My husband & I will be visiting London for the first time in May. We have reservations at the London Guards Hotel. Has anyone stayed there or have any info? Is the area convenient, etc. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.. <BR>

Haven't ever stayed there, but it looks strategically located. As long as you're a short walk from a tube station, then it's easy to get everywhere in London. <BR> <BR>P.S. MIND THE GAP! <BR> <BR>http://www.hotels-london.co.uk/lg.htm <BR> <BR>The Hotel has 40 individually decorated bedrooms providing accommodation for up to 98 persons, all with private facilities, fully Air-Conditioned and including remote controlled television with satellite channels, hairdryer, Built-in Mini Safe for guests's valuables and fridge. <BR> <BR>The London Guards Hotel is situated in a quiet area of Lancaster Gate, just a few minutes walk from the rural beauty of Hyde Park and the famous shopping area of Oxford Street. The nearest underground stations are Lancaster Gate (a few minutes walk from the station) and Paddington (proposed link to Heathrow Airport). A2 Air Bus and Paddington Station, a half kilometre away. <BR>

Peggy, <BR>For what it may be worth, I rarely recommend a hotel I've not stayed in however I did recommend the London Guards to a family of four traveling over the Christmas holidays. I did so because of their budget constraints and the fact that the hotel of my personal preference was closed due to renovation. I received a highly favorable response from the family regarding the accommodations upon their return.

My wife and I stayed at London Guards last December; thought it was a very good value. Easy walk from Paddington Station (we took the new Express from Heathrow) and near the tube station ... location is excellent. We arrived at night, in the rain, so weren't paying as much attention as we should have, walked right past the "square" where the hotel is located and had to backtrack a block or so! The street does a right - left - left - right around a tiny "square" and the hotel is located at end of first right ... a converted old house, discrete sign posting. Room was small but quite adequate, ensuite bathroom same. Clean, all items in room worked; looked like a fairly recent renovation had been done? Friendly staff, easily handled our few requests. Would we return? Probably ... hard to beat the value.

Thanks for the info. This makes me feel better. Sounds good for the price - around $170/day for a triple room, including breakfast. We're looking forward to a great trip. Has anyone used a shuttle bus service to transfer from the airport to London? We used one in Paris last year and although the ride was a little scary - it worked great, inexpensive and convenient. The driver even helped with the luggage.

Peggy, Our family stayed at the London Guards Hotel last June. The location is great.The neighborhood seemed quite safe and was very quiet. You are a 2-3 minutes (even with our 5 year old in tow) from the Lancaster Gate tube and from there a easy ride to just about anywhere. The hotel is also 2 blocks from Kensington Gardens and an easy stroll to the Peter Pan statue.Also a few blocks away we ate at a good Greek restaurant that was recommended in the Cheap Eats in London book(sorry I don't remember the name and I lent my book to someone). We had a huge room(for four) complete with airconditioning and a refrigerator. Everything was very clean. The breakfast is very basic,toast and tea,and the optional add-ons of juice or eggs are costly. We would stay there again. Make sure to check them out on the net. We got a special internet price of 101 pounds per night (for a triple with my 5 year old free).At the hotel itself we noticed on the rate sheet that the "normal" rate was 50 pounds higher. We arrived at Gatwick,took a train to Victoria Station, then a short cab ride to the hotel.

Peggy, <BR>We have used the A2 airbus to go between Heathrow and central London. Last time was to the Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch. The bus dropped us off at the entrance. I believe it was about 6 pounds one way and 10 pounds round trip. <BR>It was convenient, frequent and inexpensive. <BR> <BR>You can get details of the route, times, and current prices at: <BR>www.Airbus.co.uk/heathrowShuttle.htm

Thanks all you guys! This information is so helpful. I'm a hotel freak and if the hotel is not good - it's like the saying, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" - that's me. Traveling is so much fun - such an experience. My 1st trip to Europe was last year to Paris and man was I freaking out. I didn't know what to to at the Metro and stood there and cried, "I don't know what to do!!" My husband assured me the world was not going to end and I calmed down. This year I think I'll be more more relaxed. My favoite thing of all is "people watching". <BR>