ClueByFour

Yes, I'm well aware of the fact that I should be picking a better hotel (referring here to the Hilton Olympia), but the idea here is to conserve Hilton points.

Going late on a Friday. It seems that my choices are:

HEX and then tube it back to Earl's Court, Olympia itself (at the risk of waiting forever for the shuttle line), or Kensington High St. The 1st and 3rd options seem like they'd come with a 10 minute or so walk (based on my limited knowledge of everything west of roughly Harrod's).

or

Tube straightaway into Earl's Court (or Olympia or KHS).

or

Car Service.

I'm going to be arriving rather late (2200 or thereabouts) and would like to arrive at the hotel and drop my stuff while leaving enough time to hike back to the tube and get into, say, Mayfair/Soho (trouble?) before the tube quits for the evening. I will have reasonable hand luggage (computer bag and smaller rollaboard).

A few related questions:

Is the tube service to Olympia really that bad, and if so, is the hike down Kensington High Street or over to Earl's Court really that bad (a quick scan of this forum, the Hilton forum, and various other sites on the subject are muddled, at best)?

It strikes me that I should be able to do either of the car services in the pinned thread for 45-50 GBP before tip. Is that realistic, and might this be the fastest option at the hour in question?

Any alternate suggestions will be happily entertained......

SkiAdcock

Actually you can take the tube & transit over to literally a 2-minute walk from hotel. If you go to Hilton forum & search on Olympia, you'll find my review from last Jan which details the switch (which I learned from someone else) & overall experience.

I'm really really going from memory here (cuz I haven't read my thread in a year or stayed at Olympia). But take tube to Earl's Court & switch to Olympia train (there are 2; you want one in particular). It's the next stop. Walk along platform, turn left & Olympia Hilton is there.

Cheers. Sharon

PS - Am assuming the London folk will provide more input.

stut

To be honest, I wouldn't bother with the HEX. Given the frequencies of the District Line branches that hit Paddington and Olympia, it'd probably not be much quicker than getting the Tube all the way (even with the faff to Hatton Cross if you're arriving at T4).

If you reckon you can be bothered with it, I'd get the Tube to Earl's Court, then head upstairs to the Westbound District Line, and wait for an Olympia Train (there are several destinations, so keep an eye on the old platform indicators).

Otherwise, a pre-booked car service should be far less than you state below. Olympia's on the Heathrow side of London, so I'd expect a fare closer to £25-30. Don't expect to have to tip any more than 10% (even then, some of the drivers are surprised). That'd likely be the quickest way into London at that time of night, and the easiest. A black cab would be at least £50, as you'll be landed with premium fares for the evening. However, this is London: it's not unusual to see big jams at the major junctions at midnight or 1am...

GodOSpoons

I'd agree that the walk from Olympia to the Hilton isn't that bad, but the frequency of the Olympia train is pretty low at that time of night. I'd probably get to Earl's Court by the District Line (take the Piccadilly to Hammersmith, then switch platforms to the District), then take a Black Cab from there.

Of course, if you're coming in to T4 (BA for some flights), all bets are off--I'd take a Black Cab or arrange a car. The T4 tube stop is closed pending construction to T5. You'd have to take a coach to Hatton Cross and then do the Tube thing.

Timothy

Depending on how much time it takes, you should be OK on the Tube. Take the eastbound bus that stops in front of the Olympia and get off at Victoria, then transit from there.

Swiss Tony

That's going to be a long way round to get from Olympia to Soho - Victoria lies some distance south of where you need to head.

Better to just get a bus all the way up there (i'm thinking no. 74, but you need to check that with the hotel or www.tfl.gov.uk or another FTer with better knowledge of bus numbers than me ).

SkiAdcock

If you've got the budget for it, take one of the mini-cabs. Some of the London folk have listed reputable ones in threads with contact info, so you'll have to do a search.

Alternatively, if you've got a mobile that works in the UK & are meeting up w/ folk to party later in the eve, call or text them to find out where they're at & possibly meet them there or drop your stuff at their hotel (assuming they're not local), as their location might be faster/easier, and then head on to Olympia post-partying.

If you're just doing the party by yourself thing/ie, heading down to the bars, then you're back to getting to Olympia to drop your stuff off.

PS - Ask for a room that does not face the train stop, as it's noisy/hard to sleep.

Cheers. Sharon