We woke up at our normal time and I went to check on my dad. He got up when I knocked, but he was definitely feeling under the weather. Today was the day we were switching hotels so we’d have to check out and move so it wasn’t the ideal day to feel sick. I had arranged for a 2pm late checkout at our current hotel. I told my dad to rest up and feel better.

London Science Museum

After my wife had breakfast at the hotel with the kids and I grabbed something at the local convenience store we decided to head to the Science Museum for the morning. We decided to take the bus rather than the subway. The kids really enjoyed riding on the upper deck. It was such a unique view.

We got to the museum a few minutes before it opened and were one of the first to enter. The museum was larger than I expected with four expansive floors with lots of educational displays for all ages.

While the kids were exploring one of the craft-based areas, one of my cousins on my dad’s side reached out to us. Apparently he had seen some of the pictures my wife had posted on Facebook. We had just lasted in London for a work trip and offered to meet us for lunch near where we were.

In the meantime the kids continued exploring the museum. We bought tickets to one of the movie/simulators about the Red Arrows, which is the British version of the Blue Angels. The seats were on a platform that moved and tilted slightly in sync with he movie.

When then explored the “computer” section which I really enjoyed given my day job as a computer geek. They had replicas of some of the first mechanical calculators from hundreds of years ago. There were also examples of the first general purpose personal computers from the 70’s. There was also a section showing the progression of cell phones. The kids were fascinated that phones didn’t always look like iPhones!

It was about time for lunch so we make the 10 minute walk to meet my cousin for lunch. This lunch kept my dad’s streak alive. Whenever I travel with him we always meet up with someone he knows. He was sick in his hotel room, but it still counted! We had a great lunch. My cousin had lived in London for a year with his wife and young son so he had lots of great tips. We soon had to head back to the hotel to pack up and check out. The kids insisted we take the bus back. It was their new favorite way of getting around!

Checkout and Transfer

When we got back to the hotel I checked in with my dad. He was feeling a little better, but still weak. I helped him pack up just in time to check out at 2pm.

We all headed down to the front desk to settle up the bill. The rooms were both booked with points, but the breakfasts had been put on the room. While the hotel rooms themselves were fairly average, the hotel stay had worked out very nicely for us. The location was fantastic and the breakfast ended up working well for us. The other hotels in the area were all very expensive high end hotels. It was a very expensive part of town and we were fortunate enough to be able to stay there for such a reasonable about of money.

After settling the bill we walked outside and flagged down a cab from the taxi stand just outside the hotel. We were again able to fit all our our luggage and all five of us into one cab. It was a 20 minute ride to our next hotel, the London Marriott Park Lane.

London Marriott Park Lane

We would be spending 5 nights in the new hotel. It was a 5 star hotel in another excellent part of town and across the street from a tube stations, several bus lines, and the expansive Hyde Park. During our booking we were able to upgrade one of our rooms to a suite so we also had that to look forward to!

When we arrived the staff happily gathered our bags and guided us to the checkin desk. They quickly confirmed we had the rooms I had corresponded about over email. With our key cards in hand they brought us up to the room with our luggage.

We entered our room and were immediately overjoyed with our decision to upgrade to a suite. The hallway opened up into the living area which overlooked the street and the Marble Arch and Hyde Park across the street. There was ample seating and a sofa bed.

On the dining table there was a collection of snacks and a personalized card from Perpetua who had helped arrange things over email. It was a fantastic touch and we definitely enjoyed the snacks.

Back down the hall there was a half bathroom and closer to the entrance was the entrance to the bedroom. It contains a king bed and a master bathroom with a shower as well as a separate tub. The suite was large and would be very comfortable for our stay. It was beautiful!

My dad’s room was just across the hall and was a “standard” room with a king bed. It was larger than most rooms you would expect in this part of the city and was decorated at the same high level as the suite. My dad would be very comfortable in this room, though he was still under the weather. He was definitely on the mend though.

While my dad settled in I took the kids downstairs to check out the fitness center and the pool which was in the basement. We walked past the fitness area and through he spa to get to the indoor pool. It was larger than expected and had a patio area on both sides with lounge chairs to sit and watch the kids swim.

Dinner Time

Back in the room, my dad had finished unpacking and had joined us to enjoy the extra space. We decided it was time to get an early dinner since my dad hadn’t eaten all day. We first headed down to the hotel’s concierge lounge which we had access to because of our status but also because we had upgraded to the suite.

It was a new experience for my dad and he was overwhelmed that we could have whatever snacks we wanted. There were some appetizers that had just been put out, but we skipped those and decided to get a real dinner.

We split up because my youngest was determined to get Indian. My dad and I went with Tomatico to a nearby burger place. It was decorated as a California beach burger joint and it was pretty good. The decorations had a lot of nostalgia.

After we got back to the hotel my dad went back to his room for the night. When my wife got back we decided to go find dessert. We took a 10 minute walk to a nearby gelato place. It was better than most of the ones we had been to in the city and we’d likely return.

Once back in our room, we found the sofa bed had been made up and the our bed had been turned down by housekeeping. The kids found their places to sleep and we retired for the night. No more being kicked and woken up by the kids at night!