Stash

This all started when my daughter asked to go see the Harry Potter premier. I said sure, then she said she wanted to see it in London…

One thing led to another and now I have a trip to plan, and need some advice.

We have traveled extensively in the US, and I have traveled a bit to Europe on the company dime so I wasn’t as concerned about costs and sightseeing. So my knowledge base is limited and I need your help!

Here is the deal. Mom and daughter [age 15] want to be in London on July 12, 2007. Departure city is CLE. Son [age 17] will be rolling off of a month as a foreign exchange student in Germany and will meet then in London [the exchange program will take care of his routing].

They want to see the movie on the 13th, see London then head over to Paris. Estimated transfer dates are 7/16 London to Paris, and 7/20 Paris to Cleveland.

Here are the big, open ended questions I have:

1) Airfare for an open jaw is running around ~$1,000, is this a fair price for this time of year? This includes the first leg on the direct Cleveland/Gatwick flight. Return from Paris through Newark.

2) Where to stay… Looking for a couple decent places to stay while they are over there. If this was in the US, a Marriott Courtyard would be a good comparison on where they would feel most comfortable and won’t break the bank.

3) Cheapest way for a one way Frankfurt to London for my son?

4) Cheapest and easiest way to go from London to Paris. I am guessing that it is the Chunnel, but not certain.

Thanks to all for any advice…

Steve

namaka

If your son is meeting up with you, I would consider staying in apts. Last summer (July), we stayed in the Holiday Inn Kensington (in London), and the 2 nights costs almost as much as a cottage we stayed in outside of London for 11 nights. Unfortunately, I cannot direct you to any apt in London.

I would also consider an apt for Paris- there are many threads on that subject and I'm sure you can be directed to something of your budget and liking.

Lastly, I would consider taking a budget airline from England to Paris. We flew Easy-Jet and the prices were great. I priced a one way from Gatwick (I think) to Paris and it was 11.99 gbp, which is about 22.00 usd.

Dukey

I just priced a flight from DC to Paris for next July and the cost was running $1000+ in coach. But prices are going to vary depending on which market you are flying in but just to give you some idea...

Will prices fall? If anyone KNEW that for certain they would be able to make a lot of money.

Some folks here will tell you to wait for the sale they seem to absolutely know is going to happen after the first of the year. Of course, when it doesn't they are suddenly nowhere to be found.

Do you have ANY idea of what part of London you might prefer to stay in?

Thought about using a discounter or Priceline for the hotel?

Stash

Regarding renting a cottage, great idea... Any one know if there are rentals by the night? They will be in both cities for approx 4 days...

Thanks for the tip on the discount airlines, we will look into that.

There is something a bit more exciting about the Chunnel though. You get to see some more of the country side and experience on of the engineering marvels of the last century...

What part of London? Don't know... They will want to see the standard tourist attractions and do some shopping (I hope more browsing than shopping) so we are open for suggestions...

Steve

Nikki

For the one-way flight from Frankfurt to London, try www.whichbudget.com.

Dukey

You can check all budget airlines by also going to www.skyscanner.net

At this point the cheapest flight may be from Frankfurt Hahn to London on Ryanair but you may get cheap fares on other airlines depending on when you buy.

Given the price of some hotels in London and the poor exchange rate I would definitely consider using a discounter such as laterooms.com or lastminute.com or londontown.com or Priceline for a hotel unless you can get a better deal through your airline.

janisj

Taking the Eurostar (I won't get into the "Chunnel" thing here) from London to Paris is a piece of cake. Center of London to the center of Paris in less than 3 hours (barely over 2 hours by next year) and you don't have to deal w/ schlepping out to the airport 3 hours early, nor deal w/ the mess that is CDG.

I'm a little bit confused - you say it is you and your children, but a couple of times you mention &quot;<u>they</u> will be staying . . . &quot; Is it the three of you? If so, a flat in London will likely be the cheapest option. Priceline isn't useable since you can only bid on rooms for 2. And Laterooms won't work unless you are willing to wait until right before your trip to book.

There are flats in London that rent by the night (or w/ a 3 night minimum) Just for one example - check out Scala House www.scala-house.co.uk/ for 2 bdrm 1.5 bath flats that offer short rents.

Nice hotels in Paris tend to be cheaper in Paris so you could either stay in a hotel or rent a flat (short rentals are harder to find in Paris but they do exist)

taggie

If I read things correctly you are not going on this trip, but your wife and daughter are, and will meet up with your son. Is that right?
Renting a flat in London would be a good way to go. Paris apartments are harder to find for periods of less than 1 week but not impossible. Use the search function on this forum to get more info - there are lots of previous posts.
You aren't going to easily find a cottage in the city! Note that Namaka said they rented a cottage OUTSIDE London. For such a short stay your family will want to be in the city proper. Some good accessible areas are South Kensington, Mayfair, Bloomsbury and Marble Arch.
As far as taking the Eurostar... don't kid yourself about it being exciting. You see lots of fields going by, the odd village (in the UK), a couple of interesting-looking buildings off int he distance (in France) and you sit in the dark for quite awhile while you are in the tunnel. Not exactly a scintillating trip.

janisj

Oh - I get it -- Duh Stash is Dad and he is asking about Mom, daughter and son . . . . .

I somehow got the idea Stash and Mom were one and the same. Doesn't change the advice though - definitely look into apartmenst - especially in London.

kaneda

Cheapest is a quick Ryanair flight from Stansted, north of London to Beauvais, France, and a 13 euro shuttle to Paris and return and fly out from London.

Ryanair also flies from Frankfurt to Stansted.


Warwickshire Castle, some distance from London is where some of the Harry Potter films were shot.

Margo_Chester

For London how about considering bidding for 2 rooms on Priceline? 4 of us went in September and I finally &quot;won&quot; my bid $100 per room for 2 rooms for 7 nights, we stayed at the Millennium Gloucester in South Kensington and had a wonderful room with a large marble bath, towel warmers, plenty of towels &amp; wash cloths, a double bed, a roomy closet, plenty of space and nothing was worn, shabby or dirty, tube stop was around the corner from the hotel with plenty of places for breakfast nearby, staff was excellent. It worked out perfectly. Others have stayed here in a less &quot;popular&quot; month for even less. Before you bid you should read through www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com for hints &amp; tips

For your airfare check prices on www.kayak.com

WillTravel

There's no Ryanair flight from Stansted to Beauvais. There is an EasyJet flight from Luton to CDG, and a BMI flight from Heathrow to CDG. I have taken the BMI flight and it was fine.

Dukey

Laterooms has availability up to four months out. If that is too short a timeframe to get a &quot;deal&quot; then yes, it &quot;won't work.&quot;

taggie

We're flying BMI Heathrow to CDG for &pound;9 per person (before taxes)in about 10 days. We've taken Eurostar in the past and it will be interesting to compare the time it takes and the hassle.
There's no need to necessarily take a low-cost carrier from an inconvenient airport. The major carriers' (BMI, BA etc)inter-European prices are often just as low due to the competition.

itsv

When we take our children to London we always manage to get a deal at the Chancery Court which is part of the Marriot chain. Hotel is an old bank building and has been the setting for several movies (Howard's End)and BBC shows. Keep on checking their website for sales. We paid 135 pounds for a room with two queen beds and breakfast in a very nice room. Breakfast alone at teh hotel is 30 pounds per person. Also it is near King Cross train station where your daughter can take in platform 9 3/4. Also try to take her to Oxford so that she can check out the dining room from the movie at Kings College. Hotel is also near Covent Garden and just across the street from the tube stop.

We fly from London to Paris but with all the hassle with air travel in London, taking the train is probablly the easiest way.

For airtravel for your son as well as yourself, try kayak.com They always seem to find some fares I couldn't find anywhere else.

There are a lot of cheap carriers for your son, easyjet, ryaniar, bmi etc. there have been a lot of previous postings on that subject.

Also if it is still in london, I highly recommend you take your daughter to see Mary Poppins. You will both love it and there were half-price tickets available. We however bought our tickets just from the box office over the internet to make sure we had them.
Have fun, itsv

Stash

Hi all....

Great advice so far.

To answer one of the questions, I am NOT going. Instead, I'm taking our youngest someplace tropical.

We were the only two loved truly loved Maui last year, so we may end up there.

Another option is a cruise, that would give her some more options to meet kids. They always have some type of kids events, parties, etc for when she gets bored with me.

The big kids and mom will do just fine with the museum route while we bask in the sun...

nbodyhome

Priceline is okay - we ended up with one night at the Copthorne Tara on our last night in London (yuck), not one that I'd personally recommend. I do recommend the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum. It can sometimes come up on Priceline, but I paid normally - and a relatively inexpensive rate for it - last year.

We stayed this year at a Bed and Breakfast just outside London for $104 or so US per night (two of us). I loved it!

In Paris, we didn't stay anywhere fancy - but a nice, small hotel near Bois de Vincennes (I think that is the name of it, I'm really tired!) - very inexpensive, called the Hotel de la Porte Doree. One of the hotels owners is American.

I'd go back to the hotels we stayed at this year (not the Copthorne, I didn't choose that one), or the HI Kensington Forum from last year. All are great places to stay.

Carrybean

I've used London Guest Suites several times successfully. There are some properties with less than a 7 day stay in London. They also have flats in Paris but I don't now about minimum stays there. Rates are in US $.

http://www.londonguestsuites.com/

Carrybean

Also meant to add that closer to your travel dates some will waive the 7 day minimum stay if your dates will fill a slot between bookings. So if you see a place you feel really fits your needs, it doesn't cost to ask.

Tong

I have been to London twice, just came back in July. For 1st time traveller, I would rent a small flat in zone 1 with kitchen. Where I stayed in July is couple blocks from the Earl Court tube station. Extremely conveniance, you are in the middle of everything. Most of the basic sight seeings are within zone 1. If your family only has 4 days in London, stuff offered in zone 1 should be plenty. The tube &amp; train system can take you anywhere.

Vacationing in Europe and in Hawaii are two extreme. Luckily, I enjoy both.

Hey Stash, now is your turn to give me some advice.
I will be arriving Honolulu on Dec 10, aboard the cruise ship on Dec 11, which will take me to the other 3 islands - the Big Island, Maui &amp; Kauai, back to Honolulu on Dec 18, will go back home the same evening.

(1) I guess I had picked the wrong time with so many major events happening in Honolulu. I encountered big difficulty in finding a decent place to stay within budget ($300) for the night of Dec 10. I have a party of 4 adults (me, husband, daughter &amp; her boyfriend). Want at least a one-bedroom suite. I tried every web-site I could possibly find, no luck. Any suggestion!

(2) I have been in Honolulu once before, but not the other islands. The cruise ship will stop at:
Hilo, Hawaii - 24 hrs
Kahului, Maui - 34 hrs
Kona, Hawaii - 24 hrs
Nawiliwili, Kauai - 31 hrs
As you can see, our time in each island is very limited. Can you advise me on what to see and do?

(3) Is transportation conveniance in these islands? Do I need to book a car in advance for any of them?

I had read your advice to brittany21 posted last year. Very helpful!