My 11-year-old daughter, one of my friends and my sister all went to London March 21- 30. <BR><BR>We flew from San Diego and my sister flew from Seattle. Her flight got very messed up. She was to fly into Gatwick while we flew into Heathrow. We all flew American and when we purchased our tickets we could not connect to get on the same flights or even the same airport. So my sister took off and then landed again after realizing there was a problem. They landed with fire trucks coming after the plane. Turns out the problem was with the landing gear. They made them get off, get luggage and go back to the ticket counters. She was in line for 3 hours just to get to the ticket agent. So I was checking on line for other flights for her to get over. I was going from SD to LAX and the flight left LAX at 8pm. Finally American got her standby on a United flight to LA and she got on with us. <BR><BR>We stayed at the Oxbridge Apartments, which we got from this sight. I did like the location of Gloucester Rd in Kensington, very central to everything. It was pretty much what we expected but what I was most unpleased about was the service. We only had 4 towels and since we also needed dish towels for the kitchen we asked for some more, and the guy did not speak English very well and I don�t think he understood what we needed. The whole time we were there, there was maid service only 1 and since we were running out of toilet paper we bought more. Of course that was the day the maid came and gave us more. We had to buy dish soap for the dishes. I thought this would have been provided. When I asked the guy what to do with our garbage he brought up a large black trash bag. We ended up just leaving that out in the hall the next day. I don�t think that I will ever stay there again or even recommend it. The web site lists satellite TV but we only got 5 channels and 3 of them were arab. <BR><BR>Continued Below

The weather was fantastic and did not always need to wear a coat. We visited most of the tourist�s sites. The London eye was great since it was so nice out. My daughter got a little bored with some things but she did enjoy the London Dungeons. <BR><BR>We bought the 7-day travel card for the tube and busses here before we left. This was great and we did take the bus quite a bit since you see more this way. I would definitely recommend this. We also bought a 4 day British Heritage Pass that got you into several venues. We got a little lucky because the first day we used it they did not date it so we used it for more than 4 days. I recommend this pass as it does save you money in the long run if you visit enough sites that take it. It was even good for the Roman Baths in Bath. <BR><BR>We went to Windsor castle and Bath. Enjoyed both very much. This was mine and my sisters 2nd visit to London but the first time was only 4 days so we got to see a lot more this time. We wanted to see a play but just ran out of time. We were usually exhausted by evening anyway from so much walking. <BR>

We ate curry a lot and my favorite restaurant is the Standard Balti House on Brick Lane Rd. in the East End. We ate there on our first visit and wanted to go back. We had great pasties in Covent Garden at Cornwall Pastie (I think that was the name).<BR><BR>We of course had to visit several Pubs, but after a while I really missed my Sam Adams. We went to a great little tiny pub in Bath and talked for several hours with some local men. That was a lot of fun. <BR><BR>The only bad thing on the trip was when I got my wallet stolen out of my purse. I must have left it open without realizing it. I was very good about keeping it closed but I guess I did not one time. This was toward the end of the trip and there wasn�t too much money left in it anyway but I did have to call my credit card companies. Went to DMV this morning to get a new license. <BR><BR>It was a great trip and I can�t wait to plan my next one, hopefully to Italy next. If anyone has any questions please ask away. <BR><BR>Laura<BR>

What a good report Laura - you certainly saw and did a lot!<BR><BR>Sorry to hear about the problems with the apartment. It struck me that US and English use some words quite differently. E.g. we would say &quot;tea towels&quot; or &quot;drying cloths&quot; not &quot;dish towels&quot;, and &quot;washing-up liquid&quot; rather than &quot;dish soap&quot;. But the manager should certainly have been able to work out what you meant.

Hi All,<BR><BR>We were in London Mar 13-20 and also stayed at the Oxbridge . . . we had apt C-17 on the 4th floor.<BR><BR>We loved our apartment! We are 3 ladies, we had a kitchen/living room combination (with extra twin bed), a small bedroom with twin beds and a big closet, a bath with a tub/hand-held shower and plenty of hot water. The maid came by every morning to pick up our garbage. The place was quiet and we never, ever saw another person there except for the managers.<BR><BR>No, we didn't have dish soap or paper towels but there were two grocery stores on the way to/from the tube stop and we just stopped in and bought some, since we were buying a few snacks anyway. It would have been nice if those had been provided but it was a little thing to us.<BR><BR>We had fresh towels and sheets every other day and when we needed toilet tissue or an extra chair or the heat turned down, etc., we had no problems with the management. Some of them didn't speak perfect English but we managed to get our point across anyway and they understood. They were always friendly and eager to please.<BR><BR>The Oxbridge was not fancy, could have been a little cleaner, but the price was right (about $90/night), and we thought the location was terrific.<BR><BR>I took pictures of our apartment and would be happy to email them if anyone is interested and considering staying there. We would definitely stay there again.<BR><BR>Our tube stop was Gloucester Road and 3 lines go through there--Circle, the District, and the Picadilly. There was a laundromat about a block away from our apt, an internet place, two grocery stores, many restaurants, ATMs, just everything you could need or think of.<BR><BR>I'm sorry Explora didn't enjoy her visit there and thought I'd give you another point of view.<BR><BR>Sandy ([email protected])

Another Oxbridge comment--my daughters and I were there last month for 10 days. Our experience was similar to Laura's. We had maid service ONCE during this time. We did have garbage bags slid under our door on a daily basis, however. Our showerhead broke the first day and I reported it the same day--it was not fixed during our entire stay. As this was a handheld shower...well, basically we showered with a hose during the whole visit. When we got there, the person checking us in tried to charge the nightly rate for 10 nights rather than the weekly plus 3 nights. I felt that I had annoyed him by insisting on the advertised rate, and wondered if our service reflected that. <BR>That said, the location was good as Sandy said, the apartment was quiet and perfectly comfortable for our needs (Sandy, we were in C15 on the 4th floor--5th to us--during the time you were there. Isn't that funny, we never saw anyone either!). The stairs were a bit much--5 floors after a day of serious walking--the lift was tiny and all of us were too claustrophobic to use it. The 24 hour grocery store practically across the street was great, the tube was about 4 blocks away. I'd probably stay there again, you really couldn't beat the price and location, next time I will clarify a few things first.

This is Sandy again . . . when we checked in, we asked how often we would be provided fresh linens and the manager said, &quot;How often would you like them?&quot; We try to be good (water) citizens and said every other day would be fine. Maybe the linens' issue was just whether or not you made your wishes known.<BR><BR>I'm impressed that y'all walked up five flights after sight seeing all day . . . we didn't care how small the elevator was, man we squshed in!<BR><BR>Where else in London can you get that much room and that wonderful a neighborhood for only $90/night!!!!<BR><BR>Sandy

A-A,<BR><BR>How funny. We had the same room you had and exactly the same service. The maid came once and they never changed the sheets and we got new towels once. Also got the bags under the door. <BR><BR>Sandy, <BR>Don't get me wrong, I loved the location and everything around it but I expected better service even for something as reasonable priced as it was. The floor can get dirty when you are fixing food and eating and it just would have been nice to have stuff cleaned more than the one time. We did the best we could but we did not have a broom or a vacuum. <BR>