Still sitting here searching for info on Thistle hotels. Has anyone stayed at Thistle Hyde Park recently...any comments, good or bad? Any supermarkets, pubs (other than the Swan), restaurants, etc. in the area?

Thank you.

2 years ago recent enough? it was OK for us, but we're not demanding. only there 2 nights, courtesy BA. I don't recall any nearby restaurants or supermarkets in all our trekking, but we weren't looking for them either.

When I used to visit London a lot on business it was my hotel of choice, which is not to say that it is a business-type hotel - it's rather old-fashoned & charming. If you can get a room at the front, with a balcony facing Hyde Park, it's very nice (& those rooms are a decent size).

It's close to Lancaster Gate tube station which is on the Central line which I find handy, & only about 10 minutes walk from Paddington station which has several other tube lines + the Heathrow Express. There is a small Sainsbury supermarket in Paddington station & lots of other small food shops in the vicinity. (Although if you are staying in a hotel, why do you need a supermarket ?)

There are also lots of pubs, ethnic restaurants & other shops in the area, especially on & around Queensway & Westbourne Grove.

Carolyn, thank you so much for all the information. Just curious about store in the area to buy snacks for night.

Thanks again for the info.

Also, did you use Heathrow Express to Paddington? Easy to use? Cost? Last time we used Hotel Link but thought we would try the Express this time. Only one suitcase each and a carry-on.

Hi redhat. Queensway is your best bet for late night convenience stores - I daresay some of them never close !

Yes, the Paddington Express is very convenient. The last time I used it, it was £13 each way. It's £1 cheaper if you buy the ticket before boarding.

Do your suitcases have wheels ? If so, Paddington to hotel is an easy 10 minute level walk.

P.S. Some airlines have a check-in desk at Paddington - or at least, they did a year or two ago. V. handy on departure day - leave hotel, walk to Paddington, check in nice & early & get rid of checked luggage.

That feature at Paddington is long gone.

I thought it was gone - but I see some references to to Paddington baggage check-in online. Not sure if those are current, though.

I know bmi stopped doing it c.2-3 years ago, but at that point I thought there were still some others there. But haven't used Paddington since.

I stayed at The Thistle Charing Cross last December, and I would recomend it to anyone. The rooms were immaculate, the maids were always friendly and willing to help and the features were out of this world. If the Thistle Hyde Park is half as good as the Charing Cross, you will think you went to heaven while you stay there.
If you haven't seen their website yet, it's www.thistlehotels.com
I hope this information helps. Enjoy your trip!

The Paddington check-in for Heathrow has been gone for a while, part of BA cost cutting. It was so convenient, and a determining factor for us in deciding which airline to choose. I even emailed BA about this, just got the standard blah, blah thank you for contacting us.