BigKarl Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 The wife and I are finally spending a week in London in Sept. for our 40th Anniversary as a "pre cruise" stay instead of it being just a layover for other European destinations. We want to see as much as we can in and around London. Does anyone have a suggestion for a Hotel that is centrally located to most of the sites that London has to offer. Also, suggestions for a "must see and do." For our 30th anniversary I proposed for the second time under the Eiffel Tower so I am thinking maybe for our 40th anniversary I would propose once again in Buckingham Palace? Anyone know if they might "kick me out if I do?" I am also hoping that she is crazy enough to say YES for the 3rd time or this vacation may not end well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 4 hours ago, BigKarl said: The wife and I are finally spending a week in London in Sept. for our 40th Anniversary as a "pre cruise" stay instead of it being just a layover for other European destinations. We want to see as much as we can in and around London. Does anyone have a suggestion for a Hotel that is centrally located to most of the sites that London has to offer. Also, suggestions for a "must see and do." For our 30th anniversary I proposed for the second time under the Eiffel Tower so I am thinking maybe for our 40th anniversary I would propose once again in Buckingham Palace? Anyone know if they might "kick me out if I do?" I am also hoping that she is crazy enough to say YES for the 3rd time or this vacation may not end well for me. I’ve got nothing, but will be following the post, I have a cruise in a October. what would you do if she said no! happy anniversary!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 4 hours ago, BigKarl said: The wife and I are finally spending a week in London in Sept. for our 40th Anniversary as a "pre cruise" stay instead of it being just a layover for other European destinations. We want to see as much as we can in and around London. Does anyone have a suggestion for a Hotel that is centrally located to most of the sites that London has to offer. Also, suggestions for a "must see and do." For our 30th anniversary I proposed for the second time under the Eiffel Tower so I am thinking maybe for our 40th anniversary I would propose once again in Buckingham Palace? Anyone know if they might "kick me out if I do?" I am also hoping that she is crazy enough to say YES for the 3rd time or this vacation may not end well for me. Ruben's! It is a beautiful hotel, closest to Buckingham Palace, across street from the Mews. Fantastic breakfast. We have stayed there several times. Get a themed room if you can. Highly recommend this hotel. Was there again this past year for 4 nights. BigKarl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marga Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 This is a hard question, because London has so many highlights! I would recommend taking a tour from the Yeoman Wardens at Tower of London. We really enjoyed this because they give a lot of information and do it in a fun way. Really enjoyed that a lot. If you are into museums the British Museum is one of the best in the World. It is very very large, so if you go either plan a full day or do your research and decide on the parts that are most interesting to you. If you just go 'wandering' around you will feel totally overwhelmed. They have a great Egypt collection. For Harry Potter fans there is a tour of Warner Bros Harry Potter studios. If you like the movies I would highly recommend going there. Prices are high and reservations are required well in advance. If you don't like Harry Potter, skip this one for sure Please go eat and drink a beer in a local pub, this is really fun. In the evening you could go to a West-End show (compare this to Broadway). There are websites that offer last minute tickets if you are not to particular about what show you want to see. There is also last-minute booth a Picadilly Circus. Buckingham Palace has a large fence around it and you won't get anywhere close to the palace. This might not be the romantic spot you are looking for. There are always a lot of crowds around the gate. Down by the river near Tower of Londen en London Bridge would maybe be quieter for this. Also nice is Westminister Abbey and Notting Hill is very nice and romantic to stroll around. The whispering gallery at St. Pauls Cathedral is also a special location to whisper romantic things to each other (albeit from a distance). London Globe is a theater made exactly like in the time Shakespeare was alive. They give tours of the theater and also perform Shakespeare plays. The plays need to be reserved well in advance. London is a very very busy city, so be prepared for this. Buy a London Travel Card for multiple days so you easily can get around with the subway. Outside of London: Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey) is really fun to visit if you are a fan of the show. This is also a romantic location maybe? Parts of the year the Castle is open for visitors and you can stroll around where the series and movies were filmed. As fans of the show we really loved this. It's about 2,5 hours from London though. Out of the box thought: book Eurostar train to Paris as a surprise and propose there again. I think it's only 2 hours with Eurostar to Paris city center. FloatyBoaty and BigKarl 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike.s Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 @Margahas come up with some excellent suggestions, couple of points of clarification, the bridge to see is Tower bridge, London bridge is a rather boring crossing and the best discount ticket booth to use for West End shows is in Leicester Square. Depending on your budget it might be worth considering a Premier Inn hotel, budget but clean and functional, also in some great locations, Leicester Square is about as central as you can get. The tube (subway) network is excellent and a the buses are a great way to see London. London also has some great parks that are good for a stroll, Hampstead Heath (North London) is beautiful and has great views back across London. FloatyBoaty and Marga 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 We stayed at The Bailey's Hotel in London. Fabulous. Directly across from the Gloucester Road Underground station. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Cruisers Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 We usually stay at the Conrad St. James, which is basically smack in between Buckingham Palace, on the one hand, and Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, etc., on the other, and across the river (~1 mile) from the London Eye. This is probably the nicest Conrad in Hilton's portfolio, and we've found the service to consistently be quite good. If you'll be in London on a Sunday, we always enjoy a walk through the Mayfair shopping district. It's open on days other than Sunday, of course, but it seems to take on more of a "street fair" type atmosphere that day. As much as the London Eye is touristy schtick, embrace the schtick and give it a try for a sunset or nighttime time slot. For a very modest premium, we booked a sort of "VIP" experience that (i) provided a semi-private lounge (with adult beverages) to wait in, and an escort to the capsule, (ii) fewer people in our capsule, since it was only the other "VIP" folks, and (iii) a champagne toast at the apex. My wife was a fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaMG Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 12 hours ago, BigKarl said: The wife and I are finally spending a week in London in Sept. for our 40th Anniversary as a "pre cruise" stay instead of it being just a layover for other European destinations. We want to see as much as we can in and around London. Does anyone have a suggestion for a Hotel that is centrally located to most of the sites that London has to offer. Also, suggestions for a "must see and do." For our 30th anniversary I proposed for the second time under the Eiffel Tower so I am thinking maybe for our 40th anniversary I would propose once again in Buckingham Palace? Anyone know if they might "kick me out if I do?" I am also hoping that she is crazy enough to say YES for the 3rd time or this vacation may not end well for me. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Waterloo on our trip to London last spring. It's well located near the Underground and as is usual with Hampton Inns comes with an included breakfast. It might work for you, especially if you use the Hilton brand. For Buckingham Palace, you can actually visit the state rooms there IF your visit falls within the very limited period when they are open to the public. You say you're going in September but not when in September. If you're going to be there before the 24th, then you're in luck: this year's opening dates are 14 July to 24 September. It is absolutely worth doing. After the indoor part of the visit, you come out into the gardens and this might be a good spot for your planned re-proposal. Tickets get booked up quickly and they are already on sale so if you want to go don't delay. https://www.rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace Another possible option for you might be The Shard: https://www.the-shard.com/ You can book a visit to the viewing room at the top independently or it's included on some of the tourist passes (we used the Explorer Pass by Go City, which lets you pick a specific number of attractions). The view is amazing and there is a bar and a restaurant at the top (probably expensive; we didn't buy anything). Sunset hours book up faster. We went early evening just a bit before sunset and you can see the shadow of the building stretching out over Tower Bridge in the pic below. It was DH's absolute favourite of the places we went to. ChessE4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brienc Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 9 hours ago, Linda R said: Ruben's! It is a beautiful hotel, closest to Buckingham Palace, across street from the Mews. Fantastic breakfast. We have stayed there several times. Get a themed room if you can. Highly recommend this hotel. Was there again this past year for 4 nights. We're staying at the Rubens for a spring break trip in April and really looking forward to it! For a special occasion (and without the kids), I'd suggest also checking out Hotel 41. It's the sister property to the Rubens and is right next door. Walk across the street to Buckingham Palace, easy access to all the other sights, and overall just a great location. The staff is incredible, and they have a wonderful lounge with free snacks each night. My wife and I have stayed at a lot of great hotels around the world, but Hotel 41 is our absolute favorite anywhere. Linda R and ChessE4 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reigert2008 Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 We haven't been to London yet, but we are planning an Adventures By Disney trip and the hotel they have us in is the Kimpton Fitzroy London. It looks to be close to a lot of the touristy stuff.https://www.kimptonfitzroylondon.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 There are about 5,810,559 hotels in London, and the ones offered before me in this thread are all pretty solid. As a Hilton regular (but not exclusive), I feel like I have stayed in most London area Hilton brand hotels. Of those, I often find myself returning most to the Conrad St. James (on the expensive end) or the Hilton London Bridge (mid-range). Someone before me mentioned the Premier Inn brand and they're usually pretty solid and affordable. I have never had a bad experience at any of them around the UK. I'm by no means an expert on their London area locations, but can assure you that if you find any of them in London with a good rate and good location, you'll have an enjoyable stay. There is a tiny, pretty cheap hotel behind Victoria Station (walking distance to Buckingham Palace) called the Cherry Court Hotel that I have stayed at a few times and recommend it highly. It's a small, 10-12 room, family run place on a quiet side street but only a few minutes walk to the massive Victoria Station, and it's very cheap by London standards. BUT, the rooms are very small, and there aren't elevators...things to consider, but for the price, it's awesome if you don't plan to spend much time in the room. But again...small, and no elevators (and some rooms are three floors up). KristiZ and teddy 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 If you really want to splurge, I recommend The Savoy. We just stayed there this past summer before our Norway cruise and I completely loved it. It is very centrally located, walkable to major tube stations, Covent Garden, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, etc. It's not cheap though, but it would be a great anniversary celebration. There are pics and details in my blog here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/33005-“the-starry-neighbor-neighbour-chronicles-pining-for-the-fjords”-–-anthem-of-the-seas-july-8th-15th-2022/ For something a bit more budget friendly, but same fantastic location, there is a hotel across the street from The Savoy called The Strand Palace. It has great reviews on TripAdvisor and many room options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 52 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: For something a bit more budget friendly, but same fantastic location, there is a hotel across the street from The Savoy called The Strand Palace. It has great reviews on TripAdvisor and many room options. Including my one which highlights the fact i found a condom box under the bed lol ( i asked them to leave viagra next time due to my age lol ) Apart from that it is a great hotel, i would definitely stay there again. WAAAYTOOO and Lovetocruise2002 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted January 24, 2023 Report Share Posted January 24, 2023 13 minutes ago, Ray said: Including my one which highlights the fact i found a condom box under the bed lol ( i asked them to leave viagra next time due to my age lol ) Apart from that it is a great hotel, i would definitely stay there again. I think I read that review lol Ray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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