JamilaZ

I want to use Hilton HHonors points for a 2 night stay in London in March. In looking at the map, it looks like it's a walk to Kensington Gardens. Is this a "long" walk or rather a comfortable walk in March? I just want to relax on this trip and maybe check out Tower of London and Big Ben area. Stroll around Picadilly, gardens. etc.

Would this hotel be a walk or short taxi ride away from these places?

janisj

It is a reasonable walk from Kens Gardens/Hyde Park. But it is a loooong way from any other sites. Of course you the tube/buses/taxis will get you anywhere - but they will be time consuming and/or expensive (the taxis)

Do you have enough points to stay elsewhere? If so, what are your other choices?

PatrickLondon

It's about half a mile to the entrance to Kensington Gardens - say 10-15 minutes walk.

London is a very spread-out city, so none of the other attractions is that close. Taxis would be very expensive, but Paddington is well situated for buses as well as the tube. My guess is you'd be making good use of the no.15: see
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/pdf/paddington.pdf

JamilaZ

I have points for 2 stays at a London Hilton. We are coming in from Cardiff on the train to Paddington and then will depart for Heathrow 2 days later. We will have a 15-month-old and stroller with us. I was thinking Paddington would be easiest for ease, however, I have read mixed reviews of area/hotel.

Trafalgar seems best for location, but how long is the taxi ride from Paddington station? Any other Hilton recommendations for the things I mentioned?

W9London

Hilton Paddington to Ken Gardens is not impossible to walk, but rather long-ish. Second #15 bus. In general, bus is great when using the buggy. Can't remember the numbers but several buses go straight to Knightsbridge, Oxford St, and Victoria. Though you can manage the tube fine if there are two of you to hold the buggy when going down/up the stairs.

Trafalgar Sq to Paddington by cab can be anywhere from 20 min (if not crowded) to 45 min. You might consider getting a car service to Heathrow in this case.

As for other Hiltons, there are really nice posh ones near Strand (Waldorf) and in Mayfair. Don't stay in Hilton Metropol at Edgeware Rd--it's a massive grey concrete blocks. The one at Hyde Park corner is a good location overlooking the park, but you have to use subway (ie underground passageway) which gets a bit spooky after dark.

travelgirl2

We stayed at the Paddington Hilton at the beginning of September. We stayed just 1 night and chose it for its proximity to the Heathrow Epxress. We came into Gatwick one day and went out of Heathrow the next day.

I can't answer your question about proximity to sites, since we only went out for dinner.

The hotel was ok. But, in my opinion, it was not worth the amount of points we spent (we needed 2 rooms). The immediate surroundings are not so nice. The hotel was average. The executive lounge was being renovated, so it was temporarily squeezed into a hotel room. The complimentary breakfast (gold card members) was a buffet in the restaurant and was excellent. Service was okay, but spotty. At times there was a long line at the front desk. The rooms were average.

If I was staying in London for 2 nights, I would check out the other Hiltons. But, you can't beat the location of the Paddington Hilton for airport transportation, so maybe it would suit your purposes well, especially with a baby.