London’s Paddington neighborhood

One rarely hears the phrase “affordable and convenient lodging” used in the same sentence with London. I had been dreading tracking down a hotel for our December 2015 visit when our English friends John and Jennifer Bradshaw gave us a great tip about the Paddington neighborhood, located in northwestern Westminster, northeast of Bayswater and west of Marylebone.

At their recommendation, my wife, Paula, and I booked a room at St. David’s Hotels (14-20 Norfolk Square; phone +44 20 7723 3856, www.stdavidshotels.com), a “bed-and-breakfast hotel” on Norfolk Square. £85 (near $124) a night included a full English breakfast.

Located a block from Paddington Station, Norfolk Square is surrounded by homes built in the early 19th century. Originally, Norfolk Square was a private “garden” square. Today, over a dozen hotels with a range of price points are embedded in the homes encircling it.

A large collection of restaurants and cafés can be found on the streets surrounding the square. Cuisines from India, Lebanon, Italy, Greece and France are available along with popular pubs and fish-and-chip shops. Prices were reasonable, especially for London.

If your hotel doesn’t provide breakfast, there are several cafés offering a full English breakfast along with less massive fare. There are also a few convenience stores interspersed among the restaurants.

I was concerned that this concentration of businesses would result in a lot of street noise, but that didn’t turn out to be an issue. Likewise, safety was never a concern.

Transportation options may be Paddington’s strongest point. Paddington station is the terminus of both the Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect trains and also serves trains to southern and southwestern England. Paddington Tube station serves the Circle, District, Bakerloo and Hammersmith & City lines.

We saved a few pounds by taking the Tube, instead of a train, from Heathrow. It took less than an hour and involved a single connection (from the Piccadilly line to the District line). There are also stops for eight bus routes at Paddington station, along with a hop-on, hop-off bus stop. The Lancaster Gate Tube stop, only a 5- or 10-minute walk away, serves the Central line.

The only downside to the Paddington neighborhood may be the lack of nearby attractions. 

One morning, we took a relaxing stroll through Hyde Park, a 10-minute-walk away, and then onward past the popular Science Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

We also took advantage of a beautiful day to walk to the Sherlock Holmes Museum, which is two Tube stops away, as is Madame Tussauds waxworks museum.

For more distant destinations, we used our 7-day transit pass. If you’re sightseeing in London, a Tube ride is hardly avoidable, so I don’t see Paddington’s less-than-central location being much of a concern. 

Paddington is not London’s most upscale and charming neighborhood, but it’s perfectly acceptable and convenient and offers good value.

STEPHEN O. ADDISON, Jr.
Charlotte, NC