Another London hotel post

Perfectly fine. Not far from Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral and Buckingham Palace. Best of all close to the Regent Cafe for a decent breakfast.

It would do me.

That looks like a very convenient location for what you are planning. Also, there is a bus called the Oxford Tube that goes between London and Oxford; its initial stop in London is Victoria Station.

Enjoy planning for your trip!

Thank you both!
Maria thanks for the info on the direct bus!

Many people seem to like Borough Market. We went at lunch time, many many people on their lunch break, the place was mobbed. Not fun and so crowded it was hard to see what we were supposed to see.

Sorry for the confusion, roubrat!!! 🤣🤣🤣

All kidding aside, I think that sounds like a great location. I stayed somewhat near that area on my last trip and really liked it. This time, I’m happy with the South Bank. I am interested in going to Borough Market and it will be nice being fairly close to that. But your area is very convenient and close to a lot of things.

Ten nights is a long time in one hotel. Why not split your visit between two hotels and visit your sites based on those locations? We do this all the time when we spend more than six days in one city such as London, Paris, Vienna.

To go to Canterbury, as you're staying almost next door to Victoria there is a direct train to Canterbury East from Victoria at 10 minutes past each hour.
Yes that's twice as long as HS1 but it saves the tube journey to St Pancras to catch HS1. And it takes the classic line to Kent, so more scenic IMO.

There is also a National Express coach to Canterbury, broadly every 90 minutes, takes 2 1/4 hours- the first hour of which is spent in South London traffic before getting to the A2. I was on it yesterday, the bus station is right in the city centre.

Frequent London visitor here. No way would I change hotels. Tube connections are great throughout central London and beyond. Why waste time checking in and out and changing hotels while balancing check-out and check-in times? (no offense intended to the above poster who likes this approach. It just isn't one that would work for me, certainly not in London or Paris or Vienna. Interesting thought though and appreciate that the above poster has made it work. I have done this in Singapore.)

Another non-fan of the Borough Market. Just weighing in if your time becomes limited!

Oxford is a bit closer than Cambridge if "up in the air" on the two. Both are quite worthwhile. Consider also a day trip to Windsor.

You're "usual tourist sites" have left off the Churchill War Rooms which are incredible if you have any interest in the man or WWII history. If not, of course, skip! Sticking with WWII sites, Bletchley Park (breaking the Enigma codes) as a day trip if that appeals. Very well presented.

I love the British Museum. If you have less than a day, I would suggest looking at a guide - or better, their website, and determining what is of the most interest to you. Incredible treasures which you may wish to prioritize.

You will certainly have a great time! So many highlights, good that you are determining your personal must sees. Walking around d is such a great idea. I realized after a number of visits that I was on the Tube so much that I'd missed seeing the above ground sites! I have corrected that!!!

I have found that a "very central" location has never been necessary, UNLESS I planned to go to shows at night, which I have usually been too tired for anyways. Then you have to consider late buses/taxis etc to get back. Otherwise, things are generally so close for us, geographically. They fit a lot into a very small area. Walking long distances, through certain areas late at night (only late at night), however, was a bit frightening, for a few reasons, so I won't do that anymore. It is very dark at night, compared to a North American city.

Good choice. Posh neighborhood. 15 minute stroll to Buckingham Palace. 20 minutes to Westminster Abbey and Parliament.

No need to change. If seeking a lovely pub try The Windsor Castle in Frances Street. Beautiful etched glass. Nice respite after a day of sightseeing.

EDIT: Besides the pub being a comfortable spot to rest weary feet and enjoy a meal, it’s a mere 5 minute jaunt from your accommodation.

Thanks everyone, this is reassuring. I appreciate all the extra info, too.

Claudia thanks for the pub rec. I've added it to my list.

roubrat, don't know if you're interested but Bread Ahead at Borough Market, offers classes in breadmaking (ancient grains, croissants, donuts, and much more). It looks really interesting and I'm thinking about doing one of their workshops next year. https://www.breadahead.com/courses

Also, just wondering if you have thought about Hampton Court Palace? I loved HCP - actually I enjoyed it more than Windsor. In fact, the only reason I went to Windsor Castle was to see Queen Mary's Doll House, which was wonderful but you couldn't get very close. So I felt like I missed a lot of detail. But regardless, I loved Hampton - seeing the gardens, the maze, the grounds, the palace, the kitchen and so on was really wonderful. In fact, I'm heading back to HCP on my upcoming trip with a possible detour to Richmond for lunch.

Mardee, I consider it an achievement when I don't burn my toast in the morning 😄

HCP is being saved for another trip. We simply have too much on our list already for this first visit. We're also spending time in Windsor.

Hahahaha!!!

Well, enjoy Windsor and hopefully you can check out Queen Mary's Doll House. It is so beautiful and boggles the imagination. Everything is in perfect 1:12 scale. The tiny wine bottles have actual wine in them and the miniature garden was designed by Gertrude Jekyll. It is just exquisite!

On our upcoming 11 nights in London, we are staying at the often recommended Lime Tree Hotel. I plan to do a review and TR upon our return. Very excited!

Lime Tree was another one I looked at. Will be interested to hear about your trip, Tammy.

Bumping for Hannah

Thanks for the bump, Mary!

I too have added Claudia's pub rec!

My brain is swirling!

Mary, I just wanted to add another thought about what helenturner said regarding staying in one place the entire time. We stayed for 10 nights at a very small flat in South Kensington this past summer and looking back kind of wished we had split our stay in two different areas of London. Maybe we were just feeling the effects of the strenuous walking, sightseeing, etc. but by the end of our stay I think it would have been a kind of “pick me up” if we had a change of environment to return to at night. Just a thought!

I suggest you go to the British Museum early in your stay so you can make a second visit near the end of your stay if you like. It's too much to absorb in a single visit.

Mustlovedogs, thanks for the idea.

cala, I'm planning to go earlier in the week for this trip and first thing in the morning. As to whether we'll go back this time or on another trip, who knows.

That location is pretty convenient, 20 years ago I had an office right by there.

Might I ask another question, is 10 nights not a long time to be staying in the same hotel? An apartment rental sure, maybe ... but one of London's (perhaps any city's for that matter) greatest assets is the different neighborhoods, and their vibes, etc,

A well timed switch, check out in the AM, day of sightseeing, and pop back to grab bags and taxi or Uber to the new place. A few hours max, in a 10 day trip, not a big deal. It might open up finds you'd never have imagined,, just because you were in a different neighborhood. "Well, I'd changed hotels and had to grab something else from the Rx when I stubbed across a really cool coffee shop on a random side street I'd never have been on ..."

If you do decide to stay in one locale, I have one suggestion. Take a different path every day. London is a maze with cool finds around many corners!

I'm just popping in to say I have zero idea whether it'd actually be worth it or not to switch it up, but back on one of my 483 itineraries when I had us staying in London for 10 days, I had definitely given thought to switching hotels on day 6 or 7 and getting to experience two different areas. I mean, you're going to be all over the city regardless of where you stay and even if you're only in one spot for the whole thing. But the serendipity of those delightful finds, as well as potentially more info for future stays in London, could make it worth considering. Or just more confusing lol.

When I think about potentially changing hotels halfway through I feel dread. Picking one hotel and neighborhood was hard enough!

Hello,
A tip about train tickets to Oxford. If you buy in advance you can save alot of money- in fact I purchased tickets in advance and the day of my trip from London to Oxford a man was buying day of tix from a kiosk and spent well over 100 pounds -(my roundtrip was about 12 pounds) the only thing is your ticket is day/time specific with no refunds but if you plan ahead you can save several pounds. There are also inexpensive bus fares to Oxford as well.
https://www.gwr.com/tickets/
https://www.southernrailway.com/tickets/
https://uk.megabus.com/
https://www.nationalexpress.com/en
Happy Travels✨

When I think about potentially changing hotels halfway through I feel dread. Picking one hotel and neighborhood was hard enough!

I agree. Once I'm at a destination, I want to stay there and not move until I have to. It's not worth it for me. :-)

I acknowledge this is messed up but, Mary, I laughed when I read your word dread 😂🤪

More seriously though, if you didn't have to go through the process of picking a neighborhood and hotel, if you just KNEW, would you still feel dread at the thought of changing hotels halfway through? If yes, then honor that and stay put!