Well darn it...London area recommendations

Heathrow is served by the Piccadilly line, so from any other station on that line, you'll have a one-seat ride to the airport.

That includes the Kings Cross/St. Pancras area, which has lots of hotels in all different price ranges (though be careful with some of the cheaper ones).

You could also look at the Earl's Court area, which is a bit further west and so gives you a shorter ride to the airport. Again, lots of hotels at various price points.

If you arrive at St. Pancras, then you could maybe try one of the nearby Premier Inns for accommodation - I believe there are two. There's a Holiday Inn near Russell Square (Coram Fields) as well which I've stayed at and got a reasonable deal (I think I booked through booking.com). If based in that area, when travelling to LHR, you can catch the tube straight through from King's Cross or Russell Square tube stations (Piccadilly line).

The tube trip to Heathrow takes about an hour or so which would mean an early start to get to LHR for 8.30 am - not as quick as the Heathrow Express admittedly but a fraction of the cost.

Have a great trip!

Ian

Getting on the tube with luggage during morning rush hour is a pain. The trains are packed when they pull into the station and we had to wait through several trains and then board the frontmost car, and even then it was very uncomfortable. We will not do that again.

So staying near Paddington is a good idea. I checked the oft-mentioned Number 63 and they do not have rooms available for all nights of your stay, but there are lots of other hotels in the area.

You can reduce the cost of Heathrow Express tix by buying online in advance. The best price is 90+ days out, but you can still save with the 14-day advance purchase ( weekday price is £16.50 instead of £22; weekend travel is £12.10). If you want to go both directions on the Express, the DuoSaver is your best deal---2 roundtrip tickets for £55).

I dug out my tube map and am looking at staying somewhere on the Piccadilly line. I think we may try somewhere between Earl's Court and Hammersmith. Our flight is actually at 11:05, so 'technically' we should be there at 8am, so I'm a bit more comfortable with about a 30 min tube ride.

What's your budget?

The other alternative is staying near Heathrow. Plenty of hotels nearby.

Plenty of hotels near Earls Court and a few near Hammersmith. There is a Premier Inn one block from the Earl's Court tube station.

I have found a few airbnb out by the Acton Town stop that are $250 Canadian for the 3 nights, and only a few min walk - it's only a few min down the line from where we'd get off at Turnham Green for our Chiswick stay (we actually got off at AT stop once after arriving at LHR and took a taxi to our couchsurfing friends home), so I'm not too put off by how far it is from city center. If we were going into London more than one day, I'd look a little closer...but for one trip in, I guess I'm not going to worry about it.

I feel a little more comfortable being closer to LHR - worse comes to worst, we can get a taxi for 20-25 GPB...we've taken taxis from our Chiswick hosts to LHR and it was around 20 min and 25 GPB.

Thanks all!

If you weren't so keen at staying a shorter distance to LHR - and I understand why - I'd have said that the Premier Inns near KX-STP were nearly perfect.

Granted they are hotels, budget hotels, and you would miss the family nature of AirBnB and couchsurfing, but getting in late from Paris they are right there and don't mind late arrivals. And the next day for the Brighton trip there is Thameslink in STP, downstairs from Eurostar which go 3 times an hour to Brighton. Much easier than schlepping over to or into Victoria for the Southern service. And Southern has strikes back on again.

Boy this sounds negative - sorry. I know that you are really up on AirBnB and will comb through the reviews very carefully, but be careful with them in London. There have been all sorts of people caught out by clever scammers who have listed ghost apartments in London, or who are illegally subletting council houses or flats/apartments which aren't theirs to let.

I'm sorry your friends let you down, and on such short notice. I'm sure you will land on your feet.

Check out the YHA at Earl's Court. 59 pounds per night for private room. Earl's Court tube station is nearby. Quick exit out to Heathrow.
http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-earls-court?utm_source=TripAdvisor&utm_medium=Hostel-listing&utm_campaign=yha-london-earls-court

If only our Canadian dollar didn't suck so bad. 59 GPB is $100. The airbnb I booked was $80 a night all fees in, and is in a Victorian house - we tend not to do whole apartments when it's just me and my husband.

I think I'll be happy - it has a private bathroom (which looks really nice - bathrooms can be make or break for me), and a nice big bedroom and a little kitchenette to use - good for breakfast items and snacks - as there is a mini fridge, microwave, kettle, etc. We aren't driving, of course, but they even have free gated parking! A real find in London I imagine. And only a two min walk to the tube station. And great reviews. (And a dog - I love staying with people with dogs, even tho it makes me miss my doggie). And I almost wish we were going when it was colder as it has a working fireplace in the bedroom!

Nicole, it sounds great! Have a good trip! (I love dogs also.)

April just might be cold enough to use the fire! It was for us last spring.

Have a great time!

Glad that you found something that looks like it will work. Enjoy your trip!