Hi! I am from Canada and will be working at Heathrow Airport from mid-May to mid-June. Guests will join me occasionally, so I would like to find larger, comfortable accommodation. I will not have a car so will be using the tube to get to work. The Hammersmith area looks like an area that is within commuting distance to both Heathrow and central London, but there might be other suggestions?

I would like:
- a separate bedroom/living area
- kitchenette (can't eat all meals out!)
- easy access to tube system
- within walking distance of pubs/restaurants/shops

Budget: up to about 250 pounds per night

I am hoping for that "gem". Would anyone have suggestions for a clean, comfortable spot that might fit the bill? Thank you!

Hammersmith would be fine but then so would lots of other places between central London and Heathrow. We lived in Ealing for about 2.5 years and that was fine for us, it was fairly close to get to our jobs and roughly 45 mins on the tube to say, Covent Garden. As we were travelling to work every day, it was more important to us to be closer to work than central London, where we would go a lot on weekends.

Also Ealing was good as we had 3 different tube lines (Central, District and Picadilly) all within a 10 min walk, at Ealing Broadway and Ealing Common. This can be important as they regularly do track and station maintenance and if you live near only one line, then you are stuck with buses which may not be so convenient. Also you definitely don't want a car, parking can be impossible and expensive.

Accommodation in London is expensive but here are some ideas to look at (may not be in the area you want):

http://www.astons-apartments.com/default.asp

http://www.aplacelikehome.co.uk/

http://www.chslondon.com/vr/index.htm

http://www.deepblue-apartments.com/

http://www.mayflowerhotel.co.uk/

http://www.vancouverstudios.co.uk/

http://www2.citadines.com/

If you find your budget is not enough, you could get a studio and have your friends/family stay nearby at a hotel instead. Also look at http://www.gumtree.com/

Good luck,
Kay

Ealing is not as nice as it used to be years ago, but Ealing Common, Northfields and South Ealing tube stations are certainly convenient for working at LHR & getting into central London. Are you working shifts? If so you may find something in a more desirable area on the bus route which would be commutable to LHR out of the rush hour with night buses with central London easily accessible eg Richmond or Kingston Upon Thames, for example Craven House serviced apartments (bus 111 to LHR stops right outside & a short walk over the bridge is the rail service to Waterloo).

Thank you for your comments. No, it won't be shiftwork - regular 8 - 5 work.

Thank you, Kay, for the website suggestions. Without a good idea of the area, it's difficult to work through them, but I'll continue.

And thanks, Odin, for the other suggestions. I've heard Richmond is a beautiful area.

In the meantime, between the Ealing and Richmond areas, any specific suggestions for "semi self-contained" hotels or flats?

Thanks!

Deep Blue apartments have options in Richmond and Kew, so do Clarendon. Google serviced apartments/long stay corporate lets for more options. I know the areas but not the actual properties, except for Craven House which is opposite Hampton Court Palace. Chiswick is another nice area.

Hi, not sure if you have found something already but I've looked on Deep Blue Apartments website, as we rented for a few weeks through them when we first went to live in the UK. The flat we had was near Paddington station, and we liked the area, moving to a cheaper place nearby for another few weeks.

Ealing is not that far from Heathrow but still a fair way into the centre of London so it depends on what you are after - close to work or close to weekend activities.

I looked at West London and of the places on Deep Blue, the Corrigan Court one could be OK, it's close to the tube and buses run along Uxbridge Rd. The main shopping area is at Ealing Broadway which is a 10 min walk or you could catch the bus. Not sure if you'd have to change at Acton Town for Heathrow, check on www.tfl.gov.uk, just key in Ealing Common and Heathrow and see if there are direct tube trains.

The Cavalier House flat could be OK, about 10 min walk from Ealing Broadway tube station. That's the end of the line on the Central Line tube, west of that you can catch a bus or the Heathrow Connect (quick but dearer than the tube) stops at Ealing Broadway. You'd have to change tube lines to reach Heathrow.

The flat they have in Hammersmith could be OK, there is a huge Westfield shopping mall next to Shepherd's Bush station if that's your thing (cinemas, restaurants etc, all fairly new).

Another thing that might help is if you find the street address of a flat on Google Maps, click on Traffic, then Transit and it shows the actual tube lines and where they go.

I would say that Richmond, Chiswick and Brentford are all a bit too out of the way and would try and stick to something a bit more central.

Happy to help if you have questions about other places.

Kay

<<Richmond, Chiswick and Brentford are all a bit too out of the way and would try and stick to something a bit more central.>> The overland train takes 22 mins from Richmond to London Waterloo and Richmond station is also on the District tube line. From Heathrow tube you can get to Hammersmith and change into the district line for Richmond or Kew. Or take a bus from Feltham (every 10 mins from LHR) , or take the Piccadilly line from Heathrow to Hounslow East and a bus to Richmond.

Ealing is central and convenient for both LHR and central London but it is not a very nice area anymore especially around Ealing Broadway and there certainly will not be that "gem" that the OP is looking for.

Cavalier House in Ealing is not in a nice location, right on the main Uxbridge Road and quite far from a Piccadilly Line station (at Ealing Common or South Ealing for commuting to LHR). It is surrounded by office blocks & might even be a conversion of office blocks to apartments. Corrigan Court might be better if set back in a residential road

You will find that some areas that look like they might be out of the way have better fast train services into central London.