dgassa

I've been looking for B&B's in London, (not a hotel with breakfast) and I know that to keep within my budget it will not be in the center of the city. That is OK and I don't mind 30 to 40 minutes of travel time by tube or bus. What I don't know is what different neighborhoods are like in London. Here's two B&B's that I like, but it would be helpful if I knew more about the area they are in. One is in East Putney and the other is in Fulham. Would like any input, good, bad, or just OK.

http://www.thebedandbreakfastclub.co...2-london-sw15/

http://www.thebedandbreakfastclub.co...am-london-sw6/

janisj

I don't think you mentioned on your other thread if you have been to London before? If not, IMO staying 30 or 40 minutes out oif the center is a false economy. Plus - on the other thread you mentioned your budget is nearly £90 a night which is doable in the center.

Having said that - re the first property, East Putney station in in the Wandsworth area and on the District line. Doable - not great.

The second one is near Fulham Broadway and would be a much better location IMO. That one is actually pretty central. Not as close in as I personally would like, but certainly better than Clapham

BigRuss

<<I don't mind 30 to 40 minutes of travel time by tube or bus.>>

Neither location should take quite that long by Tube other than getting to the City and the Tower. Don't try to get to central London from either place by bus - will take 45+ minutes to the West End on a good day. Both are on the District Line spur that goes to Wimbledon. The E. Putney location advertised 90 quid per night as a start price - you may be able to get closer to central London for that (see Bloomsbury, Fitzrovia, Marylebone). On the site you referenced are two properties that are in the same price range and have better locations: Kennington and the 94 quid Chelsea place.

Don't latch onto just one site to check for properties. There are tons of places to look. Years ago my brother found a place on a teacher's budget thisclose to the V&A Museum, which is a far better location than either of your links.

BigRuss

Ok, I just read your other thread. You need to reconfigure your expectations in two ways.

(1) London is the largest city in Western Europe and the runner-up isn't close - it's a New York/LA type difference in population (London 7.7M, Berlin 3.8M). That said,

(2) you're being influenced by some rot you've heard over the years about how expensive London is. London is a budget traveler's dream because many of the major museums charge NO admission and there are tons of ways to eat and live inexpensively and do so close to many of the attractions so that you're not staying on a farm near a peat bog.

First, there are B&Bs in Zone 1 that will fit your 90-95 quid per night budget (do NOT get so stuck on a B&B v. a B&B Hotel that you end up out in the sticks instead of centrally located - your lodging is a bed, bathroom and repository for your stuff and NOT the point of your trip unless you're a rich potentate or a bit daft). Ultimately, thinking that a 90 quid budget means you have to stay in the 'burbs is just wrong. And thinking that a 30+ minute commute to the sites is worth the tradeoff for B&B instead of B&B hotel (see thursdaysd post on your other thread) means that your focus is a bit off. Note also that in the UK there are B&Bs (1-5 rooms available for rent) and guest houses (6-10 rooms) and both are the US equivalent of B&Bs. Look in the latter category too because by limiting yourself to only the term "B&B" you're cutting out other options that could be far better.

Second, there are plenty of inexpensive places to eat or for take away (pick a restaurant along Charing X Road's panoply of Asian cuisine, then there's EAT, Pret-a-Manger, M&S Simply Food, various pubs . . .).

Third, there's the daysoutguide.co.uk discounts that you need to print off the vouchers for and use with a seven-day PAPER travelcard that you procure at a NATIONAL RAIL station (Victoria, Paddington, etc.). Cabinet War Rooms plus Tower discounts from the daysoutguide.co.uk 2for1 offers means you save 30 quid, which could be the difference between a shared toilet and ensuite room for your 5-6 night stay.

PalenQ

I always stay in a B&B in Eltham, a 25-minute train ride from Charing Cross station, right in the heart of everything - folks inside London could commute the same time or longer to get to Charing Cross - and I pay 25 pounds a night including unlimited breakfast - i prefer staying in a real neighborhood with a nice old lady running the clean safe place.

In any case the savings are immense for me, a single traveler - if I were with someone else I could probably get a TravelLodge for two nearly as cheap. And check out TravelLodge hotels in London - they can have some dandy book early specials - one Brit said she got a 19 pound room at the Covent Garden TravelLodge! (http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/book/london-hotels) - now those 19 or 29 pound rooms are hard to get so don't expect that but it is possible - in any case TravelLodges are modern hotels with several in the heart of London.

tarquin

There are many small hotels in London but not that many B&Bs - I am not sure what you think the difference is, but it's generally just a matter of size. First time visitors need to be central, and Bloomsbury is a convenient budget area with lots of eating options nearby.

janisj

>>Brit said she got a 19 pound room at the Covent Garden TravelLodge! << . . . On a special promotion two years ago.

The Covent Garden Travelodge can regularly be booked for around £40-65 but is very date sensitive and can also cost £100+. Occasionally can be found for £29 for one night but the next night is either sold out or £90+

But by no definition could it be called a B&B which is what the OP seems to want. They are just basic places to sleep.

PQ -you frequently mention that Eltham B&B - when was the last time you stayed there? My hunch is it costs more than £25 today.

PalenQ

janisj- tw0 years ago and I paid then 21.50 pounds so I inflated it a bit.

PatrickLondon

I used to live in Putney. It's a very good residential area for somewhere to live, but £90 a night for a B&B there strikes me as over-inflated expectations. As a resident I'm no expert on hotels, but surely you can do as well or better somewhere central like Bloomsbury? I'm not quite sure what you expect by the term "B&B", as referred to above, but to us they're nothing special - a cheaper alternative to a hotel. I wouldn't expect to be welcomed into the family, for example, nor would I expect any great luxury, just clean and comfortable.

dgassa

Thanking everyone for your responses. As to my choice of a B&B vs Hotel. We have stayed in B&B's in many parts of mainland Europe and like the feel of being in someone's home. I know I might find something less expensive in a budget hotel with breakfast, but it's impersonal and my experence in my price range, the rooms are tiny. I'm still looking so no decision has been made yet. I will be looking at Bloomsbury as well as other areas in Central London.

When I do a Google search for B&B's in an area, most of the responses are for hotels. Any links that will narrow down my search would be appreciated.

julia_t

This isn't directly relevant to the OP, but I am currently trying to find a B&B in Greenwich during the first week in March, and finding it quite hard to find somewhere that isn't either already booked, isn't exorbitantly expensive, and is in a reasonably convenient location. I do want to be centrally located in Greenwich rather than a bus/tube ride away in Blackheath etc.

The local Travelodge has rooms at £62 per night (and I am the Brit who got the Covent Garden Travelodge for £29, but as janis points out, that was over 2 years ago), and all the other hotels are way more (and over my puny budget).

However I started looking on airbnb last night, and am amazed at the apparently lovely places on offer in peoples' homes for relatively little money. Most seem to offer breakfast as well. These days many of the advertised rooms have several reviews.

So I might suggest to the OP that searching on airbnb.com might be of interest.

walkabout

Here's a B&B that has been recommended on a couple of other travel sites I frequent. I have never stayed there, so can't personally recommend. It's very close to a tube stop, and about a 30-minute ride into central London. A double is 55 GBP/night:
Tara's B&B: http://www.taraslondonbandb.com/
TA reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_England.html

BigRuss

<<When I do a Google search for B&B's in an area, most of the responses are for hotels. >>

As I said before, try searching for "guest house."

If you're thinking you'll have anything other than a small room at your price range in a B&B/GH in London area, you're mistaken.

And location is more important than anything else when staying in a city the size of London. Wouldn't stay in the northwest suburbs (Harrow) or the southeast ones (Eltham), I'd stay in LONDON. Your budget is not completely unreasonable.

Of course, you can also get a home, not hotel, feel from staying in a rental apartment and 90 quid per is not unreasonable for a 45-55 sq meter place in central London that will be far larger than the room at any of your B&B options.

janisj

"<i>As to my choice of a B&B vs Hotel. We have stayed in B&B's in many parts of mainland Europe and like the feel of being in someone's home.</i>"

And that is possible all over the UK too. I almost always stay in B&B anywhere I go where renting a cottage isn't an option. But IN London, true B&Bs are pretty rare. There are some of course - but they tend to be either posh and expensive, or quite down market. A few exception do exist. And most are in flats - not stand-alone houses. But London just isn't a big B&B destination.

Your image of a 'home stay' will be wide of the mark in most any London area B&B.

tarquin

Too bad that my B&B is in Lincolnshire, it sounds exactly like what you are looking for!

MmePerdu

Dgassa, I've used an agency in London, At Home in London, that may have what you're looking for. Prices vary but all I've seen are very nice. Generally 1 room in each home. Have a look.

http://www.athomeinlondon.co.uk/

MmePerdu

Now I see from your other topic on the subject that you already have that website. Good.

mes2525

Try looking for the less expensive hotels in Bloomsbury on Booking.com, Venere.com, etc. Bloomsbury is close to Euston, St. Pancras and is served by several tube lines and many buses so its easy to travel all over London. I wouldn't stay in Putney or an outside point because you would be traveling an hour back and forth between your b&b.

Saraho

bookmarking

PalenQ

But London just isn't a big B&B destination.>

no central London ain't but London itself in its outer preceints has many many B&Bs - like the one I always stay at in Eltham - in an old lady's house - there are many of these so if you want the real British B&B feeling and warmth just a 20-minute train ride away or so you'll find it and yes prices can be as low as 25-30 pounds per night (but per person so for two you may find a cheaper hotel right in the center of London at not much more but without the gargantuan breakfast B&Bs serve up.

So it is not correct IME to say that you will not find traditional B&Bs right inside London itself. And these are not bed-sits either (places that are like half-way houses, etc.) but real authentic British B&Bs - they may not show up on the usual B&B search engines but they do exist - contact the local Tourist Information Centre web site for details - like mine is in the London borough of Greenwich and I found out about it thru the TIC web site.