London - Good idea or not so much??

Hi Queen!

The only things I’d note is that Premier Inn Hubs have teeny tiny rooms, that are fine for sleeping and showering in etc., but you wouldn’t want to spend any length of time in there. Cat swinging is not possible. That said, the one I stayed at (Kings Cross) was new, clean, intelligently designed and secure, all the top priority things you’d want for a stay. Staff are thin on the ground and there’s a computer as opposed to real person check in in my experience. Think of it as a no frills semi-capsule hotel.

Gatwick is a smaller airport than Heathrow and thus more easily negotiated. The Gatwick Express or even regular train into London is quick and efficient, no worse than making the journey in from Heathrow.

Long layovers are par for the course I suppose when travelling large distances. Is there any sort of airport lounge you could gain entry to, to make your wait a tad more tolerable? I’m sure you’d have a great trip, so I’d go for it.

Ian

To expand on the previous poster regardng Hub by Premier. The rooms are fine but really tiny. There is one bed and in the standard rooms two sides off the bed are against a wall. You can see photos here:

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hub.html

My suggestion would be to look at the regular Premier Inns. The rooms are bigger and usually have one double and a large single.

As for long layovers and delays.....welcome to international travel.

Gatwick is fine. Sometimes easier than Heathrow.

Gatwick is an excellent facility. I’ve arrived in the U.K. several times via this airport. London itself is a great city to visit. I had an outstanding time during my last visit in December 2019. I can’t address the other questions. Enjoy!

That price you got from WestJet is fantastic. From Calgary, I expect to pay $1200 per person for anywhere in Europe unless I find a seat sale. We're flying to Gatwick in September for $675 per person. Luckily we can fly direct from Calgary. I try to avoid Pearson in Toronto whenever I can, but it's a big enough airport that 6 hours should should ok for that kind of savings. As for Gatwick, I'll take it over Heathrow whenever I can.

We are well aware of the size of the rooms and that they are very basic. We are used to only being in the room for sleeping and getting ready each day so we're not concerned about that. If we did need to stay extra time, we'd likely find accommodations elsewhere, and wouldn't have to isolate if positive according to the UKs expected lifting of restrictions.
Seems like a steal to me..$87Cad/night taxes in..I can't get even an old Motel6 in a bad area here for less than $100/nt.

Good deal on flights? Are ya'll saying these layovers aren't really that long?

Thanks again!

Pearson is a big airport, 6 hours isn't ideal but I think there's enough shops and airports to make it work.

Just a thought, WestJet has direct flights to Glasgow from Halifax. I wonder what the cost and layover length would be to fly there and then find a flight from Glasgow to London?

Layovers are just time. If you are traveling with electronics just download some good books or films, maybe with London theme, and consider it part of your holiday.

Or, as an alternative, others can advise if makes any sense with the time you have to consider to go into Toronto or somewhere else outside the airport but nearby if you are interested. Your luggage is checked through. Or if you are taking carryon only you could store at airport. https://www.torontopearson.com/en/while-you-are-here/toronto-airport-services/excess-baggage-t1

And do let the hotel know in advance your arrival plans, so they don't consider you a "no show" that first night.

Hi Carol,

It is one of the "Bigger" rooms so size should be fine. I do appreciate your advice though.

For us, it's about getting to go at all. I had quite a few health scares in the last year (resolved now thankfully) where we didn't know for sure if I'd even be here. So, the size of the room seems minor compared to everything else.

Looking at Glasgow flights now!

Glasgow flights don't resume until May, so that's out!

Your plan will work out fine.

Gatwick is served by train. You can take the regular trains (rather than Gatwick Express) to a couple of stations, including Victoria and London Bridge. You can pay with Oyster card or contactless bank card/ mobile payment.

For the tiny room, Pret a Manger now offers free coffee subscription (first month free). It may be the place a bit more spacious.

fingers crossed. under the current trajectory of the UK public policy, the direction of travel is relaxing all restrictions in England.

Do it! Those look like great deals on hotel and airfare. Gatwick should be fine. Those layovers are long, but that's good insurance in case of any delays, and I'm sure Toronto's airport can keep you entertained and/or offer a quiet corner for some shuteye on your return trip. Look for a gate area that isn't busy and hang out there in relative peace. You may have to move once or twice. I've done several 8-hour layovers in recent years, it can get boring but there are much worse problems to have in travel.

Invest in a good London guidebook and plan your sightseeing with flexibility for weather or unexpected likes or dislikes. Set up any timed entries you may need. With about 11 days, I'd stay in London and do a couple of day trips. Have a wonderful time!

EDIT -- I see you're in Nova Scotia, so flying via Toronto means going "backward" both times. I'd find that more unpleasant than the layover times. ;-)

It's looking more and more like we might give it a go..

Any ideas on occupancy rates of basic hotels should we test positive at the end and have to stay an additional 10 days?

Thank you all so much..it feels like we're starting to get back into the swing of things.

Regarding the long layover the factors I'd consider for myself:
how long is my total trip time...because it will take me longer to recover from a longer day of traveling to get there. and back.

when does the connection occur...because I want to sleep on the flight over.
how much will it cost to stay in a nice lounge at the layover location...because 6 and 8 hours hanging out in an airport ain't my idea of a good time.
How much will it "hurt me" to spend the extra money on the faster travel day...cause it's all about priorities.
How much will it hurt my mother to have a longer travel day...cause she birthed me...and it's all about priorities.
When do I have to "operate machinery" when I get home...cause it takes me longer to recover on the way home if I have to work.
Do I have faith in the pilots, aircrafts, mechanics and management of the airline...cause I actually want to get there and back.

If I had the money and I were in your position, I would fly AIr Canada at the higher cost and get there and back sooner.

When my daughter was about 14 she and I took the overnight ferry from Portland ME to Nova Scotia and drove the island for over a week in July. It was a wonderful vacation. You live in a beautiful place!

If you check Air Canada you can find Halifax-London fares in the same price range with a more comfortable transfer time -- in Montreal.
The direction the plane is flying isn't significant; the elapsed time is what matters. And the price. AC is around $800 , which is still dirt cheap to cross the Atlantic. Montreal Trudeau is substantially smaller than Toronto Pearson, the second-busiest international gateway on the continent.
I expect you know that the flights should be booked as an itinerary, not as single flights pasted together.

Southam,
I'll have to check the flights again today then..those flights you're mentioning definitely weren't available when I checked.

Not seeing anything for less than $2400 on AC

I've just checked flights for your dates on Google Flight Search, and see two flights on AC to Heathrow for under $850 pp.
That's an amazing price, and only a short connection in Montreal.

I see them now..Connections are barely an hour though which is too tight for our comfort level, even in Montreal.

Just checking in to say that the Gatwick Express has been suspended for now, so you’d just take a regular train from Gatwick into London.

I’ll be in London in April as well. My plan if I need to extend my trip would be to hit booking.com for an apartment or hotel farther out in London to save money. Won’t need to be in trendy and expensive covent Garden/Soho area if I’m sick! I’ll be getting trip insurance with generous Trip Delay coverage to cover hotel and food costs for this eventuality. At least $2500 per person.

For you, a Canadian citizen, you have no worries. News reports indicate Canada will be dropping its entry testing requirement in a couple of weeks for the vaccinated.

That’s a lot of nights in London, but I’d have a ball taking day trips by train to Oxford or Cambridge, Bath, Brighton…on and on. Not sure of your budget, but could even spend a couple of nights away from your London base without checking out.

Storm,
The government here is so far only dropping the PCR testing requirement; a negative antigen test is still required to board the flight back home.

We are looking into some day trips -the hotel is already booked at a great rate and for this trip at least, we like the simplicity of leaving the bags at the same hotel and not having to check in and out for multiple cities.

We don't know a ton about the other cities though..I must admit London has been the dream city for us for awhile so other places this time around haven't been top of mind. We enjoy unique shops and markets (planning on many in London), yummy food, most things Royal, making memories, fun experiences, taking a class etc. Less interested in museums. With that said, what places come to mind for a day trip, or even a half day? Easy transportation via train is a must.

We are going to Windsor for a day for sure. Originally Paris was on the list (I've already been) but we're avoiding country hopping this trip.

Thanks again!

@rebecca I thought perhaps the hotel was prepaid at that amazing rate.

I’d look into Cambridge as an easy one hour train trip. Look into taking a walking tour perhaps.

I am also planning on staying at the Hub by Premier (St James Park location) ... other comments I have seen mentioned this was a good, basic, no-frills place ... like you, all we need is a comfortable place to sleep and wash up so the room size isn't as important as the price and location so I think you made a good choice, especially at that price ... if you do a 2 day trip, see if the hotel will keep your bags locked up for a night so you don't have to pay for the night you are away ... I haven't been to London since the early eighties so I can't comment on what to see and do except the usual tourista places ... I am planning on a London trip around that same time as you but in 2023 so would be curious to hear how crowded the places were (which I know with Covid still lurking around will impact the number of tourists this year and, either for better or worse, next year) and any special activities that occur during the Easter weekend ... also took a look at your flights, if you leave London a day earlier you save almost $100 each but still the long layovers going through YYZ ... and you didn't mention if the fare you found was basic economy where you have to pay a fee for checked bags, seats, etc... so be mindful of that ... have a great trip!

I highly encourage you to go. The long layovers would not stop me. When I've had a long layover like that, I mostly read. Just make sure you have some good books with you. (Hoping you have a Kindle so you can load a bunch.) Periodically, I get up and walk for 15-30 minutes while my husband watches the luggage. I do the same for him. You can also get a snack or meal. It goes pretty quickly. If you choose to pay more for flights with shorter layovers, who knows what might happen -- flight delays could cause your trip to be just as long as the one you passed up for less money.

There are no issues to worry about with Gatwick.

My first trip to Europe (1982), we stayed in a budget hotel in London for two weeks. We took 5 day trips, and then did a two-night trip to Edinburgh in the middle of the trip. I did not have a problem paying for two hotels on two of the nights because the hotel in London was so cheap. There is an incredible amount of things to see in and near London. You will not run out of things to do!

I hope you decide to go!

Sform,
Hotel is prepaid! Now the only issue is travel insurance. Haven't found a provider yet that will cover additional lodging and food if we got stuck there due to a positive test but do not need to isolate (as per England's changes)..

https://www.walks.com

I lived on these walks in the early 2000’s! Informative, sometimes quite hilarious leaders, and definitely worth every pound. I think they may still have a punch card available and if you think you might do several, they have a ‘resident’ card for less that I was offered because I have a slight British accent at times!! Me mums was British so some words just can’t be changed.
I highly recommend them.
Hope your flight planning gels soon and you’re off on a wonderful adventure.

Thank you everyone for the encouragement. I can now happily say we are officially BOOKED!

Super excited to get the details all figured out 😁

Bravo.

London is my favorite city on the planet. Been visiting since 70’s. Last visit, the entire month of November 2021.

London never fails to keep my interest.

One thing of interest for any planning is understanding the Tube (London Underground) Map.
At an Underground station try to find the pocket size tube map. Usually on the counter by the manned ticket window. Hopefully they haven’t been discontinued. Those pocket maps are a Practical travel resource.

Also investigate the National Rail 2 for 1 deal.

On my 2017 trip with a friend who’d never been out of the US we’d took the train from Waterloo Station to visit Hampton Court ( I’d booked tix on line ). Used that rail ticket as proof for the 2 for 1 deal. Since we were staying close to Paddington Station went there to obtain the 2 for 1 vouchers. Used a voucher to see Westminster Abbey. Sites allowing the 2 for 1 deal change monthly so investigate to see what might available during your dates.

EDIT: edited my remarks as I failed to realize you’ve booked your accommodation.

Please feel free to PM me with any questions about places to visit, hidden gems, cafes, theatre, galleries.
Its a wonderful city to explore.

I’ve stayed in several Hub hotels. There is no way I’d stay in one with someone who I wasn’t romantically involved with. One person will have to crawl over the other for the bathroom

Dale,

That might be your preference, but as stated above, this is one of Hub's "bigger" rooms and so there is space on either side of the bed...no crawling needed 😉.

It works for us and we're thrilled to even have the opportunity and ability to travel at all, a small hotel room isn't going to get us down.

There are entire books about day trips from London. You could also consider paying for hotel twice one night so you could overnite in Bath or York while keeping your room in London. I believe that there are also tours from London that go to the Cotswolds for the day.

Congratulations. Very pleased to hear you are booked.

London is a great city to explore. Couple of tips, one already shared:

1.) Check the National Rail 2 for 1 Deal
2.) Check out TimeOut London, A Lady in London and The Londonist websites in July to see if there is an event you might want to go to.
3.) If shoppers do not miss visiting Liberty
4.) Walk along the Thames Path. By Jubilee Gardens
( where the London Eye is located) there will be food booths and hopefully the Southbank book market under Waterloo Bridge is still in business. Another lovely stroll along the canal path is in Little Venice.
5.) if seeking interesting main streets with nice shops and restaurants explore the Richmond neighborhood. A bit of a jaunt ( 25 minutes from Westminster station for example) but Richmond is lovely. The coffee at Butterbeans is good. A pleasant pub lunch can be enjoyed at the Angel and the Crown which down a pathway behind the Tesco. The sweet Alligators Mouth a children’s bookstore is there as well.
6.) if walkers Richmond Park is fantastic. Hopefully you’d be lucky enough to see the red fallow deer.
The Isabella Plantation in Richmond Park is worth a walkabout.
7.) Definitely go to theatre. Nothing better than something on stage in London.

More later…

Part 2:

8.) By St Giles in The East church ( off Denmark Street) is the lovely volunteer tended Phoenix garden. Grab a coffee at Rosie and Joes coffee stand and enjoy a respite in the garden. London has a number of secret gardens. Fun to discover them.
9.) Have cake and a pot of tea in the gorgeous and popular V & A museum cafe. The V & A has a stellar gift shop as well.
10.) Your Premiere Inn is by London’s Chinatown. I encourage you to have dinner at Joy King Lau.
11.) if you go to Greenwich to the Observatory don’t short change Greenwich park. Take a picnic lunch.
12.) speaking of picnic lunches you can find good sandwiches at Pret A Mangers. Also at Mark and Spencers ( M&S chicken avocado wraps, yum) and unique finds like the Sam Sandwiches which I discovered in the Shepards Bush market in 2020. NO clue if still there. Following Covid lockdown should probably research.
13.) If seeking an lovely pub in an area not often on tourist’s radar….the Anchor and Hope near the Thames Barrier is a lovely spot. Thames Link Train to Charlton and 15 walk to the pub. Nothing touristy about the area. Its industrial.
14.) Mudchute farm if animal lovers
15.) check: Wiltons Music Hall, Cadogan Hall and Wigmore Hall websites for music offerings.

London will be crowded, noisy and a bit overwhelming. Don’t let those realities deter you.
Its a great European city. Meander.