Need help choosing London hotel
 

Here's what I'm looking for.

I’m arriving Heathrow 10pm on a Thursday night - need to be able to check in and get a bar drink & late in-room meal that night

I’m a woman traveling solo – is area and hotel safe?
convenient to public transport
Bath rooms have a full-size soaking tub, “shower only” not acceptable.
Price range $300-ish
Want clean, quiet, comfort/luxury

Have looked at Beaufort, Royal Park, St James hotel/club, Royal horseguards, Rubens, Sofitel St James, Cadogan, others

Can you advise?

Don't know where in the city you want to settle down, but those selections are all OK with regard to safety. As always, don't wander around dark streets in the wee hours no matter where you are.

Among the hotels mentioned above, I have stayed at Beuafort & Royal Horseguards. Arriving late at the night, if by public transport, Royal Horseguards is much better for solo woman, as it's only few minutes walk from Tube Embankment, and also more convenient for sight-seeing, theatres and concert halls-all within walking distance.

But for quiet and luxury, Beaufort is a better choice than Horsefuards,

Many good reviews of the Beaufort, but I have read some reviews that say service is not good, etc. Also, they have no late food service, so my first night I won't have dinner (I'm arriving after 10pm)So that's whay I was looking for another place.

You might try Millenium Bailey's , good safe location,across from a tube station, all rooms have soaking tubs, in- house bar and restaurant. Clean , quiet and comfortable

We stayed at the Sofitel St James a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Don't know how late the bar operates, but there was quite an active one. I'm certain they offer room service since there's a restaurant in the hotel. (Tho the prices can be unnerving....BUT... the exchange rate is better now so it's probably not so frightening.-:) I'd check with the hotel on ours of service. Our room had both a shower and tub. At the time we paid about $500... but, again, that's when the pound was 2 for 1.

When I stayed near St. James (at the Jolly) I arrived late and got a latish dinner at Bank, near the St James Sofitel (the bar Zanzibar stays open late). The area is perfectly safe, if boring.

I think you would be better off picking a hotel you like and springing for a cab to and from a late-night restaurant. There are plenty in London.

Room service after midnight (when you will arrive at the hotel) is not that common. I would start checking there to see who offers it. (Some hotels offer just a sandwich or snacks with a drink rather than an actual dinner). Also wanting a large tub can be an issue.

I think you need to contact each hotel directly to get specific answers to those questions.

We have stayed at the Rubens Hotel on two separate occasions and would definitely recommend it.

It's only a couple of blocks from Victoria Station. It's a busy area so I don't think you'd have to worry about being out and about at night. And, they have 24 hr room service and a lovely bar. Also, our bathroom was quite nice with a large tub.

I definitely think it meets the requirements you set forth.

http://www.rubenshotel.com/

arriving that late I would not expect to eat at the hotel or nearby. It could be well after midnight or nearly 1 AM before you check in. So if it was me, I'd eat at LHR -- lots of choices, and then travel to the hotel and check in.

There are lots of places in London that serve really late - but going to one after checking in could mean eating at 0130/0200.

Many food services at LHR shut down late night and it is simply an extremely unpleasant place with lousy food.

do you really want to eat that late anyway? Wouldn't it be better to go to bed when you get in to start getting acclimated to the time change immediately?

"<i>an extremely unpleasant place with lousy food.</i>" There are actually several quite decent places to eat at LHR - some dregs as well . . . . . .

Good advice everyone. Thanks!

janis, it would be helpful if you specified them and their typical price, and said whether they can be accessed by people after picking up their luggage and passing out of secure zones.

momliz,

when i fly transatlantic to london during the day, I find it much nicer to have a drink and a meal rather than try to go to sleep at what is essentially 4pm in New York. I typically go to bed around 2am (London time) and get up 8am London time, and that works for me.

Not sure what you mean by "bar drink" but would it be possible to pre-arrange with your hotel to have a 1/2 bottle of wine and some kind of sandwich delivered to your room before room service closes for the night? That way it could be there waiting for you. Hard to imagine that they have never gotten such a request in the past.....

Try the Rembrandt. The bar is open until 1:00 AM for hotel guests & you can arrange the bar to be open later & they have 25 hour room service. You'll have to check with them about the soaking tub. It's also walking distance from the S. Kensington tube or the Knightsbridge tube station.

http://www.sarova.com/rembrandt/

According to the site, some rooms have Jacuzzis.