Newbie International Traveler Looking for London Hotel/Day Tours Advice
 

My best friend and I are planning a week-long trip to the UK next year. Our plan is to base ourselves in London, and take a few day tours to nearby areas to visit some of the historic castles and other locales. I've started looking here, at trip advisor, lonely planet, and a variety of other sites and am really starting to get overwhelmed.

We're planning to go in late March/early April, mainly because that's when our vacation schedules coincide. We thought our first task should be to settle on a hotel - this being our first trip to London, we want to be fairly centrally located with easy access to public transportation. We also don't want to spend $$$$$ a night on a hotel. I've seen some pretty good reviews for The Lime Tree; does anyone have any experience staying there? Can anyone recommend a moderately priced, clean, safe hotel that's centrally located?

Regarding day tours, I've noticed that even Harrod's is in to the day tour business. Are their certain tour operators to avoid? I'd really appreciate any recommendations. I've defaulted to my usual practice of making spreadsheets to sort the data, but without reliable recommendations, I'm really flying blind.

Thanks so much for any help!
Leia

I stayed at the Bloomsbury Hotel near Tottenham Court Rd station last fall and could not have been happier with the location. It's not too expensive and has a great breakfast. I also had heard really good things about the Hazlitt's.

I have also stayed at the Marriott Grosvenor Sq in Mayfair and the Royal Horseguards near central London. They are ok but not great.

Enjoy. London's incredible.

Thanks so much! I'll check those out and add them to my list :)

Highly recommend www.walks.com for their walking tours and their day trips. Ver affordable and great guides!

I second London Walks - good value, good guides, and helps you to get your bearings on the city. I really enjoyed the Walk to to Greenwich I did a couple of years ago. I have also caught the train to Hampton Court Palace one day and then Hatfield House (both have entry gates close to their local train station, and a very easy train ride from central London) - didn't need to book a tour to do it, very easy, pleasant day with lots of history, and nice local villages to potter in afterwards.

Check out Venere to get another view of where you might want to rent.

http://www.venere.com/uk/london/ Sort by price, location, type of lodging you might want. Check out the reviews of places you might like. Always check the hotel's website to make sure you get the best value.

I like these guys and use them for reference a lot.

if you want a b&b, we really liked the celtic hotel (used to be called st. margaret's) nice people and great breakfast. best of all, it's so easy and cheap to get to from heathrow. (anything near russell square is...) you just take the regular tube from the airport (not the more expensive express) and get off at russell square. it's literally around the corner form the tube stop. i highly recommend that area--we found it very central.

Wow, great suggestions; I knew this was the place to come for advice. Thank you all so much; I'm feeling less stressed already!

I agree with the recommendations to look at London Walks for day trips. walks.com. I've done some of their day trips (as well as some of their 2 hour walks within London) and they are very good. There are a lot of options for day trips out of London - you can also easily go independently by train - suggest you narrow down where you want to go or tell us your interests to get more specific advice.

Hmmm, I guess it's a matter of definition. I just checked a random date in September, and the best price for a single at the Cumberland is $348....

I like to stay here: http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk - $102 for an en-suite single and not too far from the Russell Square tube station.

But if your dates fit their schedule, the best deal is probably the LSE halls of residence, http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/

We used London Walks tour of Oxford and the Cotswolds; a very scenic and informative trip. We were actually walking down the pastures out by the cows at one point!

Also easy to do is take the train to Hampton Court. There is plenty to do here for a day, including the beautiful gardens.

Have you thought of renting a flat for your trip? Personal tastes vary, but this was a great choice for us. Reasonably priced, 10 minutes from the tube, a kitchen available when you wanted to use it, laundry in the flat, etc/

What I would look for in terms of day trips is

1) what you can do yourselves by trains

2) for those where a combination of sights makes bus tours necessary see what the wether looks like when you get there versus the days when they offer the tours (you will be there in early season and many tours will not be offered every day certainly not by multiple companies)

Do remember that is will still be chilly and likely rainy - and you won;t want to do countryside unless the weather is decent

Sorry - can;t help with hotels - this isn;t our price point. But I would stay as close to the center as yuo can - since the tube shuts down very early and getting back to a hotel not in walking distance can be a major PIA.

We recently stayed at the Lime Tree Hotel. The hotel itself was nice and clean; our room was quite small (we're used to European hotel rooms), but there were four of us in the quad room, so I doubt this would be a consideration for you.

The back garden was nice, and mostly quiet. If there were people in the garden, we could easily hear them from our room.

Several days, the breakfast room was full when we wanted to eat, so we had to wait for an available table.

There were several nearby pubs and wine bars to drop for a late-evening drink, a boulangerie where we picked up bread for a picnic lunch, and a bunch of appealing-looking shops, if you like to shop (I don't really, but I like looking in the windows).

The area was safe and quiet, and I loved its proximity to Hyde Park - I went running there every morning. I'm not sure we'd stay in this area again, though. For us, it was further (even my tube) from the places in London that we tend to enjoy. DH did not like having to go through Victoria Station every time we took the Tube, but the rest of the family liked that. In previous visits, we've stayed more in the Covent Garden (a long time ago) and Bloomsbury areas. The main reason that we didn't stay in this area most recently was that I just couldn't seem to find rooms (either quad or two doubles) in the price range that I was looking for, of the quality that I was seeking (clean, nice bathrooms).

London Walks are great - we didn't take any on this trip, but have taken them on previous trips. And we are not generally the types to enjoy guided walks. (The most interesting one to me was the one that included the Inns of Court, as I'm a lawyer.)

Check out the tripadvisor reviews for the Luna & Simone -- I stayed there a few years ago, and it's still very highly rated. Near Victoria Station, with convenient transport to everywhere in London (via Bus 24).

I really enjoyed my stay at the Luna And Simone, kind of a B & B. Breakfast was very good too. I liked the location, right on a bus line. Good reviews on Trip advisor.

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_nf=...w=1022&bih=584

The London Walks look like a great idea; I've been checking some of them out and they definitely seem like what we're looking for. I navigated the DC Metro system for years, so I'm hoping the tube is pretty similar to that.

Don't really need a huge hotel room, as we don't plan to spend a lot of time there; safety, location, cleanliness, and a reasonable price are the keys. Trying to keep the price reasonable as we're both ditching the spouses for this vacation and feeling a bit guilty about spending money they won't get to enjoy.

The Cotswolds look lovely and we were interested in visiting there, as well as Hampton Court and potentially Windsor Castle. We'd considered a trip to Leeds Castle as well, but otherwise we were planning on sticking close to London. It looks like the London Walks will cover everything we'd like to see.

Thanks so much for the suggestions and guidance. There's so much out there, I really appreciate the help in narrowing down the options :)

Here's my two cents worth:
First--You might try AtHomeinLondon http://www.athomeinlondon.co.uk/ It's an agency for a few B&B's; of course, some beds might be double and you probably want separate, but it might be worth a look. You definitely want to stay in zones 1 or 2 and be very close to a Tube stop. We had excellent service from this agency twice.

Second--with only a week in London, don't schedule many (any?) day trips. There's so much in London.

Third--with good planning, and you have plenty of time to do so, there's no reason to need a tour group. Save money, be on your own timetable, and tailor make an itinerary for you guys. Really. I've had guides when I take students, and yes the good ones are good at getting groups sorted out, at adding a bit (or a lot) of history/color/info, and such. But more fun to do it on your own. However, I have heard only good things about most of the LondonWalks--but again you are confined to their (admittedly fairly extensive)choices, so days and hours are dictated by someone else. London is, with planning, SO navigable by even newbies!

Fourth--if you really want to do a day trip, Oxford is easy (and don't need a tour guide). There are lots more, but really don't plan too many. (Dover Castle is fantastic; Salisbury/Stonehenge is very doable as a day trip; Winchester is charming. etc., etc.!)

So wise to plan so far ahead. Something else you might do is read some trip reports here on this forum to get an idea of how timing goes for people.

Oh Fifth--get used to a map service like googlemaps or walkit.com and see how far apart "stuff" really is and get EXACT addresses from any prospective rooms and insert that into the map so you can see where it REALLY is.

You will have a blast, whatever options you chose to pursue.

Leia1191, good for you to start planning ahead. London is such a great city. You can never do all you plan on your first trip so prioritize the places/things you want to see.

Again I will recommend the STRAND PALACE where I stayed last summer. It is 3-4 minutes from Trafalgar Square and within a mile or so of tons of attractions including: theater district, St. Paul’s and the City, Parliament and Westminster Abbey, the Thames (cruising recommended), Churchill War Rooms and more.

Click on my name to see the places I visited without using the Tube and only one bus.

Of course, there are tons of pubs and night life in the area. Let us know which hotel you choose and how things work out. The Strand Palace is a large, older vintage hotel whose rooms have recently been cleanly updated. Excellent breakfast too which should keep you and your friend going for the day. it was recommended on this forum and I am glad that I took the suggestions.

I am DEFINITELY a planner - that's why my friend put me in charge of organizing the trip. I will confess to making a spreadsheet and everything; I've been mocked before for my spreadsheets when I travel, but I know from experience that a bit of planning ahead saves me from frustration and mistakes when I'm trying to enjoy my vacation.

We'll probably go with a London Walk at least one of the days; neither one of us has a decent sense of direction so until we get our bearings, having someone to point us in the right direction is pretty important. With all the time I have to plan though, I'm sure I'll have a pretty good prioritized list of what to do by the time our trip rolls around.

I really do appreciate all the expert suggestions :)

In London for a week do one - or a tmost 2 day trips - depending on how you count the days (you don;t count the day you arrive or the day you leave - since you won;t get anything done either one). Esp in March/early April do not count on the countryside looking like anything much - so slect day trips with care - focusing on larger towns or castles. I don;t think it's a great time for the Cotswolds.

Kensington Palace is a good spot to visit in London, especially if they still have the exhibition of Princess Di's gowns still on. It was the home of young Princess Victoria till she became Queen at 18. The gardens are beautiful, and you can take afternoon tea from 3pm in the Orangerie. And it's walking distance to Harrod's and Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.

"<i> And it's walking distance to Harrod's and Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge.</i>"

Well, I guess most everything in London is w/i walking distance if you have enough time. From Kens Palace to Harrods/Harvey Nicks would take at <i>least</i> 30 minutes. Kensington Palace is fine, but w/ as little time as you have in London, it wouldn't usually be on the 'must see' list.

>><i>We'll probably go with a London Walk at least one of the days; neither one of us has a decent sense of direction so until we get our bearings, having someone to point us in the right direction is pretty important.</i><<

Just so you realize, London Walks aren't comprehensive 'show us the lay of the land' type of tours. They are 2-ish hour walks covering small areas/individual neighborhoods/single themes. They are mostly VERY good -- but they won't give you your bearings for London.

I agree w/ the others that in a week only plan on one full day out of town trip. Oxford on your own or maybe one of the London walks away days. This is the link to the London Walks day trip offerings http://www.walks.com/London_Walks_Ho...n/default.aspx

Don't even consider Leeds Castle. It does have lovely gardens/grounds (but not in the top 5 of gardens in the southeast), but the castle itself is really a wedding/conference venue. Some interesting rooms but not worth the time away from London.

Have you found a place to stay yet? I may have missed it -what is your budget?

I've actually walked the distance between the Palace and Harrods, and it takes no more than twenty minutes. It's not difficult at all, especially for two young active women? Also, it's a pleasant walk through a nice part of London, so an enjoyable way to see that part of the city. Getting there via Tube would not save any time. And the Palace is a lovely oasis in a bustling city. Sometimes it's the less-known things that make a strong impression for travellers.

"<i>I've actually walked the distance between the Palace and Harrods, and it takes no more than twenty minutes.</i>"

I have as well -- from somewhere in the park or the Palace probably 20 or more times. Even the TFL website says 32 minutes for an average walker (and it tends to underestimate these things)

And for a slow walker -likely since it is through the park and one may want to 'smell the roses' so to speak -it calculates 45 minutes.

Not that is is a bad walk -- it is great. But it ain't no 20 mins unless one jogs.

meant to add - whether one walks through the park or along Kensington Rd/Knightsbridge it is the same distance so in the park is better IMO.

Maybe it seemed only 20mins because it is such a pleasant walk and is not any sort of slog.

There are two of you?

Then go here: www.daysoutguide.co.uk

BEFORE you fly, print off every voucher you conceivably may use. Take vouchers with you.

When in London, go to a NATIONAL RAIL station (like Victoria, Waterloo, Paddington, etc.) and go to the manned ticket booth at the station (not the Tube station, the Rail station - on the same level as the ubiquitous M&S Simply Food and Boots stores) and get seven-day PAPER Travelcards (you will need a passport-size photo for each of you too).

Present cards and voucher as necessary at your chosen attractions. This will net you 1/2 off Hampton Court Palace, 1/2 off the Cabinet War Rooms, 1/2 off the Tower and more. If you're really lucky, St Paul's will be available with the offers too.