CAPH52

Thank you so much, yk, merseyheart and nancicita! So much great info! I'm feeling more and more confident that we can do this without breaking the bank.

sashh

I've booked a few rooms with late rooms

http://www.laterooms.com/en/p1023/pvC68MGV/Landing.aspx

I also book them via a cash back site so I get 7% returned 2 months later.

alanRow

Try chains such as www.travelodge.co.uk & www.premierinn.com

kybourbon

yk - How long ago did you stay at Northumberland? The LSE website says all rooms have phones (you must buy a phone card), towels, soap, etc. It also says there are kitchens for use on each floor of Northumberland with kettles and other amenities. All, but one of the LSE dorms also have TV rooms. I do know some of the dorms have been remodeled recently so perhaps Northumberland has been.

yk

kybourbon- I stayed at the Northumberland House in Sept 2007. I had a single room. Here's a link to my review on Tripadvisor (with pics):
http://tinyurl.com/6py2te

ElendilPickle

CAPH, here's the email for YHA's London Central hostel:
[email protected] Oxford Street is [email protected]
It looks like their email addresses are on the "general information" page for each hostel.

Lennyba, every hostel we stayed in in 2007 had private rooms - it was our 25th anniversary, and we didn't want to spend any nights in a dorm!

Lee Ann

yk

BTW, LSE used to only offer dorm rooms during school breaks, ie, summer and Christmas vacations. But late 2008 they started offering year-round rooms at a few selected dorms, including the Northumberland House, called Top Floor. Based on the description, it seems like the Top Floor rooms are a bit nicer than the regular dorm rooms. (But the room rates seem to be the same.)

http://www.lsetopfloor.co.uk/northumberland.htm
http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/reside...humberland.htm

CAPH52

Thanks again, everyone! I've got a lot of work to do checking out all of this. And that's not a complaint. I'm so grateful to have a trip to plan in the dead of winter!

I'll try e-mailing them directly, Lee Ann, rather than using their form.

I'm sure I'll be back with more questions!

teacherCanada

We've stayed at the Baden Powell House next to the Victoria and Albert Museum in Kensington. Originally focused only on scouting personnel, it now allows all travellers to stay.

CAP - you certainly have lots to choose from. Good luck.

tC

Merseyheart

Thanks, yk, for the information on the LSE rooms. Oooh, those look nice.

CAPH52

Thanks, tC!

kybourbon

yk - Did you book Northumberland very far in advance? Could you tell if it was crowded/full? I'm wondering how far in advance would be necessary.

yk

kybourbon - okay, I found my booking email... I booked the Northumberland House about 3 weeks in advance. I believe it was full when I showed up in early Sept, as I recalled some guest asking the front desk if he could extend his stay and the answer was no.

I have a feeling that the word is out on the LSE dorms, so it may be more popular now than 2007.

OTOH, with the weak £, perhaps more people can afford to stay at a real hotel now isntead of a dorm room.

For 2 people, I think the rates for a dorm room vs a hotel room are pretty much a wash. I chose to stay at LSE that time because I was traveling solo, and they offer single rooms at a cheaper rate.

CAPH52

We're now looking at the possibility that we may be in London for four nights. If so, would we be able to get a flat for that length of time? Or do most require a week's stay?

janisj

It does take a bit more searching, but there are flats rented by the night (like citidines) or w/ a 3 or 4 night minimum. Even places that only rent by the week will sometimes have short breaks available between other, longer rental periods.

CAPH52

Thanks, Janis! What are the best companies to use? We just went through the process of renting one for three nights in Barcelona. And one thing I learned is that I'd much rather use a company that people here on Fodor's have actually used and liked.

CAPH52

Okay, I'm back to looking at Northumberland House. And it really does look good. I know I asked about breakfast upthread and was told they serve a breakfast buffet. But I don't see any mention of it on the web site. They call it self-catering accommodation. So I e-mailed them to ask about that.

My question is this, if I were to use Priceline or Hotwire, is it likely that I could get a room in that convenient a location for that price?

yk

CAPH52 - I don't think anyone said there's breakfast included at the Northumberland House. If you were referring to nancicita's post, (s)he was talking about Carl-Saunders Hall but not Northumberland House.

What is the rate you are getting from the Northumberland House? Putting Priceline aside, you can easily see what prices you're getting from Hotwire for the dates in June you're planning to be in London.

CAPH52

Hi, yk. Other than to ask about breakfast, I haven't contacted Northumberland House. But the price on the web site is 79 pounds for a twin room.

kybourbon

What time is breakfast served and what does it include?

Breakfast is generally served from 7.30 am - 10.00 am during the vacation periods, though timings do differ slightly from residence to residence, particularly at weekends where times may be later.

Guests at Bankside, Rosebery, Passfield and Carr-Saunders have a choice of English (Bacon, sausages, beans, tomatoes, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms etc) or continental (Juice, cereal, yoghurt, fruit, toast) breakfasts*

High Holborn offer continental breakfasts only.


Breakfast is not served at Butler's Wharf, Northumberland House or Grosvenor House which offer self-catering accommodation.

*Please note these lists are intended as a guide to what is likely to be offered by the residences for breakfast. They do not guarantee that any such item will be offered on a given day.