Rachel

Recently returned from London where we stayed at the K-West Hotel in Shepherd's Bush. Very convenient to Shepherd's Bush tube station. Hotel was very nice and a real steal at $99/night through hoteldisounts.com. Wonderful amenities - Large air-conditioned room with king-sized bed, couch with coffee table, desk, small bar area with minibar refrigerator and an assortment of glasses (wine, champagne, high-ball, etc). One of the most comfortable beds/pillows I have ever had in a hotel room anywhere. The bathrooms are very large and lovely with full-tub and shower complete with glass door (and wash cloths!). The area is a bit off-the-beaten track, but with the tube so accessible it was really only inconvenient a couple of times when we wanted to drop things off in the room. Wouldn't hesitate to stay there again, however this would not be a good hotel for first time visitors who rely on information and help from the front desk. The staff was very young, and though gracious, frequently unable to answer questions that other 4-star hotel front desks answer routinely. But if you are self-sufficient and don't use the front desk as an information portal, you will be fine. The surrounding area is a bit run-down, but seemed very safe. There is a fabulous winebar down a few blocks called Albertine's-great atmosphere, lovely wines, helpful staff, terrific owner. Across the street from the winebar is a small French bistro (Balzac restaurant) which was fabulous and offered a very reasonable fixed price dinner at L12 for 2 courses and and terrific house wine. Highly recommend! <BR><BR>

BabyJane

Thanks very much for posting Rachel. Shepherd's Bush is not an area many tourists would think of staying in... on here most people seem to head towards Bloomsbury, Kensington etc. Glad you enjoyed your time in London.

SueB

topping for Sara

Chris

Sheperds bush is far from center. My son lived there for a year when studying in London and I can tell you it's not a piece of cake.

Cagal

OK: The hotel's off the beaten track, the staff isn't knowledgable, the area is run down. This is a great find??

wanda

Is this the same hotel that claims its near Notting Hill? Is it? Im suppossed to stay there next week. Please any advice that you can give is appreciated!!!!

Rachel

Hi Wanda. Yes, it is the same hotel. And in spite of Cagal's non-encouraging remark, I did find this to be a great hotel find seeing as I saved more than 50% over the other hotel we were considering for our 9 day stay. The room itself was great - huge with sitting area, bar area, king-size bed, large bathroom with tub and shower, nicely decorated. We were looking for a large, nicely appointed room and we were more than happy with the rooms at the K-West. Yes, the neighborgood may seem a bit dodgy, but it was very safe and we had no problems at all - it simply wasn't your classic tourist area, which we prefer. Easy tube access, some delightful restaurants close by (Patio, Balzac's, Albertin Wine bar, Mail Pouch pub), nice little wine shop and laundry around to your left. However, if you are a traveler who needs concierge level attention, this is not the hotel for you. We are very independent and familiar with London. We were simply trying to point out that the staff was not the type to make all your arrangements for you. If you require alot of hand holding from the front desk, you may want to reconsider. They are certainly very pleasant. We would definitely stay there again. I enjoyed it very much.

Julia

I think we can all agree that finding a decent hotel with a good-sized room in a good area of London for under $100 U.S. is virtually impossible. Therefore, any recommendations, whether off the beaten path or not, are welcome. I've found London to have the most expensive hotel rooms in Europe. You need to spend at least $200 U.S. to get something halfway decent. Does anyone disagree? If so, please advise. I'd love to find a decent, centrally located hotel for under $200 U.S. that I could return to time and again.

Dave

Hi Julia - As you requested....I am &quot;advising&quot;.<BR>I recently stayed at the Grange Whitehall on Montague Street, around the corner from the British Museum.<BR>Cost was under $200 by a fair amount,,,,and tho I can't recall specifically, I believe it was near $150.<BR>The hotel was in a great location, very clean room, nice bathroom with shower &quot;doors&quot;, and a bar which stayed open late for guests if you come home after theatre, etc.<BR>Hope you find this of help, and that the Whitehall meets your needs.<BR>Best wishes.

karen

I also disagree Julie! I regularly check hotel prices in central London as part of my job and have no problem finding really nice 4 star hotels in decent locations for &pound;70-90 a night *including* tax and usually breakfast. Which is what? $105-135 ?? <BR>The Thistle Hotels are very nice business class hotels and have a lot of good rates over weekends. www.thistlehotels.com (the Royal Horseguard hotel has rates of &pound;88 on certain days, which I think is very good for a nice hotel so well located).<BR>The Moat Houses also have special offers - www.moathousehotels.co.uk<BR><BR>You can also check some of the hotel discount sites for special offers - <BR><BR>www.discountcityhotels.com<BR>www.lateroom s.com<BR>www.londontown.com (have to watch out with this site as VAT isnt included and often bumps up the price quite a bit)<BR><BR>Weekends are nearly always cheaper, so if you are staying for just a few days make sure to include Fri/Sat/Sun nights. e.g. Discountcityhotels currently has a double room at the Kingsway Hall in the Covent Garden/Holborn area for &pound;69 a night over the weekends in January. I've not stayed there but the hotel looks very nice and is listed as 4 star (I think it belongs to the same group as the Harrington Hall in Kensington, which is always well praised on Fodors).

Julia

Thanks so much, Dave and Karen! I haven't been to London since last year, and at that time had difficulty finding a suitable hotel. I'll definitely keep this information in a safe place for future use.

Dave

Julia - Hope you'll be able to use the information SOON!!<BR>Best wishes!

bettyk

In May, we spent 4 nights at the 4* Rubens-at-the-Palace Hotel across from Buckingham Palace and a couple of blocks from Victoria Station for 99 pounds including VAT and a lovely full English breakfast. The room was standard size for London but was handsomely furnished and air conditioned! After weeks of checking numerous discount hotel websites, I found this rate on www.londontown.com. It was by far the best deal I saw for the dates we needed.