PeterT1953

Well, from the Mayfair (2 mins from Green Park Tube which serves Picadilly, Vctoria and Jubilee lines):

Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey walking distance (or jubilee line). Buckingham Palace a fifteen minute walk across Green Park.

(also a favourite room for afternoon tea is the Rose Room at Sofitel St James which is not far).

Harrods (knightsbridge) and the V and A (South Kensington) are a few stops on the Piccadilly Line so that works.

St Pauls and Tower of London: A fairly early start. (Piccadilly line to Holborn, change to Central Line to St Pauls.). See St Pauls, then walk over Millenium bridge to Tate Modern. Walk east along the river (southbank) past The Globe theatre to Borough Market, then walk along Tooley Street to London Bridge, over the river to the Tower of London. Then take a riverbus from Tower Pier to London Eye. Its about half an hour walk back to hotel from London Eye.

The other Radissons, esp south bank ones, are not quite as conveient but still possible.

philemer

Great info PeterT1953. You're convincing.

Another question: a friend has a flat (studio) in Putney area and has offered it to us. My main concern with this flat is the time spent getting back & forth on the tube(s) each day. It's about a 8-10 min. walk from the flat to the tube station. I have pts to burn for CC, Hilton, IHG & Hyatt so thinking the less time spend on the tube(s) the better. But, saving my pts for another trip makes sense too. Thoughts?

PeterT1953

What a kind friend! That would clearly be a cheper option. As well as more interesting. London has some great food markets, and therefore you could the flexibility of cooking for yourselves - which may be more interesting and flexible than having to rely on restaurants for all meals on your trip. Have a look at the london website www.tfl.gov.uk

There is a journey planner there which gives times from point to point and suggested route.

Putney Bridge is on the district line, which is pretty direct into central london. For example Putney Bridge to Green Park is around 22 minutes.

There is a presenter of BBC Radio London called Robert Elmes. You may be able to tune into his show (noon til three everyweekday, and then Saturday morning). He is a real enthusiast for all things London, and could be useful for backgraound and research for the more unusual things to do. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7kb

Flat or hotel? Personally, I would take flat and save the points for another trip. But then I have Yorkshire blood!

raunow

It seems a couple of the London Park Plaza properties (Westminster Bridge and Riverbank at least) have Executive Lounges.
I'm planning a spring trip with wife and two kids, and we like to have a lounge to crash and refuel in after a full days walking around.

- Are the lounges any good ?
- Do I read the terms correctly, that they are paid seperately, and are not included in any room rates ?
- Are there any experiences of elite member upgrades including lounge access or discounted lounge prices (I'm Concierge) ?

philemer

Also, can someone tell us which London properties do have lounges?

PeterT1953

Most of the Park Plazas in London have lounges - the clue is a "park plaza plus" rate on the website.

I have only used the lounge at Victoria, which was pretty good. And breakfast excellent.

Howver, as a concierge member, you should get free breakfast anyway - so I suggest you may chance it, book a superior room and see if they will upgrade you to a park plaza plus room as an upgrade. Otherwise you may be able to pay at checkin.

678flyer

In the last 15 months, I have stayed at Sherlock Holmes, Canary Wharf, Victoria, Heathrow and Riverbank. I found the Victoria property quite convenient from a commute standpoint. I have a stay coming up at Plaza on the River in January but given that its the same location as Riverbank, the feature I am looking forward to is the "serviced apartment" set up.

pantanal

Mayfair is a nice property. Standard rooms are decent size. Bigger than all the Radissons.

location is hard to beat. green park tube two min walk. you can take the Piccadilly line from the airport to green park without changing the line.

OskiBear

I stayed at the Park Plaza Riverbank last year and it's a really nice property. It feels like a newer/newish building and the furnishings are in good shape.

On the other hand, some of the older properties (Leicester Square, Hampshire, etc.) are in very old buildings.

I stayed at the Hampshire this week. Location certainly cannot be beat but the room was pretty tired.

Riverbank location on the other side of the river just felt very dead at night. It's a few blocks to walk to Vauxhall Station and I was generally underwhelmed by the location.

StartinSanDiego

Philemer-- the May Fair is walking distance to the theater district, just an easy minute or two walk from the tube station, and right in front of the tube station you can catch the hop on, hop off buses that will take you to all of the places that you mentioned. It is a beautiful hotel.

London is a 24 hour town, but I did not have a noise issue at all.

Zhaunk

I'm at the May Fair right now. Staying on points - upgraded to deluxe. No noise issue. Wonderful room and a very chic hotel. Fantastic transport connections, Green Park tube has three lines (although the Jubilee is not running this week) and many good bus routes. Short walk to the palace or Oxford St, fine dining all around - I recommend the Wolseley - we love that place. Finally, there is a good sized Sainsburys right across the street. Three thumbs up!

cardinalkid1891

Planning a London trip with my family next summer, and deciding between the May Fair and the Plaza on the River. Leaning towards the May Fair because of its location, and it seems to have bigger rooms. Is there anything to be aware of at the May Fair or other CC hotels in London as far as families go? Planning to book two rooms, one for 3 kids, the other for husband/wife. Thanks

trvllvr123

How old are the children? The apartment set up at Plaza on the River may suit your needs better (especially if a longer stay). Children under 11 travel free on public transport in London, and in the summer the walk across tge bridge to Westminster is lovely.

cardinalkid1891

One is 10, the others are 16 and 17. We'll definitely be taking the walk through the bridge.

trvllvr123

A two bedroom apartment at the Plaza would probably be a good idea (you're close enough to keep a watch out for squabbles!) I regularly walk to Victoria, which takes 30 mins and it's closer to get to Buckingham Palace, horseguards etc. The stroll along the river to the London Eye and Southbank is also very nice. I haven't stayed at either property, but regularly stay at the Riverbank, and will be staying at the Plaza in February with my 5 year old.

If you're happy to get the bus loads of places are in easy reach (I prefer the bus to the tube).