London hotel advice-Looking for a hotel with a kitchen-is this a good one?
 

Hello all,
I'm going to London for the 1st time and have identified the "Heathrow/Windsor Marriott Hotel" as someplace I might want to stay. I choose this because I want to have a kitchen available to me during my stay. Also due to my being enrollment in the hotel's membership reward program.

My question - has anyone stayed at this facility? I would like to get insight into how far it is from Heathrow (website says 5 miles) and what the rooms and kitchens are like and if I'm close to a market for shopping.

Any insight and/or advice you can provide would be helpful.

My travel dates are May 8-16, 2012.

Thanks,
Cynthia

Cynthia, are you going to London for business or pleasure? Do you expect to do a great deal of sightseeing?

If so, Heathrow is too far out in my opinion. Have you considered an apartment in the city? While I prefer a hotel, many on this board might suggest apartments which they have found satisfactory.

Enjoy London…

As lateday says above, LHR is way too far out--you'd spend over an hour a day each way getting into and out of the city to see anything you'd most likely be wanting to see.

If, though, your business or reason for travel is actually near LHR, then that would be different.

For distances, you might try using googlemaps and plug in sites--there are walking, auto and public transport buttons to see different routes and times. This is a better thing to do than take hotel's/apartment's word as truth, because they will sometimes fudge a little on the short side to make their place seem more convenient. Not accusing any specific place of lying, it's just good to get your own info too and googlemaps works ok.

That hotel is about an hour from central London and the train fare to and fro won't be a bargain. It is NOT a place you want to stay unless you are doing business in the immediate area.

If you need a kitchen a studio apt in central London (covent Garden or Bloomsbury) would be a much more sensible choice.

Is this stay for <u>London</u>? If so, as the others say, that hotel ain't anywhere near London. Horrible choice - even for free w/ points.

But if you are, for instance, working for a week at LHR or in/near Windsor, then it would be worth considering.

To answer all of your questions: yes this stay is for London and it's for pleasure, not business. As mentioned it's my 1st trip so I plan to do a lot of site-seeing.

What apartments do you recommend that economical?

What is your budget?

But I will say, you have left things quite late to find a flat for just 2 weeks from now. . .

Cynthia
if you were going to book a hotel near heathrow because you thought it was near London, you r first move should be to look at web pages or a tour book to get a sense of where things are. even first time travelers usually realize that heathrow is NOT convenient to London proper.

there are many London Marriotts and the ones in Regents part r Maida Vale, while not in the center of things are convenient, near shopping and in decent areas. (I've stayed in both) However they do not have kitchens. I believe Maida Vale has mini-fridges.
There are many other London marriotts but they usually require more points if that is how you are paying for the trip.

Personally I would nix the idea of a kitchen and just find a hotel room with a mini fridge.I would also forget trying to use hotel points and find a decent hotel ASAP if you are leaving in a few weeks.Since you are going to be out and about all day you can grab great food everywhere you go.
I would highly recommend the Bloomsbury area which is convenient for walking or tubing/busing all over London.You could easily take the Piccadilly Line tube from Heathrow in 45 minutes without changes from Heathrow to Russell Square which is in the heart of Bloomsbury(think British Museum,UCL and the British Library).I like the Holiday Inn bloomsbury as it is across the street from a great pub/restaurant,Brunswick Mall which has a Waitrose grocery store(the best) Boots drugs,etc.
Be sure and buy an Oyster Card when you arrive at Heathrow which is a 5 pound card for travel on the tube and buses at a discounted rate.It can be reloaded at any tube station but will definitely save you money on all of your transport in London.If you decide that you don't want to keep it after your travel (the money stays on it till you need it next) you can trade it back in for your money back(original price only).
The one thing staying at a hotel over an apartment is having a tourist desk that can help you plan your sightseeing.
I work for the airlines and alot of the various airlines layover in the Glouester Road area which has is also on the Piccadilly line from Heathrow and is in a great area of shops and restaurants. You can walk to Harrods,the history museum etc. which is only 15 minutes away if you wanted.
Pick an area that has several tube lines so you can get to all of your various sightseeing spots without changing 10 times. Good Luck and get rid of the hotel out by Windsor!

You might find Base2Stay an option. I haven't stayed there, but have read many good reviews and the rooms include a small kitchenette.

Base2stay has exactly ONE room still available for May 9-16 at <B>£249 a night!!</B>

You need to immediately get on Londontown.com and laterooms.com and book <i>something</i> - like NOW . . .

Or try bidding priceline - you <i>might</i> win at a bid of $150-$175 + tax.

Otherwise you could be stuck at that Marriott and be 90 minutes from any of the major sites!

FWIW, a very quick look at Booking.com shows it currently has Fraser Park Queens Gate studios and standard rooms at Millennium Gloucester, Copthorne Tara and London Premier Inn County Hall hotels for less than US2000 for the 8 nights.

Sorry, that should be Fraser Place Queens Gate.

Thanks all for the advice...I appreciate all the help!

I loved Base2Stay. The closet has been converted to a kitchenette. There was a small fridge, coffeepot, hot plate, and microwave with several cupboards. Very small rooms but spotless. Bathroom remodeled and spotless. One block from Earl's Court station which has three lines (including the Piccadilly which is a straight shot from LHR.) Grocery stores nearby. I would definitely stay there again.

Base to Stay should be out - it's nearly $400 per night. If your budget is unlimited, go for it. You do need to define what "economical" means to you in dollars.

London apartment rental agencies are $.10/dozen. There are ton(ne)s. Take Janis' advice and also look at aplacelikehome.co.uk and oakwood.com. Oakwood usually rents by the month, but they like to fill their rooms (which are apartments with kitchens) too - given that you're close to your trip time, they should have availability for <30 day stays (as a point of reference, they notified me in January of availability for late April but I'd already picked another place).

Hopefully everyone else's input has smartened you up and you won't stay anywhere near Heathrow.

Again, thanks to all of you for the help. Based on all the feedback here is what I have.

Using Booking.com - I have two reservations and would like feedback on which one I should keep (I have free cancellation until May6).

1) Comfort Inn And Suites Kings Cross St. Pancras
2)Fraser Place Queens Gate - 39B Queens Gate Gardens, Kensington

Here's additional info on #1

Comfort Inn And Suites Kings Cross St. Pancras - 31-33 Argyle Street, Bloomsbury

Assuming the same rates -- I'd choose the Fraser Place. It is very near the Gloucester Rd tube station, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and walking distance from the V&A.

The Comfort Inn would be OK too, but I think you'd like the area around Queens Gate more.

Realize you have booked two reservations BUT I have stayed at both the Millenium Gloucester and Copthorne Tara.I would pick the Millenium Gloucester as it is across the street from the two hotels we layover at for my airline and it is a wonderful area! Waitrose Grocery for great takeout;Boots drugs,Tesco late night mini mart and tons of restaurants,bus service and right across from Gloucester tube station.
I agree with Janisj that parts of Kings Cross area is iffy in terms of decent hotels and there are TONS of tourists.I would chose the Kensington area if those are your only two choices?