First timers to London in November and want to stay in S.Kensington. Found a studio at a Aparthotel for 110 GBP per nite (includes tax). It's between the Gloucester Rd Underground and Kensington Gardens. Is this a reasonable price for the area. It seems a bit high to me. <BR>

Hi Ann, <BR>Yes this seems a bit pricey to me also. I would expect to pay approx £100 per night for a 4 star hotel in the picadilly area so I personally think that your deal is a little costly. Shop around, you should get a better deal.

ann, <BR> <BR>that is a lot. i live in chelsea, which borders south kensington and it is a pricey area, but there are tons of hotels near the gloucester road tube and you shouldn't need to spend that much-i'd think you might find a 3 or 4 star for 80-90 pounds a night. i know someone wrote a thread about a recent trip to the same area and got a hotel on lastminute.com for 70 pounds a night. as far as picadilly goes, while it is in the heart of the touristy area, it is also considered quite noisy and some areas aren't great-which could explain a lower price.

I have to agree with the other posters. while I love that area I think you could probably get a better rate on a hotel. Unless you want the convenience of a washer/dryer, kitchenette, and what evey other extras a studio would have I think you could get a better deal elsewhere. Loads of great B&B's in tthat area, also. You will really like the area , it is so convenient to everythig, lots of shops, restaurants, and museums. <BR> <BR>having said all that , I just checked my apartment listings and 110 is about the lowest price I found , too.

That is way too much for a studio. At that rate I would choose any one of a number of hotels. But better yet - do another search for holiday flats. For £110 per night you should be able to get a large 1 bedroom or even a 2 bedroom. I have never paid more than £80 per night for a studio. I know of some nice ones that are £400 a week - not in S. Kens. tho'. <BR> <BR>Use any good search engine (google, etc) and look for "London holiday flat", "London Vacation apartment", etc. you will find hundreds to choose from. <BR> <BR>I find generally individual apartments through real estate agencies are cheaper that the "Apartment hotels" that are springing up all over London.

Thanks for all your help. I'm going w/my mom in November and she loves S.Kensington. I've looked at the flat websites posted and none have any cheaper studio rates for this area. We picked the Citadines apartments for 2 reasons. I know others who have stayed there and recommended it. Second, we generally like to stay in a place we we can cook our own meals and snacks instead of going out. I am still looking into other apartments, since I can cancel our reservations w/o penalty. <BR> <BR>Another question:How much percentage is VAT tax. The studio costs 94 GBP + tax. So tax must be $16?

VAT is 17% for most things