Have been looking into hotels for 6 nights next June for wife & myself.Am interested in theater (probably 2 shows) plus the usual must sees ( Tower, Westminster, etc) . Looking to stay under $300 per night. All travel will be via the Tube. Any pros and cons on neighborhoods such as Lancaster/Paddington, Knightsbridge, Marble Arch or Trafalgar area would be greatly appreciated. The following hotels have piqued my interest:
Thistle Marble Arch
Jumeirah Lowndes
LancasterLondon
Hotel Indigo London
Park Plaza Victoria

Thanks, Ray

That would be Lancaster <i>Gate</i>/Paddington, and Trafalgar <i>Square</i>.

Lancaster Gate - OK, but not terrific. Some nice hotels and across from Hyde Park but not near anything else. On one tube line so transfers to get almost anywhere. Not convenient to LHR.

Paddington - definitely not terrific. Not near any sites, not convenient to LHR except by expensive trains. On several tube lines but a long journey to most anywhere.

Knightsbridge - very upscale/pricey. Convenient to Heathrow and many sites. Walking distance to several sites.

Trafalgar Square - very central. Walking distance to many places.

Marble Arch -similar pros/cons to Lancaster Gate.

"<i>All travel will be via the Tube</i>" Not necessarily. Most folks do a combo of tube/buses/walking.

I have enjoyed the Pelham Hotel which is right across the street from the South Kensington tube station which has direct service from from Heathrow. It is a nice combination of old fashioned London architecture with modern design. The rooms are not large but very nice common rooms to enjoy to read or relax after sightseeing. They have specials and often the rate on their website includes taxes and breakfast so even if a bit above $300 can be a good value. It's close then to the V&A and Natural History Museum, Kensington Gardens, nice restaurants and shopping in the area. Or you just get right back on the tube. That tube station is an intersection of 3 lines so lots of options.

Raymare, I consider the Trafalgar Square area the most central, especially since you will be attending the theater...

I wouldn't pick based on attending the theatre. There are theatres all over town, plus almost all are close to tube stations.

Pick a hotel you like and fits the budget - you can get to the theatre from anywhere.

Now, if this was a <i>theatre-only</i> trip and not just maybe 2 shows, then I'd pick Covent Garden/the Strand -- but again, there are many theatres in other areas.

Have been to London several times. Rather than choose a certain area, I would look for a good deal on a well-reviewed hotel very close to a tube station. I like to read reviews on TripAdvisor and look for distance to tube station and convenient stores nearby, like grocery, pharmacy, etc.

Any location convenient to a tube station will work. You will be all over London. (And using buses and doing a lot of walking as mentioned above.)

A station that connects to Piccadilly line is great for Heathrow. A station that connects to more than one line, like South Kensington is especially convenient.

Enjoy your trip.

<<Rather than choose a certain area, I would look for a good deal on a well-reviewed hotel very close to a tube station.>>

Disagree. There are hundreds of hotels close to Tube stations and of those, hundreds of hotels will have good reviews. This is not a useful parameter.

The fact is if you get a good deal on a hotel "near a Tube station" and the Tube station is not close to central London, it's a crappy accommodation for a tourist. By susan4's thought process, you could get a great hotel on the cheap in the Docklands or Canary Wharf and you'll be wasting 25 minutes each way on the Tube to get to central London from your hotel. Or you could get a big discount in Earl's Court, which is an area with little to recommend it from a tourist perspective.

A $300/night budget should be enough to work with. Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Leicester Square/Covent Garden are all very central locations within walking distance to numerous tourist sites and well-served by various trains and buses. Janisj has set out the pluses and minuses of the locations you're investigating and her analysis is accurate. If you want a better idea of where the hotels are and their relationship to the nearest Tube stations, check out the maps on www.londontown.com.

<i>Or you could get a big discount in Earl's Court, which is an area with little to recommend it from a tourist perspective.</i>

Direct Tube line from Heathrow, direct Tube line from St Pancras, 2 stops to the museums at South Kensington, direct Tube line to British Museum, British Library, the West End and Covent Garden. Direct Tube line to Westminster - including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, Houses of Parliament, London Eye, Downing Street, Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, The Mall, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, St James's Park. Direct Tube line to the City - including St Pauls, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, short walk across a bridge to Southwark including Tate Modern, Borough Market, Globe Theatre...

... you get the idea

Ah - but then you'd have to go home to <i>Earl's Court</i>.

We enjoy staying nearer the river and have stayed at the Hilton Tower Bridge or the Guoman Tower. Both are OK for the Globe, Tower Bridge, Borough Market, Tate Modern etc.

bookmarking

Hi Raymar,

I would avoid Thistle Marble Arch as a bit off center. Don’t know the other hotels. I agree with Big Russ who wrote:

“A $300/night budget should be enough to work with. Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Leicester Square/Covent Garden are all very central locations within walking distance to numerous tourist sites and well-served by various trains and buses.”

We have had this discussion many times of this forum. I always suggest considering the STRAND PALACE to newbies (forgive the repetition) about a five minute walk from Trafalgar Square – can you get any more central? Reasonably priced with a great breakfast. Within a mile or less you are in Soho, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s, the Thames, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, British Museum, Piccadilly, and, of course, you have the National Gallery and the Portrait Gallery at your doorstop in Trafalgar Square.

I would not want to rely on the Tube for every excursion into central London. Loved the convenience of being able to drop into my hotel occasionally during the day and to freshen up there before dinner. On a lovely June night, you could just leave your hotel and drift around Trafalgar Square and surrounds or stroll down Whitehall to the river – always so vibrant. I describe staying there in a trip report I wrote in Summer 2011. Just click on my name and you will find it if you are interested.

Going back to the Strand Palace “one more time” this June to continue explorations. You will love London. Enjoy…

Ah - but then you'd have to go home to Earl's Court. >>

and if you're an aussie you'll feel at home too - allegedly.

RE: “A $300/night budget should be enough to work with. Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Leicester Square/Covent Garden are all very central locations within walking distance to numerous tourist sites and well-served by various trains and buses.”

That is what I would have thought--but with a few exceptions most of the hotels in the areas above that were positively rated by Trip Advisor folks were either over $300 (when you figure in the VAT, at least) or booked solid (already!) or
they didn't offer two twin beds (just a "matrimonial" bed) or something else.

(I know that Priceline and so forth have somewhat lower rates, but they are usually "non-refundable." We didn't want to risk it.)

Anyway, we have ended up with reservations in Kensington, near the Victoria and Albert. I forget the name of the hotel, but I stayed in the area before and found it was not too bad for the museums off Cromwell Rd, but train ride everywhere else.

The Op posted this back in August. (psy_dr topped several old London hotel threads)

I would focus on Covent Garden, Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, etc - as being the most central and pleasant. If you use Priceline you can certainly get a good quality hotel in those areas.

Would not touch Lancaster Gate or Paddington and while Marble Arch is central it is absolutely mobbed and not the most pleasant area.

nyt: Note my post above yours . . . The OP hasn't posted to this thread since starting it back in August.