London, England on the Thames - Location, Location, Location
Written: Feb 13 '09 (Updated Feb 14 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, Location, Location, Room Size, Pool, Comfy Beds
Cons: Restaurants are pricey, Concierge service weak
The Bottom Line: Expensive but the location and comfort of the rooms is outstanding!
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| smithshop's Full Review: Marriott County Hall |
We stayed at this five star hotel, in an historic building (County Hall) overlooking Big Ben, for 10 nights as we explored London! We used a ton of Marriott points to get these nights free - so I had lots of hotels to compare against this hotel.
Location - You will not beat this location. You are steps from the London Eye, steps from the dock for boat rides on the Thames and a 5 minute walk to two different underground stations. If you get a room on the Thames side the views are amazing!!!
Restaurants - We only ate at the hotel once. Just okay and overpriced. We studied other online reviews are were not expecting to eat often at the hotel. Right behind the hotel there is a Starbucks, a Bagel store and a 24-hour mini-mart. We used these for breakfast every morning.
For dinner, if you walk along the Thames towards the National Theater there are 3-4 restaurants outside the theater. Also - in the same block as the breakfast ideas I mentioned above, you have an Italian, Middle-Eastern and Sushi restaurant.
Rooms - The beds are comfy. I mean comfy. I mean you may not want to leave your bed to see London. My kids are not happy in their own beds at home anymore.
Pool - You will not find many British hotels with pools so if that is important this is a great choice. However, the pool is really part of a pretty serious health club so your best bet is to go mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Business Facilities - Internet service is available for a fee - but is quite reliable. I used it to upload photos to Shutterfly every night.
Concierge - I am a planner. I rarely need a concierge and thank a deity for that with this hotel. I bought some stamps from the concierge - you would have thought I was asking him to donate a kidney. Another day I left laundry (we were there 10 days - no choice) with them one day and after 5 calls that night I picked up the same dirty laundry that they forget to send out. Since we were there 10 nights I observed multiple concierges interact with guests and it was HORRIBLE. On one occasion, they were just downright rude to an older guest who was not following their directions. I actually caught up with the gentleman by the elevator and gave him some pointers on how to get to the underground stations. So this was not just one concierge - but several. Not what you would expect for a Marriott hotel or any hotel at this price range.
The front desk, the bellman, the restaurant - all other service was great! One day we left the "don't disturb" sign on the door and wound up asking for maid service very late in the day. Was no problem - a pleasant tone on the phone and a smile on arrival.
This hotel is NOT cheap. Prices vary with the seasons, but expect to pay $200 (US dollars) a night even in the low season. But for comfort and location it is a great place - just make your own arrangements while in the city!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
smithshop
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Location: Northern Virginia, United States
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Married for 20+ years and we have two Teenage Girls. I Like electronics and travel.
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