Trip Review by Chris and Suzanne of Plymouth, MN

Destination: London, England

Hotel: Royal Horseguards

Travel Dates: May 15-22, 2009

Accomodations:

Room Size: 5 - The room was huge compared to other places Chris has stayed at in Europe. We had a Jr. Executive suite, which meant a king bed, where apparently having a double bed is more the standard in Europe.

Amenities: 5. The room was beautiful. The room had an ipod docking station with surround sound, a tv in the bathroom with a big soaking tub. There was marble everywhere! It was very luxurious.

Service: 2 We thought the staff was pretty rude to us. First, they couldn't find our reservation, then they made a big deal that they were going to upgrade us, to what we later found was what we had reserved in the first place. The concierge was less than helpful when we asked for help getting Eric Clapton tickets. He quoted us 95 pounds a ticket which we thought was too much so we said no. We then stopped by the venue and inquired about tickets and found there were tickets available for as low as 35 pounds! When we were checking out they tried to charge us for the room when we had already paid. But we didn't let them ruin our time!

Restaurants: 4 We had breakfast included as part of our package. So we had a hot buffet every morning in their sit-down restaurant. We decided to eat lunch and dinner outside of the hotel.

Pool/common areas: 5 The lobby was beautiful.

Location: The location was perfect! It is located on the Thames River, right in the middle of the city. We were able to walk to tons of tourist attractions, bars and restaurants. There was an underground station right across the street as well.

Over-all: 4

Tours:

We bought the London Pass online which gave us 6 days of access to all of the trains and buses as well as most of the major sightseeing activities. We did half-day trips to Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle which are out in the country. They are both amazing! The trains were pretty easy to figure out. We also saw Jersey Boys one of the nights - we loved it!

What is one thing everyone traveling to this area should do or see?: We would recommend visiting Westminster Abbey above all things. It is the most beautiful building we've ever seen and it's well worth the entry fee. I wish they would have allowed cameras inside!

Trip over-all: 5. We had an absolute amazing time! The culture, the architecture, the history, the people - it was so different and energizing. London is now our favorite city!