In my continuing search on where to stay in London next summer, I happened upon a small flat in Chelsea that would fit our budget and gives my two kids (15 and 10)their own twin bed. In a previous post I had narrowed down our search to either the Travel Inn County Hall or the LSE Bankside House. This flat will be about 200 dollars more for the week than either of those choices. Now that I have found this apartment, what do all of you think about the Chelsea area as far as convenience for us in our first time to London? I was thinking that staying in a flat might be nice- a change from a regular hotel room- and offer the kids a unique experience. However, I go back and forth with the thoughts of how much time will we actually be in the flat/room and the value of a better location. Would a Chelsea flat be a wise choice? Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Have a nice day everyone!

If you were comparing Chelsea to Mayfair for central location, I'd choose Mayfair everytime. However, you're comparing Chelsea to Bankside. Chelsea is a far superior neighbourhood, with great shopping, and local restaurants and cafés. I'd be interested whereabouts in Chelsea you'll be staying as it is a big area, and some parts are "remote" and not worth touching. That said, I think Chelsea is a far superior choice.

Hi m_k2,
The flat is on a street? called Jubilee Place. As you are familiar with that area, does it seem centrally located for doing the normal "tourist" activities? Also, it is accommodation= with 2 m's- couldn't get the edit button to work! (School teacher here- can't stand misspelled words!

Before we can give you a good answer -- what street is the flat on?

Parts of Chelsea are not near any tube stations so travel can be a problem. BUT other parts are very close to a couple of stations and are much more convenient. I would normally opt for 1) Chelsea flat, 2) County Hall, and 3rd Bankside.

Having an apartment when you are traveling w/ kids is a huge advantage -- more space, a kitchen for late night snacks or if the kids are picky eaters, etc.

I was posting the same time you were:

Jubille Place is just off the Kings Road. It would be a 5 minute walk to Sloane Square station and maybe 7 or 10 min walk to S Kens. And there are buses on the Kings Rod. So it would be a nice location.

I agree with Janis, it's located off of the better end of King's Rd. near to Sloane Square. Your children will like the atmosphere of the King's Rd. which is young, fun, and lively.

Stay here, it's a far better position than County Hall, and 200USD is nothing to pay for this "upgrade".

Unlike the South Bank (or Mayfair) this is a normal, middle-class residential area (well, middle class who struck lucky when they bought their house). It feels like - well, is - a real London neighbourhood.

The local restaurants, though a tad pricey, are where we all eat. The shops sell stuff people buy, and not tourist tat. Unlike Bloomsbury or Bayswater, they're not full of tourists: unlike Mayfair, they're not full of plutocrats.

It's a bit of a hike from tube stations, though plenty of buses go along the King's Road at the end of the street, and you're a sharp 10 mins walk from the South Ken museums. You could walk to Buckingham Palace in 20 mins.

Above all, you get a sense of what it's like to live here. You're not as well-placed for things to gawp at as at County Hall, but you'll get a far richer experience.

If you were visiting New York from a foreign country for the first time, would you rather stay in an apartment on the Upper East Side or a hotel further downtown? For me it'd be a no-brainer - but we're all different.

To see a map, go to this URL, and play with the zoom:

http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.c...=6&out.y=8