Heathrow to London Transfer?

Getting a tube train after an overnight flight from the US with three bags between two of you, will be more than okay. I did it alone after an overnight from Australia, with two bags.

I wouldn't bother with the Heathrow Express/Connect unless you are staying near the station ie. as in walking distance.

One problem with arriving earlier to your hotel, unless you have booked an extra night you won't get your room until the afternoon. Drop off luggage and start your sightseeing, although you feel tired and grotty.

Advantage/disadvantage of airport shuttle buses - they can take a long time, as you drop off other passengers along the way. It is a way of filling in time along with getting to see a bit more of the area you are staying in. Personally I find it boring and takes forever.

Years back, we booked a car from Addison Lee to take us from North London to the airport - from memory it cost around £50, guessing it would have gone up quite a lot since then. Thinking about it, the last time I stayed in Paddington got a taxi from there to Heathrow and it cost us closer to £60.

I was hoping for a few recommendations for car services based on recent experiences?
Still considering JustAirports, SimplyAirports, and ExclusiveAirports....
I least I think these are the ones...
When I do online search I'm finding many companies with very similar names...
I assume this is intentional to help hide the rotten apples...
Thanks

A quick follow up note:
I understand the comment about the car service price being minimal vs cost of flights. Really what I am more worried about is having a positive first impression on the trip. We are not experienced world travelers. We have done a lot of US travel as well as cruises but Europe is new to us. A bad first experience, be it a bad tube trip or bad car service ripoff, will get us off on the wrong foot. On the flip side, a positive first impression will be very encouraging!

OP If you want a pleasant experience then fork out for a London taxi - all ,repeat all, London taxi drivers are total professionals and have to wait about 3 years to get a license.

The minicab is the cheaper solution, but less professional. You are looking at lists of minicab operators, probably Asian immigrants.

Thanet Hotel is about 5 - 6 minutes walk from either Holborn or Russell Square tube stations. I would recommend getting off at Holborn; Russell Square only has two elevators in operation due to ongoing elevator maintenance work until mid-November and there's large crowds at most times of the day waiting for them since the only other exit is a very tight spiral staircase of 175 steps - not recommended even without luggage. London Transport even has notices at Russell Square suggesting that people use Holborn!

Hope you enjoy London - if you're planning to go to the British Museum do take advantage of the free eye-opener tours they offer. I spent 2 full days in the museum last month just taking all the freebie tours.

{quote:title=capecodbeachfront wrote:}{quote}
Europe is new to us

And still will be after this trip :)

Tip : best not to call England 'European' : this will wind up roughly half the population.

Normally, I'd say go for the Tube, it won't be much longer then a taxi - under an hour to Holborn, and is far cheaper, but it comes down to your ability to carry your baggage around : you'll know this better then we will.

Minicabs are a bit hit and miss : if you're after a positive first impression go for a Black Cab : they're always good. London's one of the very few cities I've flown into where you can get a taxi from the airport, and not be ripped off / dropped off in a random street because the driver doesn't know where he's going, but doesn't to admit it and lose a fare.

Sorry, but I beg to differ. We are most certainly part of Europe and if anything is true (esp here) we get more wound up if we are not included as being part of Europe.

Mainland Europe can be called just that or continental Europe.

Europe will not be new to the OP after visiting the UK - he will have seen and experienced an aspect of it.

It's around £85 in a black cab from Heathrow to Holborn. Note you need to pay in cash, rarely do they accept cards (which would trace their income to the tax man). The great news is you don't have to tip black cabbies.

Order your mini cab service for £40. London on an early Sunday morning is perfect, the city is so quiet. There should be no extra fees, of the price was agreed as £40 then that is all you should pay. No tolls, no baggage fees.

Heathrow express then a taxi from Paddingon to Holborn would be more expensive then a mini cab plus you may have to wait up to 15 minutes for the express service.

A 7 hour overnight flight is not really a big deal, especially if you have a stretegy to get some sleep on the flight (eyeshades, earplugs, jacket/something soft for head).

Unless you are infirm in some way, you could try the first bit by tube and the street part by taxi as an economical compromise.

My 'Europe' comment included the fact we will be visiting Paris via Eurostar after our 5 day stay in London. Failed to mention it in my original post. Thanks for the suggestions, including the update re: maintenance work at Russell Square.
The 'eye opener tours' at British Museum got my attention. By 'Eye opener' do you mean they are done first thing in the morning? Or just that they are an introduction to the B Museum? Not a term I had seen before. I figured we would spent a bit of time at B Museum over a number of days instead of devoting a 'whole' day to it. Thanks