Overnight at Heathrow or in London?

I've said this before here .... my choice would be to stay in Eton or Windsor. You can have a great evening there and no rushing in and out of the city. My favourite hotel around there is the Christopher.

It sort of comes down to you and what you want to do and how stressed you get about making it to the plane on time and how late at night you want to stay up. My own personal choice might not be yours at all, but what I would do is to look for a good cheap (a relative term for London) hotel near either a stop on the Piccadilly Line (such as South Kensington or King's Cross) or near Paddington Station, the terminus of the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains. I would get theatre tickets in advance online, maybe have afternoon tea at the Wolseley near Piccadilly Circus, do a museum I had never done before--then get up and tube or train out to Heathrow the next morning. But opinions may differ.

Both sound like good options. I think I do have to decide how much energy we'll have left at the end of our trip and figure something out based on that. Thanks so much for the input!

I agree with Roger, Ron, and Lola. Windsor would be much more enjoyable and less stressful than a hurried trip into London. Windsor is lovely! You won't regret spending the afternoon/evening in Windsor & Eton strolling around. You will probably arrive in Windsor in time for afternoon tea at one of my favorite places, The Crooked House. It's right next to The Guildhall in the High Street, to the right of Windsor Castle. Here's their website: http://www.crooked-house.com/# Click on their menu in the upper left corner of the page and pull down the menu to choose "Afternoon Tea" to see their offerings and prices. They also have a wonderful buffet. Lola, do you recall the names of some of the Indian restaurants in Windsor that you liked? Would appreciate that information. Thanks!

In similar circumstances last May we chose to overnight in Windsor, on the recommendation of people here. It was a great choice. We rode a locals bus from T5 to Windsor, 5 pounds and 40 minutes. The bus stop in Frances Road was right across from our B and B, Frances Lodge. Our room there was about half what we would have paid in London. We spent the afternoon and evening walking along the Thames path and into Eton. Seeing the Wton boys in their tailcoats was a kick. Dinner ar the Italian restaurant near the river was fantastic. These are lots of other options in Windsor and Eton, from pub food to very good Indian restaurants.

Rebecca-I see my post was not all that clear. We actually ate dinner at the Italian restaurant, La Taverna. Very nice atmosphere and authentic food, a bit upscale. There were several Indian restaurants recommended by our B and B, but they were not as easy for us to walk to so we chose the Italian. I see several that are highly rated on Tripadvisor, such as Cumin and Coriander. The reviews seem genuine and several are by locals. It almost sounds like Windsor is known for good Indian food ( which we generally seek out when we are in London).

Lola, Your post was indeed very clear that you ate at the Italian restaurant. "Dinner at the Italian restaurant near the river was fantastic." I had just thought perhaps you had also tried out some of the Indian restaurants on another occasion. Thank you for the name of the Indian place; that will go on my list for my next visit. We love Indian food! Also I will look for the Italian place. Thanks again!