While planning my trip to London, I found many helpful tips on these forums. I am posting this trip report with the hopes that someone might benefit from the information that I provide.
I just returned from a seven day/six night visit to London last week. Although I have been to London seven or eight times over a thirty year period, there was much more I wanted to experience. I have visited the A-list sites on my previous trips (St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Jack the Ripper Walking Tour, etc.) and I considered this trip an opportunity to delve deeper into areas of interest including English history and cathedrals. I was a solo traveler for the first four days, and then planned to spend some of the remaining time with my neighbors who were there on spring break with their children (7 and 4 years old).
I took advantage of a super low fare on Icelandair and was satisfied with my experience. Flights were on time and service was as-expected for a budget airline. After reading reviews on several sites, I knew what to expect for aircraft configuration, airline amenities and Keflavik airport. My layovers were about 90 minutes, and the small airport was very crowded. I found a large waiting area and bathrooms on the lower level. These were no signs pointing to this area, so there were plenty of seats available and there was no line for the bathrooms. Keflavik Airport looks like it was furnished by Ikea, and the there should be a user's guide for all the motion detectors in the bathroom.
Upon arrival at Gatwick, I made it through passport control, baggage claim, customs, and shuttle to the South Terminal train station in about 30 minutes. By contrast, my neighbors arrived at Heathrow several days later, and were standing in the passport control line for 30 minutes before an agent moved them and their children to the front. They said the lines extended into the hallway and estimated the waits to be longer than an hour.
I planned to take the Gatwick Express to/from the airport as it was the fastest option and the Victoria Station terminus was only two tube stops from my hotel. When I arrived at Victoria Station, I went to the tourist information center and purchased an Oyster Card which I loaded with a seven day travel pass plus additional pounds for extended tube trips.
My travel to London was hassle free up to that point, and then I attempted to navigate the tube system with a rolling bag. I had to wade through the sea of humanity at Victoria Station and carry it down a narrow stairway, and then carry it up a flight of stairs at Gloucester Road. It was quite an effort to keep my balance and move through the crowds. There are multiple postings on this forum about step free travel at train stations in London, and I wish I had paid more attention to the information when I planned my trip.
I stayed at the Ashburn Hotel on Cromwell Road in South Kensington. It is located two blocks from the Gloucester Road tube station which is on three lines and provided ready access to all the sites I intended to visit. The neighborhood has restaurants, convenience stores and a laundromat. The National Science Museum and V&A museum are a short walk down Cromwell Road. The hotel building is best described as a quasi-boutique hotel that is clean and comfortable. I had a double room that was nice sized for central London. Amenities included a hair dryer, room safe, free Wi-Fi, a fluffy bath robe, a mini refrigerator, and a selection of soap, shampoo and lotion. The staff was professional and friendly. My reservation included continental breakfast with juice, fruit yogurt, cold meat, cheese, pastries, cereal etc.