Hotels in London

Do you have a budget because I will warn you this type of hotel is going to be very expensive in Central London!

And I think of the theater district as being somewhat scattered so why choose that area? And I hope you are going next year and not next week. If it is next week, you may have to take what is available.

We are going next week and our budget is up to $600 a night, because we are splitting the cost. We are only going for 4 night, so we are treating ourselves. Do you have a suggestion on what other district to stay in?

Look at booking.com for your dates. You can filter for your budget, hotel facilities, and location. Select the option for within a kilometer of central London. Opt for a hotel close to an underground station and bus stop.

At your price point you have lots of options, even at this very late date. Please explain what you mean by needing help navigating.

I like booking.com myself. You can use it just for research as well as booking directly.

I did.a mock booking not knowing exactly what you are looking for or where the theater district is but it looks like there are many options.

However you probably need to get on it and make your booking ASAP. Have fun. I will be interested in yoru choice of lodging.

The theatre district means the area around Covent Garden where the majority of London’s theatres are.

Your budget is actually a bit low for this area. You can find hotels at that price point but limited and they are not going to have a full concierge service, if any.

The Park Plaza at Waterloo or Westminster Bridge (2 different hotels close to each other) come in on budget and are in a good location for sightseeing. I don’t know what concierge services they have but they are large hotels.

I assume you want twin beds? That limits if a bit. But using the filters on booking.com for price, twin beds, and “West end” location, I found the following for $600 a night or less, available next week.

Club Quarters Covent Garden
Athenaeum
Rathbone Fitarovia
Radisson Blu Bloomsbury
Holmes Hotel
The May Fair by Radisson

And a few more

Thank you! I will check out the hotels

What I meant by navigating was helping us get theatre tickets and restaurant reservations. Also the best way to get back to Heathrow Airport for an early departure.

Thank you for all the help!

If you don't already have your tickets booked (!) You can check out the Theatre Monkey website for current plays, availability, prices etc. Or you can go to the tkts kiosk in Leicester Square for same day tickets for whatever plays have discounted tickets that day (first come first get) - once they're gone they're gone.

For dinner reservations, keep in mind that shows generally start at 7:30. So you will need a quick early meal on those nights - perhaps just a pub or local chain restaurant near your theatre. Google maps can help. Or Pret a Manger sandwich shops are pretty much ubiquitous.

Your choices for return to Heathrow depends in part on your hotel location. If near a Picadilly line Underground station - the Picadilly line runs all the way to the airport and takes around an hour. Or you could take the Elizabeth line or the Heathrow Express from Paddington. How early is the flight? You need to be at the airport a good 3 hours before departure, and give yourself an hour to get there. If your flight is very early morning, consider staying at an airport hotel the night before.

Our flight is at 8:30 am and really didn’t want to change hotels. Sounds like we have to leave very early in the morning. What are our options? That is one reason we wanted concierge service to help with the details

With an 8.30am flight I would definitely recommend staying at Heathrow. You’d need to leave for the airport at around 4.30-5am by taxi to get there in time.

While I would stay at Heathrow the night before, the choice is yours.

Any hotel can arrange for a taxi (most expensive) or a car service to take you from your hotel to Heathrow at any hour.

Mabe not the cheapest hotels but the ones listed here can.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I will check out all the hotels suggest. We are going to take a taxi to the airport on our return flight. I know that is expensive, buy at least we are splitting the fare.

Does anyone have suggestion where to have afternoon tea?

Bonnie, there are probably a zillion posts on here about afternoon tea. 😊 Here are a few to get you started. If you are splurging, then expect to pay £80 on up, but there are teas for around £35-50, like at Fortnum & Mason.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/where-to-have-afternoon-tea-in-london
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/afternoon-teas
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/september-afternoon-tea
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/afternoon-tea-recommendations
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/looking-for-a-luxurious-afternoon-tea-with-spectacular-food-and-atmosphere-first-time-in-london
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/london-tea-904d0bef-1bed-44e0-9266-73ba304cb43c
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/looking-for-suggestions-for-special-elegant-high-tea-in-london-with-fabulous-food

Thank you!

We like Côte Brasserie in Covent Garden for pre-theatre dining. They have a prix fixe menu for early dining (before 7 pm) with 2 courses for £16.95 or 3 for £21.

https://www.cote.co.uk/restaurant/covent-garden/menus/

You get a choice among several different starts and mains. Or you can order from the regular menu if you prefer.

For a 7:30 play, we reserve a table at 5:30 so we don’t feel rushed.