Basil Street is an excellent location, but the hotel itself is rather dark, and exceptionally staid. It's worth little more than 100GBP per night, you really can do much much better than this.

m_kingdom--thanks for the note; the issue now is that Basil Street does have family rooms which is nice because my husband and I can watch TV after she has gone to bed; at other hotels are option is really one room because suites get pricey fast.

But, I haven't made any decisions yet so suggestions still welcome.

Thanks for all of your time,

Mary

Mary, you may want to check with the hotel... We've found that "family" room in the UK usually means one slightly larger room with another bed or cot in it. Not a separate sleeping area.

Kay95--what is nice about the family rooms at the Basil is that they are separate rooms which I realize is very unusual for Europe. Most of the descriptions of suites and family rooms are, as you say, just bigger rooms.

thanks,

Mary

OK, glad its what you're expecting. Hotel surprises aren't always a lot of fun. :)

m_kingdom - was surprised to read your comments on the Basil Street hotel. Have you stayed there recently? What does 'dark' and 'exceptionally staid' mean? It's one of our favourite places to stay in London, and we consider its 'Englishness' part of its charm.

It certainly isn't a large American-type hotel, but we've always found the rooms to be very comfortable and light, the staff exceptionally friendly, and the dining room proper and welcoming at the same time.

Would be interested in hearing what your experience has been.

I've never stayed there, but if the lobby/public areas are anything to go by it really won't be up to much. I do understand what you mean by the convenience of having a genuine family room, so perhaps for your needs it will be best.

Another word of warning, however, the hotel is next to an arcade which is currently undergoing very major construction, and it's also near to a fire station, so there might be noise from early morning to evening due to construction, and well the fire station is an ongoing concern.

thanks everybody (again!); just got a lovely e-mail from Basil Street that says because we are booking so early they would include continental breakfast and a cooked breakfast would be only 3 GBP more. . .

all opinions still welcome, but we may have a winner!

I thought looking for a hotel in New York was a pain!!!

cheers,

Mary

Well, if you do go for Basil St. then you'll most probably enjoy it, and the food will most likely be good. However, I'd still urge you to investigate The Berkeley further, it'll be much more of an "experience", and if it's not much more I think it's certainly worth it.

m_kingdom, thank you; I'll probably book Basil Street and then look when things get closer to see if I can do even better. As someone suggested on another thread, if Americans avoid London this summer because of the poor dollar, there may be deals after the summer.

Mary

Hi Rickmav--if you are still around, did you find the breakfast fairly substantial at the Basil (several choices?); it's my daughter's best meal, so we like a lot of variety! Thanks so much for your help with this. I greatly appreciate it and am soon ready to move on to the much more fun planning of everything we are going to do!!

Mary in D.C.

marymarra, Have you contacted the Basil Hotel to find out whether or not they serve whatever it is your 6 YO likes to eat for breakfast?

It's a lovely hotel but on the smallish side. I wouldn't count on the dining room to have extensive options for breakfast. At least ask so you won't be disappointed.

Have you considered a flat so you can tailor breakfast for your daughter's best meal?

As I think I mentioned on the other site for this question we didn't have breakfast at the hotel. Although I love the Basil St. and think of it as a treat to stay there, with all of your requirements, it may not be the best place for you.

It is small, that's why it doesn't have hordes of American tour groups running up and down the hallways and clogging up the lobby. It has been owned by an English family for many generations, not a chain. It is classy, restful and the staff is superb. But it may not be the place where a 6 year old will get the best breakfast.

Perhaps, some of the other hotels mentioned would be a better choice.

Rickmav--Apologies that I didn't catch that you didn't have breakfast at the hotel and I greatly appreciate your information. I've actually had a very nice exchange of e-mails with the hotel and went ahead and made a reservation, but will also consider your comments. My husband and I are extremely considerate of others when we take our daughter anywhere, hence we work very hard to make sure that she is in appropriate places where we won't disrupt the other guests/patrons.


Thanks again,

Mary

Mary, I stand by my recommendation of the Rubens. Many hotels have special "web" deals that you can only book online.

We found the location to be excellent. It's only 1 long block or 2 shorter blocks (depending on which entrance you use) to get to Victoria Station. You are just a couple of blocks from St. James Park and Green Park, as well as being across the street from Buckingham Palace. There are many reasonably priced restaurants in the area as well.

P.S. The breakfast buffet at the Rubens had numerous choices of meat, breads, cereals, yogurt, juices, eggs, etc., and was quite good.

Betty--thanks for your post! I told my husband that the folks at Fodors are going to thing "what is this woman doing?" We have actually traveled alot--I think it is the terrible $ situation that has me so nuts!! As it turns out, I received another e-mail from Rubens that may work, it may be a better property for us. Thanks again to all for your time and thoughts.


Mary

Since many of these posts become a matter of record, in that other travellers frequently refer to them for years at a time, I wanted to clear up some of the comments made about the Basil Street Hotel by going to the horse's mouth. I appreciate that everyone has an opinion - as does the hotel. Here is Mr. Smith's response to my questions:

"Firstly, I would like to thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding the comments made on Fodors website. With the ever growing number of websites available to hotel users, it is not always possible to monitor what is written on them all and I am grateful that you have brought this to my attention.

The Arcade that is referred to has indeed been under construction work recently to revive and improve what was previously a vacant area of the block. The clothing chain "H & M" have taken over the site and opened a flagship store, restoring the building in the process. During the refurbishment work, it is fair to say that the aesthetic appearance of the street as a whole did suffer, but this in no way affected the hotel. This work has now been completed and the street now looks smarter, cleaner and more vibrant than ever before.

Regarding the Fire Station, we have had a fire station in Knightsbridge for nearly 100 years without experiencing any problems. It is very rare that you will hear the sirens from the engines, or any residual noise from the station, certainly not during the night as the street is quiet and there is no need for them to sound the sirens until they are well onto Sloane Street.

I am sure you will agree that the comment made on the lobby/public areas is unjustified, especially considering that the poster has not actually stayed in the hotel, however, everyone is entitled to their personal opinion, the charm, sense of history and atmosphere that these areas exude may not appeal to everyone.

I am a little disappointed that these comments have been made by someone that has not actually stayed in the hotel, and also that they are able to post these comments without regulation. I suppose that the internet represents the very best and worst parts of the technological age.

Once again I would like to thank you for taking the time to write to us.

Kind Regards
David Smith
Front of House Mananger
0207 225 9812'


What was most interesting to me is that our idea of an 'Arcade' in North America is quite different from the way it is used in Britain. More shopping versus more pinball machines should only make the tourists happier.

Marymarra, I also still stand by the Basil Street in terms of charm, comfort and service. However, if breakfast for your 6 year-old is a determining factor in choosing a hotel, perhaps one that offers an American-style buffet would be best.

Have a great holiday.

marrymarra,

We stayed at Number Sixteen in August 03 and really enjoyed it. I think it is in your price range.

http://www.firmdale.com/16homec.html

Happy travels,
Sally

" they are able to post these comments without regulation". Is he implying that censorship should exist so that only things that are favourable are written? Also, what hotel is ever going to criticise themselves? That's the purpose of forums such as these.

By arcade, of course I meant shopping arcade, as in The Burlington Arcade. It is a family establishment, but I just wouldn't stay there for that money, it lacks facilities for one thing, and as I said before it is terribly staid. By all means please stay there and let me know what you think.

Oh my goodness, Mr. Smith, of course, breakfast for a 6-year old is not a determining factor in choosing a hotel. My husband and I have been delighted by the e-mails we have received from now, you, and other staff at the hotel; one of things I always lament about e-mails (and thus Fodors' post) is that they are done (at least by me!) in haste and "in the moment." I thought perhaps I was getting the signal (beyond the breakfast issue which I have admittedly overplayed) that this is not the best place for a child. I hope I have misunderstood because it looks like you have a lovely property.

Thanks to everyone (again),

Mary