Going to London,England need some advice please.

rr165892

I'm in the process of booking a Hotel in London for a May trip.I have been researching the areas within the city and think the West End,Soho,Mayfair,Bloomsbury areas fit our taste the best.This seems to be the hub of fun for food and nightlife as well as a solid tourist base.We are flying into Heathrow and plan to rent a car for our excursions on a need to basis only.From the city center itself not at the airport.
Does anyone who has knowledge on these areas have any recommendations.Im not on a tight budget and am aware of the hotel fees in those areas.Im trying to figure out if staying at the W in soho makes sense or should we look at a Hilton hotel by Hyde Park or in Bloomsbury.I don't want old and haunted.Modern and clean is what we prefer.
Thanks for the help in advance 10 clubbers.

badbrains

Go to an epl game RR. Chelsea, Man U, man city, Liverpool, u have to hit up one of these legendary stadiums. Hotels and shit I have no idea but u need football (soccer) advise, I got you. B-)

oftenreading

How long are you staying? We were in London in August for 5 days and stayed in a flat that we rented via VRBO, and it was fantastic - much better than a hotel room, in my opinion. Two bedrooms, and a full kitchen, because you don't necessarily want to eat all of your meals in restaurants. I know you said you're not on a tight budget but London hotels are expensive and the flat was cheaper than a standard hotel room would have been. The downside, of course - no daily maid service, no onsite restaurant, but London isn't short on places to eat.

This doesn't answer your original question, so my apologies if you're not interested in this, but just some food for thought as you plan your trip. Have a great time :-)

badbrains

Ya, we also rented an apartment in Amsterdam for the week and it was $200 cheaper for each of us. Saved us $600 and we got to burn in peace on the patio we had.

rr165892

badbrains wrote: »

Go to an epl game RR. Chelsea, Man U, man city, Liverpool, u have to hit up one of these legendary stadiums. Hotels and shit I have no idea but u need football (soccer) advise, I got you. B-)

I may try for a Man U match on your recommendation Nart.They are owned by the Glazer family who owns my Tampa Bay Bucs.It will be fun mixing it up with a bunch of soccer hooligans.
I'm going to find some good rock clubs also when there.

rr165892

oftenreading wrote: »

How long are you staying? We were in London in August for 5 days and stayed in a flat that we rented via VRBO, and it was fantastic - much better than a hotel room, in my opinion. Two bedrooms, and a full kitchen, because you don't necessarily want to eat all of your meals in restaurants. I know you said you're not on a tight budget but London hotels are expensive and the flat was cheaper than a standard hotel room would have been. The downside, of course - no daily maid service, no onsite restaurant, but London isn't short on places to eat.

This doesn't answer your original question, so my apologies if you're not interested in this, but just some food for thought as you plan your trip. Have a great time :-)

Thank you for the advice.We thought about that route, but enjoy the amenities when traveling.

badbrains

RR, you'll have a blast man. Def check into that and I believe there's like 4-5 teams that call London home so there should be a game somewhere.

rr165892

Leader in the clubhouse right now is the Double Tree (Hilton)Marble Arch.Close to trains,Oxford st,Hyde park and Soho and a bit more budget friendly then the Mayfair area hotels.Seems like a very convenient area.

oftenreading

rr165892 wrote: »

oftenreading wrote: »

How long are you staying? We were in London in August for 5 days and stayed in a flat that we rented via VRBO, and it was fantastic - much better than a hotel room, in my opinion. Two bedrooms, and a full kitchen, because you don't necessarily want to eat all of your meals in restaurants. I know you said you're not on a tight budget but London hotels are expensive and the flat was cheaper than a standard hotel room would have been. The downside, of course - no daily maid service, no onsite restaurant, but London isn't short on places to eat.

This doesn't answer your original question, so my apologies if you're not interested in this, but just some food for thought as you plan your trip. Have a great time :-)

Thank you for the advice.We thought about that route, but enjoy the amenities when traveling.

I understand completely. I'm not averse to a fancy hotel either.

hedonist

Last time I visited family there was in 1999.

The Beatles walking tour I took with my cousin (another die-hard fan) is among my favorite memories.

Also dug seeing Churchill's bunker area - the man was a fucking genius. Walking through it felt quite intimate - almost an intrusion on what was.

As for food, just wander around and see where the locals go! Had some awesome Chinese and Indian food there.

Eraserhead

Maybe plan a couple of things that you must do while you're there, but generally just go off into the city and discover what you can. I do that pretty much everywhere I've been and find lots of great things.

I'm sure you'll have a blast, and as they say in the East End of London - "Get outta my pub!" ;-)

samjam

Bring double or triple the money you think you'll spend is my tip. Especially in London, and I was only there for 2 days out of the 5 days I was in England. I tried to spend as very minimally as possible and still spent an unbelievable amount of money for a short time.

That being said, I really loved the city and it was all money well spent I wish I got to explore London more, as the little exploring we did was exciting, and the city was really only a brief stopping point for my friend between the Leeds and Milton Keynes PJ shows last year. I hope you enjoy!

rr165892

Good advice guys thank you very much
Hedo,that bunker is the underground shelter right?Beatles walking tour sounds interesting also.

My wife is originally from Birmingham,so we are doing a day trip up there and another to see Dovers white cliffs.With more time I wanted to check out Cardiff but I think time might not work.

Eraser,I'm very much looking forward to pub crawling!!!! And Sam,I'm already seeing that exchange rate taking a bite out of the money clip.Value can be had buying some travel passes and such in advance,every little bit seems to help.

oftenreading

Be wary of the museum pass, unless you really like museums,particularly off-beat ones. We were there for 5 days and very likely did not get good value out of the museum pass, mostly because we went as a family and so some of our group preferred to shop (not mentioning any names or ages) and did not want to go to museums. The pass does get you to the front of the line for some museums, but rarely the ones you actually need it for.

And unless it's too touristy for you, I'd recommend the London Eye, which was a lot of fun and doesn't take a lot of time out of your day; also, it's open until 23:00ish, so you can go after the other attractions and shops have closed.

ldent42

I also really enjoyed the London Eye.

Also, RR if you are considering going to Cardiff cuz you're a big DW fan - do ittttttttttttt. I could've spent hours in there but had someone waiting outside for me. The bay is really beautiful too, good for a long walk.

I skipped Stonehenge, which I don't know if I regret or not. But if you're renting a car then I guess it would be easy.

Dunno how much time you have, but I took a day trip to Oxford and loved it. Went to this pub called The Eagle and Child and had an excellent dinner.

rr165892

Ident I'm sorry,who is DW?Im a little slow this morning.
I did make a note about the Eagke and the Child Pub in Oxford.Sounds like a solid afternoon.

23scidoo

For food, this is the place..
http://boroughmarket.org.uk/

rr165892

Wow a 1000 years it's been doing it.Crazy shit.May have to check it out.Thx

ldent42

DW= Doctor Who. Their studio is in Cardiff so they built this interactive walkthrough/museum. The first part I think is a bit more targeted toward kids (I could be wrong - it was Smith when I was there and it might just be how he talks) but the museum was amazeballs. All props from the actual show going back 50 years and some of the prosthetics behind monsters. AND costumes.