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London Trip Report
When: May 16 - May 18
Accommodations: Every time I'm in London I like to try a different hostel. This time I picked the London House Hotel which is less than a 5-minute walk from Bayswater tube station. The place had a number of things going for it: a good location; free Internet access during the day; linen, towel and soap were provided; a breakfast of toast, cereal, coffee, tea and juice was provided. There were a couple problems: only one key available for each room, so if you go to sleep earlier than your roommates, you will get woken up when they come knocking on the door to be let in. Also, there was no communal area or TV lounge. I like hostels because they usually have areas like that which makes it very easy to meet other people. The price varied, depending on the size of the room you picked. IIRC, I paid 15 GBP per night for one spot in a 6-bed room. It seems like it would be a good place to stay if you're bringing your family, that way meeting new people isn't as important, and you're not sharing your room with strangers but for anyone traveling on their own I'm afraid I can't recommend this place. Attractions: First on my list were the War Cabinet Rooms which IMHO is an under-rated destination in London. Normally I avoid museums on the day I arrive in London because trans-Atlantic flights really take a toll on me and I end up spending most of my time struggling to stay awake rather than appreciating what the museum has to offer - but that wasn't the case at all here! As a side note, a couple guide books I read said admission was free - they're wrong, it now costs 10 GBP. The other big thing on my list was Stonehenge. I'd already been once during regular opening hours but wanted to get closer to the stones. It turns out that each morning, before the site opens to the public and each afternoon once it closes, a different tour company is able to bring a bus/coach of visitors who are then allowed to walk up to and touch the stones. Looking online, I couldn't find a good listing of the tour companies offering this sort of tour, so I went to the tourism office near Piccadilly Circus where I was given a phone number (which I've since lost) of an office where someone was able to tell me which companies to contact. Since I only had one day left in London, I didn't have any choice in tour companies and booked with Golden Tours, who offered a tour that included Bath, Lacock and Stonehenge for a little over 60 GBP. They picked us up from the Holiday Inn near Gloucester Road tube station a little after noon and returned us just before 9pm. The entire tour was quite rushed but it gives you a good idea of what attractions you'd like to go back and visit at a more relaxed pace. I've been to London a few times before, so those were the only really touristy things I did. The rest of my time there was spent enjoying a few of the wonderful parks and pubs London has to offer. Richard |
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On Wed, 8 Jun 2005 12:04:36 -0400, "Richard" wrote:
First on my list were the War Cabinet Rooms which IMHO is an under-rated destination in London. Normally I avoid museums on the day I arrive in London because trans-Atlantic flights really take a toll on me and I end up spending most of my time struggling to stay awake rather than appreciating what the museum has to offer - but that wasn't the case at all here! As a side note, a couple guide books I read said admission was free - they're wrong, it now costs 10 GBP. I don't think it's ever been free. The first time I visited was over 10 years ago, and it wasn't free then. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
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Try the 'London Walks' program to the war rooms; it allows a substantial
discount upon admission. Tim K "B Vaughan" wrote in message ... On Wed, 8 Jun 2005 12:04:36 -0400, "Richard" wrote: First on my list were the War Cabinet Rooms which IMHO is an under-rated destination in London. Normally I avoid museums on the day I arrive in London because trans-Atlantic flights really take a toll on me and I end up spending most of my time struggling to stay awake rather than appreciating what the museum has to offer - but that wasn't the case at all here! As a side note, a couple guide books I read said admission was free - they're wrong, it now costs 10 GBP. I don't think it's ever been free. The first time I visited was over 10 years ago, and it wasn't free then. -- Barbara Vaughan My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup |
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