Hi all
After several ballot rejections I've finally had an acceptance for 2012. So I'm now trying to sort out hotels and I'm after some advice...
I'm intending to try and stay near Waterloo on fri and sat nights with the family in tow. The theory being that we can leave our bags at the hotel on sunday even after we've checked out so that we can pick them up as we go from the finish towards Waterloo.
How painful is getting across London early on Sunday morning to get to the start?
Has anyone used any wloo hotels that would do families (3 adults, 2 ch) and if so any good/ bad experiences?
How do hotels generally treat cancellations if injury/ illness hits? Is there general policy or can each hotel be different?
Before I hit the phones I thought I'd see what info you wise people had.
Thanks in advance for any help
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Getting across London on the morning of the race will be fine, it's unlikely there will be any major engineering works. You can find routes and transport methods on www.tfl.gov.uk.
Waterloo because that's where we jump n the train home and I fancied the shortest distance after the run
boring the fun (for everyone else) is watching you getting home
It doesn't really matter where you stay in London there are pros and cons for every hotel location, as for Sun morning, trains=packed sardines, but great atmosphere.
For anyone that has run the race already - can they recommend where to stay? My family live in Surrey - so i'm trying to work out where to stay. Is it best to stay in Greenwich the night before? or nearer the finish line? Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels (not specifically around waterloo...)?
I live in Victoria and its pretty handy for both start and finish (no. 185 bus to Lewisham in the morning has no crowds at all!)...
Plenty of hotels round that way
I'd recommend the Strand Palace hotel - was great for me in 2010.
5 mins walk to Charing X station = easy to get to start
10 mins hobble back from the finish.... or longer if you went to the pub like me !
Oh and they laid on a Marathon special breakfast (no extra chanrge) starting at something mad like 5am if you were really keen to fuel up beforehand.
Hope that helps
Looks like Waterloo east or charing cross for me then....time to hit the phones and websites
A word of caution Steve, I can't imagine any decent hotel not requiring a deposit for the night before the london Marathon... if they've got rooms to spare for walk ins on one of the busiest nights in the calendar then they might not be that good!
I found a fantastic option for the marathon this year and will be staying at the same place again next year.
There is a (small private) school called All Saints in Blackheath (almost ON the heath) where the parents operate a b&b system the night before the marathon. You can stay for £40 b&b or £50 includes a pasta party the night before in the school hall. It was fantastic, there was a choice of 5 homemade dishes along with various salads, cous cous, anything you want to drink and ample choice of deserts. We really were waited on by some lovely people.
We ended up staying with the local vicar and his family (son went to the school). They were SO hospitable. The minute we walked in they offered my hubby a beer and he sat watching the footie with the vicar! They check in advance what you would like for breakfast and do their best to make you comfortable.
I literally woke up at 7am hearing the helicopters overhead broadcasting on the local radio. We were no more than 3 mins from Blackheath itself.
Also, for first timers, you put your posessions in a large red bag and meet them again at the finish so no need to worry aboutleaving them at the hotel. Hubby and I made sure we travelled lightly as he was trying to see me at various points around the course.
Anyway, the lady who deals with this is called Phillippa. She can be contacted on /forum/smilies/tongue_out_smiley.gif[/img]hillippa@the]phillippa@the kirks.info or 07950 038176 / 020 8852 2351.
Hope this helps.