I find it hard to book based just on a guidebook recommendations because it is not clear how safe the area is. This is especially true for large cities. Hence is my question. I am looking for basic accomodation:

1. Amenities: private bath and refrigirator

2. The area should be relatively safe after dark

3. Within 15 mins from a tube station or other frequent public transportation that runs at least till 23:00

4. Within 45 min ride from the city center and major train stations

The rest does not matter at all, including size. Any suggestions ? I am wondering what would be the min price satisfying all the reqs

you will find london very safe in almost every area...

how much would you expect to pay?

> you will find london very safe in almost every area...

That I find hard to believe, TTYTT. It may be safer than most of NY, but it does not mean it is safe.


> how much would you expect to pay?

We need a double and a triple rooms. I would say, L60 and L70 correspondingly would be reasonable.

W/o a budget we can't possibly give you useful suggestions. Tell us how much you want to spend and we can tell you where to look - or tell you it is impossible if your budget is too low.

but until we get that info:

• Any neighborhood where you are likely to find rooms will be safe

• Most places have ensuite baths, but some budget accommodations do have shared facilities. Refrigerators are much less common.

• There is almost no part of central London that is more than 15 minutes from a tube station. And adding bus stops - probably nowhere at all will be 15 mins from transport

• Why do you want to stay w/i 45 minutes of the center??? There are thousands of hotel rooms in the very center of town.

OK - we were posting at the same time. You are looking for £60 - £70 triple. That is only £20 - £23 per person. I'd say you need to look at hostels.

Staying outside of London still won't get you many £60 triples and then you'd have to pay a lot more for your daily transport.

&quot;<i>&gt; you will find london very safe in almost every area...

That I find hard to believe, TTYTT. It may be safer than most of NY, but it does not mean it is safe.</i>&quot;

You are mistaken - most <b>any</b> place a tourist would find himself will be totally safe. Unless you are accustomed to walking down dark alleys late at night . . .

Maybe I'm up too late - but what does TTYTT mean?

Even a hostel room with private bath can cost more than your current budget in central London. You might find it outside the city since you are willing to spend 45 minutes commuting.

Budget a little more and get a hostel in central London. You'll be spending too much time and money commuting - you're better off taking the money you'd spend on trains and subways and putting it into lodging where you can walk to most sights.

If you live anywhere remotely decent that would be of interest to someone in England, maybe you should consider a home exchange.

Or try university lodging if you are travelling in the summer or during Christmas holidays. They often have rooms with private baths and shared kitchen facilities with a fridge.

Check www.yha.org.uk for a good selection of hostels located throughout London.

Lee Ann

I hope you are visiting at a time when you can use this accommodation deal. In most instances, you get kitchen facilities, and you can choose a private bath if desired.
http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/

Note that Priceline and Hotwire offer excellent deals in safe areas, but tend to lack in the refrigerator requirement. But it's quite likely you could get a decent room for somewhat less than $100 USD per night. Just as an example, Express by Holiday Inn hotels in London have been coming up on Hotwire for cheap prices lately, and these include breakfast. Check www.betterbidding.com.

If I could not do LSE, I would do Priceline or Hotwire and give up the fridge requirement. If you need to keep stuff cold, look into your own cooler or some such arrangement.

I was able to easily find a hotel with breakfast, private bath, and a shared fridge (and other kitchen equipment) for L75 triple. It is behind Victoria train station, Rick Steves mentions this area as &quot;safe&quot;, whatever it means...

You could try www.booking.com/Euro-Hotel-Clapham

Their rates are usually 45 - 50 GBP a night

It is right across from Clapham Common, a huge park and there are lots of restaurants and bars along the street. It is about 5 mins walk from Clapham South tube stop (zone 2) on the Northern line and there are lots of buses heading into central London. It takes about 25 mins to get to Bank.

As for safe, I find it very safe, as a 30ish year old woman I walk home along that street every day/night and have no problems. The area is lively, and its a main road so there is always some traffic.

I've never stayed there, but there are always people coming and going...

Oh and I agree...there isnt really any place you would go as a tourist that you wouldnt feel safe. Of course, like any big city there are pickpockets etc around tourist areas. London is different than most N American cities I've been to in that it doesnt ghetto-ize underprivileged people. There are gov't supported houses in every area.

Once you find a place, post it and we can let you know if there is anything you need to be concerned about. The farther out you go from the tourist areas I think the more chances you have of hitting a less safe feeling area...although that doesnt mean its still not safe.

Hope this helps!

London most certainly does ghetto-ise underprivileged people. The difference between us and North America is that no-one builds hotels - or even open cheap rooming houses - in these enclaves of deep poverty. There simply isn't a Holiday Inn Express, Peckham or a Broadwater Farm Travelodge.

There IS a run of cheap hotels, sometimes renting by the hour, near Finsbury Park tube station. I wouldn't like to walk near any of them at night, though I've never heard of any foreign tourists so doing. But otherwise, there just isn't a chance you'll find a hotel anywhere dodgy.

The important thing about jamikins' generally accurate observation is that our (overall, pretty low) levels of street violence are just about uniform everywhere a tourist could sensibly get to. Where you stay doesn't matter: it's realising that NOWHERE is completely immune from a slight risk, and acting accordingly.

Perhaps that is why it feels different flanner...interesting observation about the hotels etc. Definitely we do that in Vancouver on the East side.

If you are going before the middle of September try:

http://www.wmin.ac.uk/page-5198

Dorm rooms at the University of Westminster in London and just outside.

Univ of Westminster is great - but it charges more than igortek's budget.

From &pound;26 to &pound;37.50 per person in rooms and even more in the flats.

Igorek, which spot did you find near Victoria Station? With a fridge? That's hard to find....