London hotel - help please!
 

I'm looking for a hotel in london for 7 nights in december. reasonably priced, clean, and a good area to get around and explore and start seeing the sights. Below is my rough itinerary of the trip. This will be my second time visiting. Thanks for any help!

Day 1
Boroughs market

Shakespeare's globe theatre

Tate modern

St. Paul's cathedral

Day 2

Westminster abbey

Big Ben / Houses of Parliament

London eye at night

Day 3

Walking around Hyde park

Victoria and Albert museum

Day 4

British museum

Sir John Soanes museum

Day 5

Trafalgar Square

The national gallery

China town

Day 6

Wallace collection

Day 7

Highgate cemetery ?

7 nights? Have you considered an apartment rental?

Do you think an apartment would be cheaper? I usually prefer hotels.

Well, if you PREFER hotels, that pretty well answers that. Depends on what you want. I find that I'm pretty picky about decor, location, and "niceties", and YES I find that I do much better renting an apartment than a hotel. Not to mention I have a lot more space, the convenience of a kitchen (even if I don't cook, it's nice to be able to make tea and have a refrigerator).

I agree with Patrick but if a hotel is your preference, what is your budget?

Budget is the MAIN thing. Here is the last flat I rented for a week. It's a little over $200 a night in December. That's US dollars, not pounds. And I can't find a hotel I like for that. But again, you have to like the independence of an apartment as opposed to the "comforts" of a hotel.
http://www.vrbo.com/189287

180 usd max 200 is my idea of reasonable. Is this just nonexistent to find a good hotel room?

Last time I was in london I stayed in December at the hart house hotel and prices are just outrageous since the last visit, especially given the quality.

Have a look at Premier Inns, a lot of good central locations such as County Hall, Euston, King's Cross and many others.

$180 = approx £120 or a little less w/ exchange% etc. So you are looking for fairly inexpensive properties. Is that for a single or a double?

I'd start w/ londontown.com and look what is offered for your dates.

Premier Inns are also good - won't show up on londontown - you'd need to plug your dates in on the Premier Inn website.

Re your plan: Day 1 is quite full - is that your arrival day? If so it will be very difficult to manage all that. Whereas days 2, 5 and 6 especially are VERY light.

Hi, mkat25.

Jamikins, a poster who works in London, posted a great list of hotels in this post. On June 6...
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ndon-hotel.cfm

If those aren't available at the price you want to pay, I am returning to London in Sept. and am staying again at the Nadler, which used to be called base2stay. I booked a single room (with a small kitchenette) for 525 GBP for 5 nights (which still makes me happy!). On my previous stays, the hotel was quiet, staff excellent, free wifi, very clean, bed & shower great & kitchenette very nice for b'fast/late night snacks. This is right next to the Earls Court tube -- a hike to a few of your places, but easy enough for the V&A, Hyde Park, Chelsea, and an easy tube to/from Heathrow.

But then, I'm a traveller that gets up early and spends the whole day out of the hotel, so if you need a place more "central" to shopping (to drop off bags or something), this is not the hotel for you. Also, I am quite comfortable popping on buses, trains and don't mind walking several miles a day.

Listen to the natives first, of course. Hopefully you can get one of the Premier Inns that Jamikins recommends (sadly, I couldn't at a price that appealed for my fall dates).

Good luck!

Hi, janisj: Do you recall the solo traveler who posted about an apartment above a pub... in the City? The rates and location were fantastic... I believe you mentioned looking into it once... This wasn't available for my trip this fall, but am hoping to perhaps book in the future.

I remember posts about the Fleet River Rooms (a bakery w/ studio apts above which I've tried to book unsuccessfully in the past). I have a vague recollection about a recent post re a pub/rooms but Having brain fade at the moment . . .

NeoPatrick -

The location of the apt looks great. Can you provide a little more info about the apt? (I trust info from a fodorite who has been there.) DH is thinking he wants to try an apt vs a hotel - I'm not so sure.

It says 2nd floor - I assume they mean US 3rd?

Also It doesn't seem to have a tub - is that correct?

It says bed is a king - but do they mean Brit king - our queen? DH is tall and anything but a real king is too small.

Thanks for any help.

Your itinerary certainly isn't overcrowded! :-)

Day 2 - have you been to the Churchill Museum/Cabinet War Rooms? It's very close to Westminster Abbey and is really interesting.

Day 4 - have you been to the British Library? The "treasures room" is fascinating, and they often have special exhibits which I hear are very good.

Lee Ann

No, it does not have a tub, just a wonderful walk in shower.

It is US 3rd floor. Nice wide steps up to it. The first and second floor are offices -- but I never saw anyone coming and going from them.

The bed is actually two twins which are normally fastened together. I was there with a friend and they undid the beds and we moved them apart as two twins.

Free wifi which worked great.

The location is really busy -- but facing a small one block long street. It is literally right across a side street to the Leicester Square tube station.

The only negative I can think of is that there is a restaurant rear entrance near the front door downstairs, and the restaurant workers tend to hang around the door and smoke. Not really a problem, just kind of a negative thing.

@janisj: Yes! That's it! Thank you! You're such a treasure on this board.

ChgoGal: Aw shucks :"> thanks.

You are pretty helpful yourself.

Hopefully you can get in there - I've tried twice a couple of years apart but just bad timing I guess.

Ok. Any recommendations for a room in the 200-250 usd per night areas?

NP: Do you know if the flat you and Lee used to rent is still available? (I <i>think</i> it was in Floral St but I may have it confused w/ a different place)

It looked very interesting and I wanted to check it out for a trip next spring.