London in December
 

BF and I are planning a trip to London after Christmas. We are late 40's and 50's. We love to sightsee, eat, and shows. Should we get a flat or hotel? I know London is huge, but can anyone give me an idea of the best location? Our budget is about $500 a night.
Many Thanks!!

Hello there - how long are you going to be in London for? What do you want out of accomodations - do you want to cook yourself, do you want help booking things etc?

$500 a night will get you good accomodations in central london - so depending on your expectations you should be fine. If you give us more info about what you want we can help!

Are you planning for this year?

We stay at the Jumeirah Lowndes in Belgravia in a Deluxe Room. It is a great location to some great shopping. Have fun.

Jamikins is right. It depends on how long you are planning on staying. We have stayed 4 days the longest.

I don't think it depends on the length of your stay.

If you want hotel services (concierge, room service etc) then stay in a hotel. If you don;t need those services and would prefer your own kitchen to make meals, then go for an apartment.

Many people say to get an apartment for more space and sitting space besides a bed - but for that rate in January you would be able to get a deluxe room in a pleasant hotel - probably with a small seating area - not the closets that many people end up with if their budget is $200 or so.

Probably 4 or 5 nights, great location, friendly staff, concierge,restaurant/bar, nice bathroom, nice sheets, close to theater or Buckingham Palace, not sure about cooking...)

But 'after Christmas' might not mean January, nyt. Maybe the OP is planning to come between Christmas and New Years which would be very expensive, I think. And if they're staying less than a week, they might not be able to get an apartment for so few days. (Although if the price is good and the apartment is good, I'd book it for a week even if I were only staying four or five days.)

I'm in a flat now but lots of my friends have stayed in hotels in Mayfair and they all seem to like that area.

Sorry, I just realized that the post title does say December. One of my friends stayed in a hotel on Curzon, near Shepherd's Market. I'm sorry, I can't remember the name -- Waterloo? Wellington? Something that starts with W (I think). She likes high end hotels so it's probably pretty nice.

If you want all those services I would recommend renting a hotel. I live here so dont have experience with hotels, but I am sure people will be able to help you!

We'll be there12/26-12/30. Any hotel ideas? Favorite restaurants and pubs? Many thanks,again

If you are planning to go to a lot of shows, I would book a place convenient to your target theaters. In winter, I wouldn't want a long schlepp back to my accommodations after a performance, particularly at night. If you are going to matinees, you may want to pop back to your lodgings after a morning of sightseeing to change into different clothes.

You don't give a budget. Do you have one?

Sorry! I just noticed you did state your budget. That is good enough to get you a nice hotel in the theatre district. Read TripAdvisor for up-to-date reviews so you don't end up in a place doing off-season renovations, or next door to ongoing construction.

PS: You might want to check out Hazlitt's (hotel).

Hi everyone! Many thanks for all the help.
NOW bf has decided to use his Marriott points. (boy, Hazlitt's was gorgeous!! next trip? :)) We would like a central location to sites/theaters/reastaurants. Choices are: County Hall, Grosvenor Square,Park Lane, and Kennsington. Any suggestions?

Also, is there a Westin in London. couldn'tseem to find one..

If you asked about Westin due to having Starwood Points, check Sheraton. Check the Starwood site for other hotels.
There's a Sheraton nr Hyde Park Corner in a magnificent old building, but that hotel itself gets mixed reviews.
London can be COLD (and grey, of course) at that time of year, so I agree with Zeppole--if you'll be at the theater every night, plan on a place nr the "Theaterland" area. London cabs are great, so you don't have to be RIGHT there. Trafalgar Sq, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly, of the tourist areas, are nr theaters.
I love the Kensington /Gloucester Rd area of London, which is convenient for underground stops , but have also stayed at the Intercontinental at Hyde Park Corner. From there, it's a nice walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace, or in the other direction to Hyde Park (Park Lane) and then Oxford Street. Christmas decorations will still be up , and Oxford St will be packed with shoppers seeking after Christmas sales (which, being from the USA, i did not find to be any bargain)
Of Marriotts, the one on Park Lane would be closet to that area.

p.s. On another post , you said you are going to the Caribbean the week after Christmas.
WHich is it?--i.e.if you have decided against London, please let us know so we won't spend any more energy on helping withLondon--and can instead direct time to Caribbean help.

"One of my friends stayed in a hotel on Curzon, near Shepherd's Market"

Just one point - in the UK using the full name of streets is pretty much essential.

Curzon for example could be Curzon Crescent, Curzon Place, Curzon Road or Curzon Street

Shepherd's Market is actually Shepherd Market - unless you mean a market in Shepherd's Bush

Can't think though of a hotel starting with "W" by Curzon Street & Shepherd Market

It's the Washington Mayfair Hotel on Curzon Street. Yes, you're right about street, place, avenue, etc. but London isn't unique in that respect, is it. City uses names more than once. The Washington Mayfair is almost directly across from Shepherd Market.

Not to be too picky, Alan, but I really do think that the clues "Curzon" and "Shepherd's Market", while not exactly correct, would have given the most elementary internet user enough of a clue. I just typed 'hotels near Curzon, Shepherd's Market' into my search engine and even with both pieces of incomplete/incorrect information, the Washington Mayfair was the first on the list. It's just not that difficult or complicated.

CaliNurse- ix-nay on the Caribbean-saving that for another time. BF really has wanted to see London again, and I'll go anywhere, anytime!! We are so excited-love London and Londoners!

Many thanks for all the help. It had looked to me on a map that the Marriott/Grossevnor Square was closest to many things we wanted to see, so thanks for clearing it up.

Am now purusing forum for restaurants/pubs as well.

"Not to be too picky, Alan"

I agree, in this case it worked because there were multiple bits of information - but if they'd just said "Shepherd's" or "Curzon" would you have guessed they meant somewhere near Green Park.