Need recommendation for hotel in London England

[12thman]

Looking for moderately price hotels in London England. Also any suggestions for getting from London to Southampton cruise port?

 

[FionaMG]

1 hour ago, 12thman said:

Looking for moderately price hotels in London England. Also any suggestions for getting from London to Southampton cruise port?

 

For accommodation, check out Premier Inns. They are a budget chain but the quality is consistently reliable:  https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html

For a range of transport options, check out London Toolkit: https://www.londontoolkit.com/

The cheapest transport option is the National Express coach service. Advance booking is advisable and the earlier youbook the cheaper the price: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

[12thman]

46 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

For accommodation, check out Premier Inns. They are a budget chain but the quality is consistently reliable:  https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html

For a range of transport options, check out London Toolkit: https://www.londontoolkit.com/

The cheapest transport option is the National Express coach service. Advance booking is advisable and the earlier youbook the cheaper the price: https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Thank you!

[berkeleykel]

I second the Premier Inns recommendation.  But depends on how long you are staying in London, what you plan to do while you are there, and what you consider moderately priced.  Personally I love my neighborhood so would also recommend the Hilton London Tower Bridge.  Walking distance to Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the Shard, Borough Market.  Close to the Jubilee line which takes you quickly to Westminster and Waterloo (near London Eye, trains to Southampton, trains to Windsor if you wanted a day trip there).

For trains from London to Southamption,  which is what I would do personally, look at South Western Railway.  Direct trains run regularly from London Waterloo to Southampton Central and take around 1 hr 20 mins.

[12thman]

1 minute ago, berkeleykel said:

I second the Premier Inns recommendation.  But depends on how long you are staying in London, what you plan to do while you are there, and what you consider moderately priced.  Personally I love my neighborhood so would also recommend the Hilton London Tower Bridge.  Walking distance to Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the Shard, Borough Market.  Close to the Jubilee line which takes you quickly to Westminster and Waterloo (near London Eye, trains to Southampton, trains to Windsor if you wanted a day trip there).

For trains from London to Southamption,  which is what I would do personally, look at South Western Railway.  Direct trains run regularly from London Waterloo to Southampton Central and take around 1 hr 20 mins.

Thank you. We will probably be arriving about 9 days before the group cruise out of Southampton. Not sure the train is the best option if we have roughly 6 pieces of luggage. Anyone know how to find taxi rates from London to Southampton? The ride share limits luggage to 2 pieces per person if I read it correctly?

[FionaMG]

A 9-day stay might make it worth your while to consider Air bnb or some other form of apartment accommodation, but I'm afraid that is outside my limited experience of London. 

A taxi will be astronomical so I'd forget that idea, but there are a number of private car companies that regularly do the London to Southampton run. You should be able to find details of them on the London Toolkit site.

[12thman]

4 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

A 9-day stay might make it worth your while to consider Air bnb or some other form of apartment accommodation, but I'm afraid that is outside my limited experience of London. 

A taxi will be astronomical so I'd forget that idea, but there are a number of private car companies that regularly do the London to Southampton run. You should be able to find details of them on the London Toolkit site.

Thanks for the information! Never used an Air BnB. Have to look into that. Used the London Toolkit to find the ride share didn't see private car service but I'll check again. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Just a note, if you have not stayed in a London hotel before.  As a GENERAL rule, the rooms are much smaller than we, Americans, are used to.  I made a horrible choice for my hotel a few years ago.  I absolutely LOVE London...but the hotels....not so much.  I vowed never to stray from an American big-name brand again.

I was hoping for a quaint local hotel and got a run-down, no-elevator broom closet.  Be careful.

[Nikkoo]

Hey,

 

I have to say I’d avoid premier inn and travel lodge in the city. They are older buildings that are noisy and run down. Most are not even that cheap either! The tower bridge hotel mentioned is nice, stayed there last Christmas. Citizen M also do some nice rooms at reasonable prices. If there are that many of you I’d consider an ‘owners direct.com’ place on the outskirts near a tube or train line and commute in. If you stay on the outskirts you’ll find a transfer in a mini bus that can take you all and your luggage. We live 180 miles from Southampton and are paying £500 for 6 of us and our cases next August. That’s for a return, not one way. 
 

hope this helps,

 

Nikkoo

[12thman]

6 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Just a note, if you have not stayed in a London hotel before.  As a GENERAL rule, the rooms are much smaller than we, Americans, are used to.  I made a horrible choice for my hotel a few years ago.  I absolutely LOVE London...but the hotels....not so much.  I vowed never to stray from an American big-name brand again.

I was hoping for a quaint local hotel and got a run-down, no-elevator broom closet.  Be careful.

Thank you for information!! Are you going on this group cruise?

[12thman]

1 minute ago, Nikkoo said:

Hey,

 

I have to say I’d avoid premier inn and travel lodge in the city. They are older buildings that are noisy and run down. Most are not even that cheap either! The tower bridge hotel mentioned is nice, stayed there last Christmas. Citizen M also do some nice rooms at reasonable prices. If there are that many of you I’d consider an ‘owners direct.com’ place on the outskirts near a tube or train line and commute in. If you stay on the outskirts you’ll find a transfer in a mini bus that can take you all and your luggage. We live 180 miles from Southampton and are paying £500 for 6 of us and our cases next August. That’s for a return, not one way. 
 

hope this helps,

 

Nikkoo

Hello Nikkoo,

Yes, getting everyone's opinions is helpful as it's just my wife and I going. We've never been outside the states except for Canada. Thank you!

[Nikkoo]

If it’s just the 2 of you you’ll struggle to get anywhere with 6 cases. Public transport is ok with 2, maybe 3 but more than that is a pain. A lot of tube stations don’t have a lift also, so lots of stairs!

 

I thought there was more of you to be honest but something like this, found after a 30 second search...

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p8049136?adultsCount=2&noDates=true
 

is a 5 min walk from tower bridge and looks nice enough. LOADS to choose from and I picked this almost at random, I’m recommending the site not this particular flat!

 

Have fun what ever you do, London is my playground and am here everyday for work!

 

Nikkoo

[WAAAYTOOO]

11 minutes ago, 12thman said:

Thank you for information!! Are you going on this group cruise?

Are you referring to the northern Europe one that Matt just announced ?  Unfortunately, not at the moment.  Our cruising lives for 2021 are going to have to slow down due to our planned move to Florida.  After that though....no holds barred !!!

Right now, the only group cruise into which we are booked is the New England cruise on Brilliance next October.

[AshleyDillo]

Thanks for asking this!  I have a (non-cruise) trip to the UK in February, so I've been working on trying to figure out how to manage hitting five different cities in five days.  I was recommended Premier Inns by lots of folks as it appears to be the equivalent of our US Holiday Inn but I'm also traveling with a party of four, so that makes finding accommodations a little more difficult as most double bed rooms I am finding are just two twins over there!  I haven't traveled outside of the US apart from cruises before, so this is all new to me as well.

At least by the time the group cruise rolls around I will have experienced it once and have a bit of an idea what to expect!

[12thman]

27 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Are you referring to the northern Europe one that Matt just announced ?  Unfortunately, not at the moment.  Our cruising lives for 2021 are going to have to slow down due to our planned move to Florida.  After that though....no holds barred !!!

Right now, the only group cruise into which we are booked is the New England cruise on Brilliance next October.

Looks like many cruise days in your future!! See you hopefully on the Brilliance. 

[12thman]

8 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Thanks for asking this!  I have a (non-cruise) trip to the UK in February, so I've been working on trying to figure out how to manage hitting five different cities in five days.  I was recommended Premier Inns by lots of folks as it appears to be the equivalent of our US Holiday Inn but I'm also traveling with a party of four, so that makes finding accommodations a little more difficult as most double bed rooms I am finding are just two twins over there!  I haven't traveled outside of the US apart from cruises before, so this is all new to me as well.

At least by the time the group cruise rolls around I will have experienced it once and have a bit of an idea what to expect!

When you get back maybe you can give your experience. I'd be interested. 

[Allen2]

One thing to add: be sure to reserve a taxi in Southampton - if you ride the bus to Southampton.  Even though the port is close to the bus "station", available rides are overwhelmed when a bus unloads.

[AshleyDillo]

1 minute ago, 12thman said:

When you get back maybe you can give your experience. I'd be interested. 

I will share anything that I learn (from a US traveler perspective).  It's going to be a little bit of a difference as I'm planning to pack for this week in just a backpack   Should be quite the challenge as we're talking February in the UK..but I don't want to be dragging a suitcase around as I hop trains, planes, and buses to get around.  I feel like the Fjords cruise travel will be much more relaxing and less logistical coordinating.

FYI for air travel, I just booked my flight to London.  The prices dipped to their lowest point about 45 days ago..so that makes it at about around 120 days out that I saw the lowest prices.  I didn't jump on it then and regret that, but fortunately the prices haven't gone up too much.

[berkeleykel]

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

I was recommended Premier Inns by lots of folks as it appears to be the equivalent of our US Holiday Inn but I'm also traveling with a party of four, so that makes finding accommodations a little more difficult as most double bed rooms I am finding are just two twins over there! 

True, even travelling just me, husband and son can be difficult because they'll want us to book two rooms for 2 adults + 1 small child.  I think it is common in Europe in general that the default is a 2 person room rather than a 4 person room.

Bring your own washcloths - that's not really a standard thing in hotels here.

[Fairlynew]

We stayed at the Lime Tree Hotel in London last fall and loved it.  It is very convenient to two tube stations and within walking distance of a lot.   They have varying room sizes depending upon the number of people you want per room.  We had two rooms that comfortably slept 3 people each.  I spoke with a woman who was in a single room.  The staff is very nice, and breakfast is included each morning (a rarity in London), which was a real convenience.

[12thman]

5 hours ago, berkeleykel said:

Bring your own washcloths - that's not really a standard thing in hotels here.

Wait!? What do you mean? What hotel doesn't provide washcloths? Never even thought about that?

[AshleyDillo]

1 minute ago, 12thman said:

Wait!? What do you mean? What hotel doesn't provide washcloths? Never even thought about that?

I have read this catching others by surprise before!

They also don't do ice in their drinks.

[12thman]

2 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

I have read this catching others by surprise before!

They also don't do ice in their drinks.

This is really a thing!? I'm supposed to pack my own washcloth to take a shower and dry myself off!? The ice thing I knew about. 

[SpeedNoodles]

We are booked on this cruise as well. I've heard that flying into Heathrow is an absolute nightmare. But flying into Southhampton would require 2 stops.  Frankly, I'm not sure which is worse.   Both issues will stress the hell out of Mr SpeedNoodles, who is terrified of flying. 

[12thman]

4 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

We are booked on this cruise as well. I've heard that flying into Heathrow is an absolute nightmare. But flying into Southhampton would require 2 stops.  Frankly, I'm not sure which is worse.   Both issues will stress the hell out of Mr SpeedNoodles, who is terrified of flying. 

You have an option for Southampton? Couldn't find that when checking air fares for same time next July? Only option was Heathrow. Have you been to London? It's our first time and seems like it's going to cost a pretty penny to pull this off.

[SpeedNoodles]

34 minutes ago, 12thman said:

You have an option for Southampton? Couldn't find that when checking air fares for same time next July? Only option was Heathrow. Have you been to London? It's our first time and seems like it's going to cost a pretty penny to pull this off.

 

Nope, we've never been, either - it's been on his bucket list forever.  I couldn't look at flights for July 2021 (couldn't find any that far out), but I just did some digging in July 2020, just to get a rough idea.  From Mpls there are stops in Atlanta (ugh) and Manchester.  From Seattle the stops are in Atlanta/Manchester or LAX/Manchester (I'm using www.google.com/flights).  They are also about $400 per person more expensive, so clearly it's an ugly option.  I'm personally just so terrified of Heathrow.

[KristiZ]

47 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I've heard that flying into Heathrow is an absolute nightmare. 

It's really not that bad! Yes, it's huge, but the signage is good. Since you wouldn't be making a connection, you have time to go through the process at whatever speed you're comfortable (as opposed to trying to hustle to your next gate). As long as you're flying in the day before you really shouldn't stress about it!

[12thman]

1 minute ago, SpeedNoodles said:

 

Nope, we've never been, either - it's been on his bucket list forever.  I couldn't look at flights for July 2021 (couldn't find any that far out), but I just did some digging in July 2020, just to get a rough idea.  From Mpls there are stops in Atlanta (ugh) and Manchester.  From Seattle the stops are in Atlanta/Manchester or LAX/Manchester (I'm using www.google.com/flights).  They are also about $400 per person more expensive, so clearly it's an ugly option.  I'm personally just so terrified of Heathrow.

For me it's more about not loosing our luggage that's why I looked at July 2020 nonstop flights. Still pricing everything before we commit. Hopefully we will be able to go. It's so expensive there.

[Allen2]

Our Southampton experience: fly to Heathrow (can catch decent prices).  Stay overnight at hotel near airport (purchase round-trip shuttle bus ticket, as no free hotel shuttles).  Take shuttle back to airport in morning and get off at National bus terminal.   Catch bus around 9 a.m. to Southampton, arriving around noon - but arrange bus tickets early to save a little and guarantee a seat - and pre-book the taxi in Southampton.  

[berkeleykel]

I’ve usually had great experiences at Heathrow.  And now US citizens can use the e-gates as long as you aren’t traveling with children, which has sped up going through passport control a lot. 

[AshleyDillo]

My flight options were Heathrow or Gatwick for the trip I just booked.  Flight times and pricing were all dumb so I gave in and booked from my local airport using miles.

To fly out of Orlando it routed me through Atlanta.  The same flight direct from Atlanta was 2.5x the price of the Orlando trip with the layover.

You will drive yourself crazy over the next year watching the flights, I promise! 

[12thman]

7 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

You will drive yourself crazy over the next year watching the flights, I promise! 

Already there! Since we may never go again this a no holds bar trip. Looking at Star class, several days in London before or after the cruise. 

[AshleyDillo]

1 hour ago, 12thman said:

Already there! Since we may never go again this a no holds bar trip. Looking at Star class, several days in London before or after the cruise. 

Go big or go home!  Totally get it!

[uniongodess]

Don’t know anything about getting to Southampton, but husband, son and I went to London last year.  The airport isn’t scary at all and the tube/train/bus can get you anywhere.  We took the train to Paris for the day, bus to Stonehenge, tube all over town. Enjoy your trip and mind the gap!

We stayed at the holiday inn near Earl Court and breakfast included.  The room had a double bed and sleeper sofa.

[tequila]

As someone who spends 3/4 of their life in Southampton and 1/4 in London I guess I'm reasonably well qualified to recommend the best way. It's not clear to me whether it'll be Heathrow to Southampton (book a taxi) or London to Southampton (use a train).

[berkeleykel]

When is the group cruise?

[12thman]

34 minutes ago, tequila said:

As someone who spends 3/4 of their life in Southampton and 1/4 in London I guess I'm reasonably well qualified to recommend the best way. It's not clear to me whether it'll be Heathrow to Southampton (book a taxi) or London to Southampton (use a train).

As for transportation from Heathrow to London hotel then from London Hotel to Southampton I've decided private car is best because of number of pieces of luggage. Total pieces is about 5 or 6. The bus charges extra I think for luggage. 

 

Any recommendations for car service?

[12thman]

7 minutes ago, berkeleykel said:

When is the group cruise?

Anthem of the Seas 8-night Norwegian Fjords

July 16, 2021

Sailing from Southampton, England and visiting Kristiansand, Norway,  Alesund, Norway, Bergen, Norway, & Stavanger, Norway.

[WAAAYTOOO]

12 hours ago, 12thman said:

Looking at Star class, several days in London before or after the cruise. 

If you are seriously considering Star Class, let me give you one piece of advice.

Do NOT book one of the corner Grand Loft Suites (10720 or 10320) on Deck 10.  They are inferior suites (are not Star Class material, IMO) and very small.  We weren't even able to get all of our clothes into the closet upstairs.  We loved the GLS on 8 (8724) so I would recommend that one or the one next to it (8724). I haven't been inside the Owner's Loft Suite on 8 or the Royal Loft Suite so I cannot comment on them.  I think the corner rooms, in general just suffer from the geometry of the ship.  I would probably stay away from all of the corner suites.

[12thman]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

If you are seriously considering Star Class, let me give you one piece of advice.

Do NOT book one of the corner Grand Loft Suites (10720 or 10320) on Deck 10.  They are inferior suites (are not Star Class material, IMO) and very small.  We weren't even able to get all of our clothes into the closet upstairs.  We loved the GLS on 8 (8724) so I would recommend that one or the one next to it (8724). I haven't been inside the Owner's Loft Suite on 8 or the Royal Loft Suite so I cannot comment on them.  I think the corner rooms, in general just suffer from the geometry of the ship.  I would probably stay away from all of the corner suites.

Thank you! We do have a courtesy hold on 10320 but also a Sky Loft. I’m not sure the price difference can be justified especially since we a spending several days in London.