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HEATHROW EXPRESS
The best way to get to central London (Paddington Station) from the airport is via Heathrow Express. It takes only 15 minutes and the trains depart every 15 minutes so there's no need to rush. A one-way ticket cost £16.50 (it's £3 more on the train) and can book in advance at HeathrowExpress.com or at the station. All you need to do is give the conductor your confirmation number.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Without a doubt, the best way to get around London is on the tube and bus (besides walking, of course). To save money on your fare, get an Oyster Card like the locals (it has a £3 refundable deposit). It'll transform s £4-ride into a £1.60-ride (although it could be more for those traveling longer distances). If you plan on using public transportation multiple times each day, get a London Travelcard, which is valid for one, three or seven days and gives access to unlimited travel on the underground trains, buses or regular trains within London.



TUBE TO HOTEL
From Paddington, Natalie and I took the tube to our hotel. However, I made a big mistake by not looking on our hotel's website, or calling to find out the closest tube station. Instead, I asked the information guy at Paddington Station, who barely spoke English. He told us to get off at the wrong station so we had to back track, which we did by walking a good half a mile with our cumbersome luggage, through the crowded streets of London. It was actually kind of fun but next time, we'll get off at Green Park (three blocks from the hotel) or take the bus, which stops 50 yards away.

ATHENAEUM HOTEL
The Athenaeum Hotel is not only perfectly located in the swanky Mayfair district but it's a haven. It's opposite the Royal Parks and Buckingham Palace and down the road are a ton of museums, galleries, the chicest shops and West End theatres.

CHECKING-IN
The door man immediately grabbed all of our bags when we finally rolled up huffing and puffing and sweating profusely from the unexpected walk. We went through the small homey lobby to the front desk, which was manned by beautiful clerks. They offered us fresh squeezed lemonade and oversized Gummi bears that were rolled in powder so they aren't as chewy.

ATHENAEUM HISTORY
The Athenaeum has a long history but the Cliff's Notes version is that it was built in the Victorian era during 1849-50 and was noted by Charles Dickens for its extravagant interior. The ‘Athenaeum' name was first used 15 years later (1864) when the house was bought by the Junior Athenaeum Club as the ideal spot for entertaining MPs, Lords and the great and good of London. Since the 1990s, The Athenaeum has been family-run and the key to its success is its Englishness: discreet, personal, friendly, interesting, lavish, quirky, down-to-earth and just plain brilliant. For the full history, click here.

STARS THAT HAVE STAYED HERE
With that description, no wonder so many of Hollywood's biggest stars have stayed here, at the Athenaeum apartments next door. Just to name a few: Harrison Ford, Marlon Brando and Michael Douglas. Steven Spielberg even installed an edit suite in the apartment adjacent to his own and edited ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Indiana Jones there.

THE ROOMS
We weren't in one of those private apartments but rather in one of their 156 rooms. Room 603 had a floor-to-ceiling window that was pretty much sound proof, with an amazing view of Green Park. The room was really charming with a comfortable bed, lots of cool artwork (including one that changed into four paintings – the four seasons in the park across the street – depending on how you looked at it), a huge plasma screen TV (they range from 32 to 42 inches), a Bose docking station for your iPod or MP3 player and a universal controller by the bed for lights, A/C ... There were lots of small touches that made our stay special, too many to tell you about but one that made a real impression is that the door had a soft sounding alarm to let you know it hasn't been completely shut. Nice.

FREE STUFF
The best part about The Athenaeum, besides the incredible service, is that they don't nickel and dime customers. Not only are the gym, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room free but so are Wi-Fi and the mini bar! That means you can finally enjoy those drinks and snacks! And, it's replenished daily.

THE NEGATIVE
The only thing I found wrong with this place is that the water in the shower gets really hot for a second if someone flushes the toilet in a neighboring room (it happened twice) and breakfast is crazy expensive (£54 for two). I loved the buffet, especially the dried cranberries, blueberries and fresh honeycomb ... but my baked eggs Benedict and pancakes were cute but a little weird. The Athenaeum, 116 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 7BJ, Tel: 011-44-207-499-3464.

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