xerenthar

Hi there! I'm going to London for 4 nights with my girlfriend. We are 24 and 25. We want to do touristy stuff and also go out to bars/pubs at night, preferably within walking distance. We have rewards to use at Hyatts - there's the Andaz on Liverpool Street and the Hyatt near Hyde Park. Would either of these be better? Or both totally offbase and we should stay somewhere completely different?

gh21

Definitely West End if you want to be nearer to the touristy stuff. Can't comment on bar scene.

Surfergirl

West End -- totally agree. Liverpool Street area is closer to the East End, kind of industrial/work area. Not the financial district, but neither the financial district nor the Liverpool Street area is where you'd really want to hang out at night, unless it's out for a pint after work waiting for the Underground to clear out a bit. In fact, there's a pretty good pub right outside the Liverpool St. Station I've spent more than my share of time at waiting for a commuter train to Brentwood.

alanRow

Wouldn't say either is especially well placed for tourism - the Hyatt near Hyde Park is convenient for shopping the west end of Oxford Street but needs a Tube ride to get to the West End. The Liverpool Street hotel also needs a Tube ride but you have more choice of Tube lines so you can get to daytime tourist sights easier

Neither hotel would be in my top 10 places to stay if I was interested in bars & restaurants

avalon

Agree as usual wiyh alanrow,Is there some reason these are your only 2 choices?

xerenthar

I have rewards to use with Hyatt, so I can stay for free. I can always use those rewards on a different trip if I'd be unhappy staying at either location. What areas should I look in?

Odin

Either location would be fine, nowhere in London is close to everything & tourist sites are scattered, you have to take the tube or bus. There are alot of bars & restaurants around Liverpool Street area and the financial area is interesting.

hsv

Generally one has to rely on public transportation in London anyway as sights are spread out over the city.
There are good and some great restaurants spread out over various parts of town, too.
As stated the Hyatt on Portman Sq. is convenient for the mayhem of Oxford St. shopping with its predominant mid-market chain stores (plus e.g. Selfridges and Brown's) as well as for Hyde Park access (Speaker's Corner is near the hotel). The Hyatt has a classic vibe about it and has just completed some renovations I believe. It is fine for what it is (and International Hyatt hotels tend to be a notch nicer than US ones), but there are more attractive Hyatt properties, especially in the International portfolio.
The Andaz is the former Great Eastern Hotel directly adjacent to Liverpool St. station. In contrast to others I would deem it to be part of the financial district. The area can get a bit quiet on a Sunday, but it is reasonably close (short cab ride) to the hip and young bars in Hoxton and Shoreditch and the "delights" of Brick Lane cheap dining (there are some good places there). As part of the Andaz chain the hotel's decor may appeal to a different clientele than the Hyatt as its decor puts more of an effort at being modern and stylish. For a hotel, I would enjoy the Andaz more. Would any of them be my top-pick for using points? - Not necessarily. Especially since the Andaz can often be booked at extremely reasonable prices when staying over a weekend (GBP 120 range).

If I were to stay in London, I'd tend to place myself somewhere along the Piccadilly Line tube (good access to anywhere central plus LHR), preferably somewhere in South Kensington. But that's a personal preference (and I might want to be closer to Hoxton should I have plans to go clubbing in that area).

PatrickLondon

Liverpool Street is within walking distance of the Sunday market at Spitalfields/Brick Lane and is close to the more alternative/arty bar and club scene around Hoxton/Shoreditch, and up and down Commercial Street and Great Eastern Street, but that is not particularly attractive-looking. Liverpool Street itself is as nondescript as anywhere around a major railway terminus.

Portman Square is a much grander location, and I would think rather more traditional; pubs and restaurants in the area are likely to be more upmarket, maybe even a bit stuffy.

I'm not going on much personal experience here, I must admit, just the general atmosphere: for example, around Liverpool St you will find plenty of venues offering the Next Big Noisy Rock Band, while Portman Square is within walking distance of one of the finest chamber music concert halls in Europe.

On the other hand, Portman Square is also close to the expanse of Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.

So there's the choice: Posh/stuffy vs. arty/scruffy. More or less.

As others have said, you'd have to travel to get to all the sights you're likely to see, whichever you choose, so that doesn't strike me as so important a factor. Don't forget, buses may be as useful to you as the Tube:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...itor-guide.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...rchdr-2168.pdf
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...treet-2161.pdf

alanRow

"Generally one has to rely on public transportation in London anyway as sights are spread out over the city."

Whilst I agree with that, it's also nice to be within walking distance of sights. It's also nice to be on a direct Tube route to whether you want to go - which is why I would prefer Liverpool Street over Hyde Park given the possible choices.

janisj

I agree w/both Patrick and alan. Patrick's comparison pretty much sums things up. And (IF I was 24 yo) I'd also pick Liverpool St over Portman Sq.

I'm definitely NOT 24, so I'd possibly pick Portman Sq for myself since I like to go to the Wigmore Hall and Wallace Collection.

Curf

I used to live near Liverpool street up until earlier this year so maybe I am biased but I loved the area. Very close to spitalfields and brick lane (both have great Sunday markets) and there are so many nice bars and restaurants around there and up into Shoreditch. You are also on lots of tube lines at Liv street so easy to get around. The Andaz is just round the corner from the station. I stayed there a few months ago when I was back in London and I can't speak highly enough of it.
I don't think Hyde park is a great location (very tourtisty and tacky. If you wanted to be closer to the more traditional tourist stuff I would maybe think about staying in Notting Hill - pretty location, trendy area but it's so easy to get around from Liverpool street I would go with that.
If you wanted any bar/restaurant recommendations in liverpool st area I would be happy to help.

janisj

"<i>I don't think Hyde park is a great location (very tourtisty and tacky. If you wanted to be closer to the more traditional tourist stuff I would maybe think about staying in Notting Hill</i>"

Portman Sq can hardly be described as tacky (neither can Hyde Park IMO -- but that hotel isn't on the Park so not an issue in any case). And Notting Hill isn't near any 'tourist stuff' except the market -- and the park.

I'd also recommend Liverpool Street for a young couple, but Portman Sq isn't tacky.

PatrickLondon

I think Curf may be thinking more of Edgware Road/Marble Arch and further westward.