Getting the big things right is critically important, but the little things matter too. There is no right or wrong about any of this but here is what I do. You should review your own particulars so do not assume that because all of this is true for me, it will be true for you also.
Before you leave, clean out the purse or wallet. We tend to drag the same wallet every where we go. But you do not need your library card, your punch or reward cards, and credit cards for particular stores, unless they are a Visa/Mastercard/Amex. I have a travel wallet. I move only what I want to take with me and leave all the other stuff behind. It makes it lighter, and also means that if I were to lose or have my wallet stolen, while a serious problem, it would be a minimized problem and not include all the stuff I didn't need there in the first place. Take the time to do one or the other.
Check your credit cards to find out what the International Exchange fees are on each. They can vary widely so you don't want to accidentally use the one that charges you the most for the majority of your expenses. Visa and Mastercard are used basically every where in England. As of late 2013, Discover has been making progress in being usable in more places. Generally, if the vendor will take International Diner's Club, they will take Discover. Note that Discover charges NO Intl exchange fees so it is worth checking the decals in the window or asking the clerks if they take I.D.C. In a couple of places, the clerk didn't know but was willing to try.
Once you decide which cards to take, then call their customer service numbers and inform them about your travel dates. This will ensure that they know about charges that will be coming in from your trip and do not shut off your card until they can confirm they are your charges.
You will typically get the very best exchange rate from credit cards. You will need cash but I personally try to use my credit card for any purchase I can. For cash, I always use one of the ATM's at the airport. Note that many ATM's in the UK do not have fees for out of network withdrawls. Your bank may charge you a fee but if you use at ATM that offers "Free Money", they will not. Your local bank and the Exchange service booths will charge a much higher exchange rate (meaning your money will get you less per dollar) or fees. In my experience, using the ATM has made the exchange rate basically equal to the current exchange rate.
Note that in Europe and the UK, their credit cards have chips in them. In the US, most of ours currently do not, though I've heard that some are moving in that direction. Where I found this to be an issue was in trying to use the pre-paid credit cards that you can get at the grocery store, for instance. In many places we could not use them. They did not have a chip, and without being able to enter a pin #, which of course you do not get with these pre-paid credit cards, their system could not use them.
If you want some security to ensure you don't get caught short, you may want to get some Traveler's checks. This would enable you to exchange (at a higher rate) if you really got stuck because your ATM card didn't work or was lost or your credit cards were demagnetized, etc. I'd make them the last resort. You can always buy groceries with them when you return but for those who are nervous, it could be your back up plan. (I believe AAA members can get them at no extra charge from the local AAA club, but you'd have to check their current benefits information.)
These days we're pretty tied to our cell phones and if you have an iPhone or smart phone then there are great apps that are available for traveling. If you do plan to take and use your cell phone then be sure you check with your carrier and get an International plan for your time away. The charges otherwise will break the bank. I have an iPhone and AT&T. I can't speak for the others but generally you can add an Intl plan with data for a month at a time. Hopefully your trip will be only during one billing month or you may need it for two months. Some will allow you to indicate that you only want it for a month when you sign up, others may require you to call back and cancel once you return. They aren't cheap, but MUCH cheaper than without. The main thing is that you do NOT want your phone roaming any time you are not using it. So, make sure roaming is turned off as you carry it around, sleep etc. Being sort OCD about things like that, I also keep mine in Airplane mode as a back up. If I've forgotten one thing, I hopefully won't have forgotten the other. You also want to turn off the automatic "push" of data in your apps and emails. This will minimize how many GB of data you use, which tends to be the threshold for the Intl data plans. I believe this last time, I paid $30 roughly for 120 MB. After that, it would have been another $30. By keeping your apps from sending you data and emails you don't want or need during your visit, you can save the MB for travel related purposes.
Lastly, be sure you take with you a list of all the phone numbers you might need while you are over there. Your credit cards usually offer a phone number for customer service that is not an 800# (keep in mind, 800#'s only work IN the US, so you need an actual area code and number if you were to have to call from London.) Write down all the cards you are taking, their numbers and your account number. Include the number for your bank/ATM, and your phone service, if you plan to take your cell phone. I have a system for writing down the credit card numbers as well. I do not write down the actual number in case that page might be lost or stolen. It's a system only I know (not that someone else couldn't think of it and copy it) but looking at the 16 digit credit card number, if someone tried to use what I wrote, it would NOT be my Credit card number and they would not have any way of knowing that it wasn't real. I suggest you give it some thought and come up with your own. Then translate your credit card number into this new format. It's highly unlikely you will need it, and highly unlikely that your list would be lost, but it's always wise to plan for the worst and safe guard yourself against something unexpected.
Lastly, as large cities go, Central London generally feels very safe to me. The people are friendly and helpful. But, like any big city, it has it's crime and pick pockets exist there as they do anywhere. It may not be the worst place, but there is no reason to be cavalier. If you are a woman, then take a purse or bag that closes securely rather than one that you can just reach into. A bag that zips would be best. Be more vigilant than you normally would at home about keeping your purse on the front of your body or under your arm. I prefer one that I can put the strap over my head and not have it just hanging off my shoulder. That way no one can just grab it and pull off my shoulder or arm.If in a crowded place make sure you are conscious of how close people are and in a season when you might be wearing a coat, can you put your purse under your coat when in a crowd or being jostled? If you aren't someone who generally has "rules" about all these kinds of things, give some thought to them while traveling. Make sure you zip your purse closed when you aren't putting something in or taking something out. I prefer to use a small purse with several pockets when I travel. It's big enough for my wallet, cell and passport but not a whole lot larger. It is small enough to go inside my coat. I keep my Oyster card (more on the Tube system in another post) in an outside pocket so I don't have to reach in and haul my wallet in and out in a public place where someone could grab and run. I do keep my Passport on me UNLESS the room has a safe (which is not common.) I make sure it is zipped into an inner pocket, thus two zippers from exposure. I then have a backpack or shoulder bag where I keep my guidebook, lip balm, kleenex, umbrella, purchases, etc. They are accessible, and I can get them out while standing in public, on public transportation, etc without opening my purse up and putting my valuables at risk. Even as I type this it sounds a bit hyper vigilant and excessive. But, because I take these steps as a precaution, then I'm not terribly nervous in the moment. I don't think I've been terribly lucky. I've just turned being careful into my travel norm, and then I don't give it a lot of thought while I'm walking around. You don't want to walk around feeling like you are about to become a victim. You should never feel like it can't happen, but if you are smart about how you prepare then you can generally feel fairly protected.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Best of London...St. Paul's Cathedral & Westminster Abbey
I think everyone has their favorite. Some people are partial to Westminster Abbey and others to St. Paul's Cathedral. You probably want to do both, as they are unique and different and then you can decide for yourself which keeps drawing you back.
Westminster Abbey has been around in some fashion since the late 11th century though the current structure was largely from the 13th century. The stones are worn and uneven from centuries of foot traffic. There are many tombs of ancient Kings and Queens, including Queen Mary and her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I, who it may surprise you to know are buried together. Additionally, many literary and scientific figures are memorialized there even if not actually buried or entombed inside the Abbey. Westminster featured in "The Da'Vinci Code", notably the Issac Newton statue, sparking additional interest in the Abbey for not entirely honest reasons, until of course that was overshadowed by the Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. You could spend all day just looking at the ornate detail, stained glass, tombstones, statues, etc., to say nothing of appreciating it AS a religious building. There is a line up of statues above the outside doors, best recognized for being where the Royal Wedding Guests entered and exited that wedding, and where you typically exit after the touring. If you look close, you will see that one of them is Martin Luther King, Jr. They do have a very NICE gift shop next to that exit. (To enter, you do have to pay and the entrance is on the north side. If you see a school group in front of you, I suggest you come back another time or day.)
St. Paul's Cathedral is young by comparison. There has been a "St. Paul's" on that site for nearly as long, but the prior church, a marvel in it's own right, burnt to the ground in 1666. The magnificent cathedral that stands there today is Sir Christopher Wren's marvel, completed in the early 18th century. Whereas Westminster primarily seems made of stone and packed with tombs so you wind through sometimes narrow passages, Westminster seems like a marble palace. Open, airy, bright. spacious, breath-taking. It too had it's Royal wedding, that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Admiral Nelson is entombed there. You can climb up to a whispering gallery, assuming you can handle about 200 stairs. The dome is the striking noticeable feature of the outside and the inside as well. It has it's own history, apart from the rest of the structure. St. Paul's was sort of the symbol of Great Britain during WWII when the Germans were bombing regularly and seeing that dome still there each morning gave the people assurance that they had survived another night. At the east end there is the American Gallery. There is a large stain-glassed window with a square representing all 50 states. Very poignantly, there is also a book that lists the names of all the Americans who died in WWII helping to defend England. They turn a page every day. Spend a moment looking at that book, reading down the list of names, and try to keep dry eyes. I'm not sure if you still can, but at one time, if the climb to the Whispering Gallery seemed like a warm-up, you could continue all the way up inside the inner part of the dome, to the very top where you could stand outside. Now THAT is a view.
To walk around and tour you do have to pay. And at least once, it is definitely worth it. But, I also have to recommend attending Evensong some evening. It's a church service so you can't just roam around. But the singing is wonderful and atmospheric. It's peaceful. Sit so you can look up in the dome as you hear the singing.
There is a very nice gift shop here too, in the basement and you do not have to pay to enter this area. There is a coffee shop and restaurant as well. And rest rooms. If you are in the neighborhood, it's a nice place to spend a few minutes, even if you don't have the time to tour upstairs or just need a place to sit down, catch your breath, dodge some raindrops, etc.
Note that the third weekend in September is a weekend called London "Open House". It's an architecture focused event and fundraiser, featuring hundreds of buildings around London. St. Paul's is one of those and a very popular one. You get to take a free tour that takes you behind the scenes to areas not often seen by the public, even those who have paid to go inside. Note that you need to arrive about an hour before the first tour starts. You will register and be assigned a time for a tour. After about the first hour, typically all tours are full for every time slot through the day. So get there early! I do not know if the tour stays the same each year or changes. The tour starts at the South Entrance (vs. the West where you typically would enter and pay to enter). We were taken up the stairs almost to the Whispering Gallery but then instead were taken in a door to a private hallway. We saw the Library, the Circular Stairway in the Southwest Clock Tower, as well as the Trophy Room where the Model of the original design by Wren is stored. This was VERY special and if you are a fan of St. Paul's and can be there that weekend, I highly recommend it. For more info on this event, go to this URL: http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/
Westminster Abbey has been around in some fashion since the late 11th century though the current structure was largely from the 13th century. The stones are worn and uneven from centuries of foot traffic. There are many tombs of ancient Kings and Queens, including Queen Mary and her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I, who it may surprise you to know are buried together. Additionally, many literary and scientific figures are memorialized there even if not actually buried or entombed inside the Abbey. Westminster featured in "The Da'Vinci Code", notably the Issac Newton statue, sparking additional interest in the Abbey for not entirely honest reasons, until of course that was overshadowed by the Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. You could spend all day just looking at the ornate detail, stained glass, tombstones, statues, etc., to say nothing of appreciating it AS a religious building. There is a line up of statues above the outside doors, best recognized for being where the Royal Wedding Guests entered and exited that wedding, and where you typically exit after the touring. If you look close, you will see that one of them is Martin Luther King, Jr. They do have a very NICE gift shop next to that exit. (To enter, you do have to pay and the entrance is on the north side. If you see a school group in front of you, I suggest you come back another time or day.)
St. Paul's Cathedral is young by comparison. There has been a "St. Paul's" on that site for nearly as long, but the prior church, a marvel in it's own right, burnt to the ground in 1666. The magnificent cathedral that stands there today is Sir Christopher Wren's marvel, completed in the early 18th century. Whereas Westminster primarily seems made of stone and packed with tombs so you wind through sometimes narrow passages, Westminster seems like a marble palace. Open, airy, bright. spacious, breath-taking. It too had it's Royal wedding, that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Admiral Nelson is entombed there. You can climb up to a whispering gallery, assuming you can handle about 200 stairs. The dome is the striking noticeable feature of the outside and the inside as well. It has it's own history, apart from the rest of the structure. St. Paul's was sort of the symbol of Great Britain during WWII when the Germans were bombing regularly and seeing that dome still there each morning gave the people assurance that they had survived another night. At the east end there is the American Gallery. There is a large stain-glassed window with a square representing all 50 states. Very poignantly, there is also a book that lists the names of all the Americans who died in WWII helping to defend England. They turn a page every day. Spend a moment looking at that book, reading down the list of names, and try to keep dry eyes. I'm not sure if you still can, but at one time, if the climb to the Whispering Gallery seemed like a warm-up, you could continue all the way up inside the inner part of the dome, to the very top where you could stand outside. Now THAT is a view.
To walk around and tour you do have to pay. And at least once, it is definitely worth it. But, I also have to recommend attending Evensong some evening. It's a church service so you can't just roam around. But the singing is wonderful and atmospheric. It's peaceful. Sit so you can look up in the dome as you hear the singing.
There is a very nice gift shop here too, in the basement and you do not have to pay to enter this area. There is a coffee shop and restaurant as well. And rest rooms. If you are in the neighborhood, it's a nice place to spend a few minutes, even if you don't have the time to tour upstairs or just need a place to sit down, catch your breath, dodge some raindrops, etc.
Note that the third weekend in September is a weekend called London "Open House". It's an architecture focused event and fundraiser, featuring hundreds of buildings around London. St. Paul's is one of those and a very popular one. You get to take a free tour that takes you behind the scenes to areas not often seen by the public, even those who have paid to go inside. Note that you need to arrive about an hour before the first tour starts. You will register and be assigned a time for a tour. After about the first hour, typically all tours are full for every time slot through the day. So get there early! I do not know if the tour stays the same each year or changes. The tour starts at the South Entrance (vs. the West where you typically would enter and pay to enter). We were taken up the stairs almost to the Whispering Gallery but then instead were taken in a door to a private hallway. We saw the Library, the Circular Stairway in the Southwest Clock Tower, as well as the Trophy Room where the Model of the original design by Wren is stored. This was VERY special and if you are a fan of St. Paul's and can be there that weekend, I highly recommend it. For more info on this event, go to this URL: http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/
Friday, November 1, 2013
Best of London... Open Top Bus Tours
There is no question that the Open-Top Bus tours which have sprung up in major cities just scream "tourist." But, if you've never been someplace and you are there to see the city, then why wouldn't you take advantage of something designed to point out all the major spots while having an experienced guide point out interesting and often amusing details. On your first trip, I highly recommend this! There is more than one tour, but here is the URL for the website of the one I've been on. http://www.theoriginaltour.com/
I didn't take advantage of this until my third trip to London and that was a mistake on my part. Having lived in NYC and Boston and being very comfortable with subway lines, I readily and without hesitation took the London's "Tube" service. Their subway map is famous (http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/travel/downloads/tube_map.html ). It's color-coded and many stops are named for the popular site nearby and so I went from one end to the other everyday, whizzing from the Tower of London to Harrod's. From St. Paul's to Paddington. Except "whizzing" is not quite the right adjective. Because London is a large city and it can take a few minutes to travel from one station to another, much less to change trains a few times. Also, what appears to be two stops quite a ways apart, on different lines and stops apart, may in fact be a few short blocks from each other above ground. I wasted a LOT of time going back and forth on the Tube, traveling relatively long distances and thinking that because the Tube map made them look close, that they were or just the opposite. I would have been much smarter to get a sense of the city from above ground. Additionally, there are several major "sites" in London that are primarily just to be "seen."
I think there are several benefits. First of all, you can get the lay of the land, check a few things off your list, and travel for the entire 24 hour period that your ticket is valid (with the exception of the night hours they are inactive) at no additional cost. Not all buses have live guides so try to get one that has a live guide. Depending on bus and route, they may not all have guides. Check the brochure. The guides are able to give advice about good times to visit busy sites, etc. And, if you do it on a day when you may still be jet-lagged, it is nice to be able to get around and yet sit and relax a little.
On my first Open Top Bus tour, we were stopped in place at one point and we were passed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles being driven somewhere. No guarantee that will happen to you, but the sites are still very good!
I think there are several benefits. First of all, you can get the lay of the land, check a few things off your list, and travel for the entire 24 hour period that your ticket is valid (with the exception of the night hours they are inactive) at no additional cost. Not all buses have live guides so try to get one that has a live guide. Depending on bus and route, they may not all have guides. Check the brochure. The guides are able to give advice about good times to visit busy sites, etc. And, if you do it on a day when you may still be jet-lagged, it is nice to be able to get around and yet sit and relax a little.
On my first Open Top Bus tour, we were stopped in place at one point and we were passed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles being driven somewhere. No guarantee that will happen to you, but the sites are still very good!
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Best of London... part 1
Any guide book you find will probably give you roughly the same list of "Must See" sites. Some may even tell you what to do if you have 3 days vs. 5 or 7 or whatever. And I'm not going to argue with those lists. Except to say that if you find something really doesn't interest you, then don't waste your valuable time. If they do, then OF COURSE you want to see the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, etc. These are quintessential "London" and as I've said before, if you go to Paris and don't see the Eiffel Tower, in my book, you really haven't been. And the same is true for London. That said, some of the highlights are basically things you SEE. You don't have to actually climb, attend, or interact with them, and that makes it sort of easy. I've already made the point that you ought to personalize your trip with things that interest you, & I see that as being far more important than following someone else's proscribed list. I will however, tell you what I think make several of these sites special and also perhaps some insight into things that missed "THEIR" lists but made MINE!
What makes London so special overall is it's rich history and it's global impact. By London, here I should probably actually say England, but as the capital of that country and the hub for most of it's important influences (social, cultural, economic, etc.) you are often talking about one and the same. The British, especially in the Victorian age, were fond of saying that the sun never set on the British Empire, and at that time, it was the TRUTH. Where ever the sun was shining on any given day, somewhere basking in that light (perhaps not entirely happily but nonetheless) was a British Colony. You can't talk about the world and the history of civilization and not talk about England. You can argue that that statement would be true of any great country or civilization, but your conversation is pretty stunted if you try to skip by the British. So...back to London.
One of the things that I find very relevant to understanding and appreciating London is knowing it's personal history. What factors influenced the way it grew. What were those events, many of which are memorialized? (The British were GREAT about putting up memorials to important events and people. The Statue of Boudicea on the bank of the Thames across from Big Ben, Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, the Monument to the Great Fire, etc.) Some of this may be of no interest to you, and if so, fair enough. See the things that you want to see and enjoy them for what they are and appear to be. No harm, no foul. If all this "biography" of the city does interest you however, then my strong recommendation to you is start your visit or very soon into it, go to the Museum of London.
The Museum of London tells and shows the history and influences that resulted in the great City it is today. I'm not really a fossils and arrow-head kind of person myself but if prehistoric and archeological type things are of interest to you, the museum begins with how London before there even was a London, came to be on the present location. If this is really not your thing, then suffice it to say that the most critical factor was the Thames River. There were several other rivers, now covered and or filled in over time, but the Thames was and remains probably the most important. Being deep and still tidal at this point, it allowed ships to make their way deep into the country and to this point where London now is. Where things got REALLY interesting from my point of view was when the Roman's invaded and "Londinium" was founded. From this point on, there remains here and there around the city actual remnants of this period. Roman Britain still exists in a minor way. In the museum the dioramas and artifacts from Roman London are amazing. Knowing of the Dark Ages that were to come when the Roman empire fell and the Saxons and Danes, to name just a few, invaded and took over, it's astounding at how much the Roman Britons knew but forgot and lost.
The Museum proceeds to cover the various ages, touching upon the royalty, the theological rifts, the scientific endeavors, the wars and colonizing, etc. All these things left their mark but one of the biggest, perhaps the single greatest impact after the Normans invaded, was the Great Fire of 1666. There is a whole section dedicated to it and it is exceedingly well done. You may not know it looking at the skyline, but it would not be the same city in many significant ways were it not for that fire. While it did not become the city it could have, and those reasons are also explained, much of what you see today, including St. Paul's Cathedral, are there because of what the fire did to the City of London.
When I was there in April 2008, the museum from that point in time on, was under reconstruction. It is free, at least as long as significant portions are closed, so while not complete or displaying all it will eventually cover, it still is well worth a visit. Once you've been there I think it's impossible not to appreciate some of the subtler points and influences and recognize as you tour the other sites some of the key points you would have otherwise missed. If you can spare even a couple of hours, I think the Museum of London is a MUST!
Here is the URL for the website: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english
What makes London so special overall is it's rich history and it's global impact. By London, here I should probably actually say England, but as the capital of that country and the hub for most of it's important influences (social, cultural, economic, etc.) you are often talking about one and the same. The British, especially in the Victorian age, were fond of saying that the sun never set on the British Empire, and at that time, it was the TRUTH. Where ever the sun was shining on any given day, somewhere basking in that light (perhaps not entirely happily but nonetheless) was a British Colony. You can't talk about the world and the history of civilization and not talk about England. You can argue that that statement would be true of any great country or civilization, but your conversation is pretty stunted if you try to skip by the British. So...back to London.
One of the things that I find very relevant to understanding and appreciating London is knowing it's personal history. What factors influenced the way it grew. What were those events, many of which are memorialized? (The British were GREAT about putting up memorials to important events and people. The Statue of Boudicea on the bank of the Thames across from Big Ben, Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, the Monument to the Great Fire, etc.) Some of this may be of no interest to you, and if so, fair enough. See the things that you want to see and enjoy them for what they are and appear to be. No harm, no foul. If all this "biography" of the city does interest you however, then my strong recommendation to you is start your visit or very soon into it, go to the Museum of London.
The Museum of London tells and shows the history and influences that resulted in the great City it is today. I'm not really a fossils and arrow-head kind of person myself but if prehistoric and archeological type things are of interest to you, the museum begins with how London before there even was a London, came to be on the present location. If this is really not your thing, then suffice it to say that the most critical factor was the Thames River. There were several other rivers, now covered and or filled in over time, but the Thames was and remains probably the most important. Being deep and still tidal at this point, it allowed ships to make their way deep into the country and to this point where London now is. Where things got REALLY interesting from my point of view was when the Roman's invaded and "Londinium" was founded. From this point on, there remains here and there around the city actual remnants of this period. Roman Britain still exists in a minor way. In the museum the dioramas and artifacts from Roman London are amazing. Knowing of the Dark Ages that were to come when the Roman empire fell and the Saxons and Danes, to name just a few, invaded and took over, it's astounding at how much the Roman Britons knew but forgot and lost.
The Museum proceeds to cover the various ages, touching upon the royalty, the theological rifts, the scientific endeavors, the wars and colonizing, etc. All these things left their mark but one of the biggest, perhaps the single greatest impact after the Normans invaded, was the Great Fire of 1666. There is a whole section dedicated to it and it is exceedingly well done. You may not know it looking at the skyline, but it would not be the same city in many significant ways were it not for that fire. While it did not become the city it could have, and those reasons are also explained, much of what you see today, including St. Paul's Cathedral, are there because of what the fire did to the City of London.
When I was there in April 2008, the museum from that point in time on, was under reconstruction. It is free, at least as long as significant portions are closed, so while not complete or displaying all it will eventually cover, it still is well worth a visit. Once you've been there I think it's impossible not to appreciate some of the subtler points and influences and recognize as you tour the other sites some of the key points you would have otherwise missed. If you can spare even a couple of hours, I think the Museum of London is a MUST!
Here is the URL for the website: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english
Friday, September 12, 2008
“And Now for Something Completely Different!”
So far, my blogs have been about important but not very “fun” things, and perhaps have even sounded cautionary and dissuading. That is NOT my intent. So, now I want to talk about how you can make your trip both something unique and different from anyone else’s trip, and perhaps make it sort of a once in a lifetime event for you. Your trip, especially your first trip, to any of the world’s major cities, which have so many highlights, can very easily become a process of checking things off a “list.” There is a reason why every guidebook in the world lists pretty much the same highlights on their “Top 10” list. The icons and hallmarks of every great city are what millions of people feel best represent that city and seeing them shows you the most "popular" & "famous" sites they have to offer. Don't let anyone talk you out of them and don't let anyone talk you into them either. I don't know how you "do" Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower & I would argue that London has a few of these "musts" as well. On the otherhand, if you really have NO interest in something that the majority feels essential, you should not waste time just so you can say you did it.
What I try to do, if I have any flexibility at all as to when I might visit, is to research lots of venues, especially in London itself, and potentially in any of the outskirt cities I might visit. I check what the travelling exhibits are at the major museums. I check what plays will be running in the theatres and who will be in them, assuming I'm not too researching too far in advance. I check what is already scheduled for concerts. What makes a trip really special is if you can find a way to personalize it with not just the same highlights that everyone else gets to experience but something that makes that trip at that time special. This really was brought to my attention on my second trip. I got to London and found out that the British Museum's special exhibit was all about Agatha Christie, her time and life in Egypt on the archelogical digs of her second husband, and the influence of that phase of her life on her books. As a HUGE fan of mysteries, of which Agatha Christie is a Grand Dame, this was an extemely fortuitous find for me. It was one of the two biggest highlights of that trip. The second was that I had choose between seeing Dame Judy Dench or Dame Diana Rigg in theatre productions. I really wanted to see them both but it couldn't be. I chose Judy Dench at the Haymarket in Royal Family. After that I was little more careful and tried to plan my visits better if I could. The next time, I saw Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judy Dench in a two-woman play. I also had sort of a "stars aligned" experience when I actually saw Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles as their car was sped past my tour bus. Queen Elizabeth and I made momentary eye contact, and the rest of that trip had a bit of of a glow that hasn't since been duplicated. Those moments can't be planned, but with some pre-planning and just a little effort, you might still get to realize a dream for yourself.
On another visit I took a package tour to Oxford, and there was a Robert Hooke exhibit. He's a fascinating historical figure and I would have LOVED to have seen the exhibit but the tour didn't allow enough time. On my most recent trip, I didn't have any flexibility to my dates, and I missed the Chinese terracotta soldiers at the British Museum by about a week and seeing "Speed the Plow" with both Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom at the Old Vic by about 2 weeks. A co-worker took her family to London this spring (08) & was able to see a James Bond exhibit that was a highlight for their trip. If you are a music fan, make sure you check out who will be in concert while you will be or could be there. Some of the legends of rock who rarely come to the US play London once in a while. Wouldn't it be phenonmenal to not only visit this great city but to get to see Clapton or Bowie, or some other rock legend or just one of your faves while you are there?!
So, think about what your interests and hobbies are. London has such a broad selection of things to do and see and a rich and multi-layered history. There truely is something for everyone and with a little luck and some good planning, you should be able to coincide your trip with something a little special. Explore those interests and how something to see or do in London might tie into those interests. Check the temporary exhibits at the major museums for limited timeframe opportunities. Take a walking tour of which there are hundreds, some of which have very narrow but popular focuses. See if one of your favorite actors or actresses of the large screen is "treading the boards" in the theatres while you are there.
Taking advantage of one of these special and temporary opportunities while you are there can make one of these trips not just memorable but unrepeatable!
Here are some websites that will help you explore. Most of the major museums have their own sites and show the current and upcoming exhibits.
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://www.artfund.org/whatson/
http://www.londononline.co.uk/
http://www.timeout.com/london/
What I try to do, if I have any flexibility at all as to when I might visit, is to research lots of venues, especially in London itself, and potentially in any of the outskirt cities I might visit. I check what the travelling exhibits are at the major museums. I check what plays will be running in the theatres and who will be in them, assuming I'm not too researching too far in advance. I check what is already scheduled for concerts. What makes a trip really special is if you can find a way to personalize it with not just the same highlights that everyone else gets to experience but something that makes that trip at that time special. This really was brought to my attention on my second trip. I got to London and found out that the British Museum's special exhibit was all about Agatha Christie, her time and life in Egypt on the archelogical digs of her second husband, and the influence of that phase of her life on her books. As a HUGE fan of mysteries, of which Agatha Christie is a Grand Dame, this was an extemely fortuitous find for me. It was one of the two biggest highlights of that trip. The second was that I had choose between seeing Dame Judy Dench or Dame Diana Rigg in theatre productions. I really wanted to see them both but it couldn't be. I chose Judy Dench at the Haymarket in Royal Family. After that I was little more careful and tried to plan my visits better if I could. The next time, I saw Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judy Dench in a two-woman play. I also had sort of a "stars aligned" experience when I actually saw Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles as their car was sped past my tour bus. Queen Elizabeth and I made momentary eye contact, and the rest of that trip had a bit of of a glow that hasn't since been duplicated. Those moments can't be planned, but with some pre-planning and just a little effort, you might still get to realize a dream for yourself.
On another visit I took a package tour to Oxford, and there was a Robert Hooke exhibit. He's a fascinating historical figure and I would have LOVED to have seen the exhibit but the tour didn't allow enough time. On my most recent trip, I didn't have any flexibility to my dates, and I missed the Chinese terracotta soldiers at the British Museum by about a week and seeing "Speed the Plow" with both Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom at the Old Vic by about 2 weeks. A co-worker took her family to London this spring (08) & was able to see a James Bond exhibit that was a highlight for their trip. If you are a music fan, make sure you check out who will be in concert while you will be or could be there. Some of the legends of rock who rarely come to the US play London once in a while. Wouldn't it be phenonmenal to not only visit this great city but to get to see Clapton or Bowie, or some other rock legend or just one of your faves while you are there?!
So, think about what your interests and hobbies are. London has such a broad selection of things to do and see and a rich and multi-layered history. There truely is something for everyone and with a little luck and some good planning, you should be able to coincide your trip with something a little special. Explore those interests and how something to see or do in London might tie into those interests. Check the temporary exhibits at the major museums for limited timeframe opportunities. Take a walking tour of which there are hundreds, some of which have very narrow but popular focuses. See if one of your favorite actors or actresses of the large screen is "treading the boards" in the theatres while you are there.
Taking advantage of one of these special and temporary opportunities while you are there can make one of these trips not just memorable but unrepeatable!
Here are some websites that will help you explore. Most of the major museums have their own sites and show the current and upcoming exhibits.
http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://www.artfund.org/whatson/
http://www.londononline.co.uk/
http://www.timeout.com/london/
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A Word of Caution about Online Booking & Packages
Here are a couple notes of caution about booking online or taking advantage of packages. First, online booking. I love what the internet has to offer by way of making your trip planning decisions easier and offering a plethora of options. There are lots of web sites for booking hotel rooms and some offer all kinds of information and photos, as wells a maps, proximity to sites, etc. I don't call overseas and make my reservations. I book online. That said, there are some issues that could arise as a result.
My word of caution here is that you want to keep things simple. You want to be organized when you book your hotel and know specifically what your plans are. If you plan to arrive in London, check into a hotel, complete your stay and check back out, then no problem. Where things get tricky is if you want to use London as a home-base but spend nights out of the city. I DO recommend doing this, but I've learned the hard way that for online booking services this can be confusing UNLESS you treat each segment of your stay as a separate entity.
I'll give you an example. On my last trip, I found an EXCELLENT (very affordable) room rate, at a 4 star hotel in Bloomsbury, about 3 blocks from the British Museum. It was almost 3 months before our trip so we knew where we wanted to go but hadn't finalized exactly when we were going to take our overnight trips to Bath, England and Paris, France. I knew I needed to jump on the hotel offering because we needed multiple rooms and this rate was spectacular. The site even had a 800# to call to speak someone in the US. So, I called and told the customer service agent what date we would arrive from the US and what date we would fly back to US. I explained that we wanted to stay at this hotel for all the nights we would be in London but that for two nights, yet to be determined, we would not be staying in London. I asked whether I could book this hotel for all the nights so as to be assured of having a room on any of the nights, but could I call back in a couple of weeks and cancel out the two nights we would be gone. She was very friendly and strongly recommended that I do because I would then guarantee this great rate, and be assured they wouldn't fill up for any of the nights we wanted to be in London. This was exactly what I hoped for and wanted.
We figured out our plans, we booked our travel and hotel rooms in Bath and Paris, and therefore, we were covered in those locations. I then called back to cancel out the second night of our stay so we could go to Bath, and the 6th night when we would be in Paris. I was immediately told by a different customer service person that this was impossible. They could cancel some night(s) off the front or back end but they could not cancel out two nights mid-stay. The hotel had since filled up on some of the nights we wanted to stay, so rebooking either the first night or the last two after our return from Paris wasn't possible because the "system" now showed them fully booked (even though two of those rooms were being held for my party.) If I cancelled my original reservation, someone else might be able to rebook into them before my replacement reservations were made. It was a catch-22. Also, the "excellent" room rate would not apply to the new reservations.
In the end, it turned out that the site I had gone to backed into Hotels.com and my reservation was actually managed by Expedia.com. I finally was able to work with a Customer Service Supervisor from Expedia. She ultimately worked it ALL out and what I had originally been assured could be done, WAS done. We checked in and out of the hotel 3 times. We got the original rate. I can't say anything bad EXCEPT that it was a tremendous hassle to get it worked out & for awhile it looked like we might have to spend considerably more for some of our nights than we had planned and even change our London hotel on one of the occasions.
The same principle applies to packages. As I mentioned in my last post about English hotels, one of the more cost efficient options is a package. An organized tour is a package but not what I'm speaking of here. In this case, I merely mean a deal where you get several elements of the trip for one price, usually the flight and hotel, usually representing a significant savings. I mentioned flight/hotel packages from the major airlines and travel sites. I recommend these wholeheartedly, provided what you are wanting falls strictly within the package guidelines. If booking online that means that your hotel reservation will exactly coincide with your flight arrival and departure dates. If you want to try to fly in early or late and go somewhere else on either end, you might be able to make these arrangements by calling their customer service department. If they tell you that it can be done, I would tell them you'll think about it and call again to make sure you get the same assurance from more than one agent. If you still get that answer, then go for it. But as a rule, either take it the way they offer, or just don't buy a package. Definitely don't try to break your trip into segments and expect them to work out all the details. It's not that they maybe CAN'T, but if they screw it up, you could really pay a lot more and the value of the package would be lost.
Lastly, if you do deal with live customer service people, make sure you take notes on what number you called & the URL for the site where you located the deal, get the name of customer service agent, get and take all the documentation with you on the trip, and lastly, get an international phone number to call them back if there are any issues. Outside the US, 800 #'s don't work, so the number you called from home, is not viable.
My word of caution here is that you want to keep things simple. You want to be organized when you book your hotel and know specifically what your plans are. If you plan to arrive in London, check into a hotel, complete your stay and check back out, then no problem. Where things get tricky is if you want to use London as a home-base but spend nights out of the city. I DO recommend doing this, but I've learned the hard way that for online booking services this can be confusing UNLESS you treat each segment of your stay as a separate entity.
I'll give you an example. On my last trip, I found an EXCELLENT (very affordable) room rate, at a 4 star hotel in Bloomsbury, about 3 blocks from the British Museum. It was almost 3 months before our trip so we knew where we wanted to go but hadn't finalized exactly when we were going to take our overnight trips to Bath, England and Paris, France. I knew I needed to jump on the hotel offering because we needed multiple rooms and this rate was spectacular. The site even had a 800# to call to speak someone in the US. So, I called and told the customer service agent what date we would arrive from the US and what date we would fly back to US. I explained that we wanted to stay at this hotel for all the nights we would be in London but that for two nights, yet to be determined, we would not be staying in London. I asked whether I could book this hotel for all the nights so as to be assured of having a room on any of the nights, but could I call back in a couple of weeks and cancel out the two nights we would be gone. She was very friendly and strongly recommended that I do because I would then guarantee this great rate, and be assured they wouldn't fill up for any of the nights we wanted to be in London. This was exactly what I hoped for and wanted.
We figured out our plans, we booked our travel and hotel rooms in Bath and Paris, and therefore, we were covered in those locations. I then called back to cancel out the second night of our stay so we could go to Bath, and the 6th night when we would be in Paris. I was immediately told by a different customer service person that this was impossible. They could cancel some night(s) off the front or back end but they could not cancel out two nights mid-stay. The hotel had since filled up on some of the nights we wanted to stay, so rebooking either the first night or the last two after our return from Paris wasn't possible because the "system" now showed them fully booked (even though two of those rooms were being held for my party.) If I cancelled my original reservation, someone else might be able to rebook into them before my replacement reservations were made. It was a catch-22. Also, the "excellent" room rate would not apply to the new reservations.
In the end, it turned out that the site I had gone to backed into Hotels.com and my reservation was actually managed by Expedia.com. I finally was able to work with a Customer Service Supervisor from Expedia. She ultimately worked it ALL out and what I had originally been assured could be done, WAS done. We checked in and out of the hotel 3 times. We got the original rate. I can't say anything bad EXCEPT that it was a tremendous hassle to get it worked out & for awhile it looked like we might have to spend considerably more for some of our nights than we had planned and even change our London hotel on one of the occasions.
The same principle applies to packages. As I mentioned in my last post about English hotels, one of the more cost efficient options is a package. An organized tour is a package but not what I'm speaking of here. In this case, I merely mean a deal where you get several elements of the trip for one price, usually the flight and hotel, usually representing a significant savings. I mentioned flight/hotel packages from the major airlines and travel sites. I recommend these wholeheartedly, provided what you are wanting falls strictly within the package guidelines. If booking online that means that your hotel reservation will exactly coincide with your flight arrival and departure dates. If you want to try to fly in early or late and go somewhere else on either end, you might be able to make these arrangements by calling their customer service department. If they tell you that it can be done, I would tell them you'll think about it and call again to make sure you get the same assurance from more than one agent. If you still get that answer, then go for it. But as a rule, either take it the way they offer, or just don't buy a package. Definitely don't try to break your trip into segments and expect them to work out all the details. It's not that they maybe CAN'T, but if they screw it up, you could really pay a lot more and the value of the package would be lost.
Lastly, if you do deal with live customer service people, make sure you take notes on what number you called & the URL for the site where you located the deal, get the name of customer service agent, get and take all the documentation with you on the trip, and lastly, get an international phone number to call them back if there are any issues. Outside the US, 800 #'s don't work, so the number you called from home, is not viable.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
What you should know about English Hotels
First some basics about London hotels in comparison to what we have here in the U.S. Having accurate expectations will help avoid disappointments or unpleasant surprises when you arrive. Where as here in the U.S. large chains account for most of the hotels, in the UK, they are the minority. There are literally hundreds of independently owned, often family operated, hotels of various sizes in London. Many of these are "tourist" or budget hotels but there are small 4 or 5 star hotels as well. The primary differences involve bed/maximum person count, toilet and/or bath in the room (ensuite) or not, & complimentary breaksfast.
It’s almost de rigueur for hotels in the U.S. to come with two Queen-sized beds no matter the class of hotel and whether it’s a chain or not. Unquestionably, they all come with a full bath in the room as well. The same is not true in England and no assumptions should be made, even if dealing with a hotel chain that you are familiar with here in the U.S. In the U.S. it’s generally true that what you pay for is a “per room” rate, with a maximum number of people per room. Whether there is one of you or four, the room is probably the same. In the U.K. you are generally paying per person. Not that the room rate is calculated that way, but the room rate increases as the bed/person count increases. The more people in the room, if each is paying, helps to ammortize the cost, but the less people, the cheaper the room will be in general.
Not all hotels have rooms that can accommodate four people in the same room and even fewer that could do a family of five or more. Rooms are typically listed as Singles (One twin bed), Doubles (One full/queen bed), Twin (Two Twin beds), Triples (One double/1 Twin or Three twins), Quad or Family. The “Family” will usually list a number of people maximum. The Family may in fact be limited to 4 people. Each of these room selections, and the ensuite/shared bath option (see below,) will increase the room rate as more people are added. This is generally true of 2-4 Star Hotels. Families may want to consider getting short term apartment rentals. My co-worker stayed at The Goring Hotel when her family went this spring . Their site is (http://www.goringhotel.co.uk/). It was “expensive” but had a special so the room for the kids was free and they did offer complimentary breakfast so that helped to save a lot for a family of four (more on that below as well.)
For full bathrooms in the room, you want a room that is “ensuite” or “en suite”. These will cost more than the shared bath rooms. Many hotels only have shared baths or have a limited number of rooms with the bathroom/toilet "ensuite". The rooms will typically have a sink and mirror in the room, even in the small rooms, but the toilet and shower or bath tub will be on a central hallway and shared by multiple rooms. (These typically are not large communal rooms. It’s still one user at a time so privacy is assured while you are using them, but that could mean waiting to use it next, or searching for one that is available if someone got in there ahead of you.) Others may have a shower in the room, but the toilet will be shared. If you are adamant about having all services in the room, I would advise you check out the hotel’s webpage and even contact them via email to confirm that nothing is being shared. I did have a room that was “en suite” but it was only the shower and not the toilet that was in the room.
I think one place where Americans can get surprised, especially considering the amount of money rooms cost in these days of the weak dollar, is when they see what their money has gotten them and first see their room. You better understand right off the London hotel market is comparable to that of New York City. There is a rating system of no stars-5 stars that is often but not always used. Some class hotels as Budget, Tourist and Luxury. One issue is that one site may list a hotel as 3 stars, whereas another may classify it as 4 stars. Additionally, a U.S. travel service like Expedia may not have any stars but a London based hotel service may describe it as a 4 star hotel. It's a little complicated to know what you are getting so look around and comparison shop. Additionally, even some of the "mid-range" hotels of about the 3 star status still may have an "economy" look when compared to U.S. standards. In the U.K., hotels of the 3 Star Range are likely not one of the known chains. Many of these independent hotels are in century old Georgian mansions that were cut down to size. Most are retro-fitted with their facilities, heat, etc. They do not get a makeover every few years with all new color schemes, etc. If color coordinated curtains and linens, general esthetics, and luxury conveniences are important for you to enjoy your stay, then I recommend you look only at 4 or 5 star hotels. Considering the exchange rate, you should plan on paying several hundred dollars per night.
One nice thing about most of the hotels is that the room rate comes with a complimentary breakfast. Many will offer the "Full English Breakfast" as an option which is Eggs, Toast, Beans (like American baked beans), grilled or stewed tomatoes, and bacon (not the crispy American style but thick chewy slices kind of like "Canadian Bacon"). There is usually a buffet of cereals, sometimes rolls, slices of ham and cheese. Some hotels do charge more for the Full English Breakfast, and some actually charge for any of it, so pay attention when you are booking as to whether this is included or extra. This is really a valuable extra as all dining in London is fairly pricey. Getting a big hearty breakfast thrown in could save your $7-$15 per person each morning, depending on what constitutes breakfast to you. At this posting, the exchange rate is 2 to 1 (American Dollar to English Pound) so a coffee and bagel would be almost $10.
All of this is by way of saying that there are a lot of options, some of which will save you money or cost you extra, depending on your choice and perspective. On one of my trips I bought a package from Virgin Airlines that was a flight and hotel package. I had a very nice ensuite room in a wonderful hotel on the Strand. It was perfectly located and the price was definitely less than I would have paid if I’d booked the flight and room separate, even if I’d chosen a hotel that was not as nice, convenient, or expensive. Monitor package deals like this and take advantage if you can, especially from Virgin, British Airways and United. Also watch for packages from the online travel brokers like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. There are of course, many others. These tend to be a very good deal!
For me, my hotel room is where I store my luggage and crash for a few hours each night. I want a clean, convenient and reasonably priced but matching linens, and fine furnishings are irrelevant. Another advantage I've found in the smaller hotels is the more personalize and flexible services they can provide sometimes. At one hotel, the owner/manager offered me a free breakfast when I arrived off a red-eye. Technically, the breakfast being served was for the previous night's guests, but he thought he could get me checked in with the hour (which he did) by getting my room cleaned quickly, and gave me a breakfast "on the house" while I waited. Several other independent hotels were willing to check my large suitcase when I wanted to travel out of London for a night and travel light. The last small chain I stayed at would not overnight check any bags, and tried at first to tell me that they would not check them on the morning I arrived off the red-eye so I could go out for a few hours prior to the 2:00 p.m. check-in. Ultimately, they did but only after a bit of a stand-off.
I'm sure there is the possibility that you could have a poor customer service experience at an independent hotel and if so, there probably is very little recourse. However, my experiences with them so far have all been great. The staff have been very polite and personable. They've been happy to provide suggestions about local restaurants, give directions, and give you their opinion of various sites you might ask about. As I mentioned above, they can be pretty lenient or flexible about special requests like the luggage issue. I wouldn't hesitate to try one but I would email in advance any questions or "needs" you have before you book so you are clear about what they are willing to do.
It’s almost de rigueur for hotels in the U.S. to come with two Queen-sized beds no matter the class of hotel and whether it’s a chain or not. Unquestionably, they all come with a full bath in the room as well. The same is not true in England and no assumptions should be made, even if dealing with a hotel chain that you are familiar with here in the U.S. In the U.S. it’s generally true that what you pay for is a “per room” rate, with a maximum number of people per room. Whether there is one of you or four, the room is probably the same. In the U.K. you are generally paying per person. Not that the room rate is calculated that way, but the room rate increases as the bed/person count increases. The more people in the room, if each is paying, helps to ammortize the cost, but the less people, the cheaper the room will be in general.
Not all hotels have rooms that can accommodate four people in the same room and even fewer that could do a family of five or more. Rooms are typically listed as Singles (One twin bed), Doubles (One full/queen bed), Twin (Two Twin beds), Triples (One double/1 Twin or Three twins), Quad or Family. The “Family” will usually list a number of people maximum. The Family may in fact be limited to 4 people. Each of these room selections, and the ensuite/shared bath option (see below,) will increase the room rate as more people are added. This is generally true of 2-4 Star Hotels. Families may want to consider getting short term apartment rentals. My co-worker stayed at The Goring Hotel when her family went this spring . Their site is (http://www.goringhotel.co.uk/). It was “expensive” but had a special so the room for the kids was free and they did offer complimentary breakfast so that helped to save a lot for a family of four (more on that below as well.)
For full bathrooms in the room, you want a room that is “ensuite” or “en suite”. These will cost more than the shared bath rooms. Many hotels only have shared baths or have a limited number of rooms with the bathroom/toilet "ensuite". The rooms will typically have a sink and mirror in the room, even in the small rooms, but the toilet and shower or bath tub will be on a central hallway and shared by multiple rooms. (These typically are not large communal rooms. It’s still one user at a time so privacy is assured while you are using them, but that could mean waiting to use it next, or searching for one that is available if someone got in there ahead of you.) Others may have a shower in the room, but the toilet will be shared. If you are adamant about having all services in the room, I would advise you check out the hotel’s webpage and even contact them via email to confirm that nothing is being shared. I did have a room that was “en suite” but it was only the shower and not the toilet that was in the room.
I think one place where Americans can get surprised, especially considering the amount of money rooms cost in these days of the weak dollar, is when they see what their money has gotten them and first see their room. You better understand right off the London hotel market is comparable to that of New York City. There is a rating system of no stars-5 stars that is often but not always used. Some class hotels as Budget, Tourist and Luxury. One issue is that one site may list a hotel as 3 stars, whereas another may classify it as 4 stars. Additionally, a U.S. travel service like Expedia may not have any stars but a London based hotel service may describe it as a 4 star hotel. It's a little complicated to know what you are getting so look around and comparison shop. Additionally, even some of the "mid-range" hotels of about the 3 star status still may have an "economy" look when compared to U.S. standards. In the U.K., hotels of the 3 Star Range are likely not one of the known chains. Many of these independent hotels are in century old Georgian mansions that were cut down to size. Most are retro-fitted with their facilities, heat, etc. They do not get a makeover every few years with all new color schemes, etc. If color coordinated curtains and linens, general esthetics, and luxury conveniences are important for you to enjoy your stay, then I recommend you look only at 4 or 5 star hotels. Considering the exchange rate, you should plan on paying several hundred dollars per night.
One nice thing about most of the hotels is that the room rate comes with a complimentary breakfast. Many will offer the "Full English Breakfast" as an option which is Eggs, Toast, Beans (like American baked beans), grilled or stewed tomatoes, and bacon (not the crispy American style but thick chewy slices kind of like "Canadian Bacon"). There is usually a buffet of cereals, sometimes rolls, slices of ham and cheese. Some hotels do charge more for the Full English Breakfast, and some actually charge for any of it, so pay attention when you are booking as to whether this is included or extra. This is really a valuable extra as all dining in London is fairly pricey. Getting a big hearty breakfast thrown in could save your $7-$15 per person each morning, depending on what constitutes breakfast to you. At this posting, the exchange rate is 2 to 1 (American Dollar to English Pound) so a coffee and bagel would be almost $10.
All of this is by way of saying that there are a lot of options, some of which will save you money or cost you extra, depending on your choice and perspective. On one of my trips I bought a package from Virgin Airlines that was a flight and hotel package. I had a very nice ensuite room in a wonderful hotel on the Strand. It was perfectly located and the price was definitely less than I would have paid if I’d booked the flight and room separate, even if I’d chosen a hotel that was not as nice, convenient, or expensive. Monitor package deals like this and take advantage if you can, especially from Virgin, British Airways and United. Also watch for packages from the online travel brokers like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. There are of course, many others. These tend to be a very good deal!
For me, my hotel room is where I store my luggage and crash for a few hours each night. I want a clean, convenient and reasonably priced but matching linens, and fine furnishings are irrelevant. Another advantage I've found in the smaller hotels is the more personalize and flexible services they can provide sometimes. At one hotel, the owner/manager offered me a free breakfast when I arrived off a red-eye. Technically, the breakfast being served was for the previous night's guests, but he thought he could get me checked in with the hour (which he did) by getting my room cleaned quickly, and gave me a breakfast "on the house" while I waited. Several other independent hotels were willing to check my large suitcase when I wanted to travel out of London for a night and travel light. The last small chain I stayed at would not overnight check any bags, and tried at first to tell me that they would not check them on the morning I arrived off the red-eye so I could go out for a few hours prior to the 2:00 p.m. check-in. Ultimately, they did but only after a bit of a stand-off.
I'm sure there is the possibility that you could have a poor customer service experience at an independent hotel and if so, there probably is very little recourse. However, my experiences with them so far have all been great. The staff have been very polite and personable. They've been happy to provide suggestions about local restaurants, give directions, and give you their opinion of various sites you might ask about. As I mentioned above, they can be pretty lenient or flexible about special requests like the luggage issue. I wouldn't hesitate to try one but I would email in advance any questions or "needs" you have before you book so you are clear about what they are willing to do.
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