Flat vs Hotel in London
 

We will be in London for one week. Our family consists of two adults and a 6 and 8 year old. Any major disadvantages to a flat? I was thinking the extra space would be nice but I don't think I'll be cooking to often. Any insight pro or con would be appreciated.

We always try to rent an apartment whenever we travel. We don't cook but it's nice to be able to have snacks for mornings and evenings and relax with a bottle of wine or something without having to go out. For us, it's much, much cheaper as well. The only con that we've found is that you don't have a front desk person available to ask questions if you need help with anything. I think with kids it will be even better to have a flat to have the space and a bit of flexibility.

Flat, for sure. You can put the kids down for a nap or earlier bedtime than you and your husband and retreat to another room to plan the next day. It will be much quieter for anyone needing to sleep--believe me!

It will be nice to have a fridge just to put juice, milk, cereal, eggs in. Food in London is very expensive and kids tend to pick anyway, so I would tend to have breakfast in the flat before going out for the day, rather than eat that meal out.

You might want to pick up a pizza or sandwiches for dinner some nights and a flat will enable you to eat at a table and share your day in comfort.

Finally, find one with a washing machine and you can cut down on packing.

Have a great trip!

We have stayed in hotels in London and also a flat. I think the two main differences are -

- much more space in a flat, with cooking facilities and sometimes a washing machine

- more privacy in a flat, no housemaids, no cleaner, no front desk, no concierge, no one to ask questions of etc

We actually like our privacy and the fact that no one will be making the bed (gee, I think I can manage that all by myself) so that doesn't worry us but if you want to ask questions or something doesn't work in a flat, it can sometimes be hard if there is no one around. If you are in a hotel, there are always staff about.

Kay

So what kind of a hotel room would you have? A quad room? They're rare. Two adjoining rooms?

I like apartments too. The kids could go to sleep early, and you could watch TV, etc, in another room. And especially with kids you can have snacks on hand.

Just pick a location in central London, so you can conveniently go back for a rest in the middle of the day -- as needed.

We've done both in London, and for a stay of a week, I would definitely choose a flat. Even though you think you won't cook, I agree with MelJ that it's so much easier to eat breakfast before you start your day (even if it's just a bowl of cereal). But we also found that sometimes we would get "take away" -- sometimes from the Harrod's food hall, sometimes just Pizza Express -- and eat in. It's just nice to have a living room, not so much for square footage as for a gathering place.

We rented an apartment in London this summer with our 9 year old and I much prefer it to a hotel. It was so nice to be able to put her to bed in another room and not have to worry about waking her if we wanted to talk or watch TV. We didn't cook, but we did have take-away Indian food one night in the apartment and was so nice to be able to curl up and dine in after a long day sight seeing. Also, we kept water, juice and some fruit in the kitchen for a quick breakfast or snack. We had a washing machine and dryer which was great after traveling for weeks and washing clothes in the sink!

2, 3, maybe even 4 nights - a hotel is fine. But for any longer - and especially w/ kids - a flat trumps a hotel just about every time.

it isn't just the more space -- a flat will generally be less expensive, you'll have a washer/dryer so you don't have to pack nearly as much stuff, you'll have a kitchen so if the kids are at all picky eaters you can at least have some snacks/drinks on hand, you can easily put picnics together w/o having to buy prepared foods/sandwiches - lots of benefits.

Thank you all for your input. We look forward to exploring London.