My dilemma.
Where to stay in London on my first night in London? On a budget. That suits my needs. A hotel that is safe and hopefully won't give me bed bugs.
For the few days after than I'm probably going to be staying with friends just out of London, and I leave for Paris four days later.
I look at when and where I'm getting into this city which I used to know like the back of my hand.
I get in on a Friday night, landing at Stanstead around 7 pm. I'm hoping to meet a friend on the Saturday for brunch/lunch which means I need to stay in town.
Also, I'll be getting the train in from Stanstead to Liverpool Street. I need to get to my hotel pretty quickly.
So, here I am looking at these hotels which are within my budget. I'm looking at the locations. I'm looking at the tube lines on which these are on - which stations connect directly to Liverpool Street Station - which hotels are nearest the line which don't go too far underground (so avoid the Central, Northern and Piccadilly Lines)
Then do I go cheap, cheap, or spend a hundred dollars more and get something half reasonable?
Do I look for a room in a group of chain hotels or go for something a little more intimate.
And it's only for one night.
And I'm not sharing a bathroom.
But I may as well be comfortable.
I'm pretty good at sourcing hotels. With the travel I do for work, I'm managed to get some points up on one of the rewards schemes.
But the big thing for me is getting there quicky and easily from Liverpool Street Station, with limited stairs and escalators, after a 21-hour journey.
The thing that is getting to me the most is that I still have an intimate knowledge of the London Underground after more than 20 years away. I know where you get the District/Circle Lines at Liverpool Street - I spend nearly five years getting off there. I wonder if the pubs are still around.
I wonder it that strange and wonderful city will still feel like home.
1 comment:
It WILL feel like home. I was there in 91-92 and during my visits back over the past twelve years with my family, I stepped into the underground and it all felt so familiar. However, I was a young twenty-something in 91-92 and in 2011-2023 certainly did NOT go for the cheap and ultimately nasty accommodation options. If you can afford it, always go for comfort, convenience and proximity in London. At this age, you deserve it and it will make the rest of your trip so much more pleasant.
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