Yet another London Hotel Question
 

We're planning a September 2018 trip to Paris/Amsterdam/London for our 30th anniversary. We'll fly to Paris from NYC for 5 nights (we've been several times and love Paris) then train to Amsterdam which is a new city for us for 5 nights, then fly to London for 5 nights. We were in London once before, but it was so long ago it'll seem new. We'll want to see some of the usual sites and do lots of walking around different areas and want a good selection of restaurants near the hotel. I've done tons of research and am debating between 3 hotel locations. I'm wondering which one you'd choose (or perhaps recommend others?). All 3 seem to be on quiet streets and are all about the same price:

The Stafford in St. James
The Knightsbridge in Knightsbridge
Draycott in Chelsea

Thank you!!

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the three locations but I'd choose the Stafford as I like the Mayfair area best. The proximity to the park is very attractive.

Enjoy your trip!

Agree totally on The Stafford too. Haven't stayed there but have had drinks with friends. Lovely lovely location to come back to after a day in London. Peaceful area and so close to some great central attractions. All three look good...although the Draycott looks a little too frumpy for me. The outdoor area of The Stafford is beautiful at night with the lights on the outdoor tables within a mews style setting. Close to Spencer House and Dukes Bar too!

Can't go wrong with any of these options; the Stafford is close to the Wolseley and walking distance to Shepherd Market, Berkeley Square, Piccadilly, Soho etc, on the other hand, I really like Firmdale Hotels, but that address is not necessarily quiet.

You would be totally happy in any of the three.

Me personally - I'd maybe choose the Draycott since it is in Sloane Sq and I really like that neighborhood.

But the Stafford is lovely.

The Knightsbridge is very close to Harrods and near some of my favorite restaurants -- including Outlaw's.

I have stayed at both the Stafford and the Knightsbridge and am familiar with the Draycott.

While the Knightsbridge is lovely, I would go with The Stafford. The location is ideal, the hotel is beautiful and the American Bar is the best.

If you like the South Kensington location, you might want to look at Number Sixteen which is a sister property of the Knightsbridge.
www.firmdale.com

If you haven't already got your air tickets:

Those are 3 wonderful cities. If I were doing the trip, I'd fly from NYC to Amsterdam, then take the train from Amsterdam to Paris and also the train from Paris to London.

The Paris-London train is comfortable, fast (just over 2 hours), and relatively inexpensive. Way, way, more convenient than flying, especially when you factor in getting to/from the airports. You could also take the train from Amsterdam to London (changing in Brussels Midi station), but it takes about twice as long as Paris-London.

I was going to say exactly the same thing as @DonTopaz. If you can arrange it, going to Amsterdam first is much more convenient and will save you potentially hours of travel time.

You should consider whether to add a night to London and subtract from Amsterdam.

Major cities are not equal. London is the largest city in Western Europe and you wouldn't exhaust your options of what to do and what to see in two weeks, never mind 5 days. Amsterdam is about 1/10 the size of London.

About trains - book Paris to Amsterdam 90 days in advance to get deep discounted train fares vs walk-up or full fares - those cheap tickets can sell out quickly though- book your own at www.thalys.com.

And consider taking trains to London from Amsterdam - just 2 hours to Brussels and another 2 hours from there to London - making about 5 hours all told and you leave from city centres could be as quick as flying these days. and you see lovely Kent in England from the train - also an experience going thru the Channel Tunnel.

There is also a train-ferry-train possibility between Amsterdam and London - including overnight ferry with lots of amenities if looking for something different.

For lots on trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Or you could consider flying first to London, taking train to Paris and then to Amsterdam and flying home from there.

Yes 5 days is more than enough for Amsterdam - much smaller than Paris or London but it offers some really neat day trips to regional Dutch towns like Haarlem, Delft, Utrecht, etc.

The problem w/ DonTopaz' suggestion is that departure taxes from the UK are very high. So you can do the cities in any order you wish, and they can be arranged efficiently no matter the order. But flying home from London would likely be the most expensive option.

Curious as to how much higher those London departure taxes are - I am certainly not doubting janis but just wonder how much we are talking about?

$20 or $100?

Thanks

>>$20 or $100?<<

More - For flights to the States (it is based on both the class and distance) in coach $100-$125. For Economy Plus and above $220-$250 (which you could have found out on your own)

I just looked at my e-receipt from a United r/t ORD/LHR last month. This was a Q fare ticket: "UK Air passenger duty $98.10. UK Passenger Service Charge $54.10"

Thanks janis and weekender! Upon janis' kindly advice I did my own research:

http://www.airport-technology.com/fe...world-5647771/

Anyway just compare the total cost of flying out of London vs out of Paris, etc to see exactly how much more you will pay - bottom line. Apparently according to another site not all airlines pass on all of the fees.

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I'm sold on The Stafford, and I'll definitely want to explore Sloane Square area. Switching one of the nights in Amsterdam to London makes total sense as does taking the train. We're using American Airlines miles, sadly they have no direct flights to Amsterdam. I just read that EuroStar may have a direct train London/Amsterdam by Easter 2018? Or has that gone by the wayside?

No the Eurostar train London-Amsterdam is still on the books but has been for a few years at least - hard to say - check www.seat61.com for current status. But as of now a simple change of trains in Brussels from Eurostar to Thalys just adds about an hour on at most.

Currently the official Eurostar site says you change at Brussels but offers thru tickets starting at 59 pounds - check this site for any definitive change:

https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en/train...ands/amsterdam

>>We're using American Airlines miles,<<

Just be SURE that you are on AA metal and not a BA codeshare.