hhoope01

It definitely took awhile to finally talk the wife into coming, but I think we are both definitely enjoying the trip. ^

We walked around the County Hall/London Eye area this evening and did happen to look at County Hall some, but we didn't take any of the tours (didn't see your message in time, but maybe next time.)

We did see the day tour to Windsor, Stonehenge and Bathe, but my wife decided she preferred the Stratford (with all the Shakespeare stuff) and Oxford day trip. We are also doing the Cottswold all day tour tomorrow. BTW, when you went to Stonehenge, did they allow you to go right up to it? I had heard that they didn't let you get that close. But there are special Stonehenge tours (either at dawn or sunset) that one can go on where they will let you go right up to Stonehenge.

Glad you enjoyed your trip. We are definitely enjoying this one.

hhoope01

I also emailed the hotel before arrival. They definitely weren't responsive to me either. I sent out the first email about a month before the trip. It took almost 2 weeks to receive a reply. I then responded back with a request to have their concierge contact me to help me plan some activities. I never have received a response back from that email.

We also arrived early in the morning about 9:00am. But I have to give the hotel a thumbs up for us. They gave us an Executive room on the 5th floor right then and there. We were able to go to the room and get cleaned up before our first day trek into the rest of London. ^

ExecPlatinum_Lord

There are indeed special tours that allow one to reach out and mingle amongst the stones (I didn't see a brochure for them, but heard about it from a fellow traveller on our trip to StoneHenge - [who also said it wasn't worth the extra $$ to touch the mystic stones).]

For everyone else though - us included - you get about 10 feet or so from the stones (they have a light rope fence running around the perimeter, with a pathway to follow around the stones). The pathway used to run only 3/4 way around the stones, but on this trip it appears they've now made the path a full circle around the stones. There's also two stones along the path that you're allowed to touch (one feels warm, the other cool.. a strange sensation).

Nothing like seeing StoneHenge for the 1st time though... you're driving along the motorway, crest a hill - and whammo - out in the middle of rolling hills you see the Monoliths all standing there... very very surreal (even more so a cloudy day with the sun poking through and hitting the stones).

PD

My husband and I stayed there for a couple of nights just before Christmas. I didn't like the White Co. toiletries much; wonder if this is a permanent change.

We also found, as other posters have said, that the concierge is not very helpful. He directed us to the wrong terminal at LHR for our flight to Stockholm. What a mess - it was at the time of the fog, and many flights were canceled. Fortunately we had enough time to get to the right terminal, but we thought he should have just said that he didn't know, which was obviously the case.

desi

Thanks.

Will stay there and report back after the trip.
WIll check on GBP 99 rate for Fri night.

Antdenatale

Between January and September 06 I had 58 stays in Marriott and Renaissance Hotels but had a horrendous experience in the Renaissance Hotel Heathrow and decided to walk away and not use the brand anymore.

This weekend I decided to treat the wife to a weekend in London and see a show (Sound of Music if anyone is interested, and yes it is great and I can highly recommend!). So I was looking for a hotel and came across the Marriott Maida Vale. It was a short cab ride from the theatre district, but looked ok from the website and at only £100 per night I decided to give Marriott another chance.

I was so glad I did, this weekend I was totally blown away by the Customer Service I received. In all my travels I have never felt more welcome in any hotel of any chain. From the time I arrived in the Cab until the time we checked out, nothing was too much trouble. Of course the upgrade to a suite did make it even better ^

If anyone from Marriott reads this thread, you have a hotel which you can be really proud of that and employees that live and breathe your values.

I would have no hesitation recommending this hotel, and if you look beyond the fact that it is out of the city and in an area that some may think is less than perfect you will find a little gem!!

Longsx3

We stayed in this hotel in May 2004 and had agreat time at a great rate. I had found a special and we spent right at $300 USD for the entire 3 night stay. We would defnintely stay there again.

SkiAdcock

could you all be specific about why you thought it was great - which areas of service etc? helps folk that do searches later....

cheers.

RAPC

The Marriott Maida Vale is typically the cheapest of the Marriott London properties (excluding airport locations) and offers pretty good value. The location is a few miles out of the heart of London, but is only a few minutes walk to the nearest tube station.

I had a very good stay there myself a few months ago and found the service to be good and the rooms to be pretty fresh looking. The lounge is ok, but not exceptional at breakfast time. You can usually get some good deals on bed and breakfast rates, especially at weekends though.

For the price though, it is definitely recommended along with the Regents Park hotel which also tends to be at the lower end of the rates in London.

Going back to the OPs point about the experience at the Renaissance Heathrow, I tend not to view airport hotels as being a law upon themselves. Although some are exceptional (such as the Sheraton Skyline), a number from my experience are often not up to program standards.

HeadInTheClouds

I very much agree. I like this hotel. As for its location, it is a 5 minute walk from a tube station (Kilburn Park), which is all I ask for in London. Frankly, it's more convenient than most hotels to Heathrow: HEX>Paddington>quick couple stops on the Bakerloo.

People are nice, price is right, rooms are comfortable, & the lounge is decent (and open on weekends IIRC). In London, getting any room under £100 is a challenge. This hotel fits that 'bill' quite nicely. And it's a heck of a lot better than staying out by the airport.

GeorgeBurdell

My only complaint about the Maida Vale is the traffic noise, which can be a problem if you're on the west side of the property overlooking the high road. If that's a problem for anyone, the Regent's Park is not far away and much quieter. Also, the neighborhood around Regent's Park is a lot nicer, not so dodgy and has more restaurants and pubs. Usually not a big difference in price between the two.

JeepGuyDE

I've also stayed at the Maida Vale - and enjoyed it. I chose it for the low weekend rates. As previously mentioned, it's a short cab ride from Paddington, short walk to the tube, and the night bus stops right near the hotel.

SkiAdcock

I've not been able to beat Ren LHR weekend rates (55GPB incl bkfst), so have ended up there last several stays. Pain in the butt into town of course, but not the worst thing. Haven't stayed at MV, so was looking for recent input. If I can get a decent rate there sometime, will try it. Lucky me - my next stay is award at Grosvenor House

Cheers.

jerseyfinn

We've stayed MV a couple of times and find it a standard Marriot hotel. Rooms are small to average size, but clean and well maintained. Decent BF in restaurant ( never ate dinner there ). The bar is quiet and cozy, though usually not many people there. Easy walk from Underground to hotel. Busses also run nearby.

Both MV and Regents Park offer less expensive accomodations but IMO, the MV is in better physical condition than Regents Park. Given the nearly 2:1 exchange rate against the USD, MV is definitely the best Marriott deal that one can presently get if price and being relatively close to central London is important. And do take note that Marriott has raised room rates significantly at most London properties.

Barry

topherathon

I stayed at the M MV and thought it ok - nothing swanky - neighborhood seemed a bit dodgy but probably a good value compared to other M properties. I am going to london in May and am going to use either Starwood or Marriott points (i am plat for both) and wondering what is the best property to pick given central location and number of points required.