We just got back from a week in London! We originally planned to go over Christmas, but the family objected and we decided to take time off at Thanksgiving instead. this actually worked out better since they close most attractions for 3 days at Christmas, they already had their Xmas light displays up, and we could do a lot of Xmas shopping while we were there!
We stayed at Le Meridien Piccadilly, which turned out to be a wonderfully located hotel. It's about a block from the Piccadilly Circus Underground station and the Piccadilly line runs right out to Heathrow. It saved us a lot of time and money to just use public transportation. We ended up purchasing an Oyster Card which was loaded with an 7 day pass for Zones 1-6. We literally went everywhere on the Underground. The pass was a total of 55 pounds and includes a 5 Pound refundable charge if you turn your Oyster Cards in before leaving. One thing of note is that people with American charge cards must purchase them at a ticket window and not a kiosk. Most American credit cards do not have Chip and Pin functionality, which the kiosk requires. The hotel itself was very nice inside- a good blend of modern and tranditional European styles. We were on the top floor (9th) in a junior suite, which was an upgrade since I'm SPG Platinum. This type of room comes with Club access, which was fantastic! Complimentary beverages all day (water, coffee, soda), continental breakfast, afternoon tea snacks, and light appetizers for dinner. Saved us a ton of money!
For activities, we did the following:
National Portrait Gallery (free, donation suggested)
Westminster Abbey ($50USD for two)
British Museum (free, donation suggested)
Tower of London ($53USD for two)
Natural History Museum (free, donation suggested)
Imperial War Museum (free, donation suggested)
Shopping- Harrod's, Oxford, Regent, Bond (the last 3 are within walking distance of the hotel)
Afternoon Tea at the Savoy (approx $130USD for two)
The shopping was insane. People everywhere! LOL We got a lot of great gifts for our family, though.
London is great (though not a typical relaxing vacation), but I would highly recommend considering other European cities if you are on a budget. The exchange rate for the Euro is bad, but the Pound Sterling is even worse! Be prepared to spend a lot of money when traveling to the UK. Since my fiance had been a few times, we went in with the right mindset and we were still stunned at times!
Let me know if you have any questions!