The Lemon Fool

I have just been to London for a couple of days, the first for a long while. I was very impressed by the new all electric taxis. The cabbie was telling me they cost £70,000 against £30,000 for the old black cab but of course are pollution free and cost a lot less for fuel than the diesel ones, but they only have a range of 60 miles before needing to be recharged and there are not enough fast (40 mins) charging points around.

Incidentally there was a rec for the Travelodge in Covent Garden/Drury Lane not so long ago. Great location but awful hotel. I am not sure if there is another entrance but for a start there is a very steep set of steps to get to it, but it is more basic than I have ever seen and the bathroom was very tired. At £150 a night even in London they should manage something better than that.

Premier Inns tend to be basic but much better.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:I have just been to London for a couple of days, the first for a long while. I was very impressed by the new all electric taxis. The cabbie was telling me they cost £70,000 against £30,000 for the old black cab but of course are pollution free and cost a lot less for fuel than the diesel ones, but they only have a range of 60 miles before needing to be recharged and there are not enough fast (40 mins) charging points around.

Incidentally there was a rec for the Travelodge in Covent Garden/Drury Lane not so long ago. Great location but awful hotel. I am not sure if there is another entrance but for a start there is a very steep set of steps to get to it, but it is more basic than I have ever seen and the bathroom was very tired. At £150 a night even in London they should manage something better than that.

Premier Inns tend to be basic but much better.

Dod

We visited London earlier this year and found the Travelodge in Southwark fairly good. It's almost next door to Southwark tube station on the Jubilee Line, with a good restaurant/cafe almost next door.

The system of using ATM/credit/debit cards & pensioner passes on the tubes and buses was quick and convenient.

Getting around is no problem nowadays I must say and I enjoy the buzz although I am glad to get back to my peaceful semi rural surroundings again.

Dod

Dod101 wrote:... Incidentally there was a rec for the Travelodge in Covent Garden/Drury Lane not so long ago. Great location but awful hotel. I am not sure if there is another entrance but for a start there is a very steep set of steps to get to it, ...

I recall one of those discussions over at Lemon Socials. This one https://www.lemonfool.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=13201&p=160139&hilit=travelodge#p160139 included:

The CG Travelodge is their 'flagship' which probably accounts for the bar. Its in two parts, you want the one entered from Drury Lane, not the tower on the North side of High Holbo[r]n.

Were you by any chance in the tower?

PinkDalek wrote:[The CG Travelodge is their 'flagship' which probably accounts for the bar. Its in two parts, you want the one entered from Drury Lane, not the tower on the North side of High Holbo[r]n.

Were you by any chance in the tower?

Bloody hell. If the one in the tower is not as good as the Drury Lane one, then I live on a different planet. It was poor shall we say. Mind you, my experience of hotels is either in the Far East (Penang, Singapore, Malaysia) or in the North West of Scotland (where I pay a lot of money for excellent hotels)

I was not in the tower across Holborn.

The Travelodge was a mid range price to me for a very low range hotel. It was very poor and if it was built in 2005/6, nothing much has been done since, except the jacking up of the price and a replacement of the carpet here and there.

Dod

It was me, a few years since I have been. I stayed in the Premier Inn just off Leicester Square too...not as good, cramped rooms. Travelidge = Location Location. I only enter the Travelodge rooms to sleep and the bar is really cheap. The tower does have spectacular views from the upper floors. Except for places like Browns all less expensive central hotels aee a bit tawdry.

T42