Daydreamer

Oops! Meant to offer a budget in my previous thread..."Looking for charming lodging near Paddington Station."

Probably thinking around $150 US...up to $200 range.

Saw some excellent reviews for the Rubens near Victoria Station. And Lime Tree.

Sounds convenient for sightseeing (for a first time visitor) BUT...
sounds like more of a match for someone going to Gatwick, doesn't it?

We're heading to Heathrow.

So...is it a poor option?
Some said not to stay so close to Paddington. Just to grab a taxi to that station & not worry about staying so close.

But, I have no idea how long it takes to commute between Paddington station via taxi. (just how bad traffic might be in that area in early morning?)

The point was well taken that I don't necessarily need to limit us to spots *right* next to Paddington, but I really do
want to make the morning trip to Heathrow easy. (am not a morning bird & flight is at 10:30) If traffic can vary a lot...and throw things off, then, I guess I may have to.

Oh & on that topic:
How long ahead does one have to be for transatlantic flights? 2 hours okay?

And can we check through luggage at Paddington Station anymore? Threads here were mixed.

Some said it depended on the airline.
It sure would help! We're flying United.
Thanks again!

alanRow

1) the only place you can check in luggage is at the airport

2) if you are staying at Victoria WTF are you even considering travelling across half of Central London to get to Paddington to get to LHR, just get the Tube instead, one change at Hammersmith where you walk all of 5 yards, it's going to be quicker & a lot cheaper
You are also trying to do it in Rush Hour which will substantially add to your travel time

3) as for time - 2 hours is pushing it unless you have on-line checkin. It can take an hour or more to get through LHR security, let alone get checked in. So you you will have to leave a MINIMUM of 3 hours from Central London, preferably more in order to safely make your flight

TimS

The Rubens is a four-star hotel and beyond your price range. Visit this page for listings of two- and three-star hotels & B&Bs near Paddington Station: http://www.londontoolkit.com/accommo...paddington.htm.

Are you travelong light enough to handle luggage on the tube? There are many B&Bs near Victoria Station, both budget and one level up. The Lime Tree would be a good choice. Others include Chesham House Hotel, Cherry Court Hotel, Hamilton House Hotel, Luna & Simone Hotel, and Windermere Hotel. You can get to Heathrow from Victoria on the tube (one transfer) in just under an hour.

Daydreamer

No, we probably won't be travelling light enough for the tube.

Is space much better on the Heathrow Express?

Thanks for pointing out just better to do the tube if staying near Victoria Station.

Hmmmm...what to do?
I'd read you could sometimes get deals at Rubens. And, I guess from all the very positive reviews I've read, I'd be willing to go a bit higher, if it truly does give you more of a 'taste'
of London. (my first time there &
been dreaming of it for years)

Only a sad reason brings us over to Europe, this time...father-in-law VERY ill.

So, we only tacked on this one day, as it worked out best anyway w/mileage plus seats left open. And this will be on our way back.
Hence, luggage not that light...
as w/hubby's family for almost 2 weeks.

Hmmm....now I'm torn. Just read SUCH glowing reviews about the Rubens on tripadvisor today. And so I 'got the bug' & thought, maybe it would make the most sense for a first time visitor probably wanting to see sights around there the most w/only a day to see London.

Thanks for your feedback & advice.
Appreciate you taking the time!

Timlin

Why do you feel this one hotel will give you the 'feel' of London? Anywhere you stay IS in London and therefor would be what London is.

I never travel 1st class because when you do you travel with other tourists and never with the locals. If you want to experience London then travel and stay where the locals would stay and where the locals travel (tube, bus).

Where ever you stay do be prepared for much smaller rooms than you'll have in Canada or the U.S. When we came back from 3 weeks in Europe the size of our hotel room here at home was almost embarrassing it seemed so large and wasteful.

Good luck with your decisions.....enjoy whatever you end up doing and I hope FIL is feeling better very quickly.

nona1

I think you are wise to avoid the tube during rush hour with luggage. You'll struggle to get on and off with it and you'll have a whole carriage of people glaring at you.

Daydreamer

Thanks. Points well taken.
Guess those reviews one reads
can lead one to thinking 'there's just nowhere else." ;-) (when they are so positive)

Will go back to drawing board.
With comments about hassles of commute across London morning of our flight...
probably back to considering staying near Paddington Station & doing the travel stuff on day of sightseeing instead.

Guess we don't need to stay so near Buckingham Palace, after all.

inessa0923

I stayed near Victoria on my first tripto London and now live near Paddington. If you only have one day in London, I'd suggest to stay near Paddington. Though the Tube IS an easy option, it's still a lot more of a hassle than the Heathrow express, and you'd need more lead time. With the Heathrow Express there are no steps to navigate at all, just through the doors to the station and on the train, and the journey really is 15 minutes (unless to Terminal 4, then add 8).

Victoria may be more convenient for seeing Buckingham Palace, but if you're only got one day, please don't bother with the changing of the guard. The hop on hop off busses are good for getting a general feeling for the city and seeing the highlights, from outside at least. If you stay near Paddington, you're a short walk from 2 areas that are nice for restaurants and a wander: Notting Hill and Marylebone High Street, off of Oxford Stree. You're also close to wonderful Hyde Park.

Enjoy your visit!

CotswoldScouser

There are a couple of places in the world where you can be whisked instantly and painlessly from an airport to a hotel that might meet whatever preconceptions you've got of the city concerned. Being met by the Mandarin's Roller at Kai Tak used to be one such example: getting a watertaxi from the airport to the Gritti Palace still is. So is checking in at McCarran to somewhere glitzy and being limo'ed straight to your suite.

Unless you're a visiting Head of State, there's no such option in London.

The painless choice is the Paddington Hilton: a soul-less, but highly efficient, reconstruction of the mid-19th century hotel on the station itself, a few feet from the Heathrow Express and 20 mins from the airport checkin desks.

There's a huge estate of so-so hotels within a kilometre of Paddington. The area, though a bit shabby, is almost entirely stucco terraces of the style we call Regency. Often around pleasantish squares. Not my ideal: too many local residents are a bit transient (renting for the summer, for example, to escape from other countries' ghastly weather), or just keep pieds at terre. But for a couple of nights, fine. No idea about the hotels (apart from the Hilton, which I use as a waiting room when the trains are messed up), but there's no shortage of advice on this board and elsewhere. If you want the least difficult area to stay, stay near Paddington. Someone on another of your posts described the area as "not very nice". Literally true, but misleading. It's not very nice: it's just nice-ish. Search for places in W2, and use multimap.com and hotels' full postcodes ro check location.

If you want to broaden your horizons, then you should probably forget about the Heathrow Express: Paddington isn't terribly convenient from a lot of central London, and although cabs to Paddington early in the morning rarely present problems, getting cabs from it if you arrive between 0700-0930 can be a nightmare. Getting to/from Paddington by tube almost always works out as messy and time-consuming as doing the whole airport-hotel journey by tube.

If ease of access to Heathrow is your main criterion (personally, I'd just get up an hour earlier, but it takes all sorts), then the alternatives to Paddington are places near Gloucester Rd or Russell Sq tube stations on the Piccadilly Line.

Most of use the tube to move between the airport and the centre. It's OK. Commuters sometimes mutter about bulky bags - but they mutter about lots of things so don't worry about it.

Incidentally, if there are more than two of you, prebooking a car from someone like Justairports is probably cheaper than the HEX. Which means you can stay practically anywhere. Early morning traffic out to the airport really isn't a problem.

Daydreamer

Great! Thank you so very, very much!
Much to ponder. Heading off for Norway now. Will try to check back on here later for more ideas.

So, I think we'll probably stay near Paddington as since it's our very first time to London...I think hubby would rather deal w/longer commutes for sightseeing the one day than to be nervous about early morning departure for Heathrow. (and being late) ;-)

So, it's the Hilton or...?
Yikes! Checked & no specials as of yet for the Hilton. If I were going to have to pay 150+ pounds for a room, I'd sooo rather stay at a place like the Rubens, I think. (near Buckingham Palace)

Hmmmm...
then there are all those budget places on Norfolk Square & Sussex Gardens.
Hard to figure out which is the best.
All get very mixed reviews on tripadvisor...some like 'em some HATE them.

Thanks again!!

inessa0923

There's a Best Western on the Corner of Craven Hill and Devonshire Terrace that looks very decent. I always feel that in a place like London the hotel doesn't matter much as you're out most of the day. But that's just me

Daydreamer

Would that be the BW Delmere...someon mentioned? I'll check its prices again, if so. Thanks for the recommendation....tis so weird...some books give the Norfolk Plaza Hotel 4 stars! Other reviews act like it's a budget place...so am stil confused but do think my hubby is prioritizing being close to Paddington. Fears a cab the morning we leave to Paddington might just be too slow.

Odd for when I study a map...it looks soooo close to travel from Buckingham Palace/Victoria area to Paddington station.

Neopolitan

I'm just curious here. You, as so many others, seem very hung up on being near Paddington Station. Is that because you plan to take the Heathrow Express and then a taxi to your hotel from there? If so, are you aware that in most cases you could get a car service from Heathrow direct to your hotel anywhere in London for about the same or possibly less, and get there in the same or less amount of time, considering the waits and transfers?

There may be another reason for wanting to be near Paddington, but for the life of me I can't figure out what it is.