lanejohann

We are a daughter/mother combo looking for good cheap accommodation in London near a tube. I have stayed at the Country Inn and Suites down near Kensington and that was very pleasant but I do remember that we had to walk a fair way from Gloucester Rd station and Im not crazy bout doing that again but it is tempting because at least I know the rooms were good. Ive also stayed at the Picadilly Circus Hostel which was awful but very convenient for the tube...it was great to be able to stroll down and pick up the hop on hop off bus tours round town and so Im wanting updated advice...
we will be doing the usual things around london but do also want to get a few day trips out to stonehenge and bath and out to hever castle...also get down to portsmouth for a couple of days
basically we want to see all the historical sights we can...we will be also going to paris but ill start another thread for that one..
really appreciate any advice
looking to spend under 200 aud per night

jamikins

I always recommend premier inn http://www.premierinn.com/en/london-hotels.html

Their County hall is an excellent location but any close to the river in central London are great. You can see by the map where the tube stops are.

Don't be tempted to stay farther out by their cheap prices as it is just not worth it.

lanejohann

thank you jamikins..i agree..no use staying further out ..especially in winter when youre daylight-poor..no fun getting back and traipsing in the cold back to the hotel...
we do need a place with good reliable heating..we are two cold froggies!
ill check out your recommendation!

bendigo

We stayed in this great 2 br apartment in Clerkenwell in December - lovely and warm, and less than 100 metres to Farringdon station on the Circle line - about 2 stops from Kings Cross / St Pancras when you are ready to head to Paris, and a couple of stops to the Tower in the other direction.

Agent was terrific, so if this doesn't suit, it would be worth having a look at their other properties.

http://www.thelondonagent.com/Super-...ll-Home-2.html

janisj

What is you budget? Premier Inns are very good. Their rates vary considerably - County Hall can be quite expensive relative to some other PI properties . . . due to its excellent location/popularity.

Another chain to check is travelodge - again the rates very a lot depending on location/specific dates. The travelodge in Covent Garden is a terrific location.

texasbookworm

We have stayed in rooms through AtHomeinLondon, http://www.athomeinlondon.co.uk/ an agency handling bed and breakfast accomodations ("real" ones--one or two rooms in a private home, not a hotel room with a breakfast like some--this label has a broader meaning in the UK I think). We got a price break when we stayed over a week; neither had cooking privileges or laundry, so not like an apartment, but felt much roomier than a hotel for less than a lot of hotels I looked at and we ate in the room for dinner some nights and had refrig for snacks.

Some rooms will not be close to a tube or even close to the center, but some will. If you are interested in this type of accommodation, check out the website; there will be maps and directions for each room.

The agency was wonderful to work with.

lanejohann

thank you all for your contributions!
Ill check up the farringdon area bendigo...sounds good!

Janisj..i vaguely remember the covent gardens area..went to the markets there once and yes it was nice..will go to a travel agent today and pick up brochures and have a chat

our BUDGET is around the 200AUD mark..i checked booking com and the premier inn at tower hill was about 210aud a night..thats ok..i know london is expensive every which way you turn


texasbookworm...the idea of staying in a house is nice particularly since we will be by ourselves in england ( husband will be with us for the paris and ireland leg so then a lot of our needs will change)
For london we need to be close to a tube...i just was reminded about how wet and gloomy the weather is during winter
not the best time to go i know but many of the sights we want to see are of course indoors
thanks again everyone...

Rich

I used to stay at the Thistle at Marble Arch, which the company booked for us . . nice basic hotel in the middle of everything.

http://www.thistle.com/hotels/united...rch/index.html

janisj

Sorry - but a travel agent won't be of much help w / this.

All the properties have their own websites and few will have paper brochures in various and sundry TA offices . . .

jamikins

Absolutely no reason to use a TA for this at all. Everything you need you can find using google and this site.

Rubicund

There are a number of UK sites for hotels:

www.lastminute.com
www.laterooms.com
www.londontown.com

to name but three. You can search by price, location and standard. Late January should give you some bargains and if you can hold your nerve, book later rather than sooner for the best deals. However, if you see a deal that you like, go for it, as they disappear very quickly.

lanejohann

oh thanks everyone! Rich...i saw the thistle arch mentioned in one of the travel brochures..i think globus or some other company uses that for their tours..usually the accommodation is quite good when you go on a tour

janisj..yes i just found out that agents all have different suppliers so the premier inns and probably the travel lodges may not be available through all agents or booking.com etc

jamikins..we usually dont book accommodation through TAs however this time im feeling a tad more nervous so i feel like i need to get as much info from lots of different sources as possible
this site has been invaluable for every trip weve gone on...im indebted to so many generous informed folk..really have made our trips memorable! i think i just need to get my confidence up...have been so spoilt when going with my husband ...

rubicund..thanks for those links...it would be great to get a bargain!

lanejohann

OK..back on the track with London -flights are secured with singapore airlines hooray so now i can concentrate on booking the accommodation

any opinions re the PADDINGTON area?

need to have something to do at night...maybe a nice pub meal.. a walk ...( who am i kidding ? in that cold?)
a bit of a window shop indoors?
Which areas are good for that afterdark activity?

we will see if we can score some cheap tickets to a show but wont be devastated if we dont but itd be nice to have something to do at night sometimes..

lanejohann

hmm...
covent garden vs paddington
the agent today suggested the indigo hotel in paddington 262 pernight aud
a bit over our budget but doable
it has good reviews and is close to the tube

but perhaps in my naiivety im drawn to the covent garden area- it just seems like theres more action round there
( i did mention that i stayed in picadilly circus last time and it was pretty vibrant- straight into the action down there)
premier inns county hall seems to be available for 232 a night
is the travelodge in county hall better?
any opinions? thanks

Tulips

Think in pounds instead of AUD - I have no idea how much 200 AUD is.

Paddington is generally cheaper than other central areas, but parts of it are a bit run down and not very nice. There are some major rail works going on near Paddington Station. I would not want to stay too close. I see that the Indigo Hotel is in a side street, close to Praed Street. Look up a streetview of Praed Street, and see what it looks like.

I would much rather stay in Covent Garden.

Tulips

If you want to go for a walk at night, go to theatre or a pub - definitely Covent Garden as opposed to Paddington! County Hall would be preferable too.

jamikins

No contest - covent garden! Paddington is a bit too far out to walk alot if places and doesn't have the fun vibe of covent garden. It's convenient for the heathrow express train and that's about it. (Another reason not to use a travel agent if that us where they are recommending)

If you search here you will get tonnes of good threads on budget hotels in London - cross check them on trip advisor and book them yourself.

Www.londontown.com is good for hotels in London as well

lanejohann

thank you for your prompt responses!
im now seriously looking at leicester sq premier inn vs the county hall ...leicester sq is more expensive but i think it might be more central to the hop on hop off bus and the possibility of picking cheap tickets last minute in leicester sq

ill give paddington a miss then..thanks

and sorry bout the AUD!well..im not THAT sorry..theyre getting me to london afterall! lol

lanejohann

i have decided on premier inns leicester square

at 260AUD per night and a total of 1059GBP for seven nights it's a lot more than i was hoping for but Im grateful that I was steered to a more central location
Im happy that it does in fact have WIFI in the rooms
( on one of the sites it stated that it was available in public areas only but I checked with the hotel itself)

thanks again everyone who added their thoughts and helped me make a decision

Tulips

You don't need to be near the HOHO bus - you can walk to many sites from Leicester Square, and for others just take a regular bus or tube - much cheaper.

Right on Leicester Square is the half price ticket booth for theatre tickets - they sell tickets that are still available on the day of the performance.