My husband and I are taking our first trip to the UK this year. We are on a tight budget and would like to find a clean, safe hotel with some character. I was looking at Abbey House, but then saw the less than favorable reviews on this site. I hope to spend 75GBP or less per night. Suggestions???<BR><BR>Thanks!

There is a good site called http://www.hotel-assist.com. I used this site to book a stay at the Rembrandt Hotel a couple years ago. They have monthly specials which are broken down by category. I also used a great site called. www.totalstay.com last month.

Hotel-assist is good. So is smoothhounds.co.uk and londontown.com. Depending on when you're traveling, you should be able to get into a nice boutique-style hotel with en suite bath for 75GBP, but not much less.<BR><BR>

hi,<BR><BR>I was looking for the same for sometime late summer or fall. I am not sure when you are going, however, I would like to recommend a find that I came across a couple of days ago. the kensington moat house has a special for about 70 pounds a nite. It's in a good location not far from a tube stop and across from the albert and victoria museum. rooms are very nice size and full accomadations (i mean full baths).<BR><BR>check out their website. type in your dates and you should come across one of the rates shown as a special. i doubt they have any specials for june since this is a very busy month.<BR><BR><BR>http://www.moathousehotels.com/html/frameset_top.cfm?section=leisure&content=bookhotel &HotelId=39<BR><BR>the above link gives you the kensington moat house hotel<BR><BR>try booking for certain dates. I could not find the special in may, june or july but from august on found it. <BR><BR>I used the date aug 13- aug 20 for 1 room 2 adults and found the 70 pds per room rate which included tax and breakfast.<BR>

Ernie, the price at the KMH is 70GBP per night, but it's per person. I think KKing was looking for a room for two for 75GBP or less each night. <BR><BR>We need to keep trying <BR>

I just looked at the prices for Kensington Moat House and the rate given is GBP70 per room, not per adult. This price does include taxes and breakfast. This sounds like a great deal for someone looking for something around 75 or less per night.

hi mel and ken,<BR><BR>mel, ken's right. they are having some kind of special going on. I researched this before posting and checked on it again. the dates i gave above came back with several different rates. i couldn't find it for june or july, but did for august, sept and october.<BR><BR>if you can believe it that 70 pound is for either a quad, double, double/twin and it is per room.<BR><BR>

ps...<BR><BR>this is a 4 star hotel. I will probably try to grab a week myself in october. it's too good a deal. I know I can pay less for a single somewhere for 40 pounds, but what would I get. <BR><BR>also the tube stop in right around the corner, and lots of stuff within walking distance. at the web site they have a virtual tour of the surroundings and I would say its a great location.<BR><BR>

Erine, that is really a great deal. I had booked my initial res at the Euro hotel (single room, shared facilities) for 45 GBP. The Euro hotel is located in Bloomsbury. But I checked out the K.M hotel, and it seems like you get quite a bit more for your money! Plus the Circle, District, and Piccadily lines all stop at the South Ken stop, which I think will be extremely convenient. <BR><BR>Thank you for posting this special. I will also be there in October...maybe I'll run into you in the hallway.<BR><BR>Cheers - Mina

hi mina,<BR><BR>when are you going in october? this is my favorite month for traveling there. the crowds are over and the weather is usually great! (despite some saying it rains all the time i have only had one or two days of rain).<BR><BR>I too looked at the euro hotel and the windsor house b&b. I just wasn't sure. I decided to look into this because of another recommendation on the board and viola! it really looked great. <BR><BR>btw, thanks for the identity of the tube stop. I could not get a handle on which one that was. <BR><BR>

kking and mina,<BR><BR>I decided to search for reviews on this hotel and did not find any here on the fodors site, however, I did find one at the link below:<BR><BR>http://www.epinions.com/content_15884390020<BR><BR>any doubt I had before was just completely removed after reading that review and seeing others. if that rate holds it is a steal.<BR><BR>

Erine, I am going to be there Sept 28- Oct 1, then Oct 11-13 (going to Ireland in between).<BR><BR>You and I seem to think alike...before I read your latest post, I went to epinions to see if they had any reviews. I did not find anything, however, so I must have done something wrong!<BR><BR>But that's certainly a good review!! This rate seems a bit good to be true, but I've heard this chain has offered deals before, and like you said, Oct isn't peak tourist season.<BR><BR>FYI for others who are looking, the other Moat House hotels are offering the same deal. Sloane Square has a 70 pound per night rate. The Drury Lane Moathouse is 75 per night (and the location is a lot closer to Covent Garden). <BR><BR>Erine, I have stayed at the the Euro hotel before, and was pleased with it...but if the pictures of the KM hotel hold up, it isn't in the same league. The Euro hotel is a great value, in my opinion, but I was a bit afraid to see what a single room would bring (the last time I was there, I had a quad room I shared with 4 other girls! Wasn't fancy, but it was big.) A single room in the Euro hotel with ensuite facilities was 75 pounds a night for this October...5 pounds more than the KMH!<BR><BR>I believe I know where the hotel is (or at least what general area). I think the area is nice. Since I stayed in Bloombury last time, it will be good to see a different area. I know S.Ken is further away from the west end sights, but since I plan to visit Notting Hill, and some other areas I missed completely on my last visit, S. Ken will actually be more convenient for me.<BR><BR>When are you going to be in London?

topping

Erin, Ken, everyone:<BR>You're all absolutely right, of course. I looked again and, when I plugged in dates, it came up with the 70GBP per room. I swear, however, that last night I looked in and it said per person SOMEWHERE, but I apologize for any confusion and I'm so glad to hear about this rate. Thinking of going ourselves in October and was definitely looking for a good deal for my brother and his family of four for November. I'm going to try to grab it for him.<BR>THANKS!!!

I'm on the KM site now. It clearly says 75GBP per PERSON. Too bad.

Claudia,<BR><BR>I just booked a double room for October at the Kensington Moat House and it clearly was for GBP70 PER ROOM, not per person. This also includes taxes and breakfast. Their quad rooms are also GBP70. Are you clicking on the specials on their website?

I've twice used Priceline to book rooms in London. Last summer I paid $60 U.S. for the Dolphin Square and was given a large suite with kitchenette. In February I used the Priceline U.K. site and got the Radisson Edwardian Grafton hotel for 55 pounds/night. If you are going to use priceline, check out www.biddingfortravel.com first as it explains how to get the best deals using priceline and people post how much they have gotten rooms for. The address for the American priceline site is www.priceline.com and the U.K. priceline address is www.priceline.co.uk.

I did check the specials section of the KM site. It states "DBB breaks are not available at Sloane Square or Kensington Moat House Hotels. " I emailed them directly to enquire about the rates.<BR><BR>I'd have to second Tony about using Priceline (while consulting biddingfortravel.com first).

Thanks mel, I am glad you found out what I was talking about. <BR><BR>Claudia, I think where the problem is that the special shown on the home page does state 75 per person but that is for a different special. Someone else told me about the special I am referring to (70 per room), so I persisted and pulled up the kensington moat house from the home page and used severals date to book. It looks like most of the May, June and July dates I gave did not comeback with the promotional rate, but beginning with august dates and on through Nnovember I was able to pull up the special. <BR><BR>Try booking certain date after July and you will see what I mean.<BR><BR>I have grabbed it myself.

Claudia, Erineb is right...if you click on the special offer link, you don't get the "real" special offer at all.<BR><BR>Just find the hotel you want, and do a booking inquiry as you normally would. Plug in dates for Aug-Nov, and you should find the cheaper rate. I did the search for all three London Moathouse hotels, and the rates came through for all of them in October. It left me in a quandary on which one to book, they all looked nice! Rates are for a variety of rooms...if you can grab three other people and get a quad room for 70 GBP, you'd only be paying 17.50 a night! Unbelievable rate...makes me ALMOST want to bring friends on this trip.