I will be traveling with my parents (both in their mid-70's) to London and am considering staying at a hotel near the Paddington Station. This will be our first time visiting London (and UK). I thought it would make it convenient for us to be near the station since we will also be visiting Oxford. Any comments or recommendations about hotels and/or about the Paddington area in general would be much appreciated. We plan on walking a lot (my parents, who are in good health, enjoy this) to see the sights and to find some good food.

Thank you.

The thing is -- Paddington is really convenient for visiting Oxford. But for visiting most parts of London -- not so much.

How many nights will you be in London? Me personally, I'd pick a nice hotel in a nice location walking distance to more sites, instead of one convenient for one out-of-town day trip.

What is your budget?

I am not a fan of the Paddington area. It is a bit off the beaten path for me. Mind you, it's not the boonies, but there are more convenient areas for sightseeing--Bloomsbury, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden/Strand, Victoria/Westminster, Knightsbridge, Kensington, to name a few.

One hotel in Paddington that I stayed in was the Darlington Hyde Park. It is a small hotel only a 5-minute walk from Paddington Station. They have a laundry room and a nice breakfast room with included breakfast.

http://www.darlingtonhotel.com/
http://goo.gl/nCUv7

I've had no luck finding a hotel I like in Bayswater near Paddington. I find it a sort of tourist ghetto and depressing. There are so many better areas like those mentioned above and my favorite for the last 2 years is Hampstead. It's an oasis away from the city yet easy to get anywhere by tube and bus. As was mentioned, don't choose your hotel by it's proximity to the train. There are lots of better criteria and you can get to Paddington when you need to easily from anywhere.

"you can get to Paddington when you need to easily from anywhere."

Only sort of.

Paddington railway station looks as if it's connected to the rest of London by three tube lines. Of them, both the Circle Line and Hammersmith and City are close to inaccessible from the railway station for anyone with bulky luggage, walking difficulties or travelling during the evening or morning rush halfdays (0700-1000; 1530-1900). In practice, it's only safely and comfortably accessible by the Bakerloo tube or bus.

For trips to Oxford, BTW, buses (google their brandnames: Oxford Espress and Oxford Tube) are 99% of the time cheaper, 85% of the time more comfortable (the Oxford-London railway now officially operates Britain's most congested trains, and there's zero chance of decongesting them before 2016 unless we can scrap the pointless and congestion-causing Heathrow Express), take most typically 90 mins each way instead ofthe trains' 60 mins and stop at far more tourist (and academic and library-using) friendly stops in Central Oxford and a greater range of stops in Central London than the train.

SOuth Kensington is a much nicer area than Paddington and it is near Victoria where you can get the bus to Oxford which is really nicer than the train. Look at Londontown.com there are several very nice hotels almost directly across from tube stations. THe MIllenium Bailys and Gloucester are directly across from Gloucester Rd., which has several line ,can't remember what they are as I prefer buses. I do know the Piccadilly and Circle and District are there. The Grosvenor Kensington is across from S Ken tube and was recently remodeled

South Kensington is on direct Tube routes to virtually anything you would want to see in London as well as being on the direct Tube line to Heathrow. HOWEVER if either of your parents have difficulty walking then I'd suggest getting even closer to the centre of London so as to avoid the need to use the Tube system which is designed for people who walk.

Dear janisj,

We will stay for about 7 nights. Our budget is tight, trying to keep it under $150.00-200.00 per night for accommodation. I heard the hotels in Paddington are less expensive. Also, we are attending a conference in Oxford, which therefore we will need to visit 2 or 3 times.

Thank you.

walkabout,

I'll look into the hotel and also consider those areas. Many thanks.

joannay,

Any hotels that you would recommend that would meet our budget (under $150-200 per night) in Hampstead?

flanneruk,

I automatically assumed the train would be better than a bus to Oxford because it takes less time. But now I will also consider taking the bus, esp.if it is cheaper and more comfortable. Do you know around how much we would save if we took the bus?

avalon and alanRow,

I have not looked into South Kensington, which now sounds tempting. Since my parents are in their 70's, we may decide to want to resort to taking the taxi from time to time to get around time, esp. if they become tired from all the sightseeing. How are the taxis in London?

Thanks to everyone. I look forward to your replies.

It sounds like you may be better off staying in Oxford for your conference. It's a great place to spend some time. Regarding the coach service (bus) to Oxford, the station is slightly more central than the train station depending on your ultimate destination there.

Have you considered staying in an apartment? Depending on whether you'll need 1 room or 2 rooms an apartment could be the cost effective choice plus having a kitchen and a more comfortable place to rest between outings.

I don't think you'll be able to avoid needing the tube or some method of transport no matter how "central" your accommodation. There's no place where you can stay where you could walk to everything you might want to see. And regarding the tube, since someone objected to my use of the word "easy", all things are relative and my point was, since London is such a big city and the tube is more or less everywhere there is no point in choosing an accommodation that's close to just 1 place you'll need to get to. However, if you will be commuting to Oxford it's a different story. If you decide to go by coach (I prefer the train to Oxford) then So. Kensington, suggested above, isn't any closer to Victoria than some other areas mentioned although it's a nice area.

Confusing, I know. I suggest that if your days in Oxford could be consecutive or nearly so then stay in that fine city for your conference. If that's not possible then I retract my objection to Bayswater (Paddington) and suggest an apartment close to the station for the commute.

You want to pay $150 - $200 per night for all three of you?

Do consider an apartment, one near an Oxford Tube/Express stop. Both leave from near Victoria Station but make outher stops in London. Here's the links: www.oxfordbus.co.uk/main.php?page_id=27 and www.oxfordtube.com

Victoria is a good location for public transportation, city buses as well as the tube.

Restaurants are expensive in London. An apartment would allow you to save on food.

joannay,

That makes a lot of sense. Staying in Oxford was considered but my parents prefer to stay in London. I'll check out the apts also. Do you prefer the train (to bus) because it takes less time or because it is more comfortable? Thank you.

Mimar,

I forgot to mention, $150-200 per night for a room. My parents will stay in one room and I in a separate room. I will definitely check out the apts. Thanks for the links.

I take the train because I love train travel, find getting on and off a train easier and more enjoyable than a coach, like the views which I can see better from the train, like to get up occasionally which one cannot do well on a bus - just the whole experience. I also love train stations and, for some reason, particularly Paddington. No comments on that fact are necessary, to each her own.

I think you and your parents are perfect candidates for an apartment stay, on your budget you should get a very nice one and will be infinitely more comfortable than in 2 rooms in a hotel. There are MANY websites devoted to apartment rentals, just google "london apartment" and don't forget Air BnB, a website I've used and like the support provided by the site.

http://www.airbnb.com

I stayed at the Westpoint Hotel in March. Loved the location, staff was very nice. Booked through Booking.com. Turn corner walk a a few minutes and you are at Paddington Station. Stay in Paddington area often and this was my favorite hotel. Just ask for a room facing courtyard, if you need quieter room.

so you are talking really $300-$400 (£185-£250-ish) a night total. That is a very generous budget for a flat. And w/ anywhere near that much ££, there is absolutely NO reason to stay in Paddington or Bayswater. You could spend $275-$300 (£165-£185) and get a very nice flat in almost any posh neighborhood.

Are you going to Oxford on consecutive days? Or more spread out during your week? If consecutive days, staying IN Oxford for a night or two does make sense. Is there a reason your parents want to travel back and forth every day? Now, lots of folks do commute from Oxford into London every day and it isn't a terrible journey. But you will be wasting about 3 hours total in transit each day.

W/ you budget -- you could even rent a flat in London for a week, and 'eat' a night and spend it in a hotel or B&B in Oxford. Then return to you London flat. Where in Oxford is the conference? Is it in the center or an outlying area?

joannay,

Thank you for the link. I understand your point about the train. I agree. I've had some great experiences riding on the train similar to yours.

Nlingenfel,

I will check that out. Thanks for the recommendation, which helps because you were right there in Paddington.

janisj,

We need to be in Oxford ("the University of Oxford", to be exact) one day at least, but depending on the conference schedule and how my parents are holding up, we may or may not visit there more than once or twice. If we do visit more than once, it would be on consecutive days. We will certainly consider your (and others') advice to break up our stay between London and Oxford. By the way, is one full day (say, from morning to late evening, though I do not know how late the trains and buses to London run) sufficient for sightseeing in Oxford? There is already so much to see in London itself, I assume ... Thanks again.

You need to do the bus/train sums for yourself: the Senior Railcard for your parents costs c £25 each (whereas old people's reductions on the bus are for anyone 60 or over, but there is usually a slight Railcard net saving on the train for three Oxford-London return trips depending on which train you're getting), only you know your time constraints, only you know where in Oxford you're headed. The train price CAN fall a lot if you book a specific train in advance - but this isn't usually a weekday peak hour option on this line.

I use both options - as well as driving - frequently. I don't buy the "better scenery from the train" argument (on the doubledecker Oxford Tube you've got a staggering view, and the train ducks the Chilterns, and the view over the Oxfordshire plain from their escarpment) or the "walking around" one (about as easy on this train these days as for sardines in a can).

I'd also strongly argue for staying in Oxford rather than London during the conference, even if your parents believe they saw as much of the place as they need earlier in life. No commuting, lots of stuff that wasn't there in the 1950s, and a terrific amount to do every night.

And for walkers: much nicer walks.

We can't say what is "enough" time in Oxford for you. It's all so personal. But if 1 day is what you have then you can get a feel for it and decide if you want to return. It's one of my favorite places in England so I go back regularly for a couple of days at a time and am never bored. For me it's one of those places. I've probably spent a day in Oxford for every 2 I've spent in London over the last several years.

I would steer clear of airbnb -- first of all you are not on a tight budget. And it would seem to be a little too "craigs list-ish" for your parents.

Flanner makes really good points. The bus would be more scenic than the train on that route. The trains are awfully crowded and you won't be sashaying up and down the aisles. And staying in Oxford would be a wonderful break from London and there are some really terrific walks.