London Accommodations for 6 People--Need help!
 

Message: We are looking for a place to stay in London also (2 adults & 4 children), but are having difficulties. We are only staying 2 nights, and want something fairly central at a reasonable cost. We can get either an apartment or 2 hotel rooms, but want to keep the price around 150 US dollars total per night. Does anyone know of a place that I can contact (website)?

Thanks so much! You are all wonderful!

yikes - if you can find even 1 room /1 night that is centrally located and not a dump in London, I would jump at it.

I would think that with 6 people you will need at least 2 rooms. and even then I would expect the cost per night to be over $100 per room.

good luck

tracy:
My wife and I just returned from London yesterday. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Victoria for well under US150 per night. Centrally located and right across the street from the train station and the tube. Lots of eating places in the train station including Burger King. The kids will love it.
Also take the tube when you sightsee. It's cheap transportation and it's easy to learn. The cabs will eat you up alive.
The money you save on cabs and the fast food places in the station will help offset the hotel rate.
Go to the Holiday Inn web site for more info.
John
PS. The weather was rather cool.

John,

Can all 6 of us stay there for that price? If so, that would be great! I was getting very frustrated. Is it close to a lot of things?

Thanks again!

Tracy check out www.stmargaretshotel.co.uk. It is in Bloomsbury on Bedford Place. Also this particular street (or rather block) has other budget hotels as well. I have stayed at Haddon Hall Hotel which is okay but not as nice as the St.Margarets. St. Margarets is family run and the people are incredibly friendly and helpful. I hope this helps you with your budget. The location of this hotel is fantastic and the area is very safe.
Have fun!

tracy - www.biddingfortravel.com shows hotels in london still being "won" on priceline in the $70-80 range per night. that's usd not gbp. if you've never used priceline before, you'll learn a lot about how it works, how to bid, etc. on "bft".

Tracy,
Check out Scala Apartments. They will do short term rents if they are not booked up on the days you want. We stay there when in London, it will be about $175/night I think but it's worth it for the extra space (2 bedrooms, you can request cot/sofa bed for livingroom and there are two bathrooms (one is actually just a toilet and small sink, but it's very handy to have). Also full kitchen with washer/dryer. If you enquire, the owner is Ken Palos and he is a dear to work with. You can say that Lori recommended the place, we were just there last month again. (It is not luxury, so if your family is looking to stay at a place like Buckingham Palace :-) it won't be for you, but it's clean and comfortable and very convenient being right around the corner from a tube stop.

Lori--

Do you have an e-mail address for the Scala Apartments? Also, where are they located? Are they fairly easy to get to from Heathrow?

Thanks for the info!

Tracy,
They have a website and Ken's e-mail is:
[email protected]. The manager's name is Chris, he's also very nice. (just do a search for Scala House). Actually there are 2 penthouse apts that rent for a little more but have more room, we always get a standard 2 bedroom tho. (again, it's comfortable but not super luxury so don't expect antique furniture!!) :-)

As for convenience from Heathrow .. well, it takes about 45 min to one hour to get in. Again, I will recommend how we do it. We use Ray Skinner's pick up service. It's a flat fee, plus tip and he (or one of his drivers) meets you outside immigration holding a sign with your name on it. He takes you right to your door. You would need to tell him how many people you have and approx. luggage tho so he can have the right size vehicle pick you up. We've used him many times, (www.london-transfers.com) and have never been disappointed (he's a real character too!). The length of time depends on traffic, but at least with a flat fee you are not watching the meter. With as many people as you have I'd not try and take taxi's, tube or any other combination of transport. It's just not worth it.

Good luck with your planning.

Sorry, Tracy, I forgot to answer the location part of your question. The apts are on Tottenham St., between Charlotte St (lots of places to eat on that street) and Tottenham Court Rd. Goodge St. Tube Stop is right around the corner (Northern Line). There is a Tesco Grocery just down the block too. There is no place in London that is convenient to everything we've found. You can walk to the British Museum from here as well. I know apts are not for everyone, and for just two nights it may not work but it never hurts to ask.

Lori--

Do you know about how much the airport transportation would be with Ray Skinner? Also, how much would the Tube cost? Some friends recommended the London Visitor's pass where you can use the Tube & busses in any zone. Would that be worth it? Finally, (sorry for all of the questions!) I do have accommodations booked at the Odessa Wharf (apartment), but it is way on the west side of London along the river. I think that it is too far out to stay. Do you know anything about that area?

Thanks again!

Tracy,
Ray would charge about 50 pounds according to the website, but you would need to ask him for the exact rate. (Divide that by 6 people and it's a good deal).

I'm not familiar with Odessa Wharf, but it does not sound conveniently located. I know about Canary Wharf area and Butler's Wharf and while nice they are not convenient for central London sightseeing at all.

We buy tube passes when in London and they are good for both bus and tube. I doubt if you would need more then a Zone 1 (central London & most sights) unless you stayed way out in the boonies .. then you need to cover whatever zone you are in. For such a short time you can get a weekend pass (if you are there for the weekend), otherwise just day passes. You might ask about a family travel card (day card) at the tube stop (the guys at the Goodge Sta. are very nice we found). Since it is just my husband and myself I never check into family card rates.

Tracy:

I have reservations in Sept. for Oxbridge Apartments. The website is http://www.oxrg.demon.co.uk/. Their rates are reasonable and they've been recommended to me as a safe, basic, conveniently located place to stay. In fact, if you do a search on them, you should find additional information. You might check them out. They are in the South Kensington area, approximately 200 meters from a tube stop.

Good luck!
Jennie