London Hotel Near Westmister Cathederal

[Ikara]

Doing the "swan song" overseas flight in April/May - burning (figuratively speaking) the passport after that. SWMBO wants to stay in London in the general Westminster Cathederal area- in that general area. Looking for recommendations. I have no hotel allegiance, so all suggestions are accepted. $400 a night range is OK. Easy walking distance to all things Military History (my choice) would be good.

JB

 

[dcm]

Just checking that you mean Westminster Cathedral rather than Westminster Abbey. Crowne Plaza St James is close to both and just about opposite Wellington Barracks. Not far to Churchill Museum, Household Cavalry museum etc. I have not visited the Imperial War Museum. It is further away but I have heard that it is very good if you are interested in military history. Lots of smaller hotels nearby but I have no experience with them. Intercontinental Westminster has recently opened. Haven't stayed there yet but will be doing so early February. Close to Buckingham Palace. I would recommend a tour of Parliament (tickets available online).

 

[Pollywaffle]

I have not visited the Imperial War Museum. It is further away but I have heard that it is very good if you are interested in military history.

I enjoyed the IWM but it's closed until July 2013.

The Wallace Collection has a great selection of arms and armour. The overall collection is fabulous plus there is a beautiful restaurant as well. It's my favourite museum in all of London.

 

[Ikara]

You're right dcm - Westminster Abbey.

That's a real bugga with IWM being closed. The whole trip is based around WW1 & WW2 history. Western Front tour (Anzac Day at Villiers-Bretonneux), Normandy, Bletchley Park, Duxford. Still plenty to see in London though.

JB

 

[opusman]

There's a brand new Intercontinental somewhere around Westminster that's meant to be nice.

 

[TonyHancock]

I think you might have to jump on the tube to maximise your visit, but whilst the IWM is closed I believe the Cabinet (Churchill) War Rooms and HMS Belfast is still open. An often overlooked museum is The National Army Museum (National Army Museum, London)

With the ease of use of The tube in London you are never far away from museums. One of my loves was to look at the statues in an around Westminster.

My colleagues recently stayed at the St James Crowne Plaza and gave it the thumbs up.

 

[medhead]

I stayed at St Ermin's Hotel May last year. I thought it was really good. Right next to St James Park tube station. Reasonable price I thought. It was a fairly easy walk to Westminster abbey. Very close to Wellington barracks and such.

Mum stayed there as well. Wasn't happy with the room to start, a bit small. However, she mentioned the room being a bit smaller than expected when reception did a general ask about how things were going, I think on the second day there. They moved her to a bigger room. Having a week long stay might have helped.

 

[TheRealTMA]

We stayed at the new Intercontinental Westminster (Broadway near tothill street) in late December and it was very nice. Had only been open 3 weeks and still had that 'new car', 'new carpet' smell. They are offering free club lounge access for the first 3 months.

Good location, nice rooms (modern tech - Bluetooth streaming to room hifi etc), nice lounge and nice bar and restaurant. The bar has a British political theme (gosh...) and interesting sculpture, caricatures and cartoons.

St James Park tube opposite, within easy walking distance to Westminster Abbey, St James' and Hyde Parks, Knightsbridge and Dinner at Heston's.

Only issue is that London Taxi drivers don't know where it is yet!

 

[Katie]

Western Front tour (Anzac Day at Villiers-Bretonneux)

Make sure you have thermals, etc, to wear while waiting for the service to start. We've done it twice, and the temp really drops before dawn, and you're sitting on top of a hill surrounded by potato fields. Definitely need gloves, beanie, thermals will probably be handy, jumper, jacket. You'll probably want to ditch the thermals later in the day, as the days will probably be much warmer. I saw some families with kids had brought blankets with them.
There are port-a-loos on site, and both times we've gone there's been some tea, coffee, and light snacks served after the service. I can't remember if the hospitality was provided by a local group or Aus govt.
(We went to the first service in 2008, and went back in 2011, have also done Remembrance day in VB - happy to answer any questions about the service and area you might have)

 

[TheRealTMA]

If you've got time, this is a facinating place to visit - Battle ww1 Somme>Picardie>France / The Caverne du Dragon (Dragon's Cave) -Musée du Chemin des Dames < Aisne < Picardy < France

 

[dcm]

If you want to take a day trip to Dover Castle, the wartime tunnels are an interesting experience. For a tour of Westminster Abbey, I recommend the Verger Led tour but this needs to be booked in advance.

David