The lovely studio flat I found in South Kensington is already booked for those days--she just hasn't updated the calendar lately.

I am looking through booking agents for other options for me and my 14yo daughter. I found an agency called Refresh Accommodations. They have the searchability to search for properties under 500 pounds per week which is where I'd like to keep it. I have found several options, but all are in Bayswater. Is that an area we would want to be?

It's OK - not as good as Onslow Gardens I'm afraid.

Having said that, it's perfectly fine and it's on the Central Line and is near to Paddington for excursions like Windsor Castle (or indeed slough or Reading).

It's always worth checking the exact address on www.streetmap.co.uk. Neighbourhood names can have an extraordinary elasticity. Bayswater sounds posher than Paddington, though neither is likely to have a great deal wrong with it. But some streets are nicer than others.

We stayed at a hotel in Bayswater and liked the area. We felt safe even coming back late at night. It was convenient to the tube and had restaurants and a small grocer.

Thanks. That street map thing is handy, PatrickLondon. Cholmondley_Warner, yeah--I know, the Onslow Gardens one was terrific. I'm really disappointed that it was gone!

I sent an inquiry to a service called absolute accommodations too. They just emailed back two available studios the week I need. One is in Bloomsbury (on Leigh Street), about halfway between the British Library and the Britism Museum for 580 pounds for the week.

The other is in Palace Gardens Terrace in Kensington for 630 pounds--very close to the Notting Hill Gate metro stop. Both look nice, with the Kensington one looking slightly nicer. Is it worth an extra 50 pounds for the week though?

Major differences other than price/location:
Bloomsbury--high speed internet access is mentioned; has twin beds, no sofa from the pictures
Kensington--washer/dryer mentioned, double bed and sofa bed--looks like it might be slightly larger, includes a "charming" balcony

We visited both the British Museum and the British Library last summer and don't have it on the must-see list for this year. We are looking at more things we'd like to see in the Kensington area though since we never got there last year.

I'm leaning toward the Kensington one--is that a good price?

One is in Bloomsbury (on Leigh Street>>>>

Stop everything. Buy this one.

Leigh St is brilliant and has everything including a fantastic pub and a wonderful fish n chip shop (the much raved about North Sea).

I don't know if yopu can be bothered but if you youtube the British comedy series "Black Books" the bookshop it's set in is in real life in Leigh St and will give you an idea of the loction.

In all honesty you cannot do better locationwise.

I agree with CW. If only I could live there <sigh>.

You don't have to visit the BM just because it's nearby. You can stroll past with an air of superiority knowing you've already been.

The tube from Russell Square will get you to Kensington pretty quickly anyway.

VERY funny show, CW. What night of the week does it air?

I didn't see much of the neighborhood, but did see a little. Would a flat probably be above one of those shops?

Black books has finished. You can get it on DVD.

If you post the link I should be able to work out where on the street it is.

I know he area very well so i'll be able to point you towards things (for instance if there's no washing machine there is a laundrette nearby)

can you give us links to the flats - including the Bayswater one? It is hard to give detailed info w/o knowing what the flats are like and their exact locations.

Have you checked out http://www.londonguestsuites.com/ ? May or may not have something you like, but their rates are in US$ so a bit of insurance against the dollar falling more.

I agree that Leigh street would be great.

I'd suggest there's a cultural difference here.

Palace Gardens Terrace is full of expatriate children of Greek ship owners and UK hedgies who've done well, but not that well. Though pleasant, it no longer feels very English. There are houses only a hundred yards away that go for tens of millions. Of pounds.

Leigh St is rather less immaculately polished, and is still recognisably the London we either moved to in early youth or grew up in. I imagine nowhere in the area costs more than a million quid - and most places would be rather cheaper.

I don't think any of the usual English suspects on this board really understand choosing a central London location because of where it's near to. You're not going to spend your time just looking round Kensington Palace: anywhere inside the Circle Line is pretty much a wash as far as getting to places most people are likely to visit is concerned.

If I were buying a London pied a terre, Leigh St would beat not-quite Notting Hill into a cocked hat even if the prices were the same, and I imagine many Britons would feel the same way. I wonder how many foreign visitors would feel the same way though?

So, if I want a more genuine British experience with more genuine British people, I should choose Leigh Street? That makes perfect sense. The only real drawback to the one on Leigh Street is that it seems to be more like a hotel room, without an extra seating area. I will justify it to myself though that we won't spend much time there and the 50 pounds I'm saving will get us tickets at the TKTS booth for another show!

I would prefer to have the more authentic neighborhood experience though. I appreciate the clarification that everyone has given me.

For CW--the picture was included in an email. I'll see if I can copy and paste here....

It won't let me choose paste. It has the arrow pointing to the flat at the end of the street closest to Marchmont or Cartwright Streets.

when you are in the flat's website - highlight the URL and copy just that. Then you can paste into your post here.

If it's where I think it is from your directions it's most likely in a mansion block of flats which are very nice indeed.

Cartright Gardens is a nice small park if you want outside space.

http://www.absoluteaccommodations.co...y%20Apartments

There are various accommodations in the building apparently. I'm looking at the studio.

That pub at the bottom of the street is the Norfolk Arms which is a gastro pub (and therefore WILL NOT DO).

So I suspect that your flat may possibly be above one of the shops on in one of the converted houses.

In all honesty you simply cannnot do better than this locationwise.

It is a residential are so it has a supermarket (Waitrose in the Brunswick centre) and all the other amenities that you need to live as real people also live there.

If you want any further info - fire away.

Thank you, CW. I called this afternoon and asked them to hold it until Monday and I will make a final decision by them. I'm inclined to go with the judgment of all of you experts, but I had also sent in an information request to some B&Bs and wanted to see if I got a response this weekend from any of those. Talking with the agent helped too. I asked about whether the windows opened and made a comment that I could always pick up an electric fan if it happened to be hot when we are there. She said the manager has fans and she could make a notation on our booking that we wanted one for our use during the visit. They are very accommodating--at least at this point. We will file a trip report after the trip and indicate what we thought.

I really appreciate the feedback from all of you London natives. It is very helpful. Thank you for taking your time to help out with info and advice.