First Timer to London. Need Hotel Suggestions
Oct 4, 2013, 8:36 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AA PLT, Marriott LTP
Posts: 493
First Timer to London. Need Hotel Suggestions
Hi,
The wife and I are visitin London Apr 11-15. First time for both of us. I didn't realize how expensive London is for hotel rooms. Between reading Rick Steves book and talking to others, it seems the Covent area is well located. We'll want to do typical tourist stuff, Buckingham Palace, London Tower, the Eye, hopefully a day tour to Highclere castle, Harrod's etc.
I have a room at the Seven Dials Hotel on Monmouth st. I know it's a very basic hotel/room and it's still 130 pounds/night.($200 USD).
I'm open to hotel suggestions but would like to keep the rate at around $200-$250max. Also open to area suggestions.
Thank you
The wife and I are visitin London Apr 11-15. First time for both of us. I didn't realize how expensive London is for hotel rooms. Between reading Rick Steves book and talking to others, it seems the Covent area is well located. We'll want to do typical tourist stuff, Buckingham Palace, London Tower, the Eye, hopefully a day tour to Highclere castle, Harrod's etc.
I have a room at the Seven Dials Hotel on Monmouth st. I know it's a very basic hotel/room and it's still 130 pounds/night.($200 USD).
I'm open to hotel suggestions but would like to keep the rate at around $200-$250max. Also open to area suggestions.
Thank you
Oct 4, 2013, 8:49 am
#2
Ambassador: LATAM
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: PNA
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 4,648
You can stay at the Tower Bridge Travelodge for £291 for your entire stay
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/3...r-Bridge-hotel
That is handy for Tower, St Paul's, nipping along to The Eye/Embankment. It is a bit quiet at the weekends around there but you can also do Brick Lane market or Petticoat Lane from there (5 mins walk)
You can also have a look on Expedia for hotels around Victoria. There are loads but read the reviews on Trip Advisor carefully as I imagine they can be a bit hit and miss. Victoria handy for parliament, The Eye etc.
Covent Garden wouldn't immediately grab my attention as somewhere obvious to stay. Bloomsbury on the other hand, worth having a look for hotels there too.
http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/3...r-Bridge-hotel
That is handy for Tower, St Paul's, nipping along to The Eye/Embankment. It is a bit quiet at the weekends around there but you can also do Brick Lane market or Petticoat Lane from there (5 mins walk)
You can also have a look on Expedia for hotels around Victoria. There are loads but read the reviews on Trip Advisor carefully as I imagine they can be a bit hit and miss. Victoria handy for parliament, The Eye etc.
Covent Garden wouldn't immediately grab my attention as somewhere obvious to stay. Bloomsbury on the other hand, worth having a look for hotels there too.
Oct 4, 2013, 9:38 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
April?!
April?!
Between now and April you can amass enough credit cards to make your whole stay free. 2 free nights with Fairmont would get you The Savoy (super luxe) assuming its not excluded. Club Carlson free night would get you The May Fair, also 5 star.
The IHG Rewards Club card would get you a night at the InterContinental (2 of them to choose).
All of the above are new or recently refurbed and 5 stars.
Chase Ink or Amex MR points from a sign up would also convert to hotel programmes. Hyatt is 22k for top tier so a 50k Ink bonus would get you 2 nights. Get Hyatts own card and you get another 2 nights don't you?
You have PLENTY of time to get all your rooms for free, and all 5 star.
April?!
Between now and April you can amass enough credit cards to make your whole stay free. 2 free nights with Fairmont would get you The Savoy (super luxe) assuming its not excluded. Club Carlson free night would get you The May Fair, also 5 star.
The IHG Rewards Club card would get you a night at the InterContinental (2 of them to choose).
All of the above are new or recently refurbed and 5 stars.
Chase Ink or Amex MR points from a sign up would also convert to hotel programmes. Hyatt is 22k for top tier so a 50k Ink bonus would get you 2 nights. Get Hyatts own card and you get another 2 nights don't you?
You have PLENTY of time to get all your rooms for free, and all 5 star.
Oct 4, 2013, 11:25 am
#4
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AA PLT, Marriott LTP
Posts: 493
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into the hotels and area suggested by JohnnyColumbia. Good suggestions Raffles though I must admit I typically don't chase credit card deals. Too fiscally conservative I guess to amass a pile of new credit cards for a hotel room or two. I do have have a few Amex MR points I can look into transferring over.
Oct 4, 2013, 1:39 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
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I'd definitely recommend investigating Carlson properties. Their coverage of London is what got me turned onto the brand in the first place.
I just did a quick search for 4/11-15 and they had some decent rates at reasonable locations.
You might want to lock down one on an a refundable reservation while you take the time to search for something else.
I just did a quick search for 4/11-15 and they had some decent rates at reasonable locations.
You might want to lock down one on an a refundable reservation while you take the time to search for something else.
Oct 5, 2013, 12:45 am
#6
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Location: London
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This travelbloggerbuzz post today, for example, discusses how the author did an 11 night tour of Banff / Jasper entirely for free, primarily with 2 x Fairmont credit cards for himself and his wife, with some Carlson thrown in - http://travelbloggerbuzz.com/how-to-...lberta-canada/
Oct 7, 2013, 2:01 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,641
You should also explore www.priceline.com in concert with
http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/for...1#.UlMSEGSqQ_4
Marriott County Hall 5*, directly opposite Houses of Parliament and London Eye was obtained for $87/night last April, so that should be the price to aim for. It's a lovely hotel, and an easy walk to Buckingham Palace as well as Trafalgar Square:
PS best not to abbreviate place names, so Covent Garden, never just "Covent" or hardly anyone will know what you're talking about.
http://biddingfortravel.yuku.com/for...1#.UlMSEGSqQ_4
Marriott County Hall 5*, directly opposite Houses of Parliament and London Eye was obtained for $87/night last April, so that should be the price to aim for. It's a lovely hotel, and an easy walk to Buckingham Palace as well as Trafalgar Square:
PS best not to abbreviate place names, so Covent Garden, never just "Covent" or hardly anyone will know what you're talking about.
Oct 9, 2013, 8:53 am
#9
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Incredible deal! Cheaper than most Fairfield Inns back home.
Stayed there for a few days a year or so ago, and you're correct - the location is superb for tourism.
Oct 10, 2013, 5:19 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: PDX
Programs: UA 1K - HILTON HONORS DIAMOND
Posts: 20
Check airbnb. I've used it several times in Europe with great results. The Wembley Hilton in London is a great hotel with decent prices since it is a bit out of the downtown area but very easy to get to. If you don't mind more of a budget hotel, the Hotel Meridiana is right next to King's Cross which is a perfect location for the tube and trains. It's nothing fancy but clean with really good TripAdvisor reviews. I'm actually staying there in a few weeks for a night after a show at the Ally Pally.