European Holiday: Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster

Introduction 
DCA - JFK
Radisson Martinique on Broadway 

JFK - Milan Maplensa 

Lake Como and Dinner in Milan

Park Hyatt Zurich

Zurich (Uetilberg Look Out and Lake Zurich Cruise)

Intercontinental Geneva  

Is it a Queen or a Double Bed? The DoubleTree Westminster  

The Hyatt Regency - The Churchill

First Time in First: AA LHR - JFK

After an eventful trip to the Geneva airport where our cab was almost driven off the road by someone merging without looking and an EasyJet flight where no one on the plane abided by the seat belt sign, electronics off during take-off or seat backs and tray tables up we finally landed at London Gatwick.

After clearing immigration and customs we followed the signs for the Gatwick Express we boarded the train for the 45 minute trip into London. The trip ended up being around an hour because of track work that was being conducted near London Victoria where the train terminates. We then hopped on the Victoria Line of the London Underground and got off at Pimlico and walked to our hotel for the night, The DoubleTree Westminster.

The hotel is just a short 10 minute walk to Parliament and about a 20 minute walk to the West End of London so it is a great location if you want to be close to the action but not pay the ridiculously expensive prices of a West End hotel. We were able to get the £40 a night because of a half off promotion that Hilton was running at the time.

When you arrive you can tell that the hotel is relatively new, it had a very modern feel to it and modern furniture to match. We went to check-in but as it was around 9:00 AM we fully planned on dropping our bags and heading out to explore till a room was available. The woman checking us in was wonderful and so kind. She indicated that we had been upgraded because of our Hilton Gold status to one of her favorite rooms in the hotel on the executive floor, but it was not ready yet. We asked about possibly having a room with a view of the Thames as the hotel was only a half block or so away. The woman said she would put a room on hold for us, but she didn't know if we would actually want to switch since the room we had was a very nice room. So we told her not to bother and we would take the original room...more on that later.

So we dropped our bags and headed out for a nice walk until our room was ready. We headed down Milbank Street until we reached the Houses of Parliament and then walked down Whitehall to St. James' Park up to Buckingham Palace and then to Green Park to hop on a number nine bus to Hyde Park to visit my absolute favorite pub, The Queens Arms (Which I've Written About Previously).

Elizabeth Tower and The London Eye

Sir Winston keeping watch

Aspall Cider...The Best

Beef Burger and Chips 

Classic Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas 

After taking the tube back to the hotel we were checked in by another person, who was not nearly as nice as the woman before and didn't seem to have time for us. But she indicated that we were going to be on the "Executive Floor" in a Executive Queen room which is what we had originally booked. We heded up to the 10th floor and all the way to the end of the hall and into our room. The room its self was very nice. The bathroom was a bit small and to the right when you entered. It only had a small shower and no tub, but no big deal for us. The bedroom its self had a built in closet and mini bar area against the far wall and a desk with a brand new Mac that is present in ever room in the place of an actual television. I actually liked this because it made for a big computer to surf the internet on. The one thing that I quickly noticed that the bed was not a queen bed, but instead a full bed or a double bed as it is often called. I was sure I booked a queen and looked again on my reservation to confirm. So I went down to the desk to confirm that we had not been put in the wrong room.

This is where the fun started....the man who I enquired to at the Hilton HHonors desk could not have been more rude. He didn't even look up to say hello or ask what I needed when I approached the desk. When I told him the problem he typed into his computer and said, "Nope it's a queen bed" to which I responded "I understand the computer says that, but we have a double at home and it is clearly the same size" and he responded with, "Well the computer says its a queen." and left it at that. I figured it wasn't worth my time so I headed off and tweeted at DoubleTree and Hilton's twitter accounts and got very quick responses from both of them that they could look into the problem. About 10 minutes later I had an email from someone at DoubleTree in Dallas offering to help out. We went back and forth a couple of times and he indicated that the hotel markets doubles as queens and that it was just a difference in size between the US and the UK. I can totally understand this, but when I booked online I was offered a double or a queen and I booked the queen to get a larger bed. The DoubleTree rep said the only thing they could do was put us in a king room for the night, but it would be the same sized room so it would mean less room to move around. By this point it was dinner time and I didn't feel like sitting around in the hotel and wasting the night so I thanked him and said we would just stay. Before signing off I had one final email where he indicated he would follow up with the hotel and me after our stay to figure out what went wrong with the man at the front desk.....from there I never heard from him again even after emailing him two weeks and four weeks after our stay. I didn't actually get a resolution to the situation till I mailed in the survey that Hilton sent me after the fact and they were very apologetic and offered up 30,000 Hilton HHonors points to apologize. This was WAYYYYY beyond anything I expected, but that's just another reason why I love Hilton, they always want to make it right.

"Queen" double bed

Sitting Area and Closet

Mac Computer/TV

Bathroom

Overall the hotel was a very nice hotel and I would stay there again, but this time I would know to expect a double bed. The only downside was their staff which, besides the one woman who first checked us in, were not very nice. But the location of the hotel and its proximity to some of the best attractions make it a good place to consider if you only have one or two nights.

London Day Three: Hilton London Tower Bridge, Borough Market, The Tower of London and The London Eye

Dulles Lounges and United Washington Dulles - London Heathrow
London Day One
London Day Two
London Day Three
London Day Four
Overnight Ferry London - Amsterdam
Amsterdam Day One
Amsterdam Day Two
Lufthansa Amsterdam-Frankfurt/Senator's Lounge Frankfurt/Lufthansa Frankfurt - Dulles

On our third day in London we woke up early to say goodbye to the Raddison Blue Edwardian Mercer Street. We only had two nights reserved on points and did not wish to pay the 200£ a night price for the third night.

Bye Bye Raddison! 

 From the Raddison we headed out on the Tube for the quick 20 min trip to the London Bridge Tube stop and our hotel for one night, The Hilton London Tower Bridge. When you walk into the Hilton London Tower Bridge you are struck with how modern and chic the lobby looks. It is a tiered lobby with 8 little sitting areas for guests to relax. They also had a sushi counter and a full service bar in the back. The restaurant for the hotel was also located in the back of the lobby area, though we did not end up eating there.

We were quickly greeted at the front desk by Michael who pulled up our reservation and thanked us at least five times for being Hilton Gold members and for staying at Hilton hotels. This was a very welcome change from the Raddison which did not recognize the status we had with Club Carlson or even say thanks for staying. I know this is a little nitpicky, but it is always nice to be recognized for your status without asking, it starts your visit off on the right foot. It was only around 10 am and we had planned to just dump our bags with the concierge and then head out for the day but Michael told us that our room was ready for us and that we had been upgraded to an Executive King Room on the 10th floor with access to the Executive Lounge which served breakfast, and afternoon tea and cocktails from 7 am - 11 pm.

Giddy with excitement we headed to the elevators and found our room on the 10th floor. It was twice the size of our room in the Raddison (which I am sure is just because of the relative size of the buildings) and had a huge bathroom with a tub and a separate shower. The living room featured a king bed, a desk and a small seat to lounge on. There was a bureau with a safe to store belongings. The room also featured a mini-bar, which we did not indulge in.

Bed and Sitting Area 

TV and Desk Area

Bureau 

Bathtub (Sorry it's a bit blurry)

Sink and Bathtub

Shower 

 After enjoying the room for a bit we headed out of our hotel for the day. From the hotel we took the short 3 min walk to the London Bridge Tube stop and got off at Waterloo to pick up tickets for the London Eye for that evening. The gigantic Ferris wheel is right on the banks of the river Thames and overlooks the Palace of Westminister and gets you a great view of London from 443 feet up in the air. The ride its self takes around 45 min - 1 hour in a spacious capsule with around 30 other people enjoying the view. There are two different ticket types for the Eye that you can choose from. The standard ticket allows you to use it at anytime of the day and costs 17£. Or you can pay 25£ and get a Fast Track ticket which also allows you to come at any time, but puts you at the front of the line via the Fast Track line...basically think of it as the Priority Line for you elite flyers out there ;). We opted for the Fast Track ticket and planned on heading back around 20 min before sunset for the day to see London at twilight.

From the Eye, if it is a nice day, I would recommend walking along the Thames to enjoy the river and views of the city if affords. We walked for about 20 min until we reached Millenium Bridge which is a pedestrian footbridge (Destroyed by "He Who Must Not Be Named" for the Harry Potter Fans) that goes from the Tate Modern Art Gallery to St. Paul's Cathedral on the other side. Just past the Tate is the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Theatre still runs productions of Shakespeare's works and you can enjoy it in the old style by purchasing tickets for the floor in front of the stage to stand for the whole performance, only 5£. You can also purchase reserved seats for a higher price.

River Thames 

St. Paul's Cathedral and Millenium Bridget 

From the Globe continue to walk down the Thames until you reach Borough Market. From Monday-Wednesday the market is open for lunch with any cuisine option you can imagine. It swells in size from Thursday to Saturday when the full market features a farmers style market with fresh fish, meat, produce and cheese. It is packed on the weekends, but it is worth it to walk around and try samples of everything you can get your hands on! This was my absolute favorite place when I was studying in London because of the food options and the atmosphere. People are just happy as can be strolling through the market and finding odds and ends to make a perfect lunch in the market. My favorite is a German sausage stand that makes the best sausage and sauerkraut ever. If you are at the market...make a straight line for this stand and get your fill!

Sorry...forgot to take a picture before it was almost gone. :) 

From Borough Market we crossed London Bridge (The reports of it falling down are very exaggerated) and caught our first view of Tower Bridge.  It's important to remember that they are indeed separate bridges.

Tower Bridge from London Bridge 

We boarded the Tube at the Embankment stop and took the short journey to Tower Hill for the can't miss Tower of London. The tower features a beautiful medieval fortress that acted as a royal palace for many years. Some of the towers date back to the thirteen-hundreds and were the home of some of England's most famous characters. If you go to the Tower wait until you can be a part of a guided tour by one of the Yeoman Warders (also known as "Beefeaters"). They are the Royal Bodyguard of the Queen and live in the Tower full time. They are military members with at least 22 years of distinguished military service and are just all around brilliant and hilarious guys. Their tours focus on the history of the tower, including the bloody history of executions and strange disappearances, but they also focus on the beautiful architecture of the Tower and the historical significance for London. That and they are absolutely some of the funniest people on the planet. We were laughing the whole tour and it just made the experience that much better to have such an amazing guide. 

The "White Tower" in the Tower of London

View of Tower Bridge from the Tower of London

After enjoying our time at the Tower of London we walked to Tower Bridge and crossed to head back to our hotel to get ready for the trip back to the London Eye for our evening "flight" as they call it.

We returned to the London Eye around 5:45 just as the sun was setting and quickly got to the front of the line and boarded our pod for the 45 min flight around the Eye. The views were spectacular, despite a light rain coming down. The setting sun made the perfect backdrop over London and we just sat quietly in awe of the beauty that the city of London presents. Below are some of the pictures of Westminster Palace I was able to capture as the ride went on.

After our trip on the Eye we headed back to our the area around our hotel and grabbed a quick dinner before retiring for the night in preparation of our last day in London and to get ready for our night ferry to Holland!

London Day Two: Westminister, Two Parks and a Pub in the Alley

Dulles Lounges and United Washington Dulles - London Heathrow
London Day One
London Day Two
London Day Three
London Day Four
Overnight Ferry London - Amsterdam
Amsterdam Day One
Amsterdam Day Two
Lufthansa Amsterdam-Frankfurt/Senator's Lounge Frankfurt/Lufthansa Frankfurt - Dulles



On our second day in London we woke up much less jet lagged and ready to take on the city. We headed out of our hotel in search of breakfast and popped into Pret  which is a grab-and-go style breakfast and lunch eatery that is all over London (and lots of places in the US as well). It is an awesome place to stop for breakfast because you can pick up a hot croissant with ham, cheese and tomato along with a coffee for around 5 pounds.

After eating our breakfast we went to the Tube, our Oyster Cards in hand, and headed to the Westminister stop and exited to this beautiful site:

Can't beat this..

 After admiring the beautiful intricate work that the Palace of Westminister has to offer we walked around to look at the other side of the building which has some of the main entrances to the building along with statues of Richard I and Oliver Cromwell.

Richard I Statue 

Sovereign's Entrance

 We then headed past Westminister down Whitehall which is the home of most of the government ministries as well as 10 Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister. Then we walked down to the Horse Guards Parade where the Royal Horse Guards were holding guard. We then walked behind the parade to the start of St. James Park until we reached Buckingham Palace right around the time of the Changing the Guard Ceremony, which is a must do when you visit London. The Changing the Guard consists of the new guard going on duty parading down from their barracks along with a fife and drum corps and a full dress band. They then come into the grounds of Buckingham Palace and lead the old guard who was on duty back to the barracks.

Buckingham Palace

Fife and Drum Corps

New Guard Moving In

 After the ceremony was over we headed through Green Park to catch the number 9 bus to the west end. We got off in Kensington right across the street from Hyde Park to visit the house that I lived in when I studied abroad in London. It was great to see the old building and also see the beautiful neighborhood I was lucky enough to spend a semester in. I really had to take a step back at this point because this neighborhood and the experience of studying abroad in London really solidified my love of travel, as well as the curiosity to see as many places around the world as I can.

Old Stomping Grounds 

Flat that I Lived in While Studying Abroad 

Fourth Floor Was My Flat 

After walking down memory lane we headed down to my favorite pub in the whole world....and to get there you have to walk down an alley to find it. The Queen's Arms is located at 30 Queens Gate Mews, Kensington, London and is a classically wood paneled pub with delicious British hand-pulled traditional ales (read warm beer...or delicious) and my favorite Aspall cider. It was also lunch time so we decided to order some food. The pub has a large set of small plates along with a full menu of sandwiches and burgers. Kelsey ordered a chicken sandwich and I ordered a classic club, both of which, were delicious.

I could, and have, spent hours in The Queen's Arms and if you are looking for a REAL pub experience in London you have to go here. Other pubs in the city are owned by larger companies and are all the same in menu and offerings. This pub is not owned by a larger company, serves delicious and unique food and drink and provides a cozy place to people watch for hours on end.

Aspall Cider...so good

Bar at Queen's Arms 

Fixed Price Menu

Lunch Menu

Outside the Queen's Arms 

The Pub In the Mews 

In My Happy Place

 After walking out of the pub full and happy we returned to the hotel and decided that it would be a great evening to go to the theatre. We asked the hotel desk if they could help us get tickets, but they said that this late in the day we could only get full price tickets....around 85 pounds for the major shows. That price was a bit of a shock, but the concierge suggested that we go to the box office of some of the shows and see if they had any returned or last minute tickets available. We were lucky enough to score tickets to the original production of The Phantom of the Opera for 20 pounds. We had a pole in a tiny bit of our view, but we could see all of the stage no problem. The show was amazing and the cast was brilliant. If you like theatre, a West End show cannot be missed!