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

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

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