California, Vegas & NYC - Dec 2008 - DAY - minus 1 & 0

[kirst_al UK]

Ok so i've not done a TR on here before peeps so please bare with me will you - i know its a little delayed but having had a good ol' weekend of TR reading i was left feeling a little down that i never shared our amazing holiday with you all and that it feels all so long ago i need to refresh some memories... so here goes -

Me - Kirsty (23) - planned, booked and organised the whole trip; itinerary boffin that loves America.

T'other half - Alex (23) - cause of my Disney addiction, planner of our Disney holidays, pretty much just left this one to me and just went wherever I told him to go... and oh yes... how can i forget - paid for the majority

Day minus 1 & 0 - Trains, Tubes & Buses - the first of many !

13 December, 2008

Train was on time – left cold and dreary Hull at 1506 arrived at kings cross 1745 care of our first bargain of the holiday - £15pp train tickets . Not a bad trip - never really been on a train to didn't really now what to expect but it was as adventurous as paint drying ?!


(he will kill me for posting this )

We were already missing our baby (then 11 month old bulldog LOADS - looking at the pictures and videos of him on our mobiles passed the time and soon arrived. Went to get our underground tickets (£4pp) having to trek down some ridiculous narrow staircase determined not to smash into people with our cases. There were some extremely rude people just barging past us, huffing and puffing so in the end we did the same – we were obviously struggling with two cases between us but nobody seemed to give two hoots. Ok so I didn't expect anyone to stop and help us but being considerate of others doesn't take much. We were at last on our way care of the underground within about half an hour of our arrival at KGX. To put in bluntly and in my own opinion I did not like the underground at all ! Throughout our trip we used the London the LA and the NYC underground - out of all of them the London one I hated…. ! For 50 minutes we had to put up with the most dirty and disgusting trip I’ve ever taken. Out of all the underground stations I expected Kings Cross to be one that was quite modern, clean and tidy – but it was the total opposite - ok it wasn't until i'd taken other underground trips along the way i realised just how different the London underground was to others as that was my first ever but to be honest my first impressions didn't let me down. We were constantly looking over our shoulders, watching what people were doing with their hands/bags – did not feel safe at all and hated every single minute of it . I imagine you would get used to it the more you use it - if it was on my doorstep and didn't have the luggage we had then i'd say it was the bees knees and extremely handy but put it this way i think i might be driving down to Heathrow next time

Anyway we arrived at Heathrow and decided to take a walk up to the terminal to give us an idea of how long it took to get from the tube area to the terminal. Only took about 10 minutes but seemed a lot longer with luggage. Thought the purple lights in the ceiling was kinda cool – turned around the saw the madness of a Saturday night check in – it was insane !


Terminal 3


Terminal 3

Headed back down to where the underground was and followed the sign for the Central Bus Station. Found the platform where bus 75/76 was suppose to leave from to our hotel – one had just gone so had to wait until about 1950 for the next one. Arrived on time and asked the driver to give us a shout when we’re coming up to the Sheraton Heathrow. We knew that the free flow area ended at Hatch Lane but we had no idea where Hatch Lane was. He gave us a shout and stopped right opposite the entrance of Sheraton Heathrow which we really appreciated – because he didn’t stop at a bus stop (he stopped just past McDonalds) he got us to basically the entrance and saved us walking 5/10 minutes in the pouring rain - thumbs up indeed !

Heres my review of the hotel -

Excellent hotel very reasonably priced for Heathrow airport. Booked 1 night (13 Dec) as an undercover hotel with holidayextras for £41 (rooms start at about £45-50 booking direct). On arrival at Heathrow from Kings Cross via tube we took the no 75 bus from Heathrow Central Bus Station to the Sheraton. Sheraton Heathrow is situated just outside of the 'free-flow zone' so a walk of about 5-10 minutes from/to the Pinglestone Close bus stop might be necessary unless you manage to get a very friendly bus driver as we did... who dropped us literally at the entrance to the Sheraton which was great considering it was raining or you want to pay £4pp for the Hotel Hoppa bus to drop you at the door.

The hotel itself we were really impressed with - from reading the previous reviews i have the understanding they are currently renovating the hotel - i'm pretty sure we got an already renovated room as it was exactly the way they advertise the rooms on their website.


Sheraton Heathrow

We were located at the back of the hotel on the ground floor - as we passed the conference room on the way to our room it looked and sounded as though a christmas party was going on - we heard nothing once we'd got to our room, they didn't disturb us once.


Sheraton Heathrow

Saying that the room walls are kind of thin - we could hear the neighbours television which was relatively loud (we could have ours on mute and still hear the commentary of the football!) but we were lucky...they eventually realised it was louder than necessary and they turned it down not long after. The size of both the bedroom and the bathroom was perfect. One problem we did have was with the heat of the room. The heater wasn't on when we arrived nor did we turn it on during out stay but it was really hot. Ok it was the middle of December so i understand it being warm but it was hot. We put the fan on for a while but it just didn't do anything - in the end we decided to open the window. Not the end of the world though - it soon cooled off and had a really good nights sleep in a very comfy bed. It was worse in the morning though as the hairdryer is in the main bedroom not the bathroom so with the existing heat + the heat from the hairdryer... the window needed opening again.

Bathroom had a few amenities soap, shower cap/gel etc. Bedroom had a small wardrobe, mini bar, tea/coffee maker, hairdryer, suitcase/luggage stand, table and chair, desk and chair and an iron/ironing board and a television. (Sure i've missed something but it has everything you need... put it that way)


Sheraton Heathrow


Sheraton Heathrow

Don't use the Hoppa bus (£4pp) unless you really have to - its less than a mile to the bus stop for a free bus (either the U3 or the 75/76). Just make sure you turn left out of the hotel entrance NOT right - your nearest bus stop to the right would probably mean you paying as its out of the 'free flow' however the first one you come to when we turn left is in the 'free flow' as the notice on the bus stop confirms. We got the 75 to the hotel in the evening and the U3 back to Heathrow in the morning - the U3 tells you what stop is next however the 75 didn't so make sure you ask the driver to tell you when you're coming up to the Pinglestone Close or just ask him to tell you when you're coming up to the Sheraton Heathrow and if he's as friendly as ours he might take you right there.


Sheraton Heathrow

We nipped over the road to the McDonalds for some grub on the night we arrived which is located next to a petrol garage (didn't see if it was 24 hour opening though). A little walk up just before the bus stop theres a chinese restaurant called London Hong Kong that looked nice from the outside if you're after a walkable sit down meal instead of Mcdonalds.

We would certainly stay at the Sheraton again without a doubt - there are a lot of hotels in and around the heathrow area but this one (apart from your Travelodges) came out as one of the cheapest.

After flicking through the channels for little while we decided to get some kip...

next... Day 1

:pop:

[anji]

Great start - looking forward to reading the rest!

[donnakirby]

A great start with your trip report - looking forward to reading the rest of it - keep them coming

[Mazzy]

It's never too late to post a trip report, I've just finished mine from August 2007!

I've used the underground quite a bit, on visits, but never with suitcases and I can imagine why you found it so hard going, lots of stairs and crowds of people, don't think I'd attempt it with large suitcases, so well done for surviving!

Love the purple ceiling, which terminal was it?

Looking forward to reading more!

[kirst_al UK]

Originally Posted by Mazzy

It's never too late to post a trip report, I've just finished mine from August 2007!

I've used the underground quite a bit, on visits, but never with suitcases and I can imagine why you found it so hard going, lots of stairs and crowds of people, don't think I'd attempt it with large suitcases, so well done for surviving!

Love the purple ceiling, which terminal was it?

Looking forward to reading more!

See more...

It was yours that actually inspired me to do mine mazzy

I don't know - i think it might have been T3 - i suppose not many people will see it like that as its only lit up when its dark - majority of 'touristy flights' are well before it gets dark i guess.

[Mazzy]

Originally Posted by kirst_al UK

It was yours that actually inspired me to do mine mazzy

I don't know - i think it might have been T3 - i suppose not many people will see it like that as its only lit up when its dark - majority of 'touristy flights' are well before it gets dark i guess.

See more...

Oooh glad I inspired you! Yes, if we fly from Heathrow next year it's a morning flight, oh well, I'd rather set off early than see a purple ceiling!

[Sarah84]

Great start

I can't believe that was the first time you've been on a train, sorry you found the underground so awful but yes it can be a nightmare espcially at peak times and some of the stations aren't very nice but it's extremely good thing to have here

[Dizzy]

Crikey I'm dreading the underground now...We have used it before but never with our luggage It'll be even worse on the way home knowing that our holiday is over
Like Mazzy says it is never too late to do your trippy and she should know I love doing them and reliving it all
Thanks for the report and photos ... looking forward to park two now

[purple myra]

Excellent start...looking forward to the next installment

[kirst_al UK]

Originally Posted by Dizzy

Crikey I'm dreading the underground now...We have used it before but never with our luggage It'll be even worse on the way home knowing that our holiday is over
Like Mazzy says it is never too late to do your trippy and she should know I love doing them and reliving it all
Thanks for the report and photos ... looking forward to park two now

See more...

Don't dread it just be prepared... it was rush hour and the second saturday before xmas though Dizzy - we arrived @ 5.45 - 6ish. I guess your time of arrival has a massive impact on how busy it will be but then again on the other hand it is one of the busiest city in the world so it could be like this all the time, i don't know i just don't think i'll be trying it again to find out anytime soon and if i do it will be with less luggage