kila

i just booked a last-minute trip to london from oct. 18-23. i've only been there for 6 hours, while en route to paris last year, and am very confused about the different areas. i'll be traveling alone and could use advice on what what would be a good place to stay (assuming i can even find a room so late!!!) can anyone help me? -- oh, and no, my budget is not endless.

kila

i forgot to mention -- it's the area of town i need help with: piccadilly, south kensington, bloomsbury, etc. (although if anyone has specific hotel recommendations, that's great too.) what's safe, but lively and not too far from interesting sights?

Jane

For good deals on hotel rooms try www.laterooms.com which has discounts on lots of hotels. www.lastminute.com does something similar, although the last time I looked, it tended to be a bit more expensive. As for areas, Bloomsbury's probably your best bet as it's very central and has a few reasonably priced B&Bs (do a search on this forum to find out more). Other good areas are South Kensington and Bayswater which are a bit further out but still very accessible by tube. I'd avoid staying in Kings Cross, and maybe Earls Court too.

Betty Ann

We were in London two weeks ago and stayed at the Rochester Hotel on Vincent Square, a five minute walk east of Victoria Station and a 10 to 15 minute walk from B'ham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Cabinet War Rooms (VERY interesting BTW). This hotel is in the Westminster area. You'll be able to find the green square that is Vincent Square on a decent London map. We paid 140 pounds. Small but very nice room overlooking the square. Location is very important to us, we would rather pay a little more for a room and spend less time on tubes etc. <BR> <BR>Try to get a ticket to Mamma Mia at the Prince Edward Theatre. GREAT SHOW!!

elaine

Hi <BR>I have a lot of travel notes on London. If you'd like to see them, email me.

Big Ben

Second the idea on Bloomsbury area. Good location and close to all central things. One really good hotel is The Morgan, right next to British Musuem. Since you are alone they will make you feel most welcome. This is a family run hotel (2 brothers and a sister) and they do it all, including cooking the included nice breakfast. Nicely decorated comfortable rooms (although from experience I can report that some of the singles can be quite small). The information on the hotel: <BR> <BR>Morgan Hotel <BR>24 Bloomsbury Street <BR>London WC1 B3QJ <BR>Tel: 071 636 3735 <BR> <BR>Guessing on current rates (been a bit since I stayed there last) a single will probably run around 60-70 pounds. Contact them for actual cost. All rooms have private baths by the way.

Big Ben

CORRECTION TO ABOVE POST - the phone number is as below: <BR>Morgan Hotel, <BR>24 Bloomsbury St, Wc1, London. <BR> <BR>(020) 7636 3735 <BR> <BR> <BR>To dial this number from outside the UK, please first dial the local country's international access code followed by 44 20 7636 3735 <BR>

Debbie

a Couple of things. <BR> <BR>1- if you want to be able to hop and off the tube /buses - check with a travel agent for a LONDON VISITOR CARD - I found it very worth it - never having to worry about buying tube tickets or having correct change for the buses <BR> <BR>2. Hop/on Hop/off tours are great - be sure to try the one that goes to the Tower of London. <BR> <BR>3. Be VERY WARY of cheap rooms in London - a decent room is worth the cost. If you book over the web - be sure you can see a picture of one of the bedrooms. <BR> <BR>4. If you have time - take a day trip to BATH - 1 hr by train. they have free walking tours of the city every day. (around 10 am I think) i love bath. <BR> <BR>5. Get the EYEWITNESS LONDON (or GREAT BRITAIN ) book - very helpful <BR> <BR>have fun!