rmoore926

Hello and thank you in advance for the help. We are in the very beginning stages of planning a summer 2022 trip to London and France. I was in London many years ago (before the family) so location, quality, and budget were certainly different. We are looking for a 2 bedroom apartment (daughters will be 15 and 18 when we travel) that we can use as a good base for exploring the city. Just looking for ideas on which part of the city to start our search and possibly what rental agencies to use. We have used vrbo in the past and are familiar with that site. We will be there for a week and the budget is around $300/270 euro/night. May be able to possibly stretch that a bit for the right place. Planning on 2+ weeks in France after London so need to stay on a budget. Thanks again.

janisj

Just one note: They don't use € in the UK, it is £. Right now $300 = approx £240. What the rate will be in two years no one has any idea. But generally, a $300 equivalent budget can get you a nice flat. It is waaaaaay too early to be looking at properties but basically any neighborhood within the Circle Line will be central and as long as it is within a block or two of a tube station- convenient.

Some neighborhoods to check include Victoria, Pimlico, South Kensington, Kensington, Bloomsbury/Russell Square, Fitzrovia, Covent Garden, the Southbank, Belgravia, . There are many other good areas though. I personally like to be south and or east of Hyde Park so that cuts out Paddington, Bayswater, Queensway but they are central too. (Knightsbridge and Mayfair are very central but tend to be very pricey)

rmoore926

Yes, forgot about Britian using pounds. Thanks for the reminder. Not looking at particular apartments just yet. Just trying to get an idea of where to start looking to base ourslves for our stay.

janisj

Any of the neighborhoods I mentioned would be quite central. There are lots of others too but if you can't find something in one of those . . .

As I said I'd prefer to be within about a 5 minute walk of a tube station. I also like to be within a block or two of a major road where there are multiple bus lines because sometimes buses can be better than the Underground. All of the areas I mentioned are well served by buses and the tube.


. . . the Southbank slightly less so but there are still multiple train/tube stations.

dreamon

We stayed roughly between Russell Square station and St Pancras station and it suited us very well, although I'm sure there are many places just as good or better. We had a week so purchased a travel pass. Transport in London is great so getting around is normally easy. I usually start my accommodation search with booking.com.

wanttogo

You should start researching rental companies websites now. We used “ A Place Like Home” or maybe it was “A Place Called home” A good company will give info on the area, proximity to tube, and supply photographs of the inside and outside of the apartment. I would redo your post and ask for name of agencies. We were very pleased with. Our arrangements.

janisj

There are lots of long established agencies. A Place Like Home is a really good company but most of their 2-bedroom flats will be above this OP's budget. Not all of course - some will squeeze in around £250-ish/night. One issue is that will the current shut down and upheaval in the hospitality industry -- who will still be in business 2 years from now is anyone's guess. I would not even start to look at agencies/properties until things get back to some semblance of 'normal' and see who's still standing. Maybe late this winter/first of the year

rncheryl

We had great service from Ivy Lettings. They were patient and helpful.
Stayed in south Kensington. Very easy tube access to all of London. A real neighborhood feel. i.e. Hereford Arms pub.

janisj

Ivy Lettings is also good -- been around probably a dozen years - I first booked with them in around 2010 or 2011 when my favorite rental agency retired and closed up shop. They will probably have a slightly better selection in the OP's price range.

rmoore926

Thanks for the suggestion of Ivy Lettings. I will check it out.

HappyTrvlr

We have used London Perfect twice with excellent results. One time it was two of us, and another time we had one of our kids and a grandchild along so needed two bedrooms. They tend to be higher than your budget but are well located and have high quality Equipment and linens throughout. One rental was in Chelsea, the other in South Kensington.

janisj

"They tend to be higher than your budget but . . ."

IME a lot higher than the OPs budget with 2bdrm's mostly running from close to $400 to $600 per night and up. But who knows what the landscape will look like by the time they travel. My guess (hope ?? ) is hotel and self-catering rental rates will come down a bit if travel is depressed for an extended period post-Covid. There is also the little issue that local authorities in London are talking about instituting registration which also may affect which properties are available and the rates. There is already a 90 night yearly limit on short term rentals -- which is almost totally ignored, so they are talking about mandatory registration.

Tulips

In any case, it's waaay too early to look for 2022. Flats that you see now may now longer be available by then. There have been zero lettings since early March. Some people may decide to sell their flat instead of letting it. There's the possibility of stricter regulations that will reduce availability. Companies could go out of business. Who knows.

rmoore926

Thanks again for the help nd replies. London Perfect has some nice apartments, but they are a little out of the current budget. Looking for a "homier" feel.

Tulips - not looking for specific apartments now. Just asking what a good base neighborhood would be and maybe what agancies to bookmark for the future.

Unfortunately most of the world is on a wait and see approach right now. Lucky for us our trip is in TWO more years. Hopefully things will be somewhat back to normal by then.

Tulips

It's nice to make plans for future travel. As Janisj says, anywhere within the area of the Circle Line is pretty much central.
For summer it's nice to be in a leafy area; Kensington, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury for example. As long as you are near a convenient tube station, you can get to anywhere you want quickly.

What is happening now in London is that restaurants are expanding the area where you can eat outside, where possible. That is a nice addition, since London does not have that many places where you can eat outdoors in summer.

HappyTrvlr

We thought our two London apartments( one actually was a Mews House) were very homey.

janisj

Happytrvkr: Yes, I agree London Perfect mostly offers really beautiful flats -- but they are definitely higher priced than most London short term rentals and above a lot of visitor's budgets. And whether some of them will still be available once the regulations are stiffened up is another question . . .

I personally would not be looking at any property or rental agency (getting my heart set on a gorgeous flat) until months from now. Just too many unknowns . . .

HappyTrvlr

I agree, janisj.

Christina

London Perfect apts are really expensive, just like their Paris ones. You can easily find comparable apts for less. Sometimes in off-season their rates aren't too bad.

However, I would not consider them because they are a rather sleazy company. You may note that nowhere on their website do they volunteer their legal address and incorporation info. In fact, they have moved their company to the Caribbean to avoid legal actions, that's how upstanding they are and how willing to abide by local regulations. If you read the fine print of their detailed Conditions and Terms you find this:

"JURISDICTION: In the event of any dispute regarding this Contract, its implementation or the stay at the vacation rental, any litigation must be brought solely in Bermuda and Bermuda law will apply thereto. This contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with law of the Service Company domicile and will fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Service Company domicile courts."

I suppose they avoid taxes that way, also. Now I don't know legally how that works, as if you are operating a business in a city (say, London), it would seem to me you would legally have to follow the city's regulations, but if you have any problems, don't expect resolution, that's obvious.