Lauratg

Hello,

My family and I (husband, me, and kids 18, 16, 9, 12)) are taking a trip to London at the end of March/early April. I've begun searching for London apartments. Does anybody recommend a particular area (keeping price in mind). I have found an apartment on vrbo that looks good, but its located in Albert Embankment. The owner's email indicates that the apartment is only a few minutes walk from attractions and of course, the reviews on vrbo look great (self selected by the owner of course!).

Has anybody stayed at Albert Embankment? If so would you recommend?

Does anybody have other suggestions. We don't mind walking and we like public transportation, but we don't want to spend our entire vacation commuting!

Thanks,

LauraG

Cholmondley_Warner

Albert Embankment is quite long. Can you be a bit more specific?

zeppole

Also, it would help if you said how you imagine your family will be spending their days and evenings.

janisj

w/o knowing the actual address/post code (which you may not know w/o contacting the owner) my guess is the flat is near the Vauxhall bridge end of teh Albert embankment.

Not a terrible area - good views and right on the river. But not that convenient to much. The only tube line would be the Victoria and you'd have to change lines to get just about anywhere.

You'd be walking distance across the river from Tate Britain, and walking distance but a hike from the Eye, Big Ben, etc.

What is your budget for a 2 or 3 bdrm flat?

flanneruk

Precise location - and which way the windows face - is vital here.

The Albert Embankment is just off the world's greatest urban walk, and most of it's only a few minutes from the Houses of Parliament. Some flats have seriously stunning views (in a city where property developers describe a view of any jerrybuilt Legoland junk near the nastiest bits of the river as "stunning", some views from top-floor Albert Embankment flats are close to unbelievable). If you're one of the handful of MPs with more than a few farthings in the bank, this is a really, really desirable place for your London base.

But behind it is a rather nasty area of seedy pubs (some specialising in strippers, others in drag queens) - quite safe, but hideous to look at (the area: the drag queens are quite stylish) - and the wrong bit is a long and dreary walk to the nearest tube station. Buses are pretty good though.

Lauratg

Wow-- You guys are fantastic! The postal code (I think) is SE1 7HG -- if that is a postal code. I do not know which way the windows face, but the owner says the closest tube stop is Vauxhall on the Victoria line.

We are interested in the typical sights-- Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Changing of the Guard, etc (I am open to suggestions -- non of us has ever been to London) Since we are bringing the kids and hoping to get an apartment instead of a hotel, dining out is probably not a huge consideration, although an area with a bakeries or inexpensive sandwich shops would be wonderful. I really haven't thought much about what we'll do in the evenings-- with a nine year old we'll probably start our days early and retire early as well. I do want to visit the London Eye one evening.

All together we will have eight full days and the morning arrival day in London, so we think we will be able to see quite a bit. I am also hoping to take the chunnel train for a day trip to Brussels unless that idea is totally dismissed on this board (or by my husband). Mostly I want to go through the chunnel -- not a huge desire to see Brussels in only one day!

Thanks so much for your replies.

LauraG

janisj

that address is near the corner of Black Prince and Albert Embankment. That is closer to the Lambeth Bridge than to Vauxhall Br. So actually a bit closer walk to the Eye/Big Ben but still not too far from Vauxhall tube station.

What is your budget? If you can find something w/i your budget in a slightly more convenient location it might be better - but the Albert Embankment would definitely be OK.

As for your day trip through the Channel Tunnel to Brussels - a day trip to Brussels (or Paris) is certainly doable. But don't set your expectations too high about going through the tunnel. You do not see any water - the tracks go underground and surface again quite a ways inland. The experience inside the Channel Tunnel is really just like going through any long tunnel. A brilliant way to travel to France/Belgium - but not a scenic trip.

Lauratg

Thank you JanisJ,

My budget needs to stay less than $3000 and preferably $2500 for the nine days. Right now, the pound is weakening against the dollar, but my budget is probably no more than 2000 pounds.

You mention that I should try a more convenient location, any suggestions?

LauraG

PatrickLondon

This looks as though it's in one of the big new developments nearer Lambeth Palace (the Archbishop's palace) - plenty of fancy frocks there, but definitely not as close to the raffish drag-queeny end of Vauxhall as flanner feared (you'd have to know which pubs to go into for that sort thing anyway). It's an OK location, and there are a few interesting pubs and restaurants in the area, but it is quiet, and it's not quite as central as all that. You'd be likely to use buses as much as the tube there:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaro...idge-12341.pdf

janisj

There are tons of good/central neighborhoods.

On a map - the Albert Embankment may look in the center of things, but being south of the river it simply isn't as convenient to some places. You can get anywhere of course - but it would just take a bit more tube/bus time and transfers.

The two main tube lines serving the most tourist sites would be the Piccadilly line and the Circle/District lines. Any neighborhood along those two, north of the river, corridors would be more convenient than south of the river near Vauxhall tube. Some of these areas would include South Kensington, Knightsbridge/Green Park, Sloane Square, Victoria, Covent Garden, and Holborn/Russell Square.

Knightsbridge/Mayfair is very central but also tends to very pricey. Sloane Square is posh but also has some moderately priced flats. But really, any location in any of these areas would be more convenient than the Albert Embankment.

South Kens and Knightsbridge are walking distance to the V&A/Science/Natural History museums, Harrods, Albert Hall and the parks.

Covent Garden is in the center of everything and walkable to TONS of stuff.

Russell Sq/Holborn are close to the British Museum, British Library, Oxford Street and not far from Covent Garden.

PalenQ

As for your day trip through the Channel Tunnel

Ahem.... janis.... that should of course be The Chunnel as Americans like you and I are apt to call it.

janisj

Oh - I omitted Victoria/Pimlico - this is also a very convenient area for transport and near Buckingham Palace. There are lots of inexpensive (or relatively inexpensive) properties in Victoria.

janisj

PQ - perhaps you want to add something helpful . . . .

(if you notice, I neither called it the Chunnel, nor chastised Lauratg for doing so. So your point was what exactly???)

Lauratg: ignore him - PQ is a well known glue/paint sniffer &gt

Lauratg

Thank you so much Janisj. I will definitely check out the other areas you mention as well.

Just out of curiosity-- what is wrong with the term Chunnel? Is this a swear word in London or something? FWIW, most Americans only know about the Channel Tunnel because of BBC reports in which the Channel Tunnel is referred to as the Chunnel.

Any other phrases/terms/words/expressions/abbreviations/idioms I should be aware of that I should refrain from using?

THanks!

Lauratg

janisj

&quot;<i>Just out of curiosity-- what is wrong with the term Chunnel?</i>&quot;

OH Lordy - you've really done it now!!

We'll just sit back and wait for the incoming rounds from PQ (duck)

zeppole

I'm puzzled as to why anyone thinks this is not a good location given Lauratg's stated tourist agenda:

Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Changing of the Guard, London Eye, taking the train to Belgium. (Doesn't it leave from Waterloo?)

Some of the suggestions to look elsewhere sound like they'll involve a lot more &quot;commuting&quot; to me than this location. And the Circle line can be just awful to rely on.

I'm not discouraging Lauratg from looking further for an apartment she likes as much as this one. She might find one right in the shadow of Big Ben. But if the family is up for walking across a bridge every now and then, I think they might enjoy being on the river, and I think if they go elsewhere, they'll still be changing trains, and possibly be out of walking range of many of the places they want to go (in places like Holborn and South Ken).

Cathinjoetown

Eurostar now leaves from St. Pancras, no longer Waterloo.

You mentioned your budget--might do to price six tickets to Brussels--that might change your mind. I'm assuming the whole family would be going. I, personally, think Eurostar is best left until you can spend some time in either Brussels or Paris.

The train experience itself isn't that special, IMO.

It is doable in a day but no matter how early you depart, you are looking at 4-5 hours spent on the train, depending on whether both tunnels are now open after the late Aug. or early Sept. fire.

PalenQ

No comment on Chunnel vs Channel Tunnel.

but as for Eurostar trains book very early to get a decent fare - the about $94 or so day return fare is the best deal but not always available and may have to be booked in unchangeable fashion months in advance. Train schedules are pretty much up to speed - just maybe 15-20 minutes longer each way i understand - still about two hours to Brussels but you do lose an hour on the clock going that way and of course gain it back going back to London. www.eurostar.com for fares in pounds or in the U.S. www.raileurope.com - either one is a ticket you retrieve at Eurostar station in London.

zeppole

I just pulled up a map of London to see if my memory was failing me about the location of Lambeth Bridge, etc., and its proximity to tube connections and attractions.

From the apartment Lauratg is considering, her family can walk to almost all the things on her tourist list, or walk to a train connection that goes directly to it without a change of train. (Or take the nearest tube and walk a bit on the other end). And the train across the Channel does indeed leave from Waterloo. And she might even be able to reach some attractions with a boat ride on the Thames.

Where exactly is it that people think would be a significant improvement over this apartment in terms of location?

zeppole

Thanks, Cathinjoetown. The website I found was out of date, I guess.

But the Vauxhall tube stop give them a direct-no-change connection to St Pancras.