1-5 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7DQ - Reasonable location or not?
Mar 16th, 2005, 12:01 AM
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1-5 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7DQ - Reasonable location or not?
I really like Priceline for London, and I've used it before several times, and I'll probably use it again.
Nonetheless, I'm looking at other options so as to realistically evaluate them, or to save just a few more dollars. My daughter and I will have 5 nights in London, going in and out of Gatwick, between Amsterdam and Madrid.
On various hostel booking sites, I have come across the International House at
1-5 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7DQ. This is a modern student dorm facility rented out during the summer. I can get a twin room (no ensuite bathroom) for 31 pounds per night, and there are also kitchen and laundry facilities, which would be very convenient. I know most people would disregard this because the ensuite situation, and we might too, but I'm keeping all options open for now. The place has 24-hour reception and security. Also note that the hostel booking sites have a significantly cheaper rate than booking directly.
Now I know most people don't stay on the South Bank. But we will probably be visiting some or all of the following: Tate Modern, Globe Theatre, the National Theatre complex near Waterloo, the London Eye, the London Dungeon, the Tower of London, the Salvador Dali Museum, and Brixton Market. So a lot of the things we are seeing are on or near the South Bank. Plus there is a bus to Camden Market, another apparent must-do.
I would like a realistic viewpoint of this area, particularly in terms of safety and convenience, because I'm afraid of not being objective. I think I know where this area is, and I've been to the Imperial War Museum. I know it's not as "nice" as some areas of London.
Based on my Priceline counteroffers, I think this choice would save about 15 or 20 pounds per night over a 3* hotel in the Bloomsbury or Kensington zone. Certainly I don't want to ruin our stay in London over that relatively limited amount of money, but on the other hand we could certainly put it to good use elsewhere in London.
So opinions are welcome.
Nonetheless, I'm looking at other options so as to realistically evaluate them, or to save just a few more dollars. My daughter and I will have 5 nights in London, going in and out of Gatwick, between Amsterdam and Madrid.
On various hostel booking sites, I have come across the International House at
1-5 Lambeth Road, London SE1 7DQ. This is a modern student dorm facility rented out during the summer. I can get a twin room (no ensuite bathroom) for 31 pounds per night, and there are also kitchen and laundry facilities, which would be very convenient. I know most people would disregard this because the ensuite situation, and we might too, but I'm keeping all options open for now. The place has 24-hour reception and security. Also note that the hostel booking sites have a significantly cheaper rate than booking directly.
Now I know most people don't stay on the South Bank. But we will probably be visiting some or all of the following: Tate Modern, Globe Theatre, the National Theatre complex near Waterloo, the London Eye, the London Dungeon, the Tower of London, the Salvador Dali Museum, and Brixton Market. So a lot of the things we are seeing are on or near the South Bank. Plus there is a bus to Camden Market, another apparent must-do.
I would like a realistic viewpoint of this area, particularly in terms of safety and convenience, because I'm afraid of not being objective. I think I know where this area is, and I've been to the Imperial War Museum. I know it's not as "nice" as some areas of London.
Based on my Priceline counteroffers, I think this choice would save about 15 or 20 pounds per night over a 3* hotel in the Bloomsbury or Kensington zone. Certainly I don't want to ruin our stay in London over that relatively limited amount of money, but on the other hand we could certainly put it to good use elsewhere in London.
So opinions are welcome.
Mar 16th, 2005, 03:08 AM
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It's a college Hall of Residence, where 18 year old women stay - alone - most of the year. Its nearest neighbour is the Archbishop of Canterbury - who, admittedly, can look a bit frightening, but doesn't have his London palace in a drug den.
Yes, it's a bit too near the lowlifes in the Palace of Westminster for some people's tastes. But, unless the bad guys smuggle a really big bomb into parliament, safety really is a non-issue. You're practically on the South Bank Thames Path: with that and Lambeth Bridge you're a great closer to most attractions than you'd be if you were in those awful tourist ghettoes in Bloomsbury or Bayswater.
The downside though is that the area's a tad bleak and lifeless (not through squalor, but because so much recemt development has been rather big, soulless offices and the like with no shops or cafes at ground floor level). There's a lot more buzz for restaurants and so on around Waterloo, and there are just a few traces of the gorblimey Cockney era along Lambeth Walk. But it's a pretty short walk over to the West End.
Yes, it's a bit too near the lowlifes in the Palace of Westminster for some people's tastes. But, unless the bad guys smuggle a really big bomb into parliament, safety really is a non-issue. You're practically on the South Bank Thames Path: with that and Lambeth Bridge you're a great closer to most attractions than you'd be if you were in those awful tourist ghettoes in Bloomsbury or Bayswater.
The downside though is that the area's a tad bleak and lifeless (not through squalor, but because so much recemt development has been rather big, soulless offices and the like with no shops or cafes at ground floor level). There's a lot more buzz for restaurants and so on around Waterloo, and there are just a few traces of the gorblimey Cockney era along Lambeth Walk. But it's a pretty short walk over to the West End.
Mar 16th, 2005, 07:33 AM
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flanner has described the area perfectly - I would not have any worries about staying there. Easy walk to the Imperial War Museum, Tate Britain, Waterloo/Eye and on to the rest of the south bank. The nearest tube station is Lambeth North which is on the Bakerloo line so it's convenient for Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar square, Oxford circus.
Mar 16th, 2005, 08:06 AM
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Thanks for the replies.
I'm hesitating about booking it, because it requires a 10% deposit to get those rates, so once I do that I'm more or less committed. But it actually sounds like it would suit our needs very well.
I'm hesitating about booking it, because it requires a 10% deposit to get those rates, so once I do that I'm more or less committed. But it actually sounds like it would suit our needs very well.
Mar 16th, 2005, 08:28 AM
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P.S. In case it helps:
When I talked about "big" offices, I meant by the standards of buildings subject to the "nothing may obstruct the sightlines to St Paul's" rules, which thankfully apply to pretty much anywhere within a mile of Parliament. Eight storeys is close to the max.
As you'll see when you look at he nearby MI5 building, those rules do nothing for architectural quality. Just keep rotten buildings down to size.
When I talked about "big" offices, I meant by the standards of buildings subject to the "nothing may obstruct the sightlines to St Paul's" rules, which thankfully apply to pretty much anywhere within a mile of Parliament. Eight storeys is close to the max.
As you'll see when you look at he nearby MI5 building, those rules do nothing for architectural quality. Just keep rotten buildings down to size.
