london lodging

My husband and I really like the Kensington/Earls Court area. Try the London Lodge Hotel www.londonlodgehotel.com It's a very short walk from the Earls Court tube stop, has A/C and an elevator, lots of restaurants nearby, and you can hop on the tube and get to most attractions with minimal hassle. Also, if you're taking the tube in from Heathrow, it's a straight shot.

thanks so much mary, we'll check it out. can you take the tube from heathrow with one of those london passes?

Are you talking about the London Pass that you purchase to get into attractions?

yes. however, it doesn't matter since i just checked and it is not available for the dates i need. thank you though.

Barbara, regardless of where you'll be staying, you might want to think twice about the London Pass with or without the travel option added. For our first trip to London, my husband and I listed the sights we had to see and added up the entry fees. Then we compared that figure with the cost of the London Pass to see which was the better value. For that first trip the Pass worked out slightly cheaper, and I liked the idea of not having to wait in long lines for tickets. Now we're going back again this fall, and with what we plan on seeing this time, individual entry fees will be alot cheaper for us, and the lines aren't really that bad. Regarding the travel portion, you'll probably do better with a pay-as-you-go Oyster card, or separate travelcards (see www.tfl.gov.uk). If you're staying in London for at least 6 days, the 7-day travelcard for Zones 1 and 2 at £27.60 is a pretty good value since you can travel anytime of day, and just pay a little additional for the trip into the city from Heathrow. You might want to check into the 2-for-1 deals available with the purchase of rail issued travelcards at www.daysoutguide.co.uk Both travelcards issued by the Underground and Rail (train) systems cost the same, and cover the same modes of transportation (tube, buses, etc), but only the ones purchased at train stations, not tube stations, qualify for the special discounts. The only initial downside of getting a travelcard from the train system is that you can't purchase it at Heathrow, but you can still buy a one-way tube ticket into the city for about £5.

Oh shoot! I already bought them online! Just a little too excited I guess. Thanks again anyway.