2010 England & Greece
London
I stayed at the Rubens at the Palace Hotel, across from Buckingham Palace Mews, close to Victoria Station. This is the quintessential English hotel including squeaky floorboards and a doorman in top hat. In booking I reserved a superior king through their special of four nights for the price of three. People on TripAdvisor rave about the hotel’s buffet breakfast, but it was not included in my special rate. When I emailed the hotel about breakfast they kindly offered it to me for a reduced price. So, my average daily rate was 143 GBP per night. With the pound going for $1.45 while I was there, I paid $207 a night for room, tax and breakfast. This was a tremendous value for an expensive city. When I checked in I requested a quiet room and they put me into room 220 overlooking an alley. That was just fine with me. This room met all my requirements. It was spacious, quiet, well decorated—to the point of fresh flowers on the desk—flat screen TV (finally, some shows in English other than news), a tall chest of drawers and luxurious bedding. The bathroom was a standard U.S. size with plenty of counter space and a variety of toiletries. I saw the room next to mine—a standard double—and it was pretty much a postage stamp size room with a double bed and not much else. It was worth the extra to request a superior king.
The buffet breakfast at the hotel was extensive and I definitely ate too much. They offered a variety of eggs, sausages, potatoes, mushrooms, etc., on the hot table. The cold options included pastries, croissants, rolls, fresh fruit, yogurt, juices, cereals, meats and cheeses. Toast is brought to your table upon request. I thought their extensive table of organic items was unique and I enjoyed the homemade granola.
The hotel is frequently commended for its level of service and I agree, with the exception of one concierge. I inquired about transportation options to Heathrow and he obviously felt a taxi was the only way to go. I explained that I didn’t want to pay 60 GBP, so we discussed coach and tube options as he looked down his nose at me. When I asked about JustAirports, a private door-to-door service, he said they were no longer operating due to the lack of business. Twenty minutes later I had a reservation for a private car with JustAirports for a mere 24 GBP. Everyone else I encountered at the hotel was friendly and helpful, especially the doorman. Still, I give this hotel the highest rating. www.rubenshotel.com
My Flights
I used the last of my frequent flyer points between Los Angeles and London, flying USAIR first class between LAX and Philadelphia and Envoy class between Philadelphia and London. I cashed in 80,000 points just in time because USAIR raised their point levels shortly afterwards. By the way, this “free” ticket cost $225 including USAIR’s $50 charge for the point redemption; the rest was for airport charges.
To get to LAX I rented a car for a one-way trip and dropped it off at the Hilton Hotel’s Hertz counter, $10 less than if I had dropped it off at the airport. For my trip home from LAX I picked up a car at the Hertz counter at the Marriott, again saving $10 on the rental.
I spent the first night at the LAX Westin (4,000 points) due to an early departure. My friend Doug just happened to be arriving at LAX that evening from Lisbon where he now lives, so we were able to connect for a couple of hours. A coincidence, and it certainly fit into the “charmed” category.
The good thing about using frequent flyer points is saving money. The bad thing is that you don’t always get to choose the dates you’ll be flying. I left London the day the Chelsea Flower Show began. This was the second time I missed it by a hair. Perhaps I was meant to miss the show; perhaps that means I need to return to London.
