London eats
 

Will be staying in the Paddington Station area for 2 nights and need some suggestions for fun eating, pubs, whisky, local hangouts and must eats.
Nothing fancy but good food.

Try looking at www.toptable.co.uk and doing a search for reviews etc.

You chose Paddington for some reason - fine. But I personally wouldn't eat all or even most of my meals in that area. Few 'must eats'

IMO it would be better to eat and visit pubs out and about where you find yourself during your sightseeing.

Not sure why you think Paddington (or anythwere in London for that matter) would be of particular interest for whisky drinkers - you need to head north of the border for that!

The Grenadier is great fun...near Harrods. Also, Silks & Spices was good if you're up for Thai food. It was a while ago that I was there, but look it up to see if it's still around.

Plenty of whisky orientated bars in London. Any half decent pub will have a good range. Here's a link to three whisky bars (not in Paddington):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored...isky-bars.html

Thanks Bpesta and jamikins.

How about in the Nottinghill area. Just staying in the Paddington narea for transportationj pour poses.

There is a great Indian restaurant which would be walkable from Paddington. It's called Noorjahan 2, in a cute residential neighborhood. Their prawns were amazing.

http://www.noorjahan2.com/

PS On this walk, there are a number of old style pubs you could try.

>>How about in the Nottinghill area. Just staying in the Paddington narea for transportationj pour poses.<<

Just curious- is that because you are flying in or out of Heathrow? If so, Paddington usually isn't the best place to stay. It's only link to LHR are expensive trains, or the tube with multiple changes. And it isn't close to any sites. Other parts of London really are better for public transport to Heathrow.

(Ignore all that IF you are just using Paddington to catch a train to some other part of western England.)

Take the #7 bus and in 20 minutes or so you'll be in Soho.

Belgo Centraal is nice, in Covent Garden.

http://www.belgo-restaurants.co.uk

Janisj
Arriving into Heathrow, staying for 2 nights then heading to Southamton on a cruise. Using Smiths for Airports to get to port.
Any other suggestions?

>>Janisj
Arriving into Heathrow, staying for 2 nights then heading to Southamton on a cruise. Using Smiths for Airports to get to port.<<

If that's the case, there is really no reason to stay in/near Paddington.

I assume you chose it for the Heathrow Express - right? If so probably a lot more hassle than you think. If you have bulky luggage you'll have to walk from Arrivals to the HEX station. Then schlepp the stuff on the train, off the train at Paddington and then either walk to your hotel or queue for a cab. That '15 minute' train ride will take more like 45+ minutes door to door and only get you to Paddington which is nowhere really.

Or you could take a car service which really IS door to door w/ no luggage schlepping. But w/ a car service you could stay ANYWHERE and not be stuck in Paddington. Mayfair, Knightsbridge, South Kensington, Belgravia, Bloomsbury, Covent Garden or a dozen other areas nicer/more convenient for exploring London.

What is your budget?

Budget around £200 per night.

The HEX is very fast and convenient. It's expensive, but when you're travelling alone (as I was), a car would be more expensive, and wouldn't get me to my destination in Notting Hill in half an hour.

Paddington is not great, but not that bad either. It's central, and has good transport links.

Go for dinner in Notting Hill - the Electric on Portobello is great.

If you aren't locked into your lodging yet, there is a little neighborhood called Sussex Gardens which is just a few blocks from Paddington, closer to Hyde Park. There are cute little hotels in this nice residential neighborhood. Go to londontown.com to find them. Hyde Park Radnor is one, which is good.

<i>... there is a little neighborhood called Sussex Gardens which is just a few blocks from Paddington, closer to Hyde Park. There are cute little hotels in this nice residential neighborhood. </i>

... and some of them rent rooms out by the hour!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...fe-misery.html

Not saying the OP is posh or anything, but honestly, do you think someone taking a cruise and able to spend up to £200 a night for a hotel really should stay in Sussex Gardens?

zanne: W/ £200 a night (is that for a single?) you honestly couldstay in any (nicer) part of the city. What sorts of things are you planning to do in London?

Central areas that are walking distance to a lot of things include Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Victoria, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, South Kensington and Russell Square/Bloomsbury. Knightsbridge and Mayfair have mostly fairly upscale hotels but probably would be doable for your budget. The others mostly have properties from moderate to very high end.

I'd maybe start by checking the Royal Horseguards for your dates - it might just fit under your budget and is a wonderful location.

Rubens at the Palace, the Strand Palace (easily within your budget and a great location) and others.

Hmmm, that's a surprise to this person who stayed at Hyde Park Radnor, reportedly in Sussex Gardens. It seemed like a very nice, quiet neighborhood. We saw NO signs of illegal activities. Maybe I am wrong in calling its location Sussex Gardens?

Hyde Park Radnor B&B
7-9 Sussex Place
London
W2 2SX

http://hydeparkradnor.com/index.html

BTW, that article is from 2006.

The girls are a bit older now but are still there :)

Don't get me wrong, Paddington is not a slum - and there <i>are</i> a some nicer properties. But mostly you'll find low-priced (and still over priced) 'tourist' B&B 'you get a key to the front door and breakfast in the basement' hotels. And the HEX notwithstanding, the area is not convenient for most sightseeing/touring/dining

Thanks for the suggestions. Not that it really matters, I don't think, but we are 2 couples in our early 60's. does that change things? We won't have a lot of time but two things I want to do is go to Harrd's and visit Notting Hill area.

OK you are four/two couples. Is that £200 per double room or for all four of your.

W/ that budget and those two 'want to's' I'd stay in South Kensington. Its walking distance to Harrods and on the tube line to Notting Hill. Just curious, what do you hope to see/do in Notting Hill? It is a nice residential area but just one of many such neighborhoods scattered around London. On a lightening stop over it might not be most people's first choice.

BTW For four of you DEFINITELY 100% use a car service. They will use a small van and it will cost less than the HEX.

DH and I rented a flat for a week in Notting Hill last year and liked "living" in that neighborhood. We walked to Kensington Palace one day and to Portobello Road another. We didn't have time for all the area restaurants we wanted to try but if you are in the area Daylesford Farm store was great for breakfast. (We are about your same age)

The new Ampersand Hotel in South Ken looks really nice, less than 200 pounds/night for a double (at www.mrandmrssmith.com), and great location, close to Harrods and the museums of South Kensington.

Notting Hill is a very nice residential area, with some fabulous boutiques (Ledbury Rd/Westbourne Grove) and nice restaurants. And Portobello Road, with its market on Friday and Saturday. I can't really think of a nice hotel in the area. There are lots of places for a nice breakfast. Daylesforth as mentioned, also 202 Westbourne Grove, Tom's Westbourne Grove.

For 200 pounds/night I would also not stay in Paddington, but rather in South Kensington.

Well how long is a piece of string. You can spend a fortune if you are so inclined especially if you go for expensive wine etc. If you're on a tight budget you may want to try a pre-theatre deal from Lastminute.com. L'escargot is good on Greek Street, Maze in Mayfair also good but expensive. There are loads of decent Italy restaurants in Soho not expensive, try http://www.london-eating.co.uk/

Eating in London has changed in the last 30 years. As new communities have arrived, they've brought flavours of their homelands. London's kitchens are now infused with the smells of spices and sauces from around the globe.you must go to londontown.com to find them. Hyde Park Radnor is one, which is good.