Portune

We're really liking the apartment idea!

genevagirl

Congratulations.
Considering your hotel budget I would really recommend this boutique hostel in London. Its in Swiss Cottage which is 10 minute walk from lovely areas of Regents Park and Hampstead and is well connected with public transport.

http://palmerslodges.com/swisscottage/hostel/

You should be able to get a double room for a reasonable price in the region of $60 per night.

Good luck

thursdaysd

http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/spring_deals.htm

I agree that that is very low for London. I was going to recommend the B&B I use on Gower St., but even with shared bath it's 78 GBP for a double. Do check out the LSE link above, their halls of residence are very well located.

maxima

Think about why you want to go to these two cities, what you expect to see and do, and how much you can afford. Have you looked at the exchange rate for the British pound and for the Euro?

Unless you have booked your flights, I would also recommend that you stay in one place. You really do not have enough time to see much of anything if you split your time in two places.

London is a super expensive city when it comes to hotels, and you will be going when everyone has a school holiday. Do your really want to spend your honeymoon in some cheap place sharing a bathroom? a university dorm room? The further from central london the cheaper the accommodation, but you will be spending more time and money on a bus or subway getting to sites.

Besides the costs of airfare and hotels, you need to also factor in the cost of getting to and from the airport; other transportation, such as getting from Amsterdam to London;meals, and admissions.

janisj

That Palmers Lodge genevagirl linked is very nice for a hostel. But because of that they book up far ahead. If a hostel is something you'd consider - book ASAP.

Many are not nearly as nice . . .

jamikins

Check out Premier Inn in London. The location at Southbank is very good http://www.premierinn.com/en/southba...on-hotels.html they also have

Or this new location at blackfriars, excellent location http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/L...treet?cmp=GLBC

These budget hotels are very clean, although lack charm. We have stayed at many in th UK and found them reasonably priced and good value.

Portune

@maxima - We have looked into the things we REALLY want to do, and feel that we have plenty of time. We are "foodies", so we are mostly excited about trying the different foods each city has to offer.

Other than that, we just plan to relax in Amsterdam, maybe hit a museum, and stroll the town. I have friends who stayed 2 days there and had a blast.

While in London, we plan do a lot of the "free" activites. I know we won't see a fraction of all the city has to offer, but we plan on coming back some day.

jamikins

This site may come in handy - it lists tonnes of free things to do in London

http://www.londontown.com/London/London-for-Free

thursdaysd

So, how much are you budgeting for food?

Portune

As far as food budget, I'm thinking Amsterdam will be a bit less expensive. For the two of us, I was thinking around $100/day. As for London, perhaps more around $140/day. This excludes alcohol, but we're not big drinkers anyway.

Does this seem about right? Nothing too fancy, but nothing "American".

johnnyomalley

If you are foodies - take a look at the Chowhound boards. There are usually good tips on restaurants in any price point, Amsterdam is not generally considered as a "foodie" destination, but it is getting better. I'm planning a trip to Amsterdam later this year and have started following this blog.

http://www.dutchgrub.com/

ElendilPickle

We didn't spend nearly that much on food in London. We ate breakfast at our hostel (which is not one I would recommend otherwise) and either packed a lunch or grabbed a sandwich and fruit at a supermarket. We spent more at dinner, but still kept that fairly inexpensive.

Check www.fancyapint.com for pub recommendations. Many of them serve meals as well.

Lee Ann

thursdaysd

If you were gourmet foodies that wouldn't be close.... Otherwise it should be more than enough.

The place you stay (unless it's an apartment) should offer a full English breakfast, after which a sandwich should be plenty for lunch. I highly recommend Pret A Manger, and if you take out rather than eating in you save on the tax. For dinner, aside perhaps for fish and chips, you should go ethnic, especially Indian.

suze

You food budget is fine. Generous even.

janisj

Yes -your budget is generous for lots of people. But you specifically say you are 'foodies'.

Depends on what you mean by that - most of my self-described 'foodie' friends would not be happy w/ packed lunches or sandwiches and fruit from a supermarket and inexpensive dinners.

$100 is a bit over £60 and that doesn't go far in the 'foodie world'.

But it mainly depends on what YOU mean

Portune

We just like to try new things. So we don't want anything like fast food or standard burgers and sandwiches or pizza. I was budgeting around $10 each for breakfast, $15 each for lunch, and $25-$40 each for dinner. I'm sure there are plenty of options that are less, but I always budget about 30% more just in case.

Jinky

>>"It allows us about $600 for hotels, which I hope will be enough"
and
>> "I was budgeting around $10 each for breakfast, $15 each for lunch, and $25-$40 each for dinner"

Let me get this right, you are spending the same amount on food per day as you are on accommodations per night?

thursdaysd

"Let me get this right, you are spending the same amount on food per day as you are on accommodations per night?"

Nothing wrong with that. I like to sleep cheap so I can eat well. Trouble is, to eat as well as they seem to want, they haven't budgeted nearly enough. London is one of the most expensive cities on earth.

Portune - you need to check chowhound.com, possibly tripadvisor, and some guidebooks and select restaurants that interest you. Then look for the menus on line so you can see how much it will cost to eat at a "foodie" level. (Note that you don't have to add tax, but if there's no service charge you need to add 10-12% for the tip.) That Pret a Manger crayfish and rocket sandwich may start to look a lot better.

janisj

I really think you are being a teensy bit unrealistic $25 is £15. That is not going to cut it for dinner most anyplace nice. $40 = approx £25 -- which will get you a modest dinner.

There are lots of ethnic places (Chinese, Indian, etc) where you can get cheaper meals - but your budget is such that those will be your main options.

Portune

@janisj - I was figuring the lower end of the budget(~$25)for dinners in Amsterdam, and the higher end (~$40) for London.