ptm

My husband, 2 teenage daughters and I are planning our first trip to London this July, hoping to stay for 7 to 10 days. Where can we stay? I am kind of fussy about where I sleep(I usually prefer 4* or better) and we would really like to have seperate bedrooms. But I don't want to blow the whole budget on rooms. Am I asking too much??? We need help. Thanks Ptm

fmpden

What is the budget? Two, four star rooms, convenient location in London coupled with the weak dollar could easily put you into the 6-800 dollar range. Is that reasonable?

Dave

fmpden posted: "could easily put you into the 6-800 dollar range". I'd say that this would be reasonably cheap for TWO 4* rooms. This would mean each of them would go for 150-200GBP. In July, I would imagine that rates could well be closer to 250-300GBP, which would mean spend on the order of $1000-1200.

Yikes! Best, Dave

annesouness

Hi
a lovely hotel is the landmark hotel-4 star just next to Marylebone railway station.http://www.landmarklondon.co.uk/
A really good a restaurant about 5 mins walk away is the Orrery http://www.conran-restaurants.co.uk/ They do a very reasonable set lunch. If you book now you may be able to get a reservation at one of the Gordon Ramsey restaurants-again they do a set lunch at reasonable prices. The best value lunch in london is without doubt at Le Gavroche http://www.conran-restaurants.co.uk/ of Roux brothers fame.
Would you consider renting an apartment
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/greater-london/
and
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/lon...fa/find.squery
Good luck
Anne

fmpden

Dave, on reflection your numbers are probably better than mine. That is the problem with a quick response and doing the math while typing. We have paid around $200 for a B&B in the Victoria Station area that we like. But have no experience with four or five stars in the London area so don't know who our B&B would compare with an upscale hotel. Your right -- it could be more than double.

Wonder what "fussy" means to ptm?

ptm

Hi and Thanks.....I am not sure what our hotel budget should be. I thought I would start with the hotel then I would look at what the cost of flights, meals etc. Of course with two daughters there is the cost of shopping and sightseeing for the four of us.

ptm

Hi...fussy means I like my room to be very clean and a comfortable bed. Run down hotels freak me out. Hope this helps.Ptm

fmpden

Whoa !!!! Annesouness may be the market rep for Landmark. It looks like a terrific 4 Star Hotel and you pay. Least expensive room is over $800/night. That would blow my budget

ptm

fmpden you might be right! I would certainly be interested in looking at B&B's or renting apartments. Thanks for the websites, annesouness...they look great. The Landmark looks great if I win the lottery....Thanks

fmpden

PTM -- Unfortunately that didn't help a lot. Run down, comfortable bed, etc. are all personal perceptions. We have spent a total of about 30 days in London over past ten years or so. If we are in bound to London will always stay in the Victoria Station area. Not as upscale as some other area but very convenient for transportation and walking. We use two different B&Bs in the area which met our criteria for clean and decent breakfast. Are the bed comfortable ?? Not as good as home but better than some high end hotels in the US. With two sons maybe we are not as fussy. So it is really hard to advise you because it mostly personal preference. While I have no problem recommending the B&Bs we have used, might not met you standards.

Keep in mind that London ranks at or near the top of most expensive city in the world. And with the pound near the $2 mark it will be expensive.

If out bound we stay in the Paddington station area for the convenience of the Paddington Express. Nothing wrong with the area just not very attractive. It i full of many 2 and 3 star that are adequate but not terrific.

Good luck with your search.
Frank

Sgm

Ptm - I'm an American ex-pat living in West London. European hotels in general are much smaller than American hotels. So when you say 4*, you probably mean 5*, which as other posters have warned is costly in London, esp with the weak dollar. I have similar hotel standards, so sympathise. I traveled here with my family a few years ago and we stayed in B&Bs, which are much cheaper. The standards certainly aren't 4*, but they are clean and you will be able to focus on a good location rather than price. London is a big city; stay central (West/West End/West London near Hyde Park) and use the Tube and buses. You won't be spending much time in your hotel room in July anyway - great weather then so you'll want to be outside! Rick Steve's puts out a great guide book and his B&B recommendations are very good. Also 7-10 days in London is a lot of time. You can sufficiently see everything in 3 days. Take side trips. Edinburgh, Scotland (train or fly - flying might be cheaper). The Cotswalds, Wales/Cardiff, the coast (Poole is fun and there are good beaches), Lake District if you like hiking and the New Forest for outdoorsy things, great pubs, and access to Aisle of White (where they have the annual Cowes yacht race). EuroStar to Paris too. Pick up an A-Z guide for walking around when you arrive (any bookstore or Boots, which is like a Walgreens). Have fun!

PatrickLondon

I hate to be pedantic, but it's the Isle of Wight (the Aisle of White sounds like a posh shop for fridges).

Sgm

Ptm - regarding your comment on entry fees for the sites for four people, definitely buy a London Pass, which for one price gets you entry into a majority of the tourist sites: http://www.londonpass.com/. That will make it cheaper. For side trips, also consider Windsor for the day. And side trips to the country may make things cheaper as rates are better out of London.

Sgm

I promise this is my last post, i'm bored at work. Don't let Fmpdm's comment on Paddington scare you away. I live in nearby Bayswater, which neighbors Notting Hill and it's ironically one of the better areas in London. Close to Oxford shopping, Hyde Park, great Tube lines and the incredible Portobello Rd market in Notting Hill. We stayed at a B&B near Paddington station years ago (The Cardiff). Like I said, small to be sure. But clean enough. Location location location. Sorry, Fmpdm, had to defend the neighborhood. sgm

Sgm

PatrickLondon - I'm sure Ptm will appreciate the correction. She may have ended up in Surrey.

fmpden

Sgm -- I didn't mean to degrade the Paddington station area with regard to safety or security. I just said it was uninteresting and in my opinion there are other areas of the city that is more interesting and attractive. It would not be an area that I would want to spend 7 -10 days.

Your comments about being in the city for 7 - 10 days is reasonable and they should look at some day trips out of the city just for a little change. London is very intense. However, to suggest that you can see the city in three day is a little brief. You can get a good overview in three days but we have spent about 30 days in London, and, In our opinion we still haven't seen everything. We always look forward to returning because there is always a couple more items on the list to see.

cmcfong

A very kind Fodorite recommended I check www.londonguestsuites.com It is a great site with several flats which might suit your needs and budget. Happy travels.

fmpden

SGM, noticed your are posting from Londan around at 1730. It must be a boring day or just started the evening shift..

Normaloney

I stayed at the Standard by Westminster Abbey. Very reasonably priced for the area. The rooms were very clean and comfortable.

Mimar

You should seriously consider an apartment. More space for your money. And they're available for fewer than 7 days if necessary. Lots of info at www.slowtrav.com, including reviews of individual rentals and rental agencies.