I will be traveling with my 73 year old parents and 18 year old daughter, getting off the QM2 and heading to London. I am trying to figure out where to stay as I really didn't want my parents to have to handle their luggage too much. I was looking into staying at the Cherry Court Hotel, but then I realized that we needed to leave early (7:30 a.m.) for a flight to Rome our last day in London. It's a Sunday (May 17th), so I'm wondering what the traffic would be like if we took a cab, or are the trains running at 5 a.m.? Would that be a better way to go? Would it be bette to move to a hotel that is close to the airport the night before? Are there better places to stay while we are there so we won't have to move? My parents are kind of on a tight budget, would prefer to keep the lodging part down a little since we probably won't be spending much time in the room. Another option I was considering was the Rhodes Hotel in Paddington for better transportation options. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5848 posts
Janine, I'd suggest you arrange for a car service to the airport. On a Sunday, you won't have to worry about much traffic. The hotel can likely help you arrange this or you might find a listing in a guidebook (I haven't used one in many years, so can't recommend a particular service). If you are taking a car service, it really won't matter if you stay near Paddington or Victoria. With a car service, your parents would not have to do much carrying of luggage.
Alternatively, if you stay at Paddington, you could take the earliest Heathrow Express (check their website for departure info). With 4 people, this really won't be any less expensive than a car service. Your parents will need to carry their luggage through Paddington and along the platform at Heathrow until they get to the area where the luggage carts are located.
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
I agree with Laura that a car service would be a good choice. Many people on the Fodors board recommend Just Airports. There is a discount for paying cash. With a group your size and what I expect will be a fair amount of luggage, you'll need a MPV (minivan). The Cherry Court Hotel is in postal code SW1. The cash price for a MPV from that postal code to LHR is £38.
Posted by
Napa, CA
3580 posts
The Paddington area is loaded with budget hotels and is very convenient to Paddington Station and its Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect (cheaper) trains to Heathrow. I stayed in that area last fall and loved the convenience. Another choice would be to stay in the Earl's Court area; it's on the Piccadilly line that goes to LHR. I have stayed near the airport at Heathrow Lodge (inexpensive) and used their free van transit to Heathrow. I think their earliest shuttle is 6 am, but your group could take a taxi from any of the airport hotels to LHR at a reasonable cost. If you arrive at Waterloo (or whichever) Station after your cruise, I recommend taking a taxi to your London hotel. For 4 people it is cost-effective to use taxis.
Posted by
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
98 posts
I have to agree with Tim and Laura that a car hire would be the best choice.
I can recommend Olympic Cars at 011 44 0208 900 1666 (for airport service only) and 011 44 0207 736 4498 (for everything else) and speak to Tony.
We used them 6 times and each time their quoted price was less than the black cabs and they also honored their quoted price each time. There were four of us with a total of 8 bags and we traveled from Knightsbridge to Heathrow and the cost was 52.00BPS. Because we were leaving during peak traffic times on the tube it was worth it to us to pay a little extra and not have to hassle with our luggage at the tube station.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
A transfer service I have used a couple of times and will use again in May, is london-transfers.com. Ray Skinner is dependable and courteous. Check out his rates.