Prior to this year we had visited 3 of the 4 tennis Grand slam events; missing from the list was Wimbledon. We’ve been trying to get tickets for a while, entering the Public Ballot 7 of the past 10 years. While we still haven’t won the lottery, this year we were allowed to access the “Ballot Returns Shop” and after several weeks of attempts Leandra was successful in obtaining tickets for the first Friday of the tournament!
With tickets in hand we had to figure out how to get to London near the height of the summer season (which we typically try to avoid). Travel the weekend before was quite reasonable with our points, with return flights midway through the following week. So, we ended up booking a one-way from Raleigh to London, then London to NYC to spend the rest of the month on Long Island.
Eight days in London would be pretty expensive, so we decided to spend the first half of our trip in Bristol, a city on the west UK coast. There were several reasons Bristol fit our needs: we hadn’t visited previously, it is known for street art, and we could catch a bus direct from Heathrow (T3) to Bristol.
To get back to London we took a GWR train into Paddington station, comfortable enough with assigned seats.
Bristol Flat airbnb
Our apartment was ready an hour early, yay! The check-in key codes worked fine and we found the flat with no issues. We loved the location, centrally located with lots of restaurant and bar options nearby. The kitchen was well equipped with a really nice coffee maker, dishwasher, half-size fridge and washer/dryer combo.
Air conditioning was only in the bedroom but it was on full blast when we arrived, so the ambient temp was fine on a fairly warm day (by UK standards at least). We eventually increased the temperature for sleeping as it was chilly in the bedroom. The bed was quite comfortable and we slept well here. In the bathroom, the shower was good, and the towels were huge.
The internet was pretty weak on the side of the apartment away from the router, due in part to the long layout and thick walls, and also to the tiny router lacking a broadcast antenna.
Hotel Indigo, Earl’s Court, London
Check in was slow and disorganized but the lady was nice enough. Our fridge was not cold when we got into the room but the front desk guy told us the proper setting, and it did cool off some eventually. Our room was small but had enough space for our bags. The ambient temperature was quite cool, and it was fairly quiet, so it was great for sleeping!
In the bathroom, the rain head shower pressure was poor but the handheld was okay. The amenities smelled like lemongrass.
Unfortunately, the hotel charged us incorrectly after our stay AND never responded to an email inquiry. We eventually had to call internationally and wait several days for the refund.
Holiday Inn Express Heathrow
Located adjacent to Terminal 4, this was a good option for us with an early morning flight, and a good use for one of our free IHG nights. We checked in after midnight and the first room was way too warm, so we went back to the front desk and got switched to a cooler room. Very basic but the bed was comfortable enough for the five hours of sleep we got. The shower pressure was not great and the soaps were weird, parsley stem body wash, really?! On the plus side, the extensive breakfast buffet started at 5am, so we were able to get some food into our system before walking to the airport.