Royal Garden Hotel, London

[RMBittner]

I just wanted to post a quick report from our recent stay at London's Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington using DVC points.

In short: It was a wonderful experience. It was our second stay in London but our first in this part of the city, and we'd definitely be happy to return. It truly is a luxury property with well-trained, friendly staff and it's in a great location.

We had a second-floor, street-view room overlooking Kensington High Street. (On the other side of the hotel, you'd get views overlooking Kensington Gardens.) You can hear a little street noise -- it's a very busy street -- but it was never a problem. The room was larger than I'd expected, very clean, and everything was in excellent order. (There was even a 120-volt outlet, which required no adapters whatsoever! The hotel is also happy to supply adapters for any guests that need them.) An excellent, English breakfast was included in the package. (Which was wonderful; it would have come to around 50 pounds/$75 for two, if we'd had to pay for it!)

The hotel is about four or five short blocks from the Kensington High Street tube station, which is on the Circle/District lines. It's not the ideal line, since you'll almost certainly have to change trains to get where you want to go, but we've found the Underground to be extremely easy to navigate (especially compared with the NYC subway system!) and the staff always helpful. In the other direction are Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace (Diana's former home), Hyde Park, and several outstanding museums. Restaurants/pubs are everywhere, and there is great shopping on the High Street.

We're very new DVC members, having owned for about a year, and this was our first non-Disney World trip using points, so I didn't know what to expect. I was extremely happy with the hotel and the service we received. (Obviously, we weren't treated differently from any other guests!) London is a very expensive city to visit, and using points made this whole trip possible.

We're already thinking about our next visit.

Bob

 

[goin3d]

That's awesome!!!!! If you don't mind me asking, how far in advance did you have to book?

 

[vakamalua]

Thanks so much for the report. My son might be doing research in London in January and we were thinking of going over for a few days. Using points would make it possible.

 

[SusieBea]

We gave our DD and DSIL two nights there for their honeymoon 4 years ago. They were very impressed. (Then they went to Paris - not so much ... )

 

[mantismad]

That was great to hear that you liked the Royal Garden Hotel in London Bob (RMBittner)
I have tried to book twice now both for 2 night stays using points (Aug & Sept) but I was told there was no availability when I telephoned member services even though there was plenty of rooms available to book direct with the hotel. I will definately try again next year but with a few different date options as I love walking round Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens it so beautiful and relaxing.

 

[RMBittner]

That's awesome!!!!! If you don't mind me asking, how far in advance did you have to book?

Don't mind at all. . .

We booked in the first week of March (this year!) for an October 3-8 stay. So, seven months.

I will say that we had initially tried to get into an RCI property in London in September; when that wasn't possible, we switched to the Royal Garden Hotel.

One thing I didn't include in my OP was that we decided to hire a driver through the hotel for our trips to and from Heathrow. That definitely worked out well when we arrived, since we were in the middle of the morning rush hour; it took us just over an hour to make the trip, which would have been easily over 100 pounds by taxi. (The hotel's charge was 70 pounds each way for a standard-size Mercedes-Benz towncar.) Reservations were handled before we arrived, without any glitches.

If you don't have much luggage, though, it would be much cheaper to take the train from Heathrow to Paddington and then jump on the Tube to Kensington High Street station. But I don't recommend trying to navigate the escalators and stairs -- and streets -- if you're bringing anything more than a carry-on. (And, frankly, after an 8-hour plane ride -- and a 50-minute wait in an enormous line at Passport Control -- I just wanted someone to put me in a car and drive me "home"!<g>)

Bob

 

[bobbiwoz]

It sounds wonderful! It's been awhile since we visited London, and you're making me want to go again sooner, rather than later.

 

[RMBittner]

I have tried to book twice now both for 2 night stays using points (Aug & Sept) but I was told there was no availability when I telephoned member services even though there was plenty of rooms available to book direct with the hotel.

I'm very new at all of this, but I'm wondering if the length of our stay might have worked in our favor. It's possible that the hotel would be more likely to commit to a 5-night stay than a 2-night one -- especially if you're booking many months out. But, of course, that's only a guess.

We could simply have been lucky.

Speaking of lucky, though: We arrived on the very last day of Buckingham Palace's annual "Summer Opening," which afforded us a tour of the palace's public rooms. If you're at all flexible in your travel -- and palaces interest you -- it's definitely worth keeping this in mind. And then, because the queen was moving back to Buckingham from Windsor while we were there, we were then able to take a day trip to Windsor and take a similar tour of Windsor Castle's public spaces later in the week. We were just lucky enough to hit the right week for doing both.

Bob

 

[RMBittner]

It sounds wonderful! It's been awhile since we visited London, and you're making me want to go again sooner, rather than later.

Yeah, it's funny: I love New York City and have visited close to two dozen times. But my wife -- typically not a "big city" fan -- can only take it in small doses: too many people, too much confusion.

But my wife loves London. Granted, she's very familiar with its history and royalty. But it's so easy to get around, the language is fairly familiar <g>, and we have been fortunate enough to have not had a bad experience or encounter after two visits. The Tube is practically effortless, the taxi drivers are significantly better, and we've never encountered the kind of pressing crowds you get passing through Times Square or walking to Central Park up 5th Avenue.

I still have stronger emotional ties to NYC, but London is definitely starting to work its way into my heart. (I just wish it didn't require such a significant financial commitment to visit. . . )

Bob

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yeah, it's funny: I love New York City and have visited close to two dozen times. But my wife -- typically not a "big city" fan -- can only take it in small doses: too many people, too much confusion.

But my wife loves London. Granted, she's very familiar with its history and royalty. But it's so easy to get around, the language is fairly familiar <g>, and we have been fortunate enough to have not had a bad experience or encounter after two visits. The Tube is practically effortless, the taxi drivers are significantly better, and we've never encountered the kind of pressing crowds you get passing through Times Square or walking to Central Park up 5th Avenue.

I still have stronger emotional ties to NYC, but London is definitely starting to work its way into my heart. (I just wish it didn't require such a significant financial commitment to visit. . . )

Bob

My family, DMom and DSis, love NYC, the Big Apple! Me not so much, so I'm with your DW in that regard.

 

[tfc3rid]

I stayed at the Royal Garden for 3 nights in July 2010 prior to our Baltic cruise on the DCL... Great place and having the free English Breakfast was tremendous.

 

[Sammie]

Thanks for so much for sharing. Always love to hear the reports about nonDVC stays.
What was your weather like during your stay.
Do you have photos?

 

[RMBittner]

Thanks for so much for sharing. Always love to hear the reports about nonDVC stays.
What was your weather like during your stay.
Do you have photos?

Sammie:

Uh, yeah, we've got about 500 photos! (My wife and I both shoot when we travel. . . and I take a lot of "coverage" to make sure that I get something good.)

The weather was strange and wonderful: They were in the middle of a full-on Indian Summer when we arrived on October 3: It was sunny and 82F! By Thursday, though, the wind had picked up a bit and it was "fresher," as they said on the news: partially cloudy skies and temps in the upper 40s/lower 50s.

We always prepare for rain -- we were well-trained during our ABD trip to Ireland last year! -- but we only encountered a 10-minute sprinkle on our walk back to the hotel one day. Otherwise, not a drop.

Can't figure out how to attach a photo here, but here's a link to a photo I've posted on Shutterfly.

http://bittnersonthemove.shutterfly.com/pictures/50

Bob

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

Great report & pix! Thanks, Bob! London is our second favorite place in the world. The view from your room is heavenly!!!

We've rented holiday flats in the past but that is getting VERY pricey. Using our pts may be an option in getting us back to London sooner.

Did you reserve just using DVC points or thru RCI???

The RCI options I researched are quite a bit outside of London...