LHR to Hilton Doubletree Westminster

Agree with Emma. Double your walk time.

If you've never been to London before I'd go for # 2.

If you have been before have an Oyster card, top it up then by all means take the tube. Either option.

Bon Voyage.

Thanks. We have been to London before, but it was in 1966!

I agree, the National Express looks like our best option. I see that I can purchase tickets online. For a small upcharge, the tickets can be changed if we can't make the scheduled bus because of flight delays. Do you recommend that or just buy them when we get there? We are scheduled to land at 10:00. If we are on time, should we book the 11:25 bus if we order online?

If you are landing at 1000 I think it is quite unlikely that you will make the 1130 coach. Heathrow is huge and it can take a while to get through the border and around the airport.
I would go for the most flexible option unless the price difference is huge.

Thanks again Emma! I'm not seeing any huge advantage to buying bus tickets before we arrive. There are too many variables. I also contacted the hotel and they were helpful, but they suggested more expensive options, such as a private limousine!

We have kept our arrival day totally open. It looks like the weather will be nice and we're in the middle of everything, so just wandering around will work for us. We find staying outside and pushing through jet lag works best for us.

we're in the middle of everything

Just to adjust your expectations - that's a nice hotel, but some have spoken of it being a bit isolated as although it's not far on the map from the Westminster sights it really is in a fairly quiet location and doesn't have a central London buzz. It's not an area that's full of shops & restaurants.

However there are good bus routes - and it's not too far to walk to the tube, plus you've got the wonderful Tate Britain on your doorstep.

emma,
Thanks again for your help. There's nothing like input from someone who actually lives and works in the area.

BTW, Deb voted for private transportation. She feels she will be frazzled enough upon arrival and has absolutely no desire to ride on the bus or negotiate trains and undergrounds. It's her trip and her treat, so I chose the most appropriate response which was "Yes ma'am, let me make the arrangements for you."

We're back!

Thanks for all the helpful information.

We did take a private car from LHR to the Doubletree. Since this was a business trip, Deb's expense account will cover it. It really wasn't that much more than a walkup buy of two tickets on the Express.

I'll post a more detailed commentary on Trip Reports, but we had a wonderful time in both London and Paris. Transportation was a breeze. The Hilton Doubletree Westminster was well kept and comfortable. The staff was polite and helpful. It's a nice 10-15 walk to Parliament Square and a 10-12 minute walk to Piccadilly Station.

We enjoy walking and averaged 10 miles a day. One day we walked back from Selfridges to the hotel. Another evening we walked back from St. Paul's to the hotel.

We always felt safe, even walking through the hotel's local neighborhood at 10:30 pm.

Nothing like a corporate expense account to make travel planning simple!

We stayed at the Doubletree Westminister about four years ago. It isn't close to the tube. It is quite a walk. There aren't any restaurants in the area. The food was terrible at the hotel. There were like only 10 of the same items on the menu at night. The breakfasts aren't anything to brag about either. We had a private transfer from Heathrow, both directions. The only advantage to the hotel is that it is a nice and pretty walk over to Big Ben. When you walk out of the hotel, you turn left and turn left again You walk just a few yards and you are on the Thames. The Thames is literally on the back of the hotel, We changed hotels and stayed at the Conrad Hilton St. James Park, in 2015. We will be returning to the Conrad Hilton next April. The Conrad Hilton is literally across the street form the St. James Park tube station.

We stayed at the Doubletree Westminister about four years ago. It isn't close to the tube. It is quite a walk.

I guess it's a matter of definition. Piccadilly station is a pleasant 10-12 minute walk from the Doubletree. I guess this might be too far for some, but it was fun to walk through the residential area and see Londoners out and about. Keep in mind, though, that we thought nothing of walking all the way from Selfridges back to the hotel, a 2.5 mile walk or from St. Paul's to the hotel, another 2.5 mile walk.

There aren't any restaurants in the area.

We actually found a couple of restaurants 20 minutes or so away by walking. You have to walk in the opposite direction from Westminster. It was no matter to us, because we usually ate our big meal at lunch and then went to the executive lounge for snacks for dinner.

The food was terrible at the hotel. There were like only 10 of the same items on the menu at night. The breakfasts aren't anything to brag about either.

I'll agree with you here. If you are used to breakfasts at the American Hilton franchises (Hampton, Home2 Suites, Hilton Garden Inn), then you have an idea of what to expect. It certainly didn't compare to our B&B breakfasts, in Paris, where our hosts walked to the bakery each morning and brought back pastries and baguettes served with jam and fresh cheese!

I've found the further east you go the better the offerings at the big hotel chains are.

I recall complimentary champagne, foie gras and other delights at the Marriott lounge in Budapest and the breakfast spread at the Grande Flora in Rome was very impressive. Compare that to the meagre offerings in the UK and almost non existent ones in the US and you wonder why they are so inconsistent.