Hello all,
It's gonna be my first trip to London in Nov. I'm planning to visit the following places:
(1) Buckingham Palace
(2) Big Ben
(3) Tower of London + Tower Bridge
(4) Westminster Abbey
(5) 10 Downing Street
(6) St. Paul's Catheral
(7) Houses of Parliament
(8) Harrod's Dept Store
(9) Thames River Cruise
(10) Chinatown
(11) Soho
(12) British Museum
Could you please recommend a few hotels that are within walking distance to these places, or within bus/metro network. I'm looking for 3-4 stars, clean, modern hotel, $100-$150 US per night.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.

I recommend Thistle Victoria. It's attached to Victoria Station which also has a tube stop. It is within walking distance of some places you named, and being so near the tube, it won't take long to get anywhere. Be sure to ask for a room that doesn't face the train station. I've heard that side can be noisy. My room was on a high floor facing away from the station and I had no problems w/noise.

I highly recommend Millenium Bailey at the Gloucester tube station. Incredible location, and you get a real feel of living in London, with the quiet neighborhood atmosphere. Lots of restaurants, grocery stores, etc. nearby. Probably within your price range.

We just made reservations at the Reubens at the Palace about a block from Victoria station and across the street from Buckingham Palace( actually the Royal Mews). I don't think that there is a 3-4 star hotel around for $150 but you never know. The Reubens is $250 with vat etc.

..unless you get a deal from a lastminute site or priceline your rnage is definitely 2 star if in central London...so try laterooms, ratestogo or priceline

Everything you listed is in central London and should be easily accessible from any of the central London neighborhoods (Westminster, Kensington, Bloomsbury, Mayfair, Soho...) You will be able to get everywhere on the Underground (tube) and the buses.

Hotels in London are very expensive and we've found you get the best deal bidding thru priceline. You probably wouldn't want to bid on anything less than a 4-star (3-star and less in London can be questionable.) Check out <b>www.biddingfortravel.com</b> before you consider bidding. It will give you a lot of information and bidding stratagies. Read the FAQ's and Hotel List for London and decide if priceline is right for you.

I would like to second www.Biddingfortravel.com. I plan to use that when I bid for a hotel for London next May on pricline. A 4* hotel in the Kensington area goes for $70-$95. The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum is what I?m shooting for and people on biddingfortravel have gotten that hotel in the low to mid $70s; unless I decide to stay in the Mayfair/Soho area, which in that case hotels are going for $100-$125 (with the Waldorf Hilton going for around $105. This doesn?t include the taxes and priceline fee, but it is certainly a much, much better way to book a hotel in London.

Monica

PS: You can look at this link to see the hotels that have won bids in London and peoples winning bids
http://p070.ezboard.com/fpricelinean...abiddingfrm215

Monica

There isn't one hotel central to all of these sights but as noted, all are easily reached by public transport. I agree with the suggestions you've received here for specific hotels and definitely go the Priceline route if you want a 3-4 star hotel for that price range. Otherwise I'd suggest Travel Inn County Hall, a 2 star budget property. Great location next to the London Eye with modern spacious rooms.

Gotta say, though, I am very curious about the extent of your travels in November: London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Lucerne, and Egypt. Wow! What a trip!

As per prior posters, I would definitely go with Priceline (used it in August to stay in Holiday Inn Kensington Forum). For November, you can probably do even better and get a more centrally located hotel for the same $70-80.

Without Priceline, the only 3* hotel I know of within your price range is St. Giles (check out their website for special deals). It's in a good location, 5 min. walk to British Museum, but the rooms are on the smaller side.

$150 is not very much for a hotel in central London. I recommend two things...

1. londontown.con has great rates

2. Try the Kensington Close Hotel, they often have a 60-89 pound special. See their websight at http://www.kensingtonclosehotel.com to book.

I stayed here many years ago and I am staying their again in November. The location is Kensington is nice. It right near the Kensington High Street tube station where there is trendy shopping, restaurants, fast food. Its a safe neighborhood and easy to travel from by tube.

Miffy you locations seem to be all over the city so you may have to focus more on price than location for the hotel.

Last time in London, few years ago, stayed at Washington Mayfair. Cannot recall cost but it is a lovely, sophisticated hotel, very near the underground stop at Green Park.It was extremely pleasant.

Hi Miffy,

Your list of sights is very similar to mine. I would love (I'm sure others too) to hear about your trip when you return. My Mom and I will have three full days in London and would like to see what we can without being exhausted.

How many days will you have in London?

Thanks and report back!

Monica

The Swiss Cottage Best Western is right next to Cottage and between 6-8 stops of all places you want to go to. I believe my sister just booked a double for about 100 usd a night - it's a two star in a safe area in North London.

Swiss Cottage involves a tiresome bus journey into the centre of London. Swiss Cottage itself is dominated by tower blocks, and large roads, not a desirable residential area - the townhouses date from 60s and are always for sale.

I wouldn't stay in Swiss Cottage. Quite a complicated haul to most of the places you want to visit. Personally, I always stay near Covent Garden/Soho area. It is a good central location (walking distance to most areas and close to major tube lines so its easy on and off)... But, I have to warn you, decent London hotels can be pretty expensive. I doubt you'll find a true 3 or 4 star for less than 150 POUNDS, not dollars. Check out the Radisson Edwardian chain, they sometimes have excellent internet only rates and they have hotels all over central London that are at true 3-4 star. I believe the Portman near Oxford Street is the least expensive, with the Mountbatten near Seven Dials/Covent Garden and the Hampshire in Leicester Square being the most expensive of the group....)Also, check out citydiscounthotels.com. They have some amazing deals, though they are listed in pounds, so you'll have to do the math to figure out what you'll be spending in dollars. And, just as a guideline, that website lists their version of the hotels' star rating, so as a rule, I always figure a 4 star is really a 3, and so on...Charlotte Street hotel and the Pelham are also safe bets, and they are in good locations. I believe there is a Thistle hotel on the Strand, which is a better location than Kensington for the places you intend to visit. Very close to Buckingham Palace, Westminster and 10 Downing Street, etc. Usually, as in all big cities, hotels are actually cheaper on the weekends, so if you haven't already booked your flight, you can plan around that to save yourself some cash. I would say that in London, it might be worth it to spend a little extra for your hotel to ensure you're in a decent, clean hotel in a safe area. Finally, I'd skip the river cruise. It will be cold, the river is filthy and you'll get more out of walking across the river to the South Bank and having lunch in the South Bank Centre cafe or something than actually being on the river. You can also do a great walk along the river just behind the Strand (quite near that Thistle I mentioned.) Have a lovely time!

travdog wrote: &quot;the river is filthy&quot;

Actually, the Thamse River is the cleanest urban river in Europe. It only LOOKS dirty, but its brown color is due to silt stirred up by the tides, not pollution. At one time it was very polluted and was a &quot;dead&quot; waterway, but it has been &quot;resurrected&quot; so to speak and the last time I read anything about it, there were 119 species of fish thriving in Thames waters. So miffy,
base your decision on whether or not to do a river cruise on the weather and how high up it is on your priority list, not on concerns about its cleanliness.

Hi Daisy 54, I wasn't speaking about the colour of the water (yes, I realize that's natural/silt), but rather the actual TRASH floating in it. I'm sorry, it isn't clean in terms of what's actually floating on the surface. Maybe it wouldn't be off putting to Miffy, but I think it kind of ruins the experience being on a boat and lookign down to see what everyone has been throwing into the river. I was suggesting the walk across or along the river as a free alternative, where the trash is a little less &quot;up close and personal.&quot;

In August I stayed at the Kingsway Hall Hotel. The location was very good, you can walk to St. Paul's, Covent Garden, Soho, The Strand, British Musuem. The Holburn Station is a short block away. There is a Starbucks on the corner but we actually went to a little bakery two doors away and got coffee and pastry at a reasonable price. We also had their sandwiches one day, very good. Check out the outstanding reviews for the hotel on tripadvisor.com.

If you check the rack rate at Kingsway Hall it is in the 240 GBP range for a king room. On Expedia or other such sites, the price is over 200 USD. Once I had read about this hotel, I e-mailed them directly and they gave me a rate of 79GBP ($144) per night and that included VAT. This is a more of a business hotel so the rates are less on the weekend, however I was there for part of the week and I got the same rate. Don't know what days you are going but if the hotel is not fully booked, you might get a very good rate from them. I know from reading tripadvisor, others had received a good rate from the hotel directly. This hotel is definitely above a 3* rating so it's worth an e-mail. Their website is kingswayhall.co.uk.

Excellent suggestion, Paula. I had forgotten about this place. Miffy, it is actually an excellent location for your posted itinerary, and you are very close to Holborn Tube station, if you want/need to take the central line!