Concierge Collection-Royal Garden or Dorchester?

[Lynn K]

Has anyone stayed at either of these hotels in London? What were they like?

 

[Cinderella]

Hi,

I looked up both of these hotels and there is no comparison. Although the Dorchester costs alot more points - you really are getting more for your points by staying there. The Royal Garden sounded and cost similar prices to alot of other 3 or 4 star hotels but, I noticed that the Dorchester rack rate is in the region of £350 per night and it is one of the top hotels in London.

To compare - the Royal Garden sounds more like an upmarket tourist hotel, whereas the Dorchester has had many rich and famous people stay there. Beware though, if breakfast is not included in the price, which it probably isn't in London, I noticed that they charge about £29.50 a night.

Do a search on this board because I know some members have stayed there and they seemed to enjoy it.

 

[Lynn K]

Cinderella,
According to the fact sheet from the DVC site, breakfast and VAT are included in the points for Royal Garden, but this is not mentioned for the Dorchester. Also, Expedia rates Royal Garden with 5 stars and Dorchester with 4 stars. It seems like Royal Garden would be a better value, so that is why I am confused as to why the Dorchester would cost so many more points.
I'll try the search, thanks.

 

[vernon]

I would think the fact that the Dorchester is well known and has had lots of famous people stay there may account for the extra cost. That certainly doesn't guarantee it's going to be a better hotel. I thought the Royal Garden had a nice looking website and has a good location, the only people I know that stayed at the Dorchester thought it over rated., but maybe they expected too much from it's reputation.

 

[Nick Beecham]

We stayed at The Royal Garden on DVC points a few months ago. We were upgraded to a deluxe room and the included breakfast was wonderful. Location is great for Hyde Park, the museums and Harrods.

By the way, was anyone else expecting that, after the £ crashed against the $ in April 2000, the number of DVC points required to reserve UK accommodation should have gone down. Clearly this hasn't happened so using DVC points for UK accommodation is now worse value than it used to be.

Nick Beecham

 

[Ed T]

We stayed at the Dorchester for 4 nights last June and I it was fantastic. The hotel, its amenities, the service, the rooooom all were great. The heated towels, robes, feather pillows, and soft comfortable mattress, the room decor were great. The food was expensive however most of London is like that. It was a short walk to the tube or underground and you were in Picaddilly station in 7 minutes. We found a great Italian restaurant in Soho that was reasonable and it reminded us of being home in the North end of Boston. It is a lot of pts but the room rates are like 350 -500 pounds a night but we certainly had the pts to spend and it was worth it for us.

Good luck and email me with any specifics

Ed

 

[edith76]

Did you get a rental car or take a cab ??? to get to the airport. We are thinking of going to London and Disneyland Paris next year so I appreciate the benfit of others experiences.

 

[Ed T]

After driving through out Ireland for 6 days it was time to relax in London. driving in London is not easy and if you add on the driving on the wrong side it makes it a challenge. We took a cab from the hotel to Victoria Station and then took the train to the airport. Taking a cab from a London hotel is expensive. The train is very comfortable and fast. If you are staying in London buy a tube or underground pass for your stay. It is like a length of stay pass that allows you uliminated use of the underground and bus service. You can see just about everything is a pass that covers Zone 1 and Zone 2

Ed

 

[edith76]

Which airport did you use? I am just in the planning stages now. I made a one week reservation on a canal boat -Nottingham- and will be planning around that. (Although the more I look at that longboat, the more I wonder WHAT was I thinking) Did you use an exchange in Ireland or go on your own?

 

[vernon]

Your choices of airport into London are Heathrow and Gatwick, both are quite a long way from the city centre and I would strongly advise taking a train from the airport , and a taxi from the London Station.

I wouldn't advise anyone to hire a car FOR LONDON, traffic is terrible and the subway is a much cheaper and quicker option. You can get a one day "travelcard" ticket which is good for a whole days unlimited travel for about $5 per person ( this ticket is available after 09.30). Again for getting up to Nottingham I'd suggest a train to Nottingham city centre and , as long as it isn't too far, a taxi to collect your houseboat.

Travelling from London to DLP, I would strongly suggest taking the train, it goes direct to DLP and the station is positioned in between the park and the hotels. It's maybe 200 yards to the Magic Kingdom and 400 yards from trhe hotels. You can deposit your luggage at the station and they will take it to your hotel for you if you want to go straight into the parks, although if your booking on points you'll need to go and check into your hotel in order to collect your park passes.

 

[nugrape]

We too are going to London this June and we wondering the same thing. Last time we went we stayed at the Ritz (quite posh and formal) however the time we're taking our young daughters. We will probably opt for the Royal Garden as it is less formal. It's close to shopping, eats, and the tube. We're looking forward to it, but we would appreciate any input from those that have visited, or any natives.