Between Christmas and New Year we have the opportunity to drop off the children with grandma in north London and have a night to ourselves. Having thought about a cheap flight from Luton or Stanstead, I just wonder if it would not be an awful lot easier if we went to a 'romantic' hotel in the West End or the City similar location.
Any recommendations/advice?
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I do not know your budget but swmbo and myself recently stayed at the Novotel St Pancras. Now before everyone guffaws because it is not a 'romantic' hotel, it is v close to the St Pancras champagne bar, which she loves!! We had a superior room on the 15th floor with stunning views over the city.
We enjoyed it so much we are returning mid Jan, me to see Canaletto (again) at the Nat Gallery & Gauguin at the Tate.
Swmbo will probably visit the sales.....after a champagne 'heart starter'.
The hotel offered excellent value for money, had a nice gym on the 5th floor overlooking St Pancras, and a decent breakfast...although it did cost £15, and was served until noon at weekends. We used Priceline and have paid circa £160 room only on both occasions for 2 nights, excluding bfast, but B & B for £55 each is acceptable I think. And just within our budget!!
Note of caution. With Priceline you pay's your money and takes your chance, but on both occasions we did stipulate 4* in the Bloomsbury/Marble Arch area.
Last edited by: legacylad on Sun 14 Nov 10 at 17:46
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Strand Palace is always worth a look. Very handy for Covent Garden etc.
Last edited by: paulb on Sun 14 Nov 10 at 17:57
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Why not do it in style, if you got the shekels ~ www.fairmont.com/savoy/
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Funnily enough I have plenty of shekels; just they are 2500 miles away in my Israeli bank account!
Good idea though. Only(!) £295 per night
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>>Good idea though. Only(!) £295 per night<<
Memories are made of this :)
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Dont be in a hotel anywhere near trafalgar square on New Years eve.
The tower hotel at tower bridge is nice, good views, longish walk to the West End, but nothing a 5 quid taxi fare wont fix,
Last edited by: Zero on Sun 14 Nov 10 at 18:35
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For once I agree with Zero, having spent the last two nights at the very same hotel at a conference; presidents of European Harley clubs but perhaps best you don't mention that. ;-)
Hotel drinks are pricey, but there's a good pub (Dickens) on St. Katherine's Wharf, a decent Wetherspoons about 200 yards t'other side of the bridge with real ales at £2.15 per pint , both about 5 minutes walk away, and the hotel rooms are well appointed, pleasant staff, good food. Five minutes walk from Tower Hill tube station.
If I had one slight complaint it would be that the rooms are too warm, but then again it's probably no worse than my daughter's house and that always feels like I'm in an oven when we visit.
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IF the hotel Zero is referring to is the Guoman Hotel at tower bridge then I'd say it's okay. Stayed earlier this year and I guess my room was a good one. Seperate lounge, two TVs, etc.
I would not say it was more than 3.5 stars personally. But I don't rate hotels. Food was good and drinks expensive.
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There's a nice place with bijou suites, very modern, with cool laid-back staff, in Notting Hill. I think it's called the Portobello Hotel, but it isn't in Portobello Road.
I don't know if it's your sort of thing Espada but I liked it when I went to see someone there a few years ago. You could try googling ti.
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About £90 for the pair of you, including breakfast, in a converted town house in Bloomsbury:
www.georgehotel.com/english/index.html
You could dine out at the Savoy and take a fast black each way.
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Thanks Iffy.
Do you remember a Miss Marple TV programme with that lovely old actress (20 year ago now at least) when there was a murder in a hotel in London. That's the sort of thing I am looking for (except for the murder of course!) and the George seems to match it.
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And thats a nice off the main roads location.
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...Do you remember a Miss Marple TV programme...
Another Georgian town house, this time in Marylebone.
Bigger and grander with prices to match, although £200 a night for a double is reasonable for London.
Privately-owned, it has the Miss Marple factor of which you speak.
www.durrantshotel.co.uk/index.html
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>> About £90 for the pair of you, including breakfast, in a converted town house in
>> Bloomsbury:
>>
>> www.georgehotel.com/english/index.html
>>
>> You could dine out at the Savoy and take a fast black each way.
That's an incredible price for the location (though I'd note that not all rooms are en-suite). Quite a few others in similar quiet streets round Bloomsbury/Fitzrovia. Cannot recommend hotels but it's a good area, convenient for the West End, Covent Garden & British Museum etc.
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...That's an incredible price for the location...
Even cheaper in Earls Court:
tinyurl.com/38j8r57
Basic, but en-suite, and it has been recently refurbished.
Yours - and her indoors - for £55.
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>>Strand Palace is always worth a look. Very handy for Covent Garden etc.
That would be my recommendation.
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I used to stay in the Langham Court Hotel on Langham Street every now and again. It was right opposite my studio and very handy if I was "working very late".
It has a beautiful ceramic-tiled exterior and rumour had it that it was originally an old abortion clinic although I can't find anything on the net, I guess if it was true they wouldn't be shouting about it.
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Stayed there as well Dave - frightfully snobbish head waiter if my memory serves me right.
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Didn't like your velvet flares and medallion eh PU?
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He initially mistook me for someone else - when he was corrected he became the worst form of supercilious thrush you could imagine
He also saw me and the missus dining out at an adjacent McD's that probably didn't help...
Last edited by: Pugugly on Mon 15 Nov 10 at 16:23
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I stayed in the George 15 years ago when on Civil Service rates. It was horrible then. I do not know what it is like now though.
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I've used the site below for hotels SE asia and they do have a London section.
www.hoteltravel.com/england/london/soho.html
Really good prices with the benefit of customer reviews.
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Just received my weekly email from TravelZoo.
The Athenaeum in Mayfair is doing a reduced rate of £160 per room per night for the dates you want.
More info on the TravelZoo website.
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Hotel in central London - legacylad
