We visited London for a football game in September 2017. The Baltimore Ravens was playing and a lot of fans wanted to attend the game. We booked a nonstop flight from Dulles airport (IAD) to London Heathrow airport on British Airways. The plane was equipped with bassinets for small children which was convenient for us traveling with a small child. Upon arrival, we made arrangements to be picked up from the airport with private transportation using Alpha Airport Cars https://alphaairportcars.com. The driver was in the airport holding up a sign with our last name and we were set to go!

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza London Battersea, located near the perfect view of a river. This hotel reminded me of a boutique-style hotel. It was small and cozy. Breakfast was included in our stay. There was a breakfast buffet and another restaurant on-site. The food was delicious. There is also a spa on-site. We had a suite on the upper level. The elevators were tiny and stuffy. The hallways were extremely warm. The room temperature was fine. Our suite was nice and spacious. We even had a balcony that overlooked the river. The suite had a separate living room and small dining space, a nice king bed with a bathroom inside of the bedroom. The bathroom was an average size. One thing I did not like about the bathroom was the water would get extremely hot so you really had to use the water with caution. This hotel is also not really that kid-friendly—no pool for the kids. It was more adult style but luckily that didn’t stop us from finding other things to do outside of the hotel.

The hotel didn’t have any attractions that we wanted to see within walking distance, besides watching helicopters land, so Uber or the Big Bus was how we got around. Most people get around town on the “tube” but we opted not to do travel that way. There is a small zoo about a 10-minute drive away from the hotel. This is the link for the zoo https://www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk We went there for the day of the football game while the rest of our group went to the game.

On the other days, we explored more of London and visited Big Ben, the London Eye, and saw the outside of Buckingham Palace. It was so easy to use the Big Bus. Perfect for tourists! We had our Doona car seat/stroller combo which made it convenient to get around with our son https://www.shopdoona.com If you travel a lot, this is perfect for kids under 15 months. You have everything in one and there is nothing to detach. So convenient!

Overall, this was a great trip! It was our first journey to London and we saw everything we sought out to see and more! I would recommend staying in the hotels near the main attractions that way you are right there in the mix. If you are visiting for relaxation only, then I would recommend the Crowne Plaza. One of the most memorable moments of this trip was our son being featured on the Fox Baltimore news channel for his Baltimore Ravens gear in London. What a great experience!