Holiday flat rental recommendation for London
 

Hello Fodorites. I just got back from a wonderful trip to London and want to recommend to my fellow UK travellers a lovely accommodation alternative for any short or long stay in London. This trip, we tried a hotel alternative and decided to rent a flat in central London. Specifically, we used "The Apartments" (www.theapartments.co.uk) a wonderful flat rental accommodation that has some very nice, clean and comfortable flats (with full, big bathrooms!!) along the beautiful Draycott Place and Sloane Avenue in Chelsea. I highly recommend staying there if you do not want to deal with a hotel or B&B and are looking for cost-effective logding. We went through one of their agents.. a very lovely woman named Emmie Caesar who can be reached via email at [email protected] or via phone at +44 208 8780990. Our 2 bedroom, top floor flat was right on Draycott Place, 2 blocks from the Sloane Street Underground stop and one block from all of the shopping on Kings Road. Plus, we were able to stay in the very lovely, trendy Chelsea, which was so enjoyable as the neighborhood is very beautiful and convenient. I highly recommend The Apartments for anyone or family who would like the convenience of more space and comfort and the option to prepare your own meals/coffee/etc. as all units have a kitchen and dining table, with the added value of cost effectiveness and charm. Trust me on this one folks. We were so happy and will definitely stay there again on our next trip to London (we go a lot!) One final tip, use the cab company Blue Back (www.blueback.com) for airport pick-ups, drop offs and all other car transportation needs. They were very, very reliable and also very cost-effective, as well having the nicest drivers I have ever met! Cheerio!! Carolyn

Thanks for the info, cd! We've rented an apartment on Draycott Avenue through londonguestsuites.com and we really LOVE that area. It has a real neighborhoody feel, very upscale, beautiful, close to shops and restaurants, and close to a tube station. What more could you ask for?

It's nice to see that they rent some of their flats per night.

Susan

Susan, you are going to LOVE Draycott Avenue (we stayed on Draycott Place, but it's the very same neighborhood). If you get back late one night and want to eat some great food and have some drinks try the Charos (sp?) Grille. It's lovely! And great fish and chips and wine, not to mention sinful desserts! And be sure to shop at Peter Jones department store right next to Sloane Square. Have a wonderful and safe trip. Carolyn

Hello,
We are planning a trip in August and I was wondering about the cost of these apartments.
Thanks

Jand, they were very reasonable. We paid 115 uk pounds (plus VAT) per night, but we had so much space and 2 bedrooms/2 baths, plus the building was beautiful and so was the neighborhood. You should check them out at the very least. Good luck, CD

Just in Londonfor a week,
we stayed at Reeves Mews in Mayfair
We paid 795 gbp a week had a one bedroom apartment with maid service 5 days a week,
location & quality was superb,
we booked through london4rent.com
& was pleased wityh the service,

We just Love mayfair as this keeps us within walking distance to the theaters.

Great info Carolyn. Was this an apt/hotel place (ie front desk, daily maid) or a private apt? Any minimum stay?

The flat sounds lovely, and Chelsea is certainly very nice. But I think it's not quite accurate to describe this as an alternative to B&Bs for "cost effective lodging." If I understand correctly, you paid the equivalent of about $230 per night, which to this budget traveller sounds quite costly, indeed. Less spacious but perfectly comfortable B&B accomodation in, say Bloomsbury, can easily be had for half that amount, and that of course includes a full breakfast.

Thanks so much Carolyn for passing along the information. That's what makes this board so great.

I would love to follow your recommendation and stay at your "new London home" some day, but I have to confess, I do find the price a bit too much for my budget. It sure sounds lovely, though, and like you, I love the Chelsea area.

Closer to my budget is the Aston's Budget suites located at 31 Rosary Gardens, near the Gloucester Rd. Tube station. My two friends and I stayed there last year in a tiny flat. The room had 3 single beds, but it was so small, we all had a great laugh. It had everything we needed though including a little tiny kitchen. But you know, we spent so little time there, we didn't care.

The place is always on the list for www.laterooms.com, so check it out if you'll looking for some good deals.

Dale

P.S. Thanks as well Carolyn for your tip about the cab service. It's always good to get new recommendations.

Guys, do you realize Carolyn said <b>2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms</b> for 115 GBP? That's pretty good value to me, especially if you're traveling with teens. And with an apt you can eat some meals in, not possible in a b &amp; b.

Thanks, McLaurie! You are correct. 2 bedrooms/2 baths people!!! Divide cost by 4 people, and not a bad deal at all. Some people on Fodors Talk can be very negative or cynical, so I just ignore them. A lot of space for a big family is worth a few extra pounds (and you can make your own breakfast vs. getting up at 7:00 A.M. WITH JETLAG to have someone make it for you! I'm going to keep passing along good tips and you all can do whatever you want with them (ahem, Cuttle that would be you!).

You might also try Coach House London Vacation Rentals ? not a budget company but they are well known in the short stay rental market and they have a good reputation. They have a large selection of apartments and houses from studio flats suitable for 2 to large houses that will sleep up to 12. Go to their web site www.rentals.chslondon.com for a full listing of their properties.

Looks like the prices have gone way up! The Sloan Square 2 bedroom apts are 1695 GBP per week, plus 17.5% VAT; the Drayton apts have gone up to 1611 GBP, also with the VAT not included. That's quite a leap since April!

Egads! 1695 pounds a week plus VAT comes out to about $514 US a night!!!
They ought to be spectacular for that price, not just &quot;nice, clean, and comfortable&quot; as described above!

How on earth is it &quot;negative&quot; or &quot;cynical&quot; to point out that better bargains can be found elsewhere for those who don't find these lodgings to be within their price range? It's worth remembering that what's &quot;reasonable&quot; varies pretty widely according to how much money one has to spend.

I agree Cuttle. You merely pointed out the &quot;cost effectiveness&quot; comparison to B&amp;B lodging. I guess the original poster wanted everyone to jump and say &quot;wow, what a wonderful deal&quot; when it wasn't the idea of having an apartment split between 4 people you were objecting to, but the comparitively high cost. Not everyone is willing to spend over $500US per night for lodging in London! And as I said, for that kind of money it should be more than just nice and clean -- it should be pretty spectacular!