pirouette

We are off to London with our two sons who will be 17 and 14. They are at an age when we usually book a separate room for them but the cost of doing so in London is very high. A British friend suggested that we rent a self-catering apartment for the 9-10 days that we plan to be in London. I have looked on VRBO but I would prefer a recommendation from travellers who have already stayed in a place. Do any of you have any suggestions? We would like to be in a central location in a comfortable building with modern conveniences. We have travelled a lot throughout the world and unfortunately my family does not really enjoy "quaint" or "charming". I would be grateful for any ideas from fellow travellers.

Carrybean

How much do you want to spend? I agree about renting a flat especially with 2 teenagers. If they're like most boys that age you'll save a LOT by having a small kitchen. Not to mention a lot of flats have washer/dryers.

pirouette

Hi Carrybean,

We are pretty flexible on the price if it is the right place. It is mostly location, space and modern amenities that we are looking for. We are not looking for budget accommodation but it does not have to be five star deluxe either. A superior or four star equivalent would likely be fine. Any suggestions?

jay

We always use Priceline. I believe that you would get the best room for few $. Take them to Camden Market. They will love it.

janisj

Though Priceline is great for London, it really isn't an option in this case. They only have double rooms and they do not deal in flats.

There are MANY good rental apartments in London but it really would help if you gave us a ball park price. Somewhere between budget and 5 star sort of leaves things wide open. Do you want to spend £650 for a week or can you afford closer to £1800? (most have a weekly rate and then pro-rate any add'l days)

If £1200+ we'd recommend different agencies/properties than if you wanted £700-£800.

Mimar

pirouette, go to www.slowtrav.com. Lots of information about self-catering rentals there, plus travelers' reviews of specific vacation rentals as well as rental agencies.

I prefer to rent via agencies as opposed to vrbo. At vrbo, you don't know if the rental even exists or if it looks anything like the pictures. And you usually have to do an (expensive) bank transfer for the large deposit long ahead of time. An agency costs a bit more but adds another level of insurance. Their future business relies on accurately representing properties. And, with an agency, you can charge the deposit to your credit card, and dispute the charge if necessary.

Most people have excellent experiences with vrbo. I prefer to pay a little bit extra for a higher level of certainty.

pirouette

Thanks for all your replies. I do not want budget accommodation- and I do have similar concerns about VRBO. I have used them locally for skiing accommodation because I was familiar with the area. That is not the case with London. I have been searching out properties in the $2000+ range per week. We will spend appropriately for the right property. I hope that helps with any further suggestions.

WillTravel

If the idea of two hotel rooms is okay with you, then Priceline could work very well - you'd just have to bid for two rooms. But with a 9-10 night stay, you would likely have to bid for two separate stays.

When are you going? There are good options here for several months of the year:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/vacations/

These includes flat. These are probably on the budget side, but the accommodation should be clean and convenient, and you can select a central location.

janisj

that is a big help. Here is a good agency that has very nice flats in good locations http://www.farnum-christ.com/

Fodorite NeoPatrick rents the same Covent Garden flat from them just about every visit.

Re vrbo - I've used them w/ good results. But I'm a bit leery to recommend them any longer. A friend booked a flat - They asked my advice and asked all the "probing" questions I could think of. And still it was a fraud. About 18 hours after they wired the deposit western union, they got an e-mail from vrbo saying the owner was under investigation and not to send any money until things were resolved.

WillTravel

Janis - is your friend's deposit gone for good? Did the VRBO site have longstanding reviews on it?

janisj

Nope - it was a new-ish property w/ only one "review". So I gave them a long list of questions to ask -- all the usual things we talk about on here all the time. The owner answered everything "right" and my final comment was - "well you can never be 100% sure w/ vrbo. Since you've spoken to him - go w/ your gut feeling".

Don't know the final resolution yet, but I think the money is gone.

snoopy12

I recently stayed at Phoenix House in a studio apartment which I highly recommend. The Sloane Square location was fantastic, the apartment had a great modern style with a beautiful kitchen which comes stocked with goodies on arrival! There is maid service every weekday and the front desk is helpfully staffed 24/7. There are larger 2BR apartments there for £2275/wk, and the company who owns this place (Cheval Properties) has another place with townhouses which are also well located. We considered this place a great find, and good value for such upscale accomodations.

Chesk out Cheval Properties' website
http://www.chevalgroup.com/Properties.asp

pirouette

Thanks for all these suggestions. I was also looking at Foxtons-a property management agency in the UK. They seem to have a large inventory but also are subject to some negative reports for their business practices. Have any of you used them?

Carrybean

The Cheval Properties is in a great location.

I've stayed at the following wonderful place probably 6 times but not for a few years. The largest they have are a couple big 1 bedrooms but contact them & ask if Maxine (the proprietress) still has the 2 bedroom apartment available at the other location. I think that 2 bedroom is close to the Knightsbridge tube station. I don't know the price but I can sure vouch for Snow White Properties. Her apartments are beautiful.

http://www.snowwhitelondon.com/

Carrybean

The landlady of these flats on VRBO is really very nice. She used to have a studio that I always rented from her on Egerton Gardens but she sold it.

Even though I rented through an agency she still called to make sure all was well with the flat.

Here's a listing of her VRBO properties. Except for the studio I rented, her decor is traditional but all modern conveniences are provided. I'm sure she wouldn't be one of the rip-off artists you can run across on VRBO.

http://www.vrbo.com/my/71303