VERY inexpensive is not necessarily a good thing. I'd <u>definitely</u> look at tripadvisor before booking a place like the Edward. Any hotel that has 6 'excellent' and 44 'terrible' reviews wouldn't be on my list. (And I'm not even a huge Tripadvisor fan, but it can be useful in a situation like this)

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janisj on Aug 26, 11 at 8:29pm
VERY inexpensive is not necessarily a good thing. I'd definitely look at tripadvisor before booking a place like the Edward. Any hotel that has 6 'excellent' and 44 'terrible' reviews wouldn't be on my list. (And I'm not even a huge Tripadvisor fan, but it can be useful in a situation like this)
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The Edward is certainly not excellent nor is it terrible. Nothing fancy, as I said. There are a couple of small stores and cafes on Spring Street where you can get breakfast. The Pride of Paddington pub has a wide selection on the menu. I had mussels and a beer for &pound;11.

I also stayed at the dormitory Rosebery Hall of the London School of Economics. It was cheaper yet and included breakfast. The guests included students, families, and traveling geezers from around the world. If rooms are available I suggest the Rosebery over the Edward.

Just to underline the point about buses in London (and the tube for that matter): NEVER pay cash per ride - fares are deliberately set at a rate to discourage this. Plenty of buses serve the main tourist attractions:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/15101.aspx

spaarne: IMO Rosebery Hall would be 100000% better than one of the super cheap B&B hotels near Paddington. My comment was not about ALL cheap accommodations. But that some "Cheap" places are cheap for a reason and the 1 and 2 star joints near Paddington are often not very nice.

I never spend more than I need to -- but I personally wouldn't even consider the Edward. I'm sure Gheelee doesn't want to spend more than need be either -- that doesn't mean they have to stay in a place like that.

But TA can help them make their own decisi0on . . .

janisj, spaarne, patricklondon,

Thanks again for your info. The link is very helpful as it is most recent, patricklondon. May thanks.

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janisj on Aug 27, 11 at 10:26am
spaarne: IMO Rosebery Hall would be 100000% better than one of the super cheap B&B hotels near Paddington. My comment was not about ALL cheap accommodations. But that some "Cheap" places are cheap for a reason and the 1 and 2 star joints near Paddington are often not very nice.
I never spend more than I need to -- but I personally wouldn't even consider the Edward. I'm sure Gheelee doesn't want to spend more than need be either -- that doesn't mean they have to stay in a place like that.
But TA can help them make their own decisi0on . . .
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Since you wouldn't even consider the Edward I guess that you have never stayed there. I did stay there on two occasions and would do so again. It's a two star. You get what you pay for, if you are lucky.

A lot of the negativity on TA had to do with some construction and the attitude of the front desk. Well, construction has an end point. The front desk people were properly British stiff even though they were from the Commonwealth. Who cares?

The hotel is clean and safe and only a two minute walk to Paddington Station. There is a Tube stop around the corner. I forget which one but it was very popular with British suits and briefcases.

"<i>only a two minute walk to Paddington Station</i>" . . . which would be the main drawback IMHO.

One can stay in many place just as cheap as that and not be stuck at Paddington.

BTW -- years ago I usually stayed in these cheap places in Paddington/Bayswater. I lived outside of Oxford and Paddington just seemed so logical . . . UNTIL I figured out it is just about the least convenient area for what most visitors want to see.

The 2-for-1 coupons are amazing. We'ved saved over $100 on each of our last four trips.

HOWEVER...

They're only are good with a paper travel card purchased at a rail ticket office (obviously Paddington is fine)...not at a tube stop, and not with Oyster. You can tell by the National Rail logo that will be on the card.

Here is the site we use to print them out before we leave the US:

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx

NOTE: We generally buy a 1-week card. Since you are spending a lot of time in Oxford, a 1-week travel card may not be the best option, but you can buy individual 1-day cards as you need them. Here are the rates:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14414.aspx

SS

janisj, spaarne,

Many thanks for pointing out the pros and cons. I'm new to all this, so it helps to read your advice and opinions.

SS,

The coupons sound great. You are probably right about the 1-week card. The 1-day card would would seem more appropriate for our trip. Many thanks for the helpful links!

Oh...I almost forgot:

(a) There are 2-for-1 coupons for Oxford (and other places in UK), too:

http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/search...keyword=oxford

(b) If you take the train to Oxford, that ticket (for travel days as well as in-between days on a round trip) qualify you to use the coupons...you wouldn't need to buy a London travel card those days for the coupons. The Paddington-Oxford rail co. is First Great Western, and they have their own 2-for-1 link - probably is exactly the same deals as the one I gave you earlier.

(c) REALLY IMPORTANT: There is a deal called Group Save - up to four adults travel for the price of two, but it must be OFF-PEAK:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=43

There may be some blackout dates - they'll let you know when you buy the tickets.

SS

Dear SS,

Thank you for the helpful tips and the links!

Best,

...and you can use the Group Save tickets with the 2-for-1 admissions...[in many situations, you can't combine specials, but in this case you can]...in 2008 we visited London for a week with another couple and saved a ton of money!

SS

SS,

Thank you. We'll look into that. Given how expensive everything seems to be in London, your info. and tips are much appreciated.