To ask you to solve my travel dilemma?

[catgirl1976]

In July, DH, myself and DS who will be 20 months old are going to my uncles 70th in Basildon. We are in the North West so this is a long journey.

DS will be fine travelling, but I don't want to do it in one day as it will be too long for him and he naps between 10ish and 1ish so it will be difficult around that, plus then he goes down for the night about 7:30, so to then put him on a train doesn't appeal. I know it's doable but it sounds stressy.

The plan is to go down on the night before (Fri) and stay in a hotel. Then either travel back on the evening of the party (Sat) and hope he sleeps in his pram on the train, or money permitting, stay another night and travel back the Sunday.

We could stay in London and make a little weekend of it or stay near or in Basildon, but as we are going on the train can't take too much stuff or go too far from the main stations.

The issue is, if we stay in a hotel, DS will go to sleep at 7:30 and we will have to sit in absolute silence. No speaking, no TV, no shagging, nothing. He is the lightest sleeper known to man and if we breathe heavily he will wake up

So, I thought maybe a 1 bed apartment in London - he could have the bedroom and we could have the sofa bed in the lounge, but they are really expensive. Or maybe a hotel with a suite so we could do similar - but again vair expensive. Or interconnecting rooms in a hotel somewhere (but I can't find any)

Does anyone have any bright ideas or recommendations of which option and any hotels / apartments etc they have used?

Thank you! :)

Not sure about hotels etc, but just wanted to warn you that Basildon is about a 40 minute train journey from Fenchurch Street station (Tower Hill). Just wanted to let you know in case it makes London too far for you.

Thanks Wibbly

40 mins should be ok if we time it right around DS, but it's why I was thinking 2 nights and then taking him to the Science Museum etc and making a little break out of it but it is working out so expensive :(

B &B with a baby monitor - you can leave him in the room and go downstairs to the sitting room

Does it have to be the train? Could you hire a car?

Looked at hiring a car, but that again is very expensive with that cost plus petrol and DS is a nightmare in cars atm :(

Think I could entertain him better on a train

The monitor idea is a good one!

The c2c which is the Basildon to Fenchurch Street line also stops running quite early and if its a weekend there can be engineering works which divert it to Stratford meaning earlier stopping times and less frequent trains.

I'd look at staying in Essex first night, then London the second.

Thanks Tig

Or you could stay in somewhere in the middle like Brentwood.

People, my Sis included, do daily commutes to central London from there everyday. You could easily get into London (about 30 minutes, maybe just under an hour to South Ken for museums) and not too far from Basildon at all.

Is there not a family member who can help out/is travelling down, and could do some babysitting for one night while you go into town?

No one else is staying over (well, no one I could ask IYSWIM)

I will look at Brentwood

I can't give much advice because, I don't really new accommodation when I'm in that area, same as London, because I live there.

I do know that lots of DHs family who come from abroad always stay with family because the hotels etc are so expensive. Thats without the added issue of trying to get to and from the middle of Essex.

Also a friend of mine did use an apartment service to have a new years eve dinner party type thing. Made no mess, cleaned up perfectly after and as well as charging a bomb in the first place, added lots of additional costs.

I would only use a recommendation for that type of thing. Maybe start a thread asking for that specific information or cheap hotels in London ideally to the East.

I ask for apartment recommendations on the travel forum

Don't like the idea of loads of hidden costs :(

I would just post in chat.

Are you up for a house swap for the weekend? We recently did a swap between us and a family in London and was the cheapest we have ever stayed in the city and we all had a great time - as did the family who came to our home.

That could work

I'd have to clean up though

If it were me I'd be looking more at car hire than train and staying. I reckon you'd get a better deal and be happier all round. 20 months old being entertained on a train sounds like a recipe for disaster. At least in a car he's strapped in and at that age he'd sleep.

If you really want to stay then Central London travelling back late after the party with a young child also seems like a recipe for disaster. Staying in Basildon would make more sense surely?

Put him in the bathroom to sleep? Ive never done it but see it recommended on here all the time. Or just take books/kindle and enjoy the early night?

Hire a campervan for weekend? (Combining travel & hotel fee)