Frustrated with finding a room!

[LiseD]

If the girls each charge a $1000 do I have to pay? ha ha JK :) Actually a great idea! I'm pretty excited about the place we are ending up.....but a great idea for our next trip....

[travelshy]

Are you on the Ocean Princess this summer to the Baltic and Northern Europe? If so, we will probably meet! Kathy

[newport dave]

Exactly!

 

There are several Indian restaurants on Drummond Street; we recently had a lunchtime all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet at the Diwana Bhel Poori House at 121-123 Drummond Street for £6.95 per person (plus a couple of pounds for drinks).

 

And just around the corner (and up the street from the Arofsa) is Speedy's Sandwich Bar & Cafe, at 187 North Gower Street, featured in the current BBC (and PBS Mystery) series Sherlock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have watched that Sherlock episode don't expect the inside of the cafe to look the same. The inside shots were taken in a cafe in Llandaff in Cardiff where a lot of Sherlock is filmed as it's made by BBC Wales.

[Post Captain]

If you have watched that Sherlock episode don't expect the inside of the cafe to look the same. The inside shots were taken in a cafe in Llandaff in Cardiff where a lot of Sherlock is filmed as it's made by BBC Wales.

 

And the interior of "221B Baker Street" is filmed at a studio in Cardiff too. The black door at 187 North Gower Street that doubles as the entrance to 221B Baker Street merely leads to some rather spartan student bedsits.

 

There's barely room for a dozen people inside Speedy's, let alone a film crew with cameras and sound equipment. When we were there, the place was mobbed (well, not mobbed really, but you know what I mean) by a gaggle of Japanese teenage girls who were hot on the trail of Cumberbatch & Freeman. They went away believing that I was Inspector Lestrade.:)

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/sherlocks-homes-fans-flock-to-bloomsbury-address-used-in-bbcs-hit-show-9053734.html

 

http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2012/jan/caf%C3%A9-that%E2%80%99s-home-sherlock-holmes-and-tourist-attraction-speedys-has-worldwide-fans

 

http://www.popmatters.com/column/170857-speedys-cafe-starring-in-sherlock-is-part-of-the-family-business/

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2014 by Post Captain

[newport dave]

I know, I work at BBC Wales in Cardiff.

 

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

[Giantfan13]

Seems like you have made up your mind already, but I would also like to cast a vote for one of the more inexpensive chain hotels like Traveloge which are scattered all around London. We also stayed at the one by Heathrow and were satisfied with it. They also had a sort of buffet style English breakfast which we added on for something like 5 pounds.

The reason why I'm suggesting this, as we were in the same sort of way. We look at things like this, all we want is a clean place to sleep and shower. We were not planning on spending very much time in the hotel room so who cares if it had a TV, a phone, or whatever. We were in London, and we were out from morning till time to go back and sleep. As long as they are in decent areas and in the vicinity of a Tube station, you are in business.

For $250, and probably a lot less, you could book TWO rooms, so the kids don't have to room with you, and have plenty left over to enjoy a night out with a good dinner.

 

Again, just a piece of advice from another very budget minded cruiser.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[LiseD]

Will look at 2 rooms....not locked into anything yet!!

[LiseD]

OK.....2 rooms at the least expensive Travelodge is only $40 less expensive BUT one drawback....we would have to pay extra to check in early (early for them is noon) We land at Heathrow at 7:30am. Travelodge has no luggage storage. The place we are booked now will keep our luggage for us before the room is ready and also keep it on the day we check out if we want to go do some more sightseeing and then come back and get the luggage. A nice feature! The other Travelodge locations are about the same price we are paying to book the 2 rooms. Granted we would have more space....but don't think we will be there except to sleep...so think we can manage and will get us ready for our stateroom on the ship! ha ha

Edited January 23, 2014 by LiseD

[Pet Nit Noy]

Bring on the cheep eating!! :) OK....let me just say this is our twins 3rd year in college.....need I say more about why we are on a budget? We would not even be going on this trip except my parents are taking us to celebrate the twins 21st b-day!!! :)

 

You'll see branches of a very, very appealing chain called Pret a Manger all over London. (URL for the UK locations below) This would be a good option for breakfast and lunch. The prices are right, the food is fresh and appealing despite the fast-food style service, and you don't invest a lot of time when you'd rather be sightseeing.

 

Now, having said the prices are right, here's a little warning. When my husband and I were in London last summer, we would look at the prices on the menu, see the numbers, and think these prices don't seem so bad. They look like what we'd expect to pay at home (a large city in the US). Then, we'd have a "Duh!" realization and remember that those numbers were British pounds not US dollars.

 

UK locations http://www.pret.com/find_a_pret/list.htm

Menu: http://www.pret.com/our_food/

[milolii]

You are so right! You have to remember the cost for Americans is over one and two thirds. However, the tax is ther a,ready so that makes it a little mess painful, especially for Californians, where e tax us almost 10% in some areas

 

 

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[milolii]

Sorry, hit the send button before I could edit for spelling. The £ is over 1.70 to the $. But it is London enjoy! Think about how much it cost to get there.

 

 

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[44disney]

Try the site http://www.4inEurope.com for quad room options. I've used it before and it links back to TripAdvisor for reviews. It might have some London options that you haven't found yet.