Travel ?'s re: London (hotel,transport)

Are you set on a hotel? B & B's are wonderful places for first timers. You meet other travelers as well as your hosts who I've always found to be very helpful and keen on making your stay in there "home" a positive experience. Some even pick you up from the airport. Have you perused this website search engine and frequently asked questions link? Many suggestions there for "inexpensive, cheap"
accommodations in London. Base2Stay is a place that has been mentioned.
Don't spend money for a cab. Check the website for the Express. I believe the Express stops running at midnight. The N97 bus (night) runs every half hour into London from Heathrow after midnight. Lastly, travel light. If you could carrying a walk on then you wouldn't have to wait for luggage. You've chosen to great cities to visit in the Spring. Enjoy them.

Stacey, What is your hotel budget?

Regarding transport from Heathrow. I would suggest that you take the tube into London. I usually take a flight that arrives at 10pm and so far, I have always been able to take the tube. I like going into London because even through it is 10pm London time, it is only 5pm East Coast time. I'm usually wide awake and am ready to get away from the airport. London is perfectly fine at 11. You might want to consider choosing a hotel on the Piccadilly Line. Some good choices for that first night would be somewhere near Earls Court or Gloucester Road. Before you leave for London, check the tube schedule (www.tfl.gov.uk) between the airport and your hotel location just so you know when the last tube of the evening departs.

A hotel where I often stay is the Millenium Baileys. They often have reasonably priced single rooms if you book in advance for 3 nights. This hotel is directly across the street from the Gloucester Road tube station so it is easy to get to from Heathrow and the neighborhood is very safe and has a lot of conveniences for travelers. I've stayed there at least half a dozen times.

If you and your friend are willing to share a room with strangers, the Arran House Hotel in Bloomsbury would serve you well. The Lonely Planet London guidebook gives it very high marks. It's a B&B that, in addition to its regular rooms, has some dorm-type rooms at hostel-like prices (25-30 GBP/person). Everyone gets the full English breakfast.

Take the Piccadilly Line from Heathrow to Leicester Square. Change to the Northern Line and get off at Goodge Street. The last Piccadilly Line train you could take departs at 23:46. You would arrive at Goodge Street at 00:42. Even late at night, Bloomsbury is a very safe area. You would be in the heart of literary London, close by the British Museum, and not far from the theatres in the West End.

If by budget you mean around $US100 or less then I'd look at the Kings cross area. If your flight is at 21:30, you'd be at Kings Cross by midnight using the Underground ($8). There is no real need to worry about safety, beyond the normal commonsense precautions. Its safe to travel around in London.

If you want to cover the flight being late and missing the last Underground, then look at the Erals Court area of Kensington. Its closest to Heathrow and a prebooked taxi from the airport with someone like Simply Airports is only about $50.
1 Lexham Gardens is a good budget choice here around $100 or less with breakfast.

If by budget you mean around $US100 or less then I'd look at the Kings cross area. If your flight is at 21:30, you'd be at Kings Cross by midnight using the Underground ($8). There is no real need to worry about safety, beyond the normal commonsense precautions. Its safe to travel around in London.

If you want to cover the flight being late and missing the last Underground, then look at the Erals Court area of Kensington. Its closest to Heathrow and a prebooked taxi from the airport with someone like Simply Airports is only about $50.
1 Lexham Gardens is a good budget choice here around $100 or less with breakfast.

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies! My hotel budget(trying to be realistic) would ideally be about $800-$900 for the 8 nights. Its gets a little screwy b/c I would do a single for the first three nts,then two twins for the remainder (Unless anyone knows a single in which my friend can squeeze her blowup mattress in:)
Hyde Park ends up being about $1000 for the combo for 8 nts.I've looked at all other suggestions,thanks! I think I'd be a little uncomfortable with the hostel option,but dont need a luxury hotel either. If anyone has any experiences on sharing bathrooms-Im not opposed,but dont want to do it if its like a dorm situation. Right now,I think my choices are(please give feedback if you know of any of these!!)

Hyde Park(if I break down and pay it) Towers
Travelodge Southwark
Romanos Hotel
Jesmond Hotel
Ibis Hotel(either Kings Cross or Docklands)

As for the travel note,thanks again-just wasnt sure how safe it was to travel the Tube/Heathrow Express and in/around London after 11ish at night(again,assuming thats a realistic timeframe to be traveling from LHR to London for a 950pm arrival).It sounds like Im getting positive feedback-and considering I'd only be saving about $50 to stay at LHR the first night...is it worth it?

Thanks again!

You're welcome!

Here's another source. For budget B&Bs in London, see the listings and reviews at www.eurocheapo.com.

Stacey,

Don't book the hotel at Docklands ... that is too far away and really not a good location for a tourist.

Of the hotels that you list, I think Jesmond is in Bloomsbury. I'd be inclined to choose that location (I'm not personally familiar with any of the hotels that you mention). If you haven't already, check your hotels on tripadvisor and you might search their London forum for budget hotel suggestions.

Stacey: my wife and I arrived at the same time in London on a trip this past November. You should have no concerns about safety on the Express or in Paddington. The Tube that late may be a different matter. The heathrow Express was full of people at 10:30pm, as was paddington Station. The heathrow Connect will save you a lot of money vis a vis the Express...but it runs less often. When you get off at Paddington, you could easily find a hotel in 3-4 minutes walk for that one night, then move to a cheaper place for the rest of the stay.
We stayed at the Hotel Indigo and at the Quality Crown, both virtually adjacent to Paddington, and both reasonably priced. Using the internet you might be able to find a deal. The paddington neighborhood is crowded at all hours, with many pubs, places to eat, etc. I agree with those who have advised you to travel light, which will let you use the Tube to get around.
By the way, since you are going in May, keep in mind that London....much farther north than Cleveland...will be light until at least 10 pm. The British used to use Double Daylight Saving Time, but even without that, it stays light until very late in summer.

you may want to look at www.betterbidding.com to see tips on priceline and hotwire, they can often identify the hotel you would get, or at least narrow it down to two or three that it could be.

I've seen many postings there of people getting rooms for $100 or less for 4* hotels in the primary hotel areas. yes that is USD, not GBP or Euro. Even some postings of getting The Grosvenor House (5*) for as little as $128/night

You can choose the area, but not the specific hotel, but the betterbidding site can help narrow the list of potential 'winning' hotels down, and give you a very good idea of what to bid for hotels in the areas.