Probable Trip to London - Have a couple of questions
 

Hi all,

Was originally planning a Paris/Barcelona trip for June 2010, but we are scubbing that idea because of the high season costs.

Now we've turned our attention to London in March 2010. Wasn't a consideration (although someplace I've wanted to visit) until my wife found out that the Dave Matthews Band would be playing The O2 arena on 3/6/10 (she a huge DMB fan).

Here's my questions:

Is $640/ticket a good roundtrip fare from the US flying directly to Gatwick? (Flying from Orlando...found fare on 1800flyeurope.com)

Have located an apartment is central London (link attached). Does this seem like good price and is this a good area to stay in? (still waiting to hear back from the owner about a couple of questions)

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p430330

How's the London weather like in early-mid March?

Anyone seen a concert at The O2 arena? Is it a good venue to see a concert?

I think that's enough questions for now...thanks in advance for any responses.

Mike

I would always check the official web site of the actual company that is flying the plane - often the price IME is about the same and then you do not have to deal with a third-party that can put their own conditions in, etc.

That said is the fare includes all taxes, etc. i would think you could not get much cheaper and perhaps, say if fuel prices rise, pay more - check such clauses as fuel surcharges before buying - but do check the official airline website too IMO

O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) seems to get good enough reviews for concerts on Fodor's - can't remember any complaints though it is in a God-forsaken location in North Greenwich, in between nasty heavy industry - but the New Jubilee Line Tube extension takes you there effortlessly right to the O2 so you don't have to look at the derelict overall area.

Flights are on Virgin Atlantic...checked their website.

For the same days and flights they are about $300/per ticket more than 1800flyeurope.com

1800flyeurope.com indicated that their price included all fees/taxes (no hidden suprises).

The location is well-located for entertainment. If you're pretty much geared for eating out you may have no interest in local grocers; however, one of the benefits of renting a flat is having the option of eating in, particulary breakfast. We've stayed in Knightsbridge a couple of times and once in Mayfair and remember a highlight has always been enjoying toast with real orange marmalade, making one's own coffee and reading the London Times. (It's a good idea to check on the locations and availability of grocery options). Another real benefit is having a washer/dryer in the flat.

We can't speak to the concert venue, but bring an umbrella or two. We live in Seattle, so it's almost like being at home.

The flat looks terrific and one could not be in a more central location. Seems a reasonable rate for such a modern flat, and w/views too.

You'd be walking distance from Trafalgar Sq, Covent Carden, the parks and Buckingham Palace, the Eye/Southbank, Fortnum & Mason and LOTS more. The Bedroom looks quite samll - but w/ those amenities and that location - who cares. 60 sq metres is fairly large for a 1 bdrm place.

If that fare includes all taxes/fees it is pretty good. If not, you might do better.

oh - I didn't see your 2nd post (I was checking out the flat's website while our posts crossed). Inc taxes/fees - that is a good fare. Maybe not the very cheapest I'd expect to find, but not bad for how fares seem to be trending.

800flyeurope is very reputable.

And so is Virgin very reputable - always near the top in on-baord service - seems like a good enough deal to hop on - peace of mind is priceless and though as Janis says you may find something later slightly cheaper you may not either due to the vagaries of the airline industry where fares seem to be tending up and up as airlines remove seats from the trans-Atlantic air frenzy.

From what I can tell, you have both a good fare and a well-located and nice apartment lined up. FYI 60 m2 is about 660 sq feet, so your flat is likely much larger than even a sizeable hotel room.

What mohun is rattling on about seems to be irrelevant because if you're at Leicester Square you're less than 1/2 km from Covent Garden and tons of local grocery options.

As for weather, expect rain, lots of it. And a good bit of cold too. That means 50s and 40s, which for a Floridian is legitimately cold.

Grew up in NYC so the cold won't bother me too much...at least I'll get to wear the wool overcoat I purchased in paris last November.

Concert tickets don't go on sale until Friday, but I'm gonna try to convince my wife to purchase the plane tickets tonight (I am concerned about fares going up). She wanted to wait until after we had purchased the DMB tickets.

Glad to hear good things about the apartment and its location. Nothing is set in stone as of yet. I was waiting for the owner to get back to me with answers to a couple of questions (mainly about important stuff like contracts and payment options). I hope he gets back to me soon, as I don't want to miss out on the apartment.

The O2 is really easy to get to from Leicester Square: take the Northern Line to Waterloo and the Jubilee to N. Greenwich. Once you leave the station, you'll be thisclose to the O2. The O2 is an entertainment district with various venues (this is also true for the Sydney Opera House) that include a 15-20,000 concert venue, a smaller stage venue, exhibit halls, a multiplex and numerous British chain restaurants.

I saw them at the VERY wet, muddy, and messy Austin City Limits and their cover of Burnin' Down the House demonstrated why Talking Heads sucked and DMB doesn't. You'll be indoors and a fair sight drier.

And to think how many DMB shows I could have seen when I was in college and they played in clubs mere fractions of a mile from where I lived before they were big . . .

Wow, the flat looks nice...a TV in the shower, no less. Be sure to let us know how you liked it after your trip.

Re the O2. It's reckoned to be the best concert venue in the world (until someone builds a better one). I have a sideline doing the security there so have seen a bazillion concerts there (including Led Zeppelin's reunion - now that WAS a concert) and it's really very good. It's purpose built and only a few years old so has the best acoustics etc.

It's in a complex with lots of bars and restaurants so you won't go hungry. The main complaint is that once inside the venue it's very expensive (beer's about £4 a pint I think (I've never paid for one so can't be sure) and everything else is similarly ramped up. The venue is run by the yank company AEG and if you're familiar with any of their venues in the states you'll know what to expect.

Given that Dave Matthews would have trouble selling out a phone box in Britain (honestly no one here has heard of him) I suspect that the gig may be in the smaller venue - The Indigo. I can't see him selling enough tickets to fill the 20,000 capacity main venue. Both are good though.

Dave Matthews? For shame. I normally watch the shows but I think I'll give this one a miss.

Look out for a biggish, bald, grumpy looking bloke in a bullet proof vest. That'll be me.

I just checked 1800flyeurope.com and their price for my itinerary (Nashville to Dublin; returning Manchester to Nashville) was approximately $50 higher than what I found on Delta's website. I'd suggest checking kayak.com, as well.

That's a great apartment for a great price in a great area for a tourist.

Weather in London, you can check www.wunderground.com and use their travel planner section to get historical weather for your dates. If you are familiar with these US cities at that time, the weather would be likely comparable, but perhaps a bit damper in London: Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC. But it does vary. Spent two ends of March in 2007 and 2008 in London. The first one it was sunny and 70s in the daytime (I think unusually nice) and the second one it was in the 30s and it snowed that weekend (I think also unusual).

Hey all,

Just an update...

Purchased plane tickets last night through 1800flyeurope.com. Total cost for tickets was $640.58 per person. Flights are on Virgin Atlantic (non-stop from Orlando). Same flights priced this morning on the Virgin Atlantic website were $941.71. Saved $600 on both tickets.

Purchased concert tickets this morning with no real hassles. Ticketmaster UK to ship the tickets to us via FedEx.

Apartment is another story...Finally got a response from the apartment owner. Seems that he has already rented the flat for the period that we will be there. So I guess its back to the drawing board on lodging.

Anyone care to provide somed feedback on these apartments? (mainly location and such).

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p309782

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p418123

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p415378

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p427339

Any help is greatly appreciated as we are not at all familiar with London.

Too bad about the flat . . as for these 4, my general comments:

#309782 - a bit pricey. Size not listed but it looks small. Excellent location.

#418123 - 360 sq feet which would be fine for a studio but is VERY small for a 1 bdrm. Good rate. It is in Nell Gwynn House which is in Chelsea, a posh neighborhood. Bit of a hike to Sloan Sq or South Kens tube stations but not bad. I've stayed near there a couple of times and liked it. (awfully small though)

# 415378 - Good area (though they don't tell you exactly where it is). Worries me that there are more photos of Buckingham Palace and the Queen than of the flat. That might be a red flag IMO.

# 427339 - Wouldn't be my choice. Excellent rate but it is NW of the center beyond Bayswater tube and Paddington train stations. Not nearly as good a location as the other three. But the best rate if budget is important.

If it was me (and the budget worked) I'd probably choose one of the first two - even though they are small.

Besides flats you can get some super-duper deals on Travel Lodge hotels - as low as 19 quid a night even in Covent Garden! and i think these may sleep 4 - not sure of details but there was a thread on it not long ago - of course these are limited in number and have to be secured far in advance - but they are guaranteeably modern with modern amenities

Travelodge
Travelodge - great value accommodation at over 300 hotels throughout the UK and Ireland. Family rooms from £19 per room in England, Wales, Scotland
www.travelodge.co.uk/ - Cached - Similar

London Covent Garden - Travelodge - Hotel overview
Travelodge - great value accommodation at over 300 hotels throughout the UK and Ireland. Family rooms from £19 per room in England, Wales, Scotland and ...
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/search.....view.php?hotel... - Cached - Similar

Travel Lodges in Central London
Travel Lodges in London offer good value with modern clean facilities and .... A rarity, a budget hotel in the very centre of London in the heart of the ...
http://www.londontoolkit.com/accommo...nns_lodges.htm

In order:

First is expensive. You could probably get a decent hotel with a similar sized living space (looks really flippin' small!) for that price really close to that area (Bloomsbury area, which is just minutes from Covent Garden).

Second is small. Surprised they gave the size in sq ft. I'm wondering if the metric police in the UK will flag that.

Third is best of the bunch and you can request photos of the flat to address janis' red flag issue, which I don't disagree with. If it looks like h*ll, don't buy in.

Fourth is out in tourist bfe (yeah, I know it's "Central London" to Londoners, but not to visitors) and really small. 25 m2 is like 270 sq ft. (a square meter is basically about 10.75 square feet). You'll spend more time on the cramped little Central Line trains than anywhere else, and for a tourist in London, the District/Circle and Piccadilly Lines are much better from a proximity to the Tube standpoint.

Leicester Square, Bloomsbury, South Kensington, near Waterloo station are all good areas from a tourist convenience standpoint. If your hook for London was to use it for daytrips that would exclusively depart from Paddington, then apartment #4 is great, but you're going there for other reasons and that Bayswater apartment is far afield from the main attractions that the typical first-time visitor to London wants to see.

Go to vrbo.com as well, many many apartments.

HomeAway is not an agency - it is like VRBO or Homelidays. After contacting the owner/agent the first time through the website all other correspondence is directly w/ the owner. So there are more red flags to #3 than the lack of photos. The owner opted to provide just the high level map of London so we don't know exactly where it is. Though if is is truly nearest those two tube stations it has to be central. And the text is a bit "off putting" IMO.

(BTW - I assume the owner of #2 is either American or markets mostly to Americans. Few of us Yanks would understand the size if it was listed in square meters. Absolutely no issue w/ it being listed in sq feet.)

I'd still opt for one of the first two . . .