Suggestions for family stay in London
Oct 29th, 2013, 06:30 AM
#1
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Suggestions for family stay in London
Hi! We are planning a trip to London for 9 days in January. We are a family of 4 - two adults and two teenagers. We would like to get some suggestions of places to stay in London - we have seen a nice hotel close to the London Eye, but we are afraid that it will be too crammed to stay in a hotel room for so many days in a group of 4, so we are considering renting an apartment, so that we could cook at least one meal at home (which reduces cost quite a lot!). We would like an area with public transportation nearby, stores to buy food or small restaurants in a safe area. We believe it will be too cold for long walks, so transportation is key! One of the apartments is in Old Street. Is it good? Any other affordable are we could look for apartments?
Oct 29th, 2013, 06:44 AM
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Old Street would not be my choice. What is your budget? There are several agencies that offer apartments, in different price ranges. Generally it is best to stay within the area of the Circle Line, if you want to be central. Near the Picadilly Line is good (eg South Kensington) or near the Central Line (Bayswater, Notting Hill).
Oct 29th, 2013, 07:12 AM
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What is an "affordable area"? Speak in dollars and cents or pounds and pence.
Generally Knightsbridge, St. James (that's ambassadorville) and Mayfair are pricey on an absolute basis, as are Leicester Square and Covent Garden on a comparative basis (e.g., same flat in Fitzrovia would cost less). Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, South Kensington (NOT Kensington or Kensington High Street), and South Bank would all be close to good transport options and should not cost your firstborn.
Old Street is not that convenient - would mean more bus than Tube, which means S L O W travels to the sites of the day, unless you're hard by the Old Street Tube station (and that station requires backtracking to get to much of Central London - check out the Tube map).
London has a large and competitive market for short-stay rental apartments. Go googling and you'll find more than you can assess. This requirement <i>an area with public transportation nearby, stores to buy food or small restaurants in a safe area</i> is met by much of Central London. Just about all the major national train stations (Waterloo, Victoria) have an M&S Simply Food with its semi-prepped meals.
Remember that one square meter = 10.5625 square feet so you can convert flat size. London also has apartment-ish hotels such as Oakwood and Citadines. The latter is more for tourists, the former seeks long-stay business travelers but allows shorter stays if its properties have availability.
Generally Knightsbridge, St. James (that's ambassadorville) and Mayfair are pricey on an absolute basis, as are Leicester Square and Covent Garden on a comparative basis (e.g., same flat in Fitzrovia would cost less). Marylebone, Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury, South Kensington (NOT Kensington or Kensington High Street), and South Bank would all be close to good transport options and should not cost your firstborn.
Old Street is not that convenient - would mean more bus than Tube, which means S L O W travels to the sites of the day, unless you're hard by the Old Street Tube station (and that station requires backtracking to get to much of Central London - check out the Tube map).
London has a large and competitive market for short-stay rental apartments. Go googling and you'll find more than you can assess. This requirement <i>an area with public transportation nearby, stores to buy food or small restaurants in a safe area</i> is met by much of Central London. Just about all the major national train stations (Waterloo, Victoria) have an M&S Simply Food with its semi-prepped meals.
Remember that one square meter = 10.5625 square feet so you can convert flat size. London also has apartment-ish hotels such as Oakwood and Citadines. The latter is more for tourists, the former seeks long-stay business travelers but allows shorter stays if its properties have availability.
Oct 29th, 2013, 02:50 PM
#4
Your budget is absolutely essential for anyone to give useful advice.
I know the Old street are pretty well (the Geffrye museum is one of my faves) but it isn't where I'd stay on a first or second visit.
Tell us what you want to spend and we can give recommendations.
I know the Old street are pretty well (the Geffrye museum is one of my faves) but it isn't where I'd stay on a first or second visit.
Tell us what you want to spend and we can give recommendations.
Oct 29th, 2013, 10:28 PM
#5
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We had a nice, functional place in Fitzrovia through VRBO. My TR:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...andparents.cfm
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...andparents.cfm
