OK -- Premier Inn County Hall (just across the river from Westminster/Big Ben) is quoting £145 per night for a random 6 night stay (I used Aug 9 - 14) which is a terrific bargain. Nearby PI Waterloos is quoting £154 for the same nights.

Their sister brand -- HUB -- would probably be a little cheaper -- they are clean/modern but very basic.

janisj Yes I think my post was in moderation and wasn't showing up. I don't mean staying in Soho/Westminster itself. What I meant was we wouldn't mind staying somewhere that is within 20 minutes' travel by Tube to Oxford Circus. However, like what you and KTtravel mentioned, would that mean a lot of time wasted travelling or is that a reasonable time? For example, I found this hotel named Mowbray Court Hotel near Earl's Court station which seems to be around 20 to 30 mins away from Oxford Circus. There's also Z Hotel Victoria which is in Westminster and Z Hotel Picadilly in Soho but they seem to fit our budget and would save on travelling time like you mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion on Premier Inn County Hall; we might really consider that!

lavandula We are interested in architecture, food, shopping. As for museums, we are not big art lovers so we don't necessarily want to visit too many art museums, but we would like to visit history and science museums. However, I do want to visit the Ghent altarpiece, as well as the Michelangelo in Bruges, as I prefer sculptures to paintings. We also love to just take walks and enjoy the general vibe and ambience of a city.

OK - great. One thing you need to know about 'Westminster'. One is what most of us think of as 'Westminster' -- around Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, The other is the Borough of Westminster (which the Big Ben Westminster is in) -- The Borough of Westminster is huge and covers most of west-central and north-central London. It stretches for miles - Paddington, Regents Park, all the way up to Abbey Road are in the City (Borough) of Westminster. So a hotel with a Westminster address is often not anywhere near what we think of as 'Westminster'

If the two Z hotels fit in your budget they are quite central and good for access to sites and public transport. Earl's Court isn't bad but it is a bit farther west than I'd like to stay.

I went through the same turmoil you’re going through. Where to base, how many days to stay, and wanting to see it “all”. I home based in Ghent because I was visiting the nearby village where my grandparents were born, Kanegem, and Ghent turned out to be our favorite city. Personally, Bruges is a day trip. Beautiful, storybookish just like the tour books describe. And touristy. We took a 9:00 train to Bruges (28 minutes) met up with a walking tour across from the depot (Viator) had a lovely waffle and then a delicious lunch, and got back on the train at 4:00. Got back to Ghent for a beer and huge pot of mussels for dinner. The square around the NH Belfort is beautiful and if you want more action stay down by the Marriott. Be sure to get a shot of Jenever (the real thing, not flavored) from ‘t Dreupelkot. A lively bar near the Groentenmarkt. Again, found this gem from our guide on a walking tour of Ghent along with many other fascinating sites and history. Good luck and enjoy Belgium. It’s a gem.

Do as julies did and visit the Musical Instruments Museum to kill two (or more) birds with one stone. It is a building by Victor Horta (i.e Art Nouveau) in the former Old England department store, with a fabulous museum and a rooftop restaurant with views of the city and specialising in Belgian fare. Just down the street at the corner is the Pharmacie Anglaise and you can go in for a drink. Nowadays it's a bar, in its day it was designed by Paul Saintenoy. It's about the same age as Old England but in a different style. For shopping you have the Galeries de St.-Hubert and the Rue Neuve / Place de la Monnaie, or if you have time to go a bit further, the shopping streets at Chaussée d'Ixelles (metro: Porte de Namur) and nearby the fabulous Avenue Louise (metro: Louise / Louiza). You can walk between them on Avenue Toison d'Or, which also has shops. For inexpensive shopping look out for HEMA (Place de la Monnaie, Av. Toison d'Or). Chaussée D'Ixelles and Av. Louise are out of the centre, in the Upper Town, so take the metro. I don't know if you are into old cars but there is Autoworld in the Parc Cinquantenaire (in one of the wings). Walk from Schuman metro rather than Mérode as Mérode metro is currently a drugs hotspot, even though the surrounding neighbourhood is posh. Not sure when you are going but the Royal Palace is open to visitors in the summer. Coudenberg is a museum built on the ruins of a former palace. Nearby are the Royal Museums of Fine Arts - a complex of galleries. And of course you shouldn't miss the Grand' Place, every visitor must see this. On the outskirts you could also look at the Atomium and Mini-Europe These are just a few things to think about - you might find your own sights as there are lots more.

Lavandula

janisj yes i am referring to the area of Westminster around Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, not the borough of Westminster. We ended up booking the Premier Inn County Hall; thank you for that find! Looking forward to exploring London and hope it turns out to be an amazing trip.

lavandula that is very useful! thank you for all those suggestions and I shall find more as well. However, it seems the restaurant on top of MIM is closed for renovations, and not sure if they will be done by the time I get there after 15th August.

RoxAnn24 I shall keep all those suggestions in mind and will probably check them out. thank you!

Oh, what a shame about the restaurant - well, fingers crossed. You can also see views of the city for free from Mont des Arts or the Palais de Justice at Place Poelaert (where there is a lift from the Lower Town to the Upper Town), or from The Hotel (a modern upscale hotel with a cocktail lounge with views). Or indeed from the Atomium, but this is from the outside looking in. And there are plenty of restaurants that do Belgian fare, for instance C'est Bon C'est Belge in Rue du Rollebeek, but pick somewhere that works with your accommodation (there are so many).

Lavandula

The County Hall location is great. You won't see the river from your room -- the PI is on the back side of the building -- The neighboring Marriott in the same complex gets all the views. But just walk around to the other side of the PI and you will be standing under the London Eye and be right across the river from Big Ben. Waterloo tube and train station is a 3 or 4 minute walk and Westminster station takes about 8-10 minute walking across Westminster Bridge. All of the Southbank with restaurants, pubs, and sites is walking distance.