ChicagoDallasGirl

Hi all. Still researching hotels. Needing a hotel close to tube, restaurants and shops for a five night stay mid-January. Traveling with hubby for 10th anniversary celebration. Max nightly budget GBP 200/$325-ish. Have considered Bloomsbury, St. Ermins, InterContinental Westminster and Royal Horseguards, but not yet sold on one of them. Also, very much like The Ampersand and Grosvenor Hotel but read rooms are tiny, which I know is not uncommon. Just wondering if anyone has insight on the ones I mentioend or can recommend hotels/B&B's I may have overlooked.

laurie_ann

We stayed at Ampersand for a week this summer. We loved it. Yes the rooms are small. We had two different ones (we went out to the coast for the weekend in the middle of our trip). It might seem counterintuitive but the rooms with double beds have more space than the rooms with king size beds. We had both kinds

We loved the breakfast room, the tea room, the bar, the internet, the location. You are 1/2 a block from South Kensington tube station so right on both the Picadilly line to get to and from airport and the Circle/District line which is the most handy for many tourist sites. The service was also mosts friendly and helpful.

There is lots of shopping and restaurants right there.

It was one of our best hotel stays ever.

We have been in London in January on other trips and lived there for a year and I think the Ampersand is a fabulous choice.

You might also look at the Pelham Hotel which is just around the corner from Ampersand and a similar kind of hotel. That is where we stayed on that January trip. It was more expensive for our stay this summer than we wanted but you may find a better rate in January.

MmePerdu

Why not look for an apartment for lots more space than a room. On that budget you should be able to find something nice.

Like this one, right in the center of things:
http://www.onefinestay.com/london/duke-street-2/

There are lots of agencies. I think it'll be worthwhile to spend some time looking.

raincitygirl

I also stayed at the Ampersand this summer, was there for nine nights in early July with a friend.
We had a room with two beds, it was smallish but that's to be expected in London.
There was enough closet space and drawers to put things away, plus a mini fridge where you could put your own cold drinks and snacks, plus each day housekeeping replenished the complimentary water, juice and soft drinks.

The beds were very comfortable and the bathroom was really nice and the decor throughout the hotel is fantastic: fresh and modern.

The location is great, kitty corner from the South Kensington tube station, you can walk to the V and A museum, Harrod's, we also walked to Chelsea, to Kensington Palace and Hyde Park.You are spoiled for choice for restaurants and shopping.

We ate breakfast and dinner in Apero, the hotel's restaurant, and had cocktails there as well on several occasions, it was all really good.
The staff at this hotel were really friendly and helpful. This is definitely where I will stay next trip to London.

dutyfree

Personally, I would stay in the Gloucester Road area as the tube station is on the direct line from LHR on the Piccadilly Line-40 minutes from Heathrow without changing and has lifts in both stations.It would be roughly about 7 pounds using an Oyster card from LHR and alot cheaper than using a taxi or limo.
The Holiday Inn-Gloucester Road,Millennium Hotel and the NH Harrington are all by the tube stop and there is a group of shops and pubs/restaurants all by the tube station-think Boots drugs,Waitrose grocery,etc..
The area is within walking distance to Harrods and the history museum along with one stop to Notting Hill area and a 5 minute bus ride to Chelsea.Most of the major tube lines go through this station so it is very easy to get to anyplace within London without major hassles or changes.
The Holiday Inn has a Starbucks coffee shop on the reception floor along with a newstand and concierge for tickets,info,etc. The buffet breakfast is AMAZING and has so many goodies to chose from. There is also a work out room,pub and great restaurant within the hotel too.
I Have gotten the Holiday Inn on booking.com for anywhere from 99 pounds to 149 pounds including breakfast so check prices out there and reviews on tripadvisor.

ChicagoDallasGirl

MmePerdue - That's a gorgeous flat! We love vacation rentals, but had a not-so-good experience with one during a summer trip to The Ozarks and an "ok" experience with one in Chicago last Spring. This time, we'd prefer the conveniences of a full-service hotel. We are not absolutely opposed to an apartment. So, I will peruse the site you linked. Thank you!

laurie_ann and raincitygirl - You have upped my interest in The Ampersand with your reviews of your recent stays. The Pelham is lovely!

dutyfree - thanks for the tips. I'll check out lodging in that area as a smooth transport from/to LHR would be very helpful.

MmePerdu

I hope others here who have used apartment rental agencies in London will provide links. Presumably you can search the site for them above where it says "search the forums". I've rented rooms in private homes but not apartments. I found that one by googling "London apartment agencies". The good ones will provide only excellent apartments, not just OK.

ChicagoDallasGirl

laurie_ann and raincitygirl - Did you book direct with the hotel or through a vendor, e.g. booking.com, jetsetter.com, etc?

raincitygirl

I am a Mr. and Mrs. Smith member so I booked through them. But I would advise you to book directly with the hotel. That is how I book most of my hotels, always get a better deal that way than with a vendor.

Grindeldoo

ChicagoDallasGirl - South Kensington station is one stop along the Piccadilly line from Gloucester Road station, so only 2 minutes further into the centre/away from Heathrow!

laurie_ann

So funny raincitygirl and I must have been there the same time! I booked through www.slh.com. I am a "member" (but I think it is free) and with that receive free breakfast and a room upgrade with a booking. I would peruse the various booking sites. I have used expedia, booking.com, venere, and others and then compare to the hotel's own. I don't think it really makes a difference. If you have any special requests you can always make those directly with the hotel by email after you book through whoever.

dutyfree's suggestion is also good. (And she is a flight attendant and a very helpful poster here at Fodors always.)

Re the difference betweend Glocester Road and South Kensington I think if lifts (elevators) were something you expected that area is great too. We were actually in London to see my brother and his family. Their apartment was halfway between G and SK. So sometimes we used one or the other. G has a full service Waitrose grocery right there. SK has several little shops with staples like bottled water, but not a full service grocery.

raincitygirl

that's funny laurie_ann! I was there July 6 to July 15, you?

We used a car service to and from Heathrow as I don't like dragging luggage around on the tube but if budget is a concern, then taking the tube is certainly easy to this location.

Friends of ours have stayed in the Holiday Inn dutyfree recommends on Gloucester Road and they liked it enough to stay there twice. They were travelling with their three kids and needed two rooms and budget was a concern to them. They liked the location, said it was clean and comfortable and the breakfast was good.

By the OP's remarks it didn't sound like she wanted that sort of hotel for this trip so I think the Ampersand fits the bill.

Iwan2go

The Ampersand looks amazing. We stayed at the Egerton House in Knightsbridge, slightly closer in towards Harrods, but it looks like their rates are 320 GBP - if I'd seen the Ampersand, I'd have chosen it instead. That location is wonderful, lots of nice restaurants. The V&A is one of my favorite museums, and you'd be very close.

To offer another option, I have a friend who stayed at the Lime Tree Hotel and loved it. It's located in Belgravia, between Victoria and Sloane Square stations. Superior doubles are 180 GBP and include an English breakfast and VAT (also shows some specials in January) www.limetreehotel.co.uk

Have fun!

Scootoir

ChicagoDallasGirl,
I was about to book the Lime Tree Hotel for our London stay a year ago when I came upon One Fine Stay. We rented their Artesian Road flat and enjoyed it very much. Since we were staying a week we appreciated the space that an apartment provided and liked having the kitchen. OFS provided an iPhone and they were just a call away 24 hours and could come by within a few minutes if we needed anything. It was a bit far from the tube stop but we really liked the neighborhood and were very happy with our choice.

Tulips

Another vote for Onefinestay. We rented a place from them during the Olympics, and are now letting our flat through Onefinestay. As a guest and as a host, both good experiences.

welltraveledbrit

Depending on the time of year you might consider Flemings in Mayfair which I think as a charming small hotel and well located. The regular rooms are a little small but the Deluxe ones are very nice.

ChicagoDallasGirl

The Lime Tree is the type of B&B we normally go for. Hoping for a bit more "luxury" this time around, but TLT is VERY appealing, charming. Street view shows beautiful neighborhood. Hmm...

OFS does have great properties. Still browsing the abundance of options.

welltraveledbrit - Had not consider Flemings! Gorgeous and a tad more pocketbook friendly. Thanks for sharing!

Oh. What to do?! So many fabulous options!

galactus

I can't imagine any central London hotel having non-tiny rooms, but for what its worth the Grosvenor is straight up luxury and a great choice for your anniversary celebrations.

welltraveledbrit

We like Flemings, the locations is good for us, food, museums theater and the Picadilly Line as we prefer to take the Tube from the airport.
Their rates vary a lot over the year but sometimes they have good deals on their site or I book on Orbitz with a coupon which makes it quite reasonable but without breakfast. They're also Virtuoso which means you can get a rate with breakfast and an upgrade through the right travel agent.

welltraveledbrit

A few more thoughts....
If you're still interested in Royal Horseguards or St Ermins you might want to look at LuxuryLink.com they used to sell packages for both of them. I've used the site many times and can recommend it but remember it's non refundable and you MUST check your dates BEFORE you bid.
The British site Alpharooms.co.uk often has good prices for hotels in London, particularly with breakfast included.

Hope this helps!