London hotel advice

[KKB]

We are staying 3 days before & 3 days after our late Sept. cruise.

 

I am looking to stay "near" the Eye--it seems a lot of things we want to see are nearby. (we've never been, so the usual sites are at the top of our list).

I am wondering if we may want to do that AFTER the cruise, assuming some jet lag on the way out. I still anticipate a day of sightseeing before.

What other part of London might be fun to stay in?

 

We are likely looking at IHG hotels as we have 2-3 free nights plus 260K points we can use. But we also have 135K points via Capital One portal so I am open to other suggestions. 

I noticed that the IHG hotels nearest the Eye are pricier...the Hotel Indigo Tower Hill (2 mi. away) gets best reviews & is the best value. Or are we better off to spend a bit more to be closer? 

 

We do not mind taking the Underground to sites if we could get a hidden gem in a fun neighborhood.

 

 

[CanWeGoYet?]

Have only been to London once, so I'm no expert.  But I enjoyed staying in Victoria, it was near the train & tube station - right across the street in fact since we stayed at Park Plaza Victoria.  Walking distance to many sites, but I don't think it's possible to see even just the highlights all at one location.  We did a walking tour that required us to take the tube, saw the ballet at the royal opera house / covent garden & took a cab.  It was wonderful, something I'll never forget.  

[geoherb]

We've stayed in Waterloo, Kensington, and near Trafalgar Square. All had things nearby that we wanted to see. The time we stayed in Waterloo, some of the top attractions within walking distance were Shakespeare's Globe, the Tate Modern, and the London Eye. 

[markeb]

Welcome to London...

 

No neighborhood is convenient to everything. I'm a Marriott guy, so I don't have as good a bead on IHG properties. I do see a Crowne Plaza near Lambeth Bridge, but Google Maps isn't giving me a warm fuzzy on a Tube stop nearby...  There's also a Holiday Inn Express in that area. Those are a little hit and miss in my experience. The rooms will be smallish but the breakfast much better than in the US. But if you've never been to London, the Waterloo area is a great place to consider. What are your Capital One options? The Marriott County Hall and the two Park Plaza locations are great options in that area. Those might be good Capital One options. And you can do things in that area on your arrival day; your room is highly unlikely to be ready before 3:00 p.m. Head for the Eye, walk the Embankment, and wander through Westminster and Whitehall. 

 

Over the years, we've fallen in love with a Marriott property a bit of the beaten path, but we now know the area (Park Lane), and the hotel. There are a LOT of neighborhoods that are good fits. If you're looking at IHG, I'm not a good source. Hopefully someone is.

 

Oh, and there be pubs on that side of the Thames...

[John Bull]

Tower Hill is at the eastern-most end of "tourist London", not very convenient altho London's underground system - the Tube - does bring all of central London a lot closer together.

 

Near the Eye is a very good compromise between cost & convenience - across Westminster Bridge to Big Ben, Westminster Abbey,  Whitehall, Chruchill's war-rooms, etc is very walkable and of course the Eye and boat trips to the Tower of London are close by. 

The Crowne Plazas & particularly the Marriott County Hall are well-placed. As per Markeb's post they're between tube stations (Waterloo and Lambeth North) but both are within a 7-minute walk.

There's a main-route ho-ho bus stop close by on York Road.

And pleasant evening walks along the river & riverside pubs & eateries on the "South Bank" between Westminster Bridge & Blacfriars Bridge, with Tate Modern and Shakespeare's Globe not far beyond.

And St Paul's cathedral on the other side of the river opposite The Globe is beautifully framed from the Millenium footbridge, altho it's a good half-hour's walk from those hotels.

 

http://www.tubemaplondon.org/

Don't bother to bookmark or print-off -  the map is available in tube stations and on all tourist maps. 

The map is schematic - don't rely on it for above-ground travel, use it only to plan your journey from your nearest station to the station nearest your destination (attraction websites always mention their nearest tube station).

 

https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/map and 

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-routes-and-tour-mapsI

 

JB 🙂

[Harters]

16 hours ago, KKB said:

I am looking to stay "near" the Eye

I've stayed at two hotels close to the Eye.

 

Premier Inn County Hall is part of our largest hotel chain. They are always very decent quality. I stayed a few days when I was doing some research at the Imperial War Museum (which doesnt seem to find itself on many foreigners' agendas but would be well worth a visit).

 

And Park Plaza County Hall. It's a hotel my companion in life's employer used, as it was near to company HQ. We stayed subsequently as tourists.

 

FWIW, both are near to Masters Superfish on Waterloo Road. It's long had a deserved reputation of  being one of the best fish & chip cafes in the south of England. As a northerner, I obviously choke at praising a southern chippy - but this one is very good.

Edited February 16, 2022 by Harters

[phabric]

You can take www.internationalfriends.co.uk post cruise with stops at Salisbury, Stonehenge and Windsor and they drop you off at the door of certain London hotels.  They only go on embarkment and disembarkment days from certain London hotels, LHR hotels to/from Southampton.

 

I have stayed at Premier Inn Waterloo and Park Plaza Waterloo. Both close to London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Thames, 2 tube stations, regular bus, HOHO, pubs, restaurants.

[KKB]

THANK YOU all for your responses! You have narrowed areas for me & given me hotel ideas to consider. 

[Turtles06]

We're booked for this September at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge (not our first visit to London, but it will be our first in this hotel), so I'm happy to read recommendations for restaurants, and especially appreciate @Harter recommending Masters Superfish.  Thank you!  There are of course so many chippies, it's good to know about one that really stands out.

 

@KKB, if you do wind up booking in this area, and you like Indian food, I highly recommend The Thames Restaurant on Waterloo Road.  With the caveat that it's been several years since we ate there, it was absolutely wonderful. 

 

https://www.thethamesrestaurant.com/

 

On 2/16/2022 at 8:18 AM, John Bull said:

And pleasant evening walks along the river & riverside pubs & eateries on the "South Bank" between Westminster Bridge & Blackfriars Bridge,

 

@John Bull: any of those pubs and eateries that you -- or anyone else -- specifically recommend?  Thanks!

[Harters]

Just before we leave the Waterloo Road area, may I put in a mention of La Barca - an old school Italian restaurant almost opposite the Old Vic. And, just opposite the Young Vic on The Cut is a branch of Turkish mini-chain Tas. A little bit further along  The Cut is the Anchor and Hope - recognised to be one of our first gastropubs.

 

On the South Bank, but past Blackfriars Bridge and near to Southwark Bridge is another mini-chain - The Real Greek. And nearby there's the Swan at the Globe Theatre. Personally, I don't think there's much else that decent along the immediate riverside walk.

 

All recommended with the usual caveat that it's several years since I ate at any of them (I don't often visit the central part of the capital, staying out in Brentford and Richmond on most recent trips).

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

@John Bull: any of those pubs and eateries that you -- or anyone else -- specifically recommend?  Thanks!

 

Hmmm - I replied but it disappeared. 😕

I said something like.......

 

I'm just a country boy, you need an answer from a Londoner.

South Bank is awash with eateries & bars, streetview shows me only three "pubs" - Dagget's Coat & Badge right by Blackfriars Bridge, The Founder's Arms (a Fosters pub) a few yards past that bridge, and The Swan alongside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. I don't recall using any of those pubs, its the sort of area whereyou meander & decide where you'd like depending on how busy, the weather, and your mood.

 

JB 🙂

[Turtles06]

24 minutes ago, John Bull said:

I don't recall using any of those pubs, its the sort of area whereyou meander & decide where you'd like depending on how busy, the weather, and your mood.

 

Sounds good to me, thanks!

 

(I've had the same problem with several replies recently.  I hit "submit" but nothing appears, and then the reply box is empty.  It's a reported issue.)

[sgvcruiser]

On 2/16/2022 at 6:48 AM, Harters said:

I've stayed at two hotels close to the Eye.

 

Premier Inn County Hall is part of our largest hotel chain. They are always very decent quality. I stayed a few days when I was doing some research at the Imperial War Museum (which doesnt seem to find itself on many foreigners' agendas but would be well worth a visit).

 

And Park Plaza County Hall. It's a hotel my companion in life's employer used, as it was near to company HQ. We stayed subsequently as tourists.

 

FWIW, both are near to Masters Superfish on Waterloo Road. It's long had a deserved reputation of  being one of the best fish & chip cafes in the south of England. As a northerner, I obviously choke at praising a southern chippy - but this one is very good.

 

A bit hijack here. I am looking into Premier Inn County Hall, is there anyway we can do laundry nearby? We will be going on 2 weeks cruise after and would rather go into the ship with a luggage of clean laundry. I mean if we have to, we can do it on the ship but I think in-land would be easier and cheaper. 

[Morgans]

Hotel Indigo Tower Hill is in fact only about 50 metres from Aldgate tube station so very convenient. Also near to Tower Hill (as in the name) and easily walkable to Tower Bridge and the Tower. Cross the Bridge and this will bring you to HMS Belfast (recommended) and also the Bridge Theatre. The 100 bus infront of the hotel will take you into old Wapping where you can experience old London pubs such as the Town of Ramsgate and the Prospect of Whitby. Also handy for Bevis Marks synagogue (excellent visit) and Spitalfields Market, Denis Severs House and the Silk Weavers houses. 

It's a very different area but very handy with several bus stops in front of the hotel. It's in an area with which we are extremely familiar so any more questions feel free to ask. The hotel gets very good reviews.

[TVNews]

We're looking at the Premier Inn (based on recommendations on this board) and there seems to be a 150 GBP difference (based on a four night) stay between the County Hall location and the one at Waterloo/Westminster Bridge. County Hall is the more expensive option... is there a reason to choose one over the other? (better location, amenities)

[Post Captain]

2 hours ago, TVNews said:

We're looking at the Premier Inn (based on recommendations on this board) and there seems to be a 150 GBP difference (based on a four night) stay between the County Hall location and the one at Waterloo/Westminster Bridge. County Hall is the more expensive option... is there a reason to choose one over the other? (better location, amenities)

 

The two hotels are practically across the street from one another...  Well, just a block apart (no more than a three or four minutes' walk). 

 

PI County Hall occupies part of County Hall, a massive 1920s building that formerly served the headquarters of the Greater London Council.  (The London Marriott County Hall occupies another part of the same building.)

 

PI Waterloo (Wesstminster Bridge) occupies part of a fairly modern building as well as the adjacent (attached) former General Lying-In Hospital, dating from the 1820s.  Incidentally, although this hotel's location is designated as "Westminster Bridge," the PI County Hall is actually slightly closer to Westminster Bridge.

 

Personally, I would not hesitate to book either of these two.  Although I've not stayed at either of these particular hotels, I have stayed at several other Premier Inn hotels in London as well as elsewhere in the UK.  The hotels may all look different from the outside, but the interiors (room design/decor/facilities) are virtually identical from one PI to another.    

 

[phabric]

2 hours ago, TVNews said:

We're looking at the Premier Inn (based on recommendations on this board) and there seems to be a 150 GBP difference (based on a four night) stay between the County Hall location and the one at Waterloo/Westminster Bridge. County Hall is the more expensive option... is there a reason to choose one over the other? (better location, amenities)

I have stayed 4x at Premier Inn Waterloo and in Southampton 5x and Dover 2x

 

The Premier Inn Country Hall is across a small cement plaza from the Premier Inn Waterloo hotel. 
 

Premier Inn Waterloo- entrance is street level, on a I would not call a Main Street ( maybe more cars, could not hear them), closer to stores.

 

Premier Inn County Hall - few steps up to the entrance, less busy street (I think the building is at a dead end street), closer to London Eye. A few minutes closer to HOHO bus, Thamas river.

 

Both have A/C, elevators, restaurant, bar.

 

I would take Premier Inn Waterloo if cheaper as you are only there to sleep.  Less than 3 minutes you are at Premier Inn Country.