Recommendations for accommodation close to Knightsbridge

[littlewingxx 29]

My medical is booked for January 17th at 10.30am. As I'm travelling down from Scotland, I plan to fly down the day before and stay overnight in London so I can get to my appointment in plenty time. I've had a look at Google maps trying to find accommodation close to Bentinck Mansions, but I'm not seeing a whole lot and being totally unfamiliar with the area doesn't help either. Can anyone offer some recommendations for affordable places to stay that allow easy-ish access to Knightsbridge?

Edited December 12, 2016 by littlewingxx

[Moslund 94]

my medical was at 11am and i flew from glasgow to gatwick airport got the train from gatwick (trainstation is connected to the airport) to the centre on london then got the underground and i made it there ontime for my 11am appointment and traveled back the same day... The train from gatwick station station to center of london i think was 1hr long then the subway from there was i think 15mins on the subway and its another 10-15min walk from the underground station to the building where your appointment is at... if you get your flight early enough in the AM you could just do it all in 1 day thats what i done... When i went for my interview in london i stayed in the hotel right next to the embassy which was like i think £180 a night that hotel is also 10min walk from the place you need to take your medical at

Edited December 12, 2016 by Moslund

[littlewingxx 29]

I actually considered this after I posted. I'm going to look into this option as well, and hopefully I can get something sorted out. My total unfamiliarity with London is making me more nervous about this than anything else at this point!

[DJ6372 111]

I stayed in a hotel near London Waterloo, its an easy tube ride to the medical clinic, and a lot cheaper!!

[Absolutely 34]

I had my medical yesterday and there is a Travelodge near it. I've just looked it up, it's called "London Central Marylebone" and looks to be about £60 a night. It's about a ten minute walk to the doctors.

It's whether or not you want to take the gamble of relying on a flight and trains to be running on time!

[JFH 12,189]

I'd see if you can manage it there and back in a day. The hotels in central London are very expensive. I was fortunate to get an industry employee rate at the Marriott for £90.00 - when I saw what other people were paying there when I checked out I almost fainted. And I work in the air travel industry so you'd think I'd be used to such prices!

The areas around train stations tend to be cheaper - Waterloo, Victoria. I'd avoid Kings Cross, though.

Is it possible to move your appointment to the early afternoon to give you a better chance of getting there and back in a day?

Also wanted to say - nice part of the world you are moving to! Not far from us.

Edited December 13, 2016 by JFH

[littlewingxx 29]

I stayed in a hotel near London Waterloo, its an easy tube ride to the medical clinic, and a lot cheaper!!

Out of curiosity, can you tell me which hotel it was that you stayed in?

Thank you all for your input. I'm thinking perhaps I'd be better calling Knightsbridge and seeing if I can get a later appointment that'll allow me to do it all in one day. With the current time of my appointment, I'd be anxious about possible delays at the airport and as a person who likes to be places in plenty of time, the thought of cutting it fine timewise does not appeal!

JFH - I absolutely love the PNW! Its a beautiful part of the world and I'm looking forward to exploring more of it with my soon to be husband. If you don't mind my asking, are you staying in Seattle itself, or close by?

[JFH 12,189]

We will be in Shoreline. I have to be close to the coast as I have lived on the south coast of England for many years. So I'm a water person. I agree, the PNW is stunning and I always feel like I'm in a fairy tale place there with the fir trees and mountains. Like Heidi or something!

[DJ6372 111]

Out of curiosity, can you tell me which hotel it was that you stayed in?

Thank you all for your input. I'm thinking perhaps I'd be better calling Knightsbridge and seeing if I can get a later appointment that'll allow me to do it all in one day. With the current time of my appointment, I'd be anxious about possible delays at the airport and as a person who likes to be places in plenty of time, the thought of cutting it fine timewise does not appeal!

JFH - I absolutely love the PNW! Its a beautiful part of the world and I'm looking forward to exploring more of it with my soon to be husband. If you don't mind my asking, are you staying in Seattle itself, or close by?

Yes it was the Hampton Inn, can't remember the price, but was a nice hotel, plenty of resturants in the area to

[yunnipie 6]

Out of curiosity, can you tell me which hotel it was that you stayed in?

Thank you all for your input. I'm thinking perhaps I'd be better calling Knightsbridge and seeing if I can get a later appointment that'll allow me to do it all in one day. With the current time of my appointment, I'd be anxious about possible delays at the airport and as a person who likes to be places in plenty of time, the thought of cutting it fine timewise does not appeal!

JFH - I absolutely love the PNW! Its a beautiful part of the world and I'm looking forward to exploring more of it with my soon to be husband. If you don't mind my asking, are you staying in Seattle itself, or close by?

Bond Street (close tube station) is an easy one to access because it's on the central line. Central line runs through the center of the city. We live in Stratford (east London) and took the one train to get to my husbands medical. So, if you can't get a later appointment, any hotel that's near a station with the central (or jubilee) lines would be good. As a foreigner in London I can understand your trepidation about the travel!

By the way, I'm from Oregon. We will be moving to Medford (southern) initially, but my bonus daughter lives near Seattle and we may end up settling near Portland - just across the river from Vancouver!

Edited December 14, 2016 by yunnipie

[littlewingxx 29]

We will be in Shoreline. I have to be close to the coast as I have lived on the south coast of England for many years. So I'm a water person. I agree, the PNW is stunning and I always feel like I'm in a fairy tale place there with the fir trees and mountains. Like Heidi or something!

Wow, it's looks beautiful there! I only live a ten minute drive away from the coast at the moment, and I think I'll miss that when I move. Driving a few hours to get to the coast isn't at all what I'm used to, but it's not the end of the world ?. We took a trip up to Leavenworth, WA in the summer and it was just stunning! I'm a mountain person, so I was just blown away by how beautiful it is. Some of it reminds me a little bit of the western highlands of Scotland. I'm really looking forward to exploring more, and we're both keen to head over to Vancouver Island BC once I've got my AP or greencard.

Bond Street (close tube station) is an easy one to access because it's on the central line. Central line runs through the center of the city. We live in Stratford (east London) and took the one train to get to my husbands medical. So, if you can't get a later appointment, any hotel that's near a station with the central (or jubilee) lines would be good. As a foreigner in London I can understand your trepidation about the travel!

By the way, I'm from Oregon. We will be moving to Medford (southern) initially, but my bonus daughter lives near Seattle and we may end up settling near Portland - just across the river from Vancouver!

Oh, we spent a night in Medford on the way back from San Francisco last year! It was dark when we got there, and pouring rain the next day so I didn't get to see much of it. I absolutely love Portland though, such a funky city! It's funny what a small world it is sometimes ?.

So, I've managed to change my appointment time to 2.30pm on the same day. Which means that I can do it all in one day thankfully, and cut out the cost of an overnight stay. I'm thinking I may stay overnight for my interview, but I'll see once I've booked it. At the moment I'm thinking I'll be much more apprehensive about the actual interview, and don't want added stress about travel!

Which leaves me with one more question for you fine people; would you recommend flying into Heathrow, or Gatwick? Is there much of a difference in terms of their access to central London?

[JFH 12,189]

Heathrow has the underground directly into central London (Piccadilly Line). Gatwick is a little further out and no underground - you have to take a regular train to Victoria and then onwards from there by bus or underground.

Gatwick has nicer toilets though!

[littlewingxx 29]

Gatwick has nicer toilets though!

Haha...duly noted!

Weighing up the overall costs, it seems like it will be cheaper to fly to Heathrow and use the underground to get into London. The express trains seem to be pricier than the underground.

[JFH 12,189]

Yes, the underground is definitely cheaper. Especially if you have a contactless card or an Oyster card.

You need to re-mortgage the house to get on the Gatwick express.

[DJ6372 111]

Personally I would use Heathrow, just because of the tube access, but if the Gatwick fare is ultra cheap (which I doubt) then go that route.