I got the Sofitel Paris Porte De Sevres. Almost all of the reviews that I've read about it are awful. I am kicking myself so hard for not paying better attention. I really didn't want to stay anywhere other than the 5th or 6th. I wanted to be able to pop in and out of our hotel within moments. I will take your advice however and start researching the area. If I'm stuck, then I'm stuck, and lemonade it will be! Thanks for your help!

I went to tripadvisor to read reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...de_France.html

and what do I see? "Great gym and pool at this hotel, good hotel, great deal, great hotel....." There's a water park next door. This sounds like FUN! Now what you must do immediately is register for free as a frequent guest with Sofitel.

http://www.sofitel.com/gb/fidelisati..._adh_acc.shtml

Then you must write or phone the hotel and tell them it's your honeymoon and you would appreciate if they could make sure you get a renovated rooms (evidently some are, some not)

It wouldn't hurt to do the same thing with the Millenium group. That's a way to improve the average Priceline room. You should also make them aware it's your honeymoon (and wherever you're staying in Ireland.

And don't forget to think about all the money you've saved on rooms and what that will buy in splash out meals or shopping

Several things that we really enjoyed while in London this past summer were the British Museum, Westminster Abby (try to get reservations for a verger's tour...informative and you get to go places others don't get to go.) Also try to get tickets for the Key Ceremony at the Tower, again, you have to send in for the tickets, but what a neat experience. If you type in Key Ceremony or Westminster Verger's tour here at Fodor's or go to the websites for both places, the information you need will be there. St. Pauls has been under renovation for a long time, hasn't it? We didn't get there this past summer. If it still is, then it will be covered with scaffolding, but the interior...wow!!! St Martin's on the Field..we loved this wonderful place, from the food and the rubbings in the crypt to the musical celebrations, it was a place where you felt very welcome. Also, if you go on one of the bus tours, you get a free boat trip that takes you from the Tower up the river to I think it was parliment. We stayed at the Hilton Edgeware and loved it there, we became Hilton Honor's members and were upgraded due to it being our 20th anniversary after having gone through priceline. We bought our travel cards, British Heritage Pass and paid for all of our theater before coming over, if you look at Last Minute.com they have good prices, also Porter's Restaurant has a good tie in to discounted theater tickets and we got dead center for one for half price including dinner there. I wish you many years of happiness and a great trip!

Julie

Mclaurie: Thanks so much for research - you are very sweet! We'll make the most of it I promise.
Thanks to everyone else for the great advice!

For whatever its worth, I would avoid the hop on and hop off buses because they are quite expensive and they get stuck in traffic. Narrow down your itinerary and take the tube. It's quicker and much cheaper. Have a great time!

The cheapest double at the Bonnington of Bloomsbury is $270 (May). What a shock when I realized that their prices were in pounds, not Euros!

This seems to be about as cheap as a decent London hotel seems to be. To bad, but London has pretty well priced itself off the radar as far as I'm concerned.

That's why Priceline is such a great bargain in London. Just got a room at the Copthorne Tara in Kensington for $82/night - US dollars!

"Author: Kayb95 ([email protected])
Date: 01/27/2005, 01:48 pm
Message: That's why Priceline is such a great bargain in London. Just got a room at the Copthorne Tara in Kensington for $82/night - US dollars!"

I'd like to believe that all this Priceline talk is true. I've only tried them once and the results were not so great.

If you do a lot of research on www.biddingfortravel.com ahead of time, it greatly reduces the risk of getting a stinker. I think it's the best way to go in London. Besides the Copthorne Tara, I've gotten the Dolphin Square Hotel in Westminster for $97/night and the Heathrow Marriott for $67/night.

Honeymooners - congrats on your Priceline London hotel. I've used Priceline at least a dozen times, mostly in London, always with satisfaction. Never paid more than $115, often less, for a 4* place, usually in Bloomsbury but sometimes in Kensington and Mayfair.

Agree with poster who emphasizes studying Biddingfortravel. I re-read it every time I bid on Priceline.

Re: Paris - how many nights are you staying? If just one or two, you could just write it off and start over. Or if more than one night, spend some time at the Sofitel and some time elsewhere.

I actually love the Sofitel in Los Angeles which may be irrelevant.

Are you a piano player?

Well Priceline absolutely refuses to budge, even to transfer to a different Sofitel, and my credit card company practically laughed at me as soon as I mentioned it was Priceline. My last resort is to call the hotel directly and ask if they can transfer my reservation to another Sofitel closer to the heart of Paris. I just have to figure out how to dial over there - should it be this hard? We are staying for five nights, so I really don't want to waste the money and will make the best of things if we can't transfer. The money saved will actually pay for a night at Dromoland Castle when we get to Ireland so it's not too bad.
Making lemonade -

"If you do a lot of research on www.biddingfortravel.com ahead of time, it greatly reduces the risk of getting a stinker"

I don't understand this. Isn't the whole point of Priceline that you don't know what you are going to get ahead of time? The one time that I used Priceline, I did look at biddingfor travel. I ended up with a place that no one haf ever mentioned.

Shannon,
For what it is worth, Dromoland Castle is beautiful. It would be a perfect place to stay while on your honeymoon. When you arrive at the hotel, they open your car door and say "Welcome home." It only gets better from there. If your Paris hotel isn't too far out of the way and inconvenient, it would be worth it for a night at Dromoland. JMHO

Suse

Shannon, you'll have to let us know how the lemonade turns out.

Metullus, what hotel did you get in London that you were dissatisfied with? What star level was it? They state on the BFT site that the hotels on the list are the hotels Priceline has historically used. That's the kicker with Priceline - you don't know the hotel until you win the bid. So there is always an element of risk. But if you feel you got a hotel that didn't represent the star level you bid on, letting Priceline know about it may help them evaluate using that hotel in the future.