weekend in london
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andrew830

Original Poster:

141 posts

237 months

Wednesday 6th August 2008
quotequote all
As its our wedding aniversary coming up i was thinking about a weekend in london with the wife leaving the kids with the outlaws in walesbiggrin coming from cornwall and not having been to the capital since i was a nipper can someone help with places to stay.we would like to be somewhere central thats not to hard on the walletbut is still nice enough to please the wife.also need somewhere to dump the car,is it better to park in london or leave the car and get a train in.

Blib

48,268 posts

227 months

Wednesday 6th August 2008
quotequote all
andrew830 said:
.we would like to be somewhere central thats not to hard on the walletbut is still nice enough to please the wife.
Notwithstanding the fact that shortly you will be inundated with posts pointing out the London, my home town is a sthole. How much are you budgetting for your hotel? How much is 'not too hard on the wallet'?

smile

DWP

1,232 posts

245 months

Wednesday 6th August 2008
quotequote all
Try web sites such as Lastminute.com or Londonnights. That'll let you see hotel costs. Also use google maps to see where it is. If you are arriving not on a Sat/Sun you will pay the congestion charge and to be honest if you are staying in Central London your car will be a liability. The problem you face is, if you do come by train and return home on a Sunday, check the engineering works on the line home. As to parking outside London and traveling in, there are very few places to do this, as most places will make you pay to park. Check the TFL site for tube maps, travel details and the balance between travel cards and Oyster. Do book theatre tickets early so you get to see what you want. Buy a copy of Time Out when you arrive and try their web site before you arrive. They publish every Wednesday. Enjoy.

andrew830

Original Poster:

141 posts

237 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
budget for the hotel ia about £200 per night,i know some people think london is a sthole but we fancy a weekend in the city,quite a contrast to living in the sticks where are nearest neighbour is over a mile away.which area is best to stay in as we want to be close to the main london attractions

ewenm

28,506 posts

275 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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Try Club Quarters at St Pauls.

Mobile Chicane

22,023 posts

242 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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Parking is free in much of Kensington & Chelsea from 1PM on Saturday and all Sunday.

Park outside the Turkish Embassy in Belgrave Square and you get a free armed guard. thumbup

cjs

11,695 posts

281 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
have a look here

http://www.lastminute.com/site/entertainment/theat...


You can combine a Westend Show with a hotel stay, great value. You can always extend your hotel stay a few nights. If the shows in the main Westend (some are not) your Hotel should not be too far away. You're then in walking distance of all the sights, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, London Eye etc etc.


As for driving in. Just don't do it. Park up in West London and get the tube in. For example you can park near some of the Picadilly line stations or Metropolitan line stations, most of the out of town stations have residential streets you can leave a car in.

Freddie328

687 posts

231 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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If you want somewhere a bit different, this place is a gem, small cozy & intimate and centrally located in Soho. No bar or restaurant in the hotel but plenty to choose from within less than a minutes walk.

www.hazlittshotel.com

gjc10212

271 posts

236 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
ewenm said:
Try Club Quarters at St Pauls.
Good suggestion - £80ish per night for 2.

nogginthenog

620 posts

231 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
this hotel operates a 'Ryanair' style pricing policy :

http://www.thehoxton.com/

i.e. cheap if you book at the right time - expensive if you want it tomorrow night.

It's in the uber-trendy Shoreditch / Hoxton area which is fun, but there are plenty of bus / tube options if you want to go & do more touristy stuff ( a No55 bus will get you to Oxford St in about 12 minutes ) . Loads of really good bars, restaurants, gallery's etc around there.

Enjoy your holiday smile

ali_kat

32,155 posts

251 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
Last 'romantic' weekend I had in London we stayed here and it was lovely smile

Blooming easy to find by car and nice car park too smile

As Mobile Chicane has said, the central residential areas are free to park at weekends after 2pm ish, and driving in London is not bad on a weekend, people are a lot more relaxed.

But, you 'may' prefer to park on the outskirts and get the train/tube in......

littleandy0410

1,745 posts

234 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
Try http://laterooms.com/

We've just got back from our 1st anniversary in London.

I booked the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire, it is on Leicester Square, so we had a view of the square itself. I booked an executive room, which had a king size bed, sofa, and Bang & Olufsen LCD TV.

Ideal location for anything central really, the tube station is a 2 minute walk through the square. I wouldn't ever drive into the centre of London, the tube is far less stressful. (but then my wife works in London and knows it like the back of her hand!)

V8mate

45,899 posts

219 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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1. When is your anniversary? I wouldn't recommend London between June and September as it is creakingly full of tourists. There are only so many times anyone can tolerate an idiot Italian student spinning round and smacking their backpack into you.

2. The best bet for pucka accommodation on the cheap at the moment is Premier Inn. They have just renovated all their properties. The rooms are huge, the bed is phenomenal - I'm 6'3" and can't touch the egdes either way. They have a brand new one at Kings Cross, right in the middle of the newly developed area; lots of wine bars, pubs, tapas restaurants etc. It's also just a very short hop on tube or bus to the heart of the West End.

3. If you can wait, have your time away in early October. London usually has lovely autumns, there'll be lots on London really comes alive for the locals.

Happy to help with any specifics by PM if you like smile

ali_kat

32,155 posts

251 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
V8mate said:
Premier Inn
Do not take your wife to one of these for an anniversary biggrin

A weekend in London, fine they are great for that, but something special nono

t0ny99

1,249 posts

271 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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Take a look at the Threadneedles Hotel - some good weekend rate deals to be had. I wouldn't worry unduly about location of whichever hotel you choose; central London is the one place where I'd defend public transport for getting around!

Ciaran

1,474 posts

232 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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http://www.sumnerhotel.com/

I stayed in this play with the wife last year and it was very nice indeed. Close to the shops and some very good restaurants.

Not too expensive and has lots of good reviews on Trip Advisor.

DOOG

1,905 posts

276 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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Avoid the Blackheath/Kidbrooke area...

Timmy35

13,014 posts

228 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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DOOG said:
Avoid the Blackheath/Kidbrooke area...
Shutit. hehe

V8mate

45,899 posts

219 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
quotequote all
ali_kat said:
V8mate said:
Premier Inn
Do not take your wife to one of these for an anniversary biggrin

A weekend in London, fine they are great for that, but something special nono
Their new ones are significantly better than most so-called luxury hotels. I've stayed at many of the hotels listed here: Club Quarters, Radisson Edwardian Hampshire etc and they don't come close on space, fit-out quality, bathroom size/quality etc.

You also have to ask yourself - what do you want to spend your money on? Hotel room is for sleeping and a bit of 'ahem'. I'd rather have an extra £50 or £100 in my pocket for a great dinner in the West End, or to see an event/show etc. Forking out for a hotel with a posh name only ever ends in disappointment

996 sps

6,165 posts

246 months

Thursday 7th August 2008
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Sorry but I could not think of anywhere worse to go than London!