chesterfield or Ruben's -- simply ask for a quiet room.

Let's put it this way, if you're staying in Victoria you'll be finding yourself walking to Mayfair to eat, shop, and see the various attractions, which is why I suggest staying there.

There were double windows so noise was not a problem. We always kept the window open anyway because the room was so hot.

m_kingdom -- and just which "attractions" would you recommend in Mayfair?

Restaurants, yes, but attractions, not many. Of course two parks border Mayfair and there's Apsley House, which isn't technically in Mayfair, and Fortnum and Mason which is really in St James.

B'ham Palace Rd on the other hand is right at the Palace, the Royal Mews and St James Park, and close to the Guard's Museum, the river, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.

My thoughts exactly, Janis !

Roughly what price are we talking for a double room at these 3 hotels? I was looking at some in Paddington, near Hyde Park, but could be interested in one of these instead.

twoflower,

I just checked the websites for both the Chesterfield and Rubens. Here are their early bird prices that are not cancellable through their websites. These are supposed to be the lowest available. Not sure about the prices offered through other hotel websites like Expedia, etc. These prices do NOT include the tax.

Chesterfield

Double is $188, King is $219

Rubens

Double is $202, King is $260.

I notice Rubens is a little higher.

Anyone know why? Location or size of rooms?? Just curious.

Ginny

probably because of the location (closer to more sights) because the Rubens is a very popular hotel and really doesn't really need to discount much. That is not to say there is anything wrong with the Chesterfield though.

Gopack, that's interesting about the price difference. It was just the opposite when we booked last year. The Chesterfield was higher than the Rubens.

I suggest that you call Red Carnation, and speak to someone directly about the rates. I remember now that I checked the website and then called them and made the reservations over the phone. I believe the price worked out to be about the same as the website, and we retained the option to cancel if need be.

I don't want to get into the Mayfair-Victoria location dispute. Both are fine. I do think Mayfair is a little more central to many of the tourist sites, and it is not a far walk from most of the theatres, if you will be seeing shows when you're there. All depends where you will be going.

CW

Gopack,

We just stayed at the Rubens in September and I would say that it meets all the requirements on your list and more. They also have an excellent restaurant in the hotel. There are good places to eat very close. We were able to book our 4 days stay for 115 GBP/night including VAT and full breakfast + complimentary drinks through londonhotelreservation.com. Have a good trip.

Greg