London Classes: Travel, Venue & Lodging Info

Updated Sep 30, 2010

TRAVEL

The venue for London classes is the Columbia Hotel, which is about a 10-minute walk from Paddington Station (a major station for both rail and underground trains). Paddington is a 15-minute train ride from Heathrow Airport on the Heathrow Express, which goes to Terminals 1,2,3 & 5. It no longer goes to Terminal 4. It costs about 14.50 pounds. There is also a train from Heathrow Terminals 1,2,3, &4 to Paddington Station called the Heathrow Direct, which takes about 25 minutes to Paddington Station—it is a local train that runs about every half hour and makes about 5 stops but goes directly to Paddington without you having to change trains; it only costs about 9.50 pounds. You can also get to Paddington by underground from Heathrow. This cheaper but slower, taking about 45 minutes, and involves changing trains, which is not fun with luggage.

The closest train station to the Columbia Hotel is Lancaster Gate on the Central Line—only a few minutes walk away. Queensway on the Central Line is about 10 minutes walk, and Bayswater on the Circle and District Lines is about 15-20 minutes. The London Underground is old, though, and sometimes stations are closed for awhile, or on certain days, for repairs. You can call London travel information for details at: 020 7222 1234. And for other trains, you can call National Rail Enquiries at: 08457 48 49 50.

ACCOMMODATION

Below is a list of B&B’s. All are within an easy walk of the Columbia Hotel. I recommend the Lancaster Hotel for the Paddington area, which is very inexpensive (but good sized rooms) in their hostel section (with shared facilities). The Hyde Park Radnor and Linden House are inexpensive alternatives for en suite rooms. Further from Paddington can be found some less expensive alternatives. The best one in this area is the Radnor Hotel, with Craven Gardens second.

All prices in the ‘Accommodations Close to Paddington’ section, below, include VAT & English breakfast, except for the Hyde Hotel London, where breakfast is not included. In the ‘Less Expensive Accommodations’ section, further down, only a continental breakfast is served.

The Mitre House also includes parking.

Accommodations Close to Columbia Hotel (our venue) and a close walk from Paddington Station

Columbia Hotel

95-99 Lancaster Gate (Just off Bayswater Rd. by Kensington Gardens)

(44) (0) 207 402 0021/ columbiahotel@btconnect.com

10 minute walk from Paddington Station

Singles are small, as in most B&B’s but a bit more expensive, about 68 pounds

per night with no discount for longer stays. Doubles are 80 pounds. Of course, it is the most convenient location. If you tell them you are with the VortexHealing conference, you will get a small discount. The bar & lounge are free wireless internet hotspots. Free Parking only for guests staying overnight.

Lancaster Hall Hotel—most recommended

35 Craven Terrace // 5 minute walk to Columbia Hotel

(44) (0) 20 7723 9276

This hotel is a modern clean bldg. The rooms are a bit sterile, but they have been repainted in softer tones, there is no ancient grunge, and the rooms are a comfortable size. Singles are the same size as doubles. They have wireless in the lobby (and if you have a good system, you can pick it up in many of the bedrooms), but it needs to be purchased, either for 24 hrs, 1 week or 1 month.

Prices in 2011: If you're willing to share bathroom facilities and not have TV or phone in the room, you can get a very nice room for 32 pounds. A double is 50, a triple is 62, a quad is 82. This is their ‘hostel’ section. If you call and they say they are booked for this section, try again in a few days or a week. They hold blocks of rooms in case a youth group should need them, and then as the time approaches, they release these rooms to the general public.

A private room with TV and phone, private toilet/shower facilities is about 67 pounds, 87 for a double. These rooms also have a private safe.

Hyde Park Radnor

7-9 Sussex Pl (off Sussex Gardens) // 10 minute walk to Columbia Hotel // 3 min to

Paddington.

(44)(0) 20 7723 5969 -Tel // (0)20 7262 8955-fax

www.hydeparkradnor.com

You’ll get better rates for stays longer than a couple days if you call and ask for Demetrius.

Depending upon time of year: 40-55 single // 65-80 double or twin. All rooms en suite. Full

English breakfast included. Incoming phones only in room but all rooms have free wireless & TV. New bathrooms.

Linden House

6 Sussex Pl (off Sussex Gardens) // 10 minute walk to Columbia Hotel // 3 min to

Paddington.

(44)(0) 207723 9853-Tel // (0)20 7724 1454 –fax

www.lindenhousehotel.co.uk

Walk in rates are cheaper than call-in rates.

Depending on time of year, call in rates are approximately:

53 single// 85 double// 107 triple// they also have a quad

Walk in rates: 40 single// 70 double// 90 triple.

They used to give a 15 % discount for stays of 2 or more days; ask if they’ll still do it.

All rooms are en suite, have dial-out phones and TV.

Abbey Court & Westpoint Hotel

168-174 Sussex Gardens// 10 minute walk to Columbia Hotel // 5 min to

Paddington or Lancaster Gate tube station.

(44)(0)20 7402 0202 (or 0821 or 0704)

www.westpointhotel.com // email: info@westpointhotel.com

This place is very nice, with clean, refurbished, modernized rooms. But it is also on a noisy

street, and one side is on another street with some, but much less traffic. Best to get a room in the back. Free Continental breakfast is included; for 3 pounds more you can upgrade to British breakfast.

There are 2 free PC’s in the lobby area and the apartments (not the other rooms) have free Internet access by cable. Ask for Paulo. If you rent online, 15 days or more in advance, and do a pre-pay, non-refundable thing, you get about 4 pounds off the prices/ night. You need a phone card to use the phones in the rooms. All the rooms have TV’s, toilets & showers. Typical rates:

56-59 single// 74-78 double/twin// 84-89 triple (double+twin)//

4-bed family room 92-98. They also have one-BR & 2 BR apts. In these, there is only double in each room with a pullout couch that sleeps 1. These are, for 5 day stays or longer 110 and 170 per night, respectively. These apts have a refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher.

Hyde Hotel London—make reservations online at:

http://www.travelstay.com/pages/hydehotellondon.htm?affcode=RA

55 Westbourne Terrace // 10 min walk to Columbia

020 7745 1200 // for Reservations: 020 7745 1212. BUT online reservations can be almost half the price, so do not call for reservations. Go to the link above. But even their online prices can vary greatly, depending on demand at the time. You may get a good rate or a poor one:

They also have triples & quads. Breakfast is NOT included but can be bought there.

All rooms have direct dial phones, TV and private bathroom. Was refurbished in 2000. Rooms are small.

Royal Eagle Hotel— (you need to get a room in the back, off the street)

26-30 Craven Terrace // 8 minute to walk to the Columbia

(44) (0) 207 706 0700 // Fax: (44)(0) 207 706 7788

reservations@hotelroyaleagle.com // www.royal-eagle-hotel.com

Singles usually 50-65 depending on time of year and day of week, and doubles are 70 pounds or higher, but you can often find cheaper prices online. Singles are standard, small rooms. All the rooms have been refurbished, but you want a room in the back, the front is on a noisy street. They have car parking for 10 pounds per night and wireless for about 10 pounds/24 hrs. All rooms have private shower and/or bath. TV, phone and desk.

Smart Hyde Park View (note that the Smart Hyde Park Inn is a different hotel, but only 7

minutes further away—see below).

16 Leinster Terrace // 3 minute walk to Columbia

(44) (0) 207 402 4101 // Fax: (44) (0) 207 262 2083

www.smartBackPakers.com You can also book at www.hostelbookers.com

They have singles, doubles/twin and, triples as private rooms and 4 or 6 bedded Dorms/ hostel rooms. The private rooms are small with limited storage, but clean and fairly quiet. All rooms have en suite toilets and showers. Prices can vary according to availability and season. The hostel part would be much less expensive. Typically, a single is 43-50 pounds.

The hotel has a large common room with a pool table, juke box and 24-hr bar. They have a computer in the lobby you can use costing 50p for 15 minutes. You can also purchase wireless access—1 pound for an hour, 5 pounds a day and 10 pounds for a week. They also have washing facilities

Smart Hyde Park Inn

48-50 Inverness Terrace // 10 minute walk to Columbia. This hotel should really be with the group below, which is a further walk from Paddington Station, but we have put it with its sister hotel, here, because you would go to the same websites to check for one or the other and because the hotel information is similar.

(44) (0) 207 299 0000 // Fax: (44) (0) 207 229 8333

www.smartBackPakers.com You can also book at www.hostelbookers.com

The rooms are similar as are prices to the Smart Hyde Park View, above, but not all rooms are en suite, and the dorm is a 14-bedded room.

Nearest underground stop is Queensway on the Central Line, just a few minutes away. It is also about 5-10 minute walk from Bayswater on Circle and District Lines—one stop from Paddington—and a 10 minute walk from Lancaster Gate station on the Central Line. Paddington is about a 20 minute walk.

Hotel Indigo

16 London St // 10 minute walk to Paddington // 1 minute from Paddington. This hotel is a little more expensive than most others in this file, but it is a brand new hotel, done in modern style. The rooms are a bit small but quite plush and beautifully decorated. My sense is that they will also be quiet, and the hotel is not on a major street. Downstairs is a very nice restaurant. Prices vary according to time of year and availability. The best place to price the hotel is on their website, www.hipaddington.com . To create a rough idea, we priced a couple of rooms about a month in advance for mid-December, and singles were 85 pounds + VAT and doubles were 101.50 pounds + VAT. There is free wireless in all the rooms. And the rooms have showers but not baths.

(44) (0) 20 7706 4444 // Fax (44) (0) 20 7706 1100 // stay@hipaddington.com

London Guards Hotel

36-37 Lancaster Gate // quiet street // 5 minute walk from Columbia

(44)(0) 20 7402 1101 / info@londonguardshotel.co.uk

www.londonguardshotel.co.uk Prices are cheaper here, online, than by phone, and will vary according to how far in advance you book. (But if you are going to stay awhile, call and see if you can get a lower rate than what it shows online.) Checking in mid-November for mid-January (which may be a cheaper time of the year), weekday rates are 66 pounds for a single, double or twin, 92 pounds for a triple, and 139 pounds for a quad. Friday & Saturday the rate is 6 pounds more for all but the Quad. All rooms have dial out phones, TV & small fridge, and all rooms are en suite.

There is wireless access but it is 2 pounds an hour, and there are no daily or weekly rates.

The breakfast room may be a little below average, but serves a regular English breakfast.

Millards Hotel

148-152 Sussex Gardens // 10 minute walk to Columbia Hotel

(44) (0) 20 77232939 // No phones in room

You want to get a room in the back; the front is on a noisy street.

Rooms are larger than most B& B’s Single is 55 w/ facilities; doubles are 65

Elysee Hotel

25/26 Craven Terrace // 5 minute walk to Columbia Hotel

(44) (0) 207 402 7633

All rooms with facilities, phones & TV. A single is 55/ double is 65.

St. Davids & Norfolk Court Hotels

16-20 Norfolk Square // 10 minute walk to Columbia

(44) (0) 20 7723 4963 or 7723 3856 // www.stdavidshotels.com // info@stdavidsotels.com

all rooms have toilets, dial-out phones, and TV’s. There is free wireless in the lobby, which

may be accessible from the lower floors.

Single 65 // double & twin 75. All these have shower and toilets. They also have a few rooms with shared shower and toilets: single 40 // double 60. If you call instead of reserving online, you may be able to get a discount for a longer stay.

Cardiff Hotel

5-7 & 9 Norfolk Sq. // 10 minute walk to Columbia

(44) (0) 207 723 3513 or 723 9068

2 minute walk from Paddington Station on quiet street;

Winter rates: shared facilities: 55 single / 85 double. A room with shower only: 49.

Clean & relatively quiet. Phones in room. Only a few stations on the TV.

Falcon Hotel

11 Norfolk Sq 10 minute walk to Columbia

(44) (0) 207 723 8603 // www.falcon-hotel.com // info@falcon-hotel.com

may give discounts for a longer stay

next door to Cardiff Hotel, similar facilities with similar rates

Allandale Hotel

3 Devonshire Terrace // 10 minute walk to Columbia Hotel

(44) (0) 20 7723 8311 or 7807 // www.allendalehotel.co.uk

Newly refurbished // phones & televisions in rooms . Single w/facilities 60 // double 90. All

rooms have double beds.

Mitre House

178-184 Sussex Gardens // 10 minute walk to Columbia

(44) (0) 20 7723 8040

Need to get a room in the back; the front is on a noisy street.

Single 60 // Double room 80. Phones in rooms. Also includes Free Parking.

Note: in case you see Bluedaws Private Hotel on the Internet, some students had bad experiences staying there, so we recommend against it.

Less Expensive Accommodations, close to Columbia Hotel & near Underground Stations but a further walk from Paddington Station.

Radnor Hotel—most recommended for this area

23 Inverness Terrace // 10 minute walk to the Columbia Hotel.

020 7229 2002 // www.radnor-hotel.co.uk // Fax: 020 7792 0623

Singles 35-40 pounds; Doubles 40-45 depending upon time of year. Close to shopping & restaurants.

All rooms have private shower facilities, direct dial phones, refrigerator, coffee & tea makers & TV. Most also have private toilets, although a couple of the least expensive rooms have shared toilets. Recently refurbished. Singles are smallish but adequate. The hot water may not be as hot on the 4^th floor, and the water pressure is lower there. Free Internet access in lobby, with a good number of computers there to access it. They may be going wireless. Continental breakfast only.

Hostel 63

63 Princes Square // 15 minute walk to Columbia

020 7229 4944

A bed in the 8-bed dorm is 10 pnds; in the 6 bed dorm is 11; in the 4-bed dorm is 12.

Continental breakfast.

Nearest undergrounds stop is Bayswater, about 5 minutes away; Queensway is about 10.

Craven Gardens Hotel

10 Leinster Terrace 5 Minute walk to the Columbia, 15 min walk from Paddington, also

close to Lancaster Gate, Queensway & Bayswater underground stations.

(44)(0) 20 7262 3167-Tel // (0)20 7262 2083

Rates vary according to time of year, but a single may typically be around 40 pnds, to give

you an idea of range, and they will give discounts for longer stays.

An-Nur Hotel

74 Queensborough Terrace, Bayswater // 10-15 minute walk to the Columbia

020 7243 9600. Reservations: 020 7243 9606 // www.an-nurhotel.com // Email: annurhotel@yahoo.co.uk

Single 35 pounds; double or twin 50 pounds. All rooms have shower or bath. Continental breakfast only.

Nearest underground stop is Queensway on the Central Line—just a few minutes away. It is also about 5 minute walk from Bayswater on Circle and District Lines and a 15 minute walk from Lancaster Gate station on the Central Line. Paddington is about a 20-25 minute walk.

Queens Hotel

86-92 Inverness Terrace // 13 minute walk to the Columbia Hotel

(44)(0) 207 229 8981 // Fax: (0)207 792 0616 Reservations: (0)207 243 2173 // medalpark@aol.com

Just up the street from the Hyde Park Hostel (see that hostel’s description above for directions). It is a few minutes further than the hostel to the Columbia, a few minutes closer to Queensway and Bayswater Underground stations.

It is very inexpensive, but although the sheets are clean, students have told me that it definitely is grungy. Singles 25 pounds/night, with private facilities is 35 pounds; doubles are 35 pounds per night, with facilities is 50; triples are 45 pounds/night, with facilities is 60; quads are 60 pounds/night; with facilities for 80. A great deal for a few students sharing a room.

Continental breakfast only. All rooms have TV’s, but no phones or Internet access.

Leinster Inn

7-12 Leinster Square. 20 minute walk to the Columbia Hotel.

020 7229 9641. leinster@astorhotels.com

This is another inexpensive B&B but a little further than the other ones.

Single w/shower is 30.50; without shower is 26.50 pounds. A double with shower is 26.50 per person; without shower is 20.50 per person. Shared toilets. Internet access at 1 pound/hr. Continental breakfast only.

Nearest underground stop is Queensway on the Central Line —just 5 minutes away. It is also about 10 minutes walk from Bayswater on Circle and District Lines.

NOTE: There is a Hyde Park Hostel in this area, but some students who stayed there found it very dirty and in disrepair, so it is not recommended.

Apartments

Royal Court Apartments

53 Gloucester Terrace ~12 min walk to the Columbia Hotel

020 7402 5077 // Fax: 020 7724 0286 // info@rcahotels.co.uk

www.rcahotels.co.uk

They have various sized apartments. Check the website as well as www.hbnonline.co.uk/, an online hotel booking agency, and then call to see if there is a better price they can give you over the phone.

Internet Specials

There are lots of Internet Hotel sites. Here are 3. Look for hotels in the Paddington or Bayswater area.