I would be visiting London for 3 nights (me and a friend) and would need 1 room. My concern is low cost room (which i plan to get on Priceline) and transportation daily to and from central london.

If i bid on heathrow airport hotel and get like Holiday Inn Ariel, is tube station nearby in walking distance? if i spend daily 18 pounds on going to/from tube station my hotel savings are not going to make sense.

If at low cost i manage to get (unlikely) hotel at central london, how does 2 people with 2 big bags travel from heathrow airport terminal 4 to central london hotel other then expensive taxi? i believe tube is not option as even if i get in it getting to hotel with bags at central london won't be easy.

are their shuttle bus service which drops passengers to central london hotels from terminal 4 at reasonable cost?

What do you mean, exactly, by a low-cost room? You can get a fairly nice hotel in central London for $75-$125 through Priceline. That's VERY low-cost for London! If you are looking for a cheaper room than that, you're really looking for a hostel. Octopus Travel has some really cheap hotels way outside the city that don't always come up on other sites, but you are still better off with Priceline---in my opinion.

I flew into Heathrow a day before my party, and had to do a night in London then go back to Heathrow in the morning to meet up with them. There is the Heathrow Express Train which goes from Heathrow airport directly to Paddington station. I don't know the details of your trip but if you can pack for 3 nights in just one bag you can have your excess baggage held at the airport for about 6 pounds per night (if i remember right). There are quite a few nice/cheap hotels right near Paddington.

I've describe the transport from the Holiday Inn Ariel in other posts. You can get details at http://www.thetube.com .

This info is for Terminals 1, 2, and 3 - I don't know about 4. I think you can get a bus from Terminal 4 to the Central Bus Station/tube area, though.

At Heathrow, you go to the area where the tube and the Central Bus Station are. Buy your TravelCard daypass into London (this will be Zones 1-6). Go to the Central Bus Station and take one of the buses to Holiday Inn Ariel (several will do - just ask the driver - and get more instructions at the Journey Planner site above).

When you get to the Ariel, check in. When you're ready to go into London, just step outside to the bus stop there that will take you to the Hounslow West tube station, which is on the Piccadilly Line. Just take the tube into central London.

On the return, I didn't like the idea of getting off at Hounslow West - there was a murder at the station this summer for one thing - and it just didn't seem like a good thing at night. So I took the tube back to Heathrow, and then took the bus to Holiday Inn Ariel.

I did this because I had a flight the next day and I was arriving at Heathrow in the first place. The commute takes about 45-50 minutes I would estimate (but the Journey Planner will tell you).

This might be a case where the B&B recommended by the poster rj007 would work well for you, given you're considering staying far out anyway. www.serenade.ndirect.co.uk/

As to whether you can take public transport with those two bags, that's up to you.

Other than staying one night and having an early morning flight, staying out at Heathrow does not make any sense - none.

You can get just as nice rooms in central London for the same or even cheaper than at the airport. Plus, going back and forth into the center every day will be a real hassle and cost a LOT more than just getting zone 1 London Transport travel cards.

Look at biddingfortravel and you will find out which hotels are being won in London in which Priceline zones.

You can get into London (even w/ luggage) on the tube, by train, or by a pre-booked car service. If budget is a major issue take the tube. From terminal 4 there is a bus that takes you to Hatton Cross tube station where you get on the tube just like hundreds of other folks who are alos schlepping baggage.

The extra cost getting into London from Holiday Inn Ariel is pretty minimal - you just pay about one pound a day more for the TravelCard. But it's still not convenient for more than a one-night stay, in my opinion.

You also can't get rooms in central London as cheaply as the airport on Priceline. A nice 3* hotel by Heathrow can be had typically for a $40 bid or so - but it will cost rather more in central London.

Don't forget the time factor. You would be commuting every day for a good 50 minutes or so each way at best, and no prospect of nipping back to the hotel during the day if you forget anything. That would be living like a Londoner, perhaps, but not my idea of fun for a 3-night holiday.

I have to travel with 2 bid bags as we are two of us going to USA too for week long vacation. So getting to hotel from airport using tube (and healthrow express which also stops at some station not exactly hotel doorstep) is not option. If i stay at Holiday Inn Ariel (For $35-50) plus daily commuite of london using TravelCard for 3-6 pounds per person, i am fine with it. Since on PL central london hotels are going for more like $100 or more.

But in case i get lucky to get hotel in Central London for that price, would there be good 20-25 pound for 2 people option other then taxi/train/tube to reach hotel from heathrow terminal 4? Is there HotelHoppa type bus service to central london hotels?

Also bus stops from which i can use travelcard and board bus to Hunslow/Heathrow daily is nearby to Holiday Inn Ariel?

I want to just avoid taking 9pound taxi to and from airport daily to catch tube.

The bus stop to catch the tube is right in front of the Holiday Inn Ariel. The bus stop to go to the airport is right across the street.

But you do know that if you bid on Priceline for a 3* hotel, you might not get the Ariel. You might get another hotel that is less convenient for bus transport.

You can take the NationalExpress.com bus from Central Bus Station at Heathrow to Victoria Station (or one of several other stops). Fare is about 8 pounds.

vipul: For some reason you seem to think taking the tube when you have luggage is impossible. It isn't. Thousands of travlers do it every single day.

To stay out at Heathrow for a 3 day trip to London does not make much sense.

But you apparently have your mind made up so whatever . . . . . . . .

I second the opinion that staying in Heathrow for a 3 day London trip makes absolutely no sense. I would definitely go for a hotel in central London, even though I could have got a nicer room in Heathrow.
Taking the tube to and from Heathrow with large bags is no problem at all. I've done it alone with two large suitcases (but I do admit that I was a bit exhausted and had to change my shirt when I finally arrived at the airport!).

There is bus service from Heathrow into central London. Here's a previous thread on the subject

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34526047


That said, I will just add my voice to those who say staying at Heathrow for 3 nights to see London is less than ideal. If you want to avoid paying central London prices, what about staying somewhere inbetween? Someone here regularly posts about staying at a b & B outside London a tube ride away. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find it but....if you're interested, repost with a title like hotel/b & B just outside London that's good and cheap.

Another thought is to stay 2 nights in London and the last out at Heathrow, depending on what time your plane leaves.

Another idea is to stay in London at a b & b with shared bath. There are a number on Cartwright Gardens which is right near the British Museum. This is a convenient area to get to everything and the bus I posted about from Heathrow makes a stop there (I think on Gower St.) As a student, I stayed at the Avalon Hotel there. The Harlingford gets not bad reviews and has some en suite baths.

vipul, you can check the prices at www.justairports.com. For a cash payment from Heathrow to an address in W1 in central London, I got a quote of 24 GBP. For the journey back to the airport they quote 19 GBP. This is for a car service per car, and not per person.

Thanks for all info. Though $100 at central london may be cheap but thats not my budget. So i like it or not i may be offered only airport hotels by PL.

50 min x 2 every day is not great but can live with it.

Airport to Central london sans luggage i have done several times but with 2 bags atleast of 32kg each and then lugging it to hotel from station doesn't sound much. If i get Central London hotel then I would use taxi from www.justairports.com at 24 pound each way.

Anyway thanks for letting me know transport situations nearby airport holiday inn.

I don't know anything about it personally, but the poster rj007 always recommends this B&B, which might have some advantages over an airport hotel for 3 nights:
www.serenade.ndirect.co.uk/

Exactly the place I was thinking of WillTravel but it's still not as cheap as $35-50.

Yikes, those 32 kg suitcases! Even with the week in the US, there's no appaernt reason for that. Those suitcases will be overweight with many airlines. Perhaps you should read up on some of the many extensive threads on traveling light. There are Fodorites who can travel for weeks with just their carryon.

And I want to second the point that Ptrick made -- a long commute has costs other than financial. You'll eat up energy and precious vacation time during that commute. An hour each way for 3 days is 6 hours gone -- virtually a whole vacation day lost to trains.

32 kg (more than 70 lbs) - and two of them that big! But that is a whole other issue.

Please listen to anonymous "An hour each way for 3 days is 6 hours gone" You would be VERY lucky to make the journey in from your hotel in an hour. The Hotel Hoppa doesn't just come when you want it, and it stops at other hotels in a loop so it can take some time. Same w/ the public bus - you have to wait for the bus schedule and then walk to and wait for the tube train. Then 45 to 60 minutes on the tube depending on your final destination.

When you add it all up, I'd count on 70 to 90 minutes each way into central London.

Can all zone (Zone 1-6) travel card for 3 day be used for all tube and bus journeys (bus jorney at airport hotel to tube station nearby)?

How much would 3 day adult travelcard like that cost? would it be available once in London? as their site says its available only outside uk.

You could buy a Zone 1-6 card each day, but you'd have to be at a tube station to do that. This card costs somewhere between 5 and 6 pounds.

Otherwise you could pay the 1 pound fare to take the public bus to the tube station (other than Heathrow), and then buy a card there.

There may be some other fare scheme available, but I'd count on 20 pounds for transport if you choose this method. As mentioned, going from Heathrow to most hotels (not all) in the airport zone is free on a public bus.