4 nights in Cotswolds, 5 nights in London

Not knowing what you like to do, I would suggest going to the Cotswold right after you arrive in heathrow and leaving London for the end of your trip. I’m assuming you fly back from London. $350 for 7 people does not sound bad to me if you consider the convenience and time you will save. Again assuming all your luggage fits in the van. Will the van take you directly to your hotel?

I definitely would (and have) head straight to the Cotswolds. You take Heathrow Express to Paddington and the train from Paddington to Moreton in Marsh. The trip from the airport to Paddington only takes 15 or minutes.

Whichever you choose, I wouldn’t wait too long to book your lodging. August will get crowded with a lot of tourists, so the earlier you book for both the Cotswolds and London, the easier and less expensive it will be.

We did city first, then Cotswolds (staying in Oxford as we were visiting friends at the University). We prefer to have the time in the country second, that is a little less chaotic after the hustle and bustle of the city. Where in the Cotswolds are you looking to stay? Oxford has a bus that goes direct from Heathrow to the city center, it's very comfortable, I think about 25 GBP per person, takes 90 minutes, and you avoid going into London. Could be an option depending on your other plans.

https://www.theairlineoxford.co.uk/

$350 for 7 people sounds on the high side to me. I wonder if it might be cheaper to have 2 normal size cars. If you know whereabouts in the Cotswolds you are planning to go first, I would simply google something like “Heathrow taxi town name “ and then email a few of them with dates/times etc and ask for quotes for a van and!or 2 regular taxis.

@bethb we are potentially staying here: https://www.honeypotcottages.co.uk/robin-cottage/#check-availabilty

Has anyone had any experience with Honey Pot Cottages (or possibly even this exact propert? :-) ) They're recommended in Rick's book and this looks like we would all fit and be a short walk from High Street.

Thanks everyone!

Would you consider renting a car for the Cotswolds portion of the visit?

I visited the Cotswolds with my family in 2019. I rented a car at Heathrow. I originally asked for a small SUV type car that would fit our luggage and 4 people, but the only thing they had was a giant van that could hold probably 8 people. It ended up being fine, and being that it was my first time driving 'on the other side of the road', the additional height of the vehicle and driver's seat was helpful. Also in my experience, the English are VERY polite drivers. They gave me a lot of clearance on the highways and country roads. I had little problem parking the van in most of the quaint villages we visited, and on the narrow country lanes, everyone got out of our way lol.

As a bonus, when you exit the car rental lot (we used Enterprise), you go through I think one roundabout, and then you are entering the highway. So you don't have to stay on local roads too long while you are getting used to being on the other side of the car and road.

Then you don't have to rely on public transportation or taxis to get around the Cotswolds, and as Rick says in his books, they are simply a joy to explore by car.

Once you are finished with the Cotswold leg of the trip, you could return the car at the airport and just hop on the Heathrow Express into London.

Considering renting a car for this portion...I'm thinking we'll be heading to the Cotswolds for the second half of the trip, so...it might be an 'on-the-ground' decision :-)

We were in Nice/Provence last year with just 2 of our sons and the driving we did was...sacre bleu!

Considering renting a car for this portion...I'm thinking we'll be heading to the Cotswolds for the second half of the trip, so...it might be an 'on-the-ground' decision :-)

If you want a car, again, I wouldn't wait too long, especially if you want an automatic. I've driven in the UK on three separate trips and have not had any issues, so I'm a fan of driving. But ultimately it's up to you. Just be aware that many places might run out of cars, so ti would be difficult to book at the last minute.