Heathrow-to-London options

By R.V. Nagesh
This item appears on page 14 of the March 2019 issue.

Getting into central London from Heathrow Airport with bags is usually an expensive and tedious process. Having stayed at a hotel in London's Marble Arch area, Jan. 8-15, 2019, I wanted to share my experience.

• Online, I looked at the Paddington Heathrow Express train from Heathrow's Terminal 5 to Paddington Station. It costs at least £20 (near $26) per person and would involve going on the Underground (with your bags), then taking a taxi from Paddington to your hotel.

• My son took a taxi from Heathrow all the way to our hotel for £80.

• The transfer service that I used was Abetta Cars (www.abettacars.com), based in north London, with the cost based on the number of people and the number of checked-bag-size bags.

On the way into town, with two people and two large bags, we paid £40 plus £7 for the driver to park his car while waiting for us with a name board. We were dropped off at The Marble Arch hotel.

On the way back to Heathrow, three of us with a total of three bags paid £47.

R.V. NAGESH

Jackson, MI