Budget B&B central to London
 

My teen daughter and I are in London for a week in April and need a hotel for 3 nights. We are not looking for anything fancy at all, and don't require a lot of space, just safety and an included breakfast would be nice. Definitely need to stay for no more than about 110 pounds a night, VAT included. Was thinking a B&B might be a value. Any suggestions in the Paddington, Notting Hill, South Kensington or Marylbone areas? I have a reservation at the Crownwall Hotel and the price is great, but I'm not sure of the area and was looking for ideas. I know I can check priceline, but was hoping to know what I was getting ahead of time.

Hi, April...

We're budget travelers and often stay at the St. Margaret's Hotel in Bloomsbury: www.stmargaretshotel.co.uk.

A double with shared hallway bath is 68 GBP per night. I was hesitant about sharing a bath with other travelers, but they're truly spotless, regularly maintained and very modern, with glass doors, heated towel rods, etc. I've never waited to use them, either. I would never pay the extra money to have my own bathroom. Just not worth it.

St. Margaret's is 2 blocks from the British Museum, a quick walk to two Tube stations, on several bus lines, and it's on a very quiet street right next to Russell Square.

The hotel occupies a few large Georgian townhouses, complete with high ceilings and original architectural details. They serve breakfast every morning and have two lounges to relax in.

The rooms have mis-matched furnishings, but are spotlessly clean. The staff is friendly. Rooms in the back overlook a lovely garden.

The location can't be beat. We literally walk almost everywhere -- the West End/theatres are a 10-15 minute walk away, and there are lots of good neighborhood pubs/restaurants on many of the surrounding streets.

Nanbug--
Tripadvisor.com says St Margaret's is closing March 15, 2007. Thanks for the idea though.

Oh no!!! Thanks for the info. Now where will we go?! Guess I'll be on the Fodors board soon, asking for tips... ha ha.

You may also want to check out the Morgan Hotel (morganhotel.co.uk), also in Bloomsbury. We stayed there a few years ago and it still gets good reviews. It's pricier than St. Margaret's because you don't have the shared bath option. Looks like doubles are 100 GBPs...breakfast was excellent. Location great. Rooms are kind of small, but cozy and well-kept. Last time we were there, they upgraded us for no charge, into one of their apts. Very sweet.

Good luck!

We have used the Winchester Hotel about three blocks from Victoria Station. Very nice, fair breakfast and less than $200 three years ago which means it is probably at the 200 mark now. We like the Victoria Station area for convenience.

April...forgot to mention...

Also research the Luna & Simone B&B, near Victoria Station. I've never stayed there, but it gets pretty good reviews here and on Tripadvisor. It's worth a shot.

Not sure if it is still there but there was an IBIS (Accor Group of hotels) near Euston Station. Very utilitarian and small rooms but PRIVATE bathrooms. Just so you know, 99% of places in London have private baths. I would never share a bathroom no matter how spotless it was.....ugh :-) (just my opinion) and your teen daughter probably would not be too keen on that either.

Try www.visithotels.com and you will be pleasantly suprised. You can convert prices to USD.Try Kensington, Hyde park, Bayswater,Lancaster Gate, pleanty of good hotel with breakfast, reasonable by Londons standards.

Hi April
We are going to London in May and have booked
The Ridgemont Hotel in Gower St Bloomsbury...near the British Museum. I have a friend who has stayed there 5 Times and says its the best area and lovely people run it. It's only 55 pounds a double with breakfast.
Hope this helps...we are looking forward to our stay there.
http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/index.htm
Rosie ((R))

110 GBP per night would give you a room with a private bath, I should think. Along with the Ibis hotel chain, you can also try the Travel Inn hotels. Put "budget hotel/B&B" into the search engine of TripAdvisor, and you should come up with a list of reasonable hotels. Just remember, as long as you're near a tube stop, you can get around London.

Dear April in London;
Could you be more specific about where it says St. Margaret's Hotel is closing? I see in Tripadvisor that Scala House is closing, but nothing about St. Margarets.
Thanks.

Hi, Lovisa...

After April posted that, I, too, saw it on Tripadvisor...on the lower left part of the screen...

No word on the St. Margaret's website yet.

I'm not surprised by this, as the owners were getting older and their daughter seemed to be managing the place. Maybe she discovered it's not for her.

Or maybe it's all a sad rumor!

Either way, it would be worth contacting them directly to confirm.