Expert: David Stewart White - 12/26/2009

Question
We need to find a reasonable priced hotel in London that is close to tubes %26 railway with a minimum of walking. There are 3 of us, including a rather helpless senior (me) %26 a toddler. We have a 3-day layover in London so also need to find cheap transportation to and from Heathrow. In the past I have usually stayed at Charing Cross Thistle which is a very convenient location, but I just can't afford to spend that much, anymore.  

I realize I'm asking a lot but appreciate any help I can get.  We will arrive at LHR (from DFW) on the morning of Jan 13.  Oh, and do most hotels allow you to do an early check in?  Thank you so much.  BTW, I selected you to answer, mostly because my late brother was David White :)  

Answer
Hi,

There are thousands of hotels, B&Bs, etc. in London, so it is very hard to make a specific recommendation of a budget hotel.  I would start with scanning through TripAdvisor.com to look at recommendations of fellow travelers.  Keep in mind that a review can sometimes be manipulated by hotel owners--so take a consensus opinion on any hotel you pick.

The Travel Lodge chain operates lower-cost, modern hotels in London:

http://www.travelodge.co.uk

Also Premier Inn:

http://www.premierinn.com

Both have several central London locations.  I have not personally stayed at any of these, so I can't make a recommendation.

The practice of early check-in varies by hotel and by room availability.  Almost every hotel will hold your bags if you arrive early though.  

The absolute cheapest transport between Heathrow and central London is bus, but the best combination of cost and speed is probably the Underground/Tube.  You can buy a Tube pass (Oystercard) at Heathrow.  For more details, here's a link to my online article on Heathrow-to-London transport options:

http://tinyurl.com/y8l793p

I hope this is helpful.

David White