maile

Each year my husband escapes home and hearth for a week at Oxford. I've always arranged his transportation and hotels, usually smaller hotels in Soho, Russell Square area. For next year he expressed staying at the Docklands, canary Wharf. Can anyone tell me about the different hotels out there? Anything at all with "character"? Any B and B's or is it all too new?

PatrickLondon

Since I live there, I don't know a lot about the hotels, but yes, they're all fairly new-built chains, a Marriott, a Hilton, an Ibis and even a Britannia (I leave it to others to comment on quality).

If "character" is important, there might be more choice in Greenwich, from where you could get the DLR to visit Canary Wharf if you wanted.

Don't forget, by the way that "Docklands" covers a lot of ground, some of it quite a way out from central London (I doubt if you want to be out near the Excel exhibition centre, for example).

Another option might be hotels around St Katharine's Dock, by the Tower - more character in the buildings, but, apart from the area around the Dock itself, not the most lively area in the evenings. You could say the same about Canary Wharf, once you're away from the bars and restaurants serving the office population there.

PalenQ

The Docklands proper IME is a ghost town at night and a fairly long commute from central London by DLR/tube - no traditional British pubs, Chinese take-outs and English atmosphere IMO

nona1

It's not really much of a residential/tourist area. Primarily offices and deserted in the evenings, and just stuff to cater to office workers during the day. And some social housing estates.

Why on earth does your huband want to stay there?

yk

Lots of people live there, but it won't be my choices of logding for visiting London. I actually had thought about staying there because of some cheap hotel options (eg the Holiday Inn Express at Limehouse), but I didn't want to rely soley on the DLR to get around. Another issue is the interchage between DLR and the tube at Bank Station is quite a mess right now, and you can only change for the Northern line. It just makes it too impractical for me, esp I like to return to my hotel in late afternoon for a rest before heading back out for concerts at night. The commute would be just too long.

OReilly

Not a bit of character, but I stayed at the Hilton Canary Wharf twice. It is one of the better Hiltons and the service was faultless. It is within walking distance (5mins) of the DLR and underground.

BTE, if you decide to stay in Docklands, I encourage you to use Priceline to bag an hotel. Both times I got a room for 55GBP per night when even the discount sites were quoting up to 200GBP per night. The Marriot (I thnk) is a five star hotel and I've seen people get a room for as low as 100GBP.