nona50

A bit of reassurance, please. I have booked a small hotel for my son (21) and me near the Earl's Court tube station for his first trip to London in early June. I got a very good rate at londontown.com (70 GBP including VAT and breakfast) but I am concerned that we are too far out of the way for all the tourist things we will be doing (museums, theater, Changing of the Guard, Tower of London, etc.).
Are we still in the 1-2 zone that the Oyster card covers?
Should I cancel and try for something in a different location?
Thanks for the help.

kenderina

Yes, you are still on zone 1, the last stop on that zone Anyway, I would try to find something nearer city centre, I don't know how many days are you going to stay, but the tube rides are still time consuming. But don't cancel your booking until you have found something really better
I like Priceline in London, although you cannot choose the hotel, zones are not so big there so you still have some control.

jody

Not to worry , earl's court is a good tube stop with good connections, not too far from anything you might want to visit. I don't really like the area for restaurants and shopping but you are well within the zones 1 and 2. If the price is right, I wouldn't worry about it.

nona50

Thanks. We are there for 6 days and will probably be out and about for most of our eating and shopping so we don't need that "close to home".

lilla

We stayed in the Earl's Court area when visiting London last spring. We had two grandchildren with us for their first trip to London, so we did lots of sightseeing. We found the location excellent. We could get everywhere we wanted to go quickly and took the Tube from Heathrow to Earl's Court quite easily.

There were also museums in walking distance and many reasonable (at least for London) restuarants and pubs in the area. We would definitely stay in that area again.

janisj

Earl's court is not scary or anything - but there really are better neighborhoods. And especially for a 6-day stay I would definitely think about something in south Kensington, Victoria, Russell Square or some other "nicer" neighborhood.

I am staying in Olympia/Earls Court myself for a few days in Feb -- but only because I pricelined and got a $74 room - not a 70 GBP one. I booked that zone on purpose because the rest of my trip is pretty expensive and I wanted to economize. Did it w/ my eyes wide open.

But if I was paying full price I personally would not stay in Earls court - just not necessary IMHO.

penel523

I stayed in the Earl's Court area with my daughter several years ago--and I have to say that I kicked myself the whole time for picking that location. In the past, I'd always stayed in Bloomsbury, which is walking distance to theaters and what for me is more the "center" of London.

Indeed, I felt we did need to spend more time on the subway going back and forth than I would have liked. And having just been to London again, I can say that subway rides are certainly no bargain! (We ended up riding the bus and walking a lot just to avoid the steep tariff.)

We also came back with bedbug bites. So you can see Earl's Court has no fond memories for me, though we managed fine and had a great time otherwise.

This past fall we stayed at the Thanet Hotel, which is a small hotel in Bloomsbury, near Russell Square. It was my first time there, though I believe the third for my husband. http://www.thanethotel.co.uk/ It's serviceable, like many hotels in London; nothing fancy.

Josser

Earl's court is not scary or anything

Well, it is full of Australians ;-)

nona1

Hi to another nona!

*waves*

Have a lovely trip wherever you stay.

audere_est_facere

Earl's court is fine and it's a hop and skip to the major sites (it's on the District, circle and picadilly line).

There's not much there in the way of good restaurants etc, but there is one very very good pub (possibly my favourite in London). Also Kings Rd is a short walk away and there are millions of restaurants and things there.

pantelia

I stayed in Earl's Court with my 3 children in 2005 and would do it again. Our hotel was right around the corner from the Tube station, and we found it easy to commute anywhere from there. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again, and I've stayed in a few different areas in London. I'm not saying that my first choice would be Earl's Court, but I'm not opposed to it.

nona50

Hmmm...mixed reviews. I thought 70GBP was a good price for London - especially since I'm with my son and we need 2 beds (not always a given with a hotel).
I will check out the other suggestions but if we end up there - Audere? What is the name of your favorite pub in Earl's Court?
Oh...and "hi" back, nona. You are right, not many of us around!!

audere_est_facere

The kings Head in Hogarth rd. Exactly what a pub shoould be.

PalenqueBob

I'm always looking for pubs that 'are exactly what pubs should be' - but what is it exactly about this pub that makes it exactly like what a pub should be.

I'm going to London and Earl's Court to me is not far out situation wise and may check out this pub if it sounds good - a brief description please. And Earl's Court, with its legions of Aussies and New Zealanders about and a huge tourists presence seems an unlikely place for this type of pub?

I'd stay in Earl's Court though i find the area one of the tackiest in London. It has dozens of dirt-cheap hostels and a lot of young folks - that's not the problem but just seems rather dirty and tacky development.

going_places

Try the Luna and Simone hotel. Near victoria and pimlico atube stations. I got a 70 pound rate for 2 in march. good hotel, good location.

going_places

By the way..double check that rate. londontown rates do not usually include VAT.

nona50

Thanks, Going_Places. I checked Luna & Simone and it is 5-20GBP more expensive than what I have reserved (probably because we are there in June). I did double check on the VAT - and it is included but I appreciate the warning.
I guess we'll stay where I have planned and enjoy the tube rides (and the Australians!).

JN

If cost and some control over location are important to you, go with Priceline. www.biddingfortravel.com lists hotels used by priceline in each zone. Many of the hotels come with reviews or links to TripAdvisor.com reviews. I'd consider going that route.

If knowing the exact hotel in advance, of course, it may not be for you.