Clueless in London
 

I suddenly (!) have to book an apartment or hotel near the University of London for November. I have never been to London and I am struggling to understand the addresses. From what I can gather I should focus on Bloomsbury or the area near Russel Square Station. Is this in Central London? I will need to reach the University fairly early in the morning, so I need to have a place near good public transport. I am also on a somewhat tight budget. Any recommendations will be highly appreciated!

The University of London isn't a campus university, and its colleges have buildings scattered over a few hundred square miles. Though many are in Bloomsbury, if proximity is important, you need to be absolutey clear with us what it is you want to be near to.

Russell Square is in Bloomsbury, which is in very central London. There's a tube/subway station at Russell Square; you can get anywhere in central London from there.

How long will will you be staying in London? What is your budget per night?

I've recently researched lodging in that area for myself, so let us know how much you want to pay/what level of luxury, charm -- or not -- you are shooting for and maybe I can help.

OH, wait. Sorry. Tight budget. That's what I know about. Try these homey and breakfast included Bloomsbury places:

http://www.stmargaretshotel.co.uk/W_e_l_c_o_m_e.html right off Russell Sq.

or

http://www.jesmonddenehotel.co.uk/

or

http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/

OR alternately

http://www.londontown.com/hotels/

If you are shooting for a more business class hotel, we liked Doubletree West End earlier this year.
http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hot...BDI/index.html

I've also had good bargains with hotwire.com for short stays, specifying Bloomsbury/St. Pancras area and sticking with 3* or higher only.

As Flanner points out, the OP has not told us which college he or she is attending.

If someone's organising an event you're going to, don't they have any information or advice? Without knowing what they've told you about the address(es) concerned, it's impossible to offer any sensible advice.

I prefer to offer advice first, decide whether it's sensible later.

We need to know your budget? The precise location of your activities/college? How long you will be in London?

It is very VERY <B>VERY</B> late to be booking a flat for November -- it will be a lot easier/more efficient if you depend on the organizers of your program to recommend/find you a place.

Thanks so much for all the info! Sorry for the incomplete post. Patrick, I have to attend a conference at the University of London, and the organisers did refer to Russell Square Tube Station. I worked out that this seems to be in Bloomsbury. When I try sites like VBRO, I get names such as Camden, Zone1, West End. When I try Booking.com, I get a list of London suburbs/areas that I do not recognise. Therefore the somewhat panicky post above! I want to stretch the time in London a bit, and stay for 8 nights. I do not know how realistic this is, but I am aiming for +- 175 pounds per night. That seems to give me a choice of perhaps 5 or 6 hotels in a long list organised according to price! If I have to pay more, I have to stay for a shorter time. My adult daughter will go with me, and she will just enjoy exploring the city. This means that we would prefer a room with twin beds - which also seems to be in short supply. Stokebailey - you are not the only one who thinks about being sensible afterwards ;)

Ha, thanks Kovsie.

Try airbnb.com too, though lots slimmer pickings in the Bloomsbury area. Read reviews carefully; I have found them to be reliable. The map tabs allow you to locate the room or flat. For my money I'd put up with a less deluxe lodging for the joy of being in London longer, even to the point of getting a room in someone's home if well reviewed.

Besides those links above, try arranhotel-london.com
Not quite what it used to be, but the basic, shared bath rooms are just fine. Bring earplugs if you get a room on Gower St.

Kovsie, are you adverse to taking public transport to and from the conference site? If you aren't you will have I would think many many more hotel possibilities than restricting yourself to the absolute immediate area.

Sorry, meant to say many many more lodging possibilities.

I'm not normally so pushy, but happen to be in the market for similar place for myself and daughter who'll be at Regent's University this winter.

I have a room reserved at St. Margaret's, now Celtic Hotel just off Russell Sq and just near that tube stop. I peeked in there earlier this year and looked at a room, because we like this sort of sociable place with breakfast. After a spring break trip we'll stay a few more nights at an airbnb.com flat probably, though this time I'm looking south of the river for a change.

Selecting random dates for a week in Nov., several airbnb places come up, some more attractive than others. This one looks possible; says it sleeps 3 so presumably the couch can be made into a bed. The company charges 10% on top of the total you see, so you have to take that into account.
Both pretty easy to walk or take a bus up Tottenham Ct. Road to the University.

www.airbnb.com/rooms/543650
and this:
www.airbnb.com/rooms/411432

Different sites use different approaches to their geographical indexing, and some descriptions are generous in order to make the location sound closer to a popular landmark than it really is. Best info is the actual street address or at least post code. Absent that, you can use landmarks.

Try www.londontown.com where you can use the map search to locate a property near Russel Square. That is near the British museum, a major landmark, and there are loads of places to stay in a wide range of prices/comfort level.

What dates in November are you traveling? Would you consider an apartment or do you prefer a hotel? Other than twin beds, any other requirements?

stokebailey - that first place looks pretty grim for two people and I am betting the location would be quite noisy, but the one on Macklin Street looks great. We've stayed in that area and really liked it.

Yup, for sure. I just put those up as examples. The OP's dates would be different, and so would the available places. The secret is reading reviews carefully.

If a person were to search airbnb, putting "Bloomsbury London UK" in the search area would help narrow it down.

TfL maps will help you work out what's within reasonably easy reach of the conference by bus and tube (though I'd still feel on safer ground if the conference organisers had given you a more exact indication of which bit of the University it's in, e.g., Senate House, Institute of Education, SOAS, or whatever):

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...itor-guide.pdf

However, their guide won't help much with neighbourhood names, and I wouldn't entirely rely on advertisers' choice of neighbourhood names either. You need to cross-refer an address of anywhere you're interested in to something like Google Maps as well, just to make sure.

I am sure that I will find something TODAY with all your generous help. Stokebailey, I have mailed all three hotels in your first post, and am waiting for them to reply.
I am quite intruiged with the idea of Hotwire. They have a 4* that I can actually afford. Is there anybody reading this that had a real bad experience with sites like Hotwire??
Hi Ducky! You helped me earlier this year with advice for the opera in Verona. BTW - Aida in that theatre under the full moon in Verona will remain a precious memory! I am not adverse to staying a bit further out and travelling more. It is just, since I do not know how London 'works', I want to keep it simple.
Seamus - at this late stage I am quite flexible. A quiet room would, of course, be preferable. I am considering either a hotel or an apartment. In a perfect world? Free wifi, a nice breakfast, some space to move, a helpful manager / owner / front desk person, near a tube station, on a bus route, a good bed will all be very nice.

Hotwire is great -- BUT you need to really do your homework. Carefully look at the geographic zones. Often in the property's description there are enough clues that one can figure out exactly which hotel it is.

I have now booked a 4* hotel through Hotwire, and got a place called Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street. Good reviews from TA and (importantly) within my budget. No reference on their web site to Russell Square, but seemingly there is a tube station nearby. I just hope it will be OK. Thanks so much for all your input and advice - it really makes me feel better to have such knowledgable support!
Have also now booked flight tickets - BA - £860 for two persons return.
Two more questions: (1) from the websites it seems as if the 1-week travel card is a good deal. We will be there for 8 days. Is this the best way to pay for transport? (2) I would love to go to the theatre while we are there. My daughter is rooting for Lion King. Is it a good idea / is it possible to buy tickets from tkts or to try to get last minute tickets at the theatre?

You are going to be 25-30 minutes by bus or Tube to Russell Square, but as flanneruk wisely points out, that may or may not be anywhere near where your conference is. On the other hand, you have gotten a well reviewed hotel at an affordable price, and it is in fact near enough to a number of interesting places.

I know you haven't been to London before, but you need to slow down a bit or you are going to wear yourself out before you get there. You would have gotten much better advice here if you had posted the actual address where the conference is taking place, but you were in a hurry.

How are you going to get to the hotel from the airport? Well, in this part of London, there are many choices, some of them quite bad and/or expensive. If you want people to help you with things like this, you need to be quite specific: " my plane arrives at LGW 0755; what is the best way to get to ... for a man in his fifties with a heart condition coming from Singapore?" Or whatever.

If you have been invited to give a paper, you are naturally going to be anxious, but you need to pace yourself, now and when you are there. As one who has given innumerable conference presentations, I have watched people crash and burn by day two because they try to do it all, including the extensive social opportunities usual at such events.

You will get a better idea of what Flanner and Patrick are talking about if you go to the University of London website http://www.lon.ac.uk
It is not a campus university. It has 19 colleges and 10 institutes. It would help your query if you could point out which institution is hosting your conference

Oh, I see that you have already booked :-(

"You are going to be 25-30 minutes by bus or Tube to Russell Square"

Nearer 15-20 mins by tube with 1 change at Piccadilly Circus onto the Piccadilly Line but getting out of Russell Square can take time because it's basically lift only access unless you fancy 300 steps.

Ok I definitely need to be more specific. The website says: Our conference will be held on univeristy premises in Malet Street, midway between Goodge street Tube Station and Russell Street Tube Station. The conference itself is 2-5 November.
I decided to go with Hotwire, because quite a few hotels and apartments that I have tried could not accommodate us during the time we will be there. The conference is four days long, the rest of the time I would like to experience something of London. I have no desire to 'see it all', I rather prefer slow travel, but would still like to explore a few interesting places.
Achislander - this conference came rather unexpectedly - I am already flying out to London 31 October. This is not the way it should happen, I know, but it is a long story ... Yes, you guessed correctly, I am to present a paper. This is not my biggest concern, I have done it before. I just freaked out because everything has to be organised at (almost) the last minute. Thanks for the reminder to pace myself!
OK so now for getting from airport to hotel. Our plane from Dubai lands at Heathrow just after 6 in the morning. I tend to sleep well on a plane, and the time difference is only 2 hours, so we should not be too tired. We travel light, and each of us (my daughter and I) will have a 20' /50cm case. I have contacted the hotel and asked about early check-in - they seem to be OK with it. What would be the best way to get from Heathrow to Baker Street?

Mistake - the time difference between Dubai and London is 3 hours.

You need to look at the tfl website - tfl.gov.uk. You can get all of the relevant maps and journey plans there. The options - tube to Piccadilly Circus on the Piccadilly line then change to the Bakerloo Line northbound to Baker Street. Rail into Paddington (either the stopping train or the fast but expensive HEX) followed by the tube (Bakerloo Line to Baker Street). Or a cab or private hire - take around an hour.

That sounds great, kovsie! Your hotel is near Regent's Park, which is worth a stroll, and is walkable to your conference if you were so inclined. Per maps.google.com it would take 29 min on foot through some cool neighborhoods and keep you aboveground. The Metropolitan Line underground to Euston looks faster.

Your hotel is also near lots of good bus routes for seeing the town. I know you will both have a great time, and I wish I could be there to hear your presentation.

We've had great luck with Hotwire in large cities, again heeding the reviews. In smaller towns it's not so good.

I don't know about Lion King tickets availability at the tkts booths, but we've done well showing up at the box office and getting discount seats for other plays.

We like to take the bus a lot in London, as long as not pressed for time or rush periods. I know there are searchable recent threads on week travelcard vs Oyster. We've done both. Last time using Oysters for 10 days I seemed to be topping it up frequently though I didn't keep track of the cost difference.

The hotel is VERY close to the Baker Street tube station so transport around London is no problem.

But re getting to your hotel from the airport -- it will be a schlepp by tube. I'd pre-book a car service like justairports.com. It will cost more than the Tube but is door-to-door and MUCH cheaper than a taxi.

Thanks so much Stokebailey - its you who made me aware of Hotwire. I am satisfied with the hotel, it looks nice and fancy, and they say they are 3 minutes from the nearest Tube Station. Yes, I will spend time on buses and the tube, but that's OK. I had visions of changing hotels 2 or even 3 times because I struggled to get a place for the 8 nights I will be there.
Havana - thanks for the reference to the tfl-site. I will certainly use it.
Janis - I will book the car service for arriving in London - thanks for that too!
And now I am officially excited ... this 'pinch me I'm going to London' feeling!!
Next decisions: what to pack, what to wear. It seems cold (between 5-11C) and wet (rain for 22 days of the month).

Sounds like everything is falling into place and that you are no longer hyperventilating :-)

II will second this as bing a great area for bus routes.

Hyperventilation down to manageable levels, thx Ackislander!!

If your daughter felt like going to Oxford for a day while you were busy, there are ~ 3 motorcoaches/ hour that stop just across Marylebone Rd at Baker St. before heading out of town. Comfortable ride through pleasant country, and a beautiful university town.

x90.oxfordbus.co.uk/timetables-fares/

sorry correction: x90 bus stops south of Marylebone Rd I believe, when heading out of town.

O yes, this is a good idea. I am embarrassed to say there is no scholarly pursuit behind her desire to go to Oxford ... it is all about Harry Potter!