aacree

My wife and I are visiting London for the first time at the end of September.

I would like to find a hotel in a good area where we can see the sights easily. It would be nice to stay in an area that has some good pubs and restaurants around.

I have booked two hotels already but I am not sure about them:

Wardonia Hotel - Near Kings Cross. From reading, it looks like the area is a little grubby. I'm not sure how many pubs/restaurants are close by and how convenient it is to get to the sights from this hotel.

Mowbray Court hotel (near Earl's court/Kensington) - I booked this but did not realize that the room shared a bathroom which my wife is not too keen on.

My budget would be $100-130 a night.

thanks for the help.

Vimsen

I'd prefer the Earls Court/Kensington area or Bayswater (lots of cheap hotels). Make sure the hotel is close to a station on the London underground - that way it will be easy to get around.

jody

Both are close to tube stations and since the sights in London are spread out, not concentrated in one area, you's have to use it anyway. The Mowbray does have en suite rooms.

nona1

Your budget is very much at the rockbottom of the range so you will have to compromise somewhat. You are unlikely to get both a 'good area' and a nice hotel for that. You'll have to choose an ok hotel in a grotty area or a grotty hotel in a nice area. Hence the shared bathroom or a grubby area.

If you can add a bit to your budget you'll have a much easier choice.

aacree

Thanks for the replies.

Our budget is on the very low end, but we don't mind an "ok" hotel because we will not be spending too much time in the room.

I would be fine sharing a bathroom, but my wife is not .

I guess I am concerned that the hotel in Kings Cross would not have any good pubs/restaurants close by for some food/beer close to the hotel. The hotel has really good ratings on Tripadvisor and I'm not too concerned about the area.

WillTravel

I would use Priceline, because you could almost certainly get at least a 3* hotel in a nice area for the same price as you are willing to spend for these 1* or 0* options. See betterbidding.com and other posts on this forum.

aacree

I might try out Priceline - I have never used it before but I have a friend that uses it all the time.

floydvic

London is a very good city for using the name your price feature of priceline. I have used it for London and have been pleased with the results. However, it is absolutely essential for best results to do some research; www.biddingfortravel.com is a great place to start and I would urge studying and restudying before you make your bids. Once the bid is accepted you have bought the room with almost no chance of cancelling or making changes.

Michel_Paris

Don't limit yourself to hotels, there are plenty of nice B&Bs there. I've stayed a few times in the Bloomsbury area (near British Museum). I liked the Harlingford Hotel (note that many B&Bs have the word 'hotel' in their name).

People here have done well using Priceline...

GSteed

Try the Victoria Station area. Bus access is great as well as the Victoria underground. The Tate is close. Local pubs are friendly. The Sea Fresh serves super fish and chips. B&Bs abound and are ok. There is also a good police presence. Buckingham Palace is nearby. A 'good" area..all of London is ok. Don't miss the Hard Rock Cafe. Watch the limos pull up and mother or dad head for the shop to buy sweat shirts for the kids at home! No tables go to the back counter.

janisj

Kings cross is generally crowded/congested and a bit crappy. Earls Court is pretty far west for convenient touring (and has it's own crappy properties).

$100 is less than £50 so you need to either use Priceline or REALLY lower your sights. The days of $75 PL wins seem to be over - but you should be able to get a really nice hotel w/ all services for around $100 plus tax.

Besides betterbidding already mentioned, also check out biddingfortravel.com for info before trying PL.

janisj

Meant to add - even most B&Bs will be above your budget.

And don't think moving out to the suburbs will help - you <i>might</i> find a nice &pound;50 B&amp;B - but you'll pay more for transport and spend a lot of time commuting back and forth.

GreenDragon

I got a very nice 4* hotel (Tara Copthorne) in London for $75 a night in August 2005 using the Priceline name your own price feature. It was in Kensington High Street, about 300 yards from the tube station. London is one of the best places to use Priceline, IMHO.

audere_est_facere

I googled the wardonia and it's in Argyll Square which I would strongly advise against.

A lot of the &quot;hotels&quot; in the square are really doss houses for the homeless (and there is a big hostel for homeless women nearby).

It used to be a hotbed of prostitution and although the area has been significantly improved it's not anywhere I'd want my mother/sister staying.

Audere - ex camden employee and onetime officer for cleaning up the area.

Vimsen

Check out this link as well for finding a hotel in London: www.bhrc.co.uk

NE

Just returned from London after having stayed at the Luna Simone on Belgrave Road.......it may be a bit more than your budget, but it was a great location and affordable by London standards. Walking distance to Victoria station, pubs and small restaurants within walking distance, bus #24 (to got to the London Eye, Westminster, parliament)stops just across the street. The hotel is really great....rooms were a little small but spotless!

kmowatt

A couple of thoughts for you. Depending on timing in September, London universities rent out their dorm rooms for a good price (some of these are quite new and clean with own ensuite). Google London School of Ecomomics to start.

Another choice is EASY Hotel - www.easyhotel.com. They have 3 locations in London - very tiny rooms but new also and better location than Earls Court or Kings Cross. As others have said, I would really stay away from Kings Cross.

My cousin stayed at the London School of Economics, Covent Garden area and thought it was fine - she's a retired FA with Air Canada so has stayed in MANY places. Location was perfect and it had a small kitchen.

London is doable on a small budget - I do it every year!!

Hope you find something!

janisj

easyHotel is definitely not cheap. Sure the base rate is relatively low. For example the South Kens easyHotel runs about &pound;45 in the Fall -- but you pay extra for a window, housekeeping, more than 1 towel, a TV, etc. And most of the rooms do not have windows so you'd be stuck in an orange colored cell w/o even a tiny window.

NOT my idea of fun . . . .

WillTravel

The LSE residences are a good choice, but are only available until September 29. But take a look at www.travelstay.com .

aacree

Thanks again for all the posts. The LSE has a double suite available in the Grosvenor House studios for 42.50 pounds a night. Sounds like a great deal to me and the location is fantastic. Luckily our stay is Sept. 27-29 .