canadianfamily

Hi there. Does anyone have any experience or information in this area? We're staying in central London and the hotel is quoting us 30GBP rental per day for a crib. At 5 nights that would cost us more than $300 yikes!! I don't want to really lug our pack and play on the airplane as our hands will be full (car seat, luggage, 2 kids...). Thanks.

janisj

what hotel?? That seems extremely high for a cot. £10 a night is more like it.

jody

That does seem excessive!

You can buy a travel crib/cot at Mothercare for £40!

nona1

Yep, if that really is their charge buy one when you get here!

canadianfamily

Thank you everybody for your feedback. I really appreciate it as I am a first time traveller to the UK I wasn't sure if that was the norm or not.

The hotel that quoted us was the Rockwell in Piccadilly area. I'm not familiar with the department stores in this area - is there a mothercare nearby or any other place I can buy an inexpensive travel in this area?

flanneruk

Is there a hotel called Rockwell anything near Piccadilly?

The only one I can find is in Earl's Court. Before anyone invests time or energy suggesting where you might find a carry cot, could you tell us where you're really staying?

Carrybean

The Rockwell seems to be on the Piccadilly line which may be what caused the confusion.

janisj

I personally wouldn't stay in that area for the probable £175-£200 per night room rates (w/ or w/o a cot).
How much are you paying?

(I have stayed nearby - but only on priceline bids of around $75.)

jumper22

I'm living in Dublin (from the US) and we travel all over Ireland on weekends. You might consider checking the pack-n-play if you won't be moving around a lot. The travel cots hotels/b&bs provide are sometimes a bit sketchy IMO (and we stay at nice places) - and I'm so glad I've always brought our own along.

nona1

How old is the baby?

My mum has always recommended taking a drawer out of the chest of drawers, putting a blanket in the bottom, and using that!

canadianfamily

Hi flannrk - sorry but I'm not lying about hotel name just not familar with neighbourhoods of LondonMy bad. Must have been looking at what line it is accessible to.

It is indeed called The Rockwell and I found out about it NY Times review - they gave it a glowing review. Their website says they are in Kensington area http://www.therockwellhotellondon.co.uk

They are quoting me 180GBP + 30GBP for cot, per night for a room to accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (3y,2y).

janisj - you would not recommend area? I was trying to spend less than 200GBP a night and Rockwell met budget and we could all stay in the same rm. Most other hotels I tried (Sofitel, Covenent Garden) required us to book 2 rooms. I didn't want to take a chance with Priceline in regards to getting a room for 4 that would accommodate a crib. This is our first time travelling to Europe with the kids so we'd feel more comfortable picking a hotel vs being given one.

Sally30

In looking up some other baby stuff, I found this website www.babiestravellite.com

under the equipment rental they list two companies:
Kid Stuff Rentals
www.kidsstuffrentals.co.uk
44 (0) 20 8367 7332

Tots2Go
www.tots2go.com
44 (0)870 3331255

I quickly looked at the first and they rent a pack and play for 6GBP a night and a full crib for 7GBP and looks like they deliver to your hotel. Probably still cheaper to buy a pack and play but understand why you wouldn't want to bother with the hassle.

nona1

Does your two year old really need a cot? Can't you just pop both kids in the same bed?

WillTravel

Consider Hotwire, because that allows you to enter two adults and two children. There'd be no guarantee about the crib, but most hotels of a good quality will have one available, if for a fee. Take a look at betterbidding.com if you are interested in using Hotwire.

Otherwise, have you looked at Holiday Inn and Express by Holiday Inn hotels? These typically have favorable family rates and setups, although their non-Priceline rates are not what I'd consider cheap. But try Holiday Inn Mayfair, Holiday Inn Bloomsbury, and several others in central London. They'd be more central than the hotel you are considering and possibly at a cheaper price.

janisj

sorry about being late getting back about the area. Been out of town a few days. What I meant was - the hotel is in (or very near) Earls Court - which they call "Kensington". That is just too much to spend in Earls Court IMHO.

Have you checked the Premier Travel Inn at County Hall. A Much better location for less money and all are family rooms.