You really DO need to tell us the age of the 'teenager' since idpf s/he is say 17, that will not count as a 'child' and premier Inns won't let the four of you stay in the same room and you would have to book two rooms.

And a/c will mostly mean a large or chain hotel . . . Where $120 CDN won't go far.

So forget anything about HI or Courtyard or whatever. How much do you actually want to pay (it had better be a lot e more than $120CDN- which wouldn't get you a holiday Inn in many parts of the States for instance)

Thank you Kathie.

Family: Hubby, myself, 17yr old son, 9yr old daughter (room either needs to hold all four in some capacity--1 double & 2 single, or two rooms--girls in one, boys in other)

Time of year: July (when the kids are off school/before teen starts university and is unable to travel with us) I get that that adds to the cost since it's peak time of year.

Personally, would prefer Paris/France only, but hubby's desperate for London as well which is why were doing both.

Trip is 20th anniversary/hubby's 50th birthday and son's high school graduation trip all rolled into one.

So basically, I need to up my hotel budget to get close to what we're used to here. That's good to know.

OK - with a 17yo you cannot use the family rooms at Premier Inns since 15 is the cut off age for a 'child'.

You will do better looking at a Citadines aparthotel or for a rental flat.

Perkie 1968

Here is a link for the London Hotels. I hope this helps. Don't stress, planning a trip is my favorite part of going vacation. Let me know if there is anything else I could help you.

Cafegoddess, the link?

oops, Let's try that again.

http://mylittlenomads.com/london-family-hotels

Gosh. Get a flat.

And ratchet up the nightly spend. Your $120CAD is low for a major Canadian metro area, it's a pittance for London. Paris prices are bad but the amenities and comfort is usually in direct relation to your spend. London rooms tend to be small at the start and <$100 US will get you nothing useful for your needs. You're likely going to need to double the budget (or at least go to $200CAD) for clean, comfortable and convenient.

There are numerous options for London from vrbo/homeaway to aplacelikehome.co.uk to the ubiquitous airbnb. Paris flat rentals are far more restricted.

Lately I've used Airbnb in London. Examples for apartments for 4+, US$150 a night or less, centrally located:

http://tinyurl.com/hbzfpuj

Big Russ, it seems mean to me to recommend to perkie that she rent a flat. She is clearly a novice traveler, and will benefit from the services a hotel can offer in an unfamiliar city.

quote: "You're likely going to need to double the budget (or at least go to $200CAD) for clean, comfortable and convenient."


Ok, good to know. Thank you.

I think anyone who can get themselves to Paris & London along with family is probably quite capable of staying in an apartment without the need of a concierge. A good guide book is all you really need.

I agree completely, historytraveler.

I think that you need to spend at least 2000 RMB's to get a nice room in London.

Actually - at the prices we are talking about there isn't likely to be a concierge anyway. So renting a flat will get a LOT more bang for the buck (or CDN$)

<<Big Russ, it seems mean to me to recommend to perkie that she rent a flat. She is clearly a novice traveler, and will benefit from the services a hotel can offer in an unfamiliar city.>>

Not mean at all. She said she's been researching. She's interactive here. And she's rightly ignoring WoinParis's nonsense about Chinese currency, so she should be fine figuring out London. Besides, she has a 17-year old kid (and they think they know a ton) and a 9-yo daughter (and my 6-yo says she knows everything so a 9-yo has to be 50% more knowledgeable). Plus they're all obviously internet savvy. Two looks at timeout.com and Londontown.com will prime them with more knowledge of the city than they thought possible.

So here's BigRuss, the hard a-- giving Perkie some help and trying to give her some credit, when a bloody Belgian chirping about irrelevant currencies spends two posts nattering about nonsense ("She cannot buy a paper guide, she doesn't know what a currency is, she thinks there is more to see in Paris than in London and she cannot state a budget and you recommend a flat") and an irrelevant airbnb rip-off (airbnb rentals are largely illegal in NYC, this is NOT the case in London, the latter of which woisme should know since he's closer to the British capital than perkie).

Good gosh.

Perkie - get a guidebook (preferably from Fodors so maybe at some point they'll give me a cut), London is big and great and considering hubby wants to go, prod him to get with the planning. Go to Londontown.com. And contrary to what the chitterers said on your Paris post, get the kids off their tushes and get them involved - give them a stake in the trip.

Londontown.com is a really good resource as some great deals pop up from time to time. I got a deal on the Radisson Blu Edwardian earlier this year - fantastic hotel with a great breakfast. I had to check that site quite a few times before that deal popped up though. And to be honest I am not sure if the hotel had air conditioning.

Actually it is too bad about the air conditioning is a must thing, because I stayed in a guesthouse in late June that would definitely be in your budget and they have family rooms for four adults. Except for the air conditioning and the airport time, it pretty much meets all your criteria. Let me know if you want to see the link anyway. I did not need air conditioning in late June, it wasn't that hot.

I think all these silly non-relevant posts about flats in NYC and Chinese currency are just messing up the thread. We should actually be helping the OP and not playing games - just IMO ;)

Hi Perkie. There's a lot of good experience and advice here. From the thread I see that this is your first trip to Europe and that you're coming from Canada.

I love London: People speak English (after a fashion), there are a million things to do, and it's wonderfully easy to get around. The core area is even very walkable. So here's my advice.

Money: Bring lots of it. London is expensive, even more so than North American big cities, except maybe New York. Expect to spend around $1.50 - $2.00 for every $1.00 you would spend on a holiday in Toronto.

Safety: Develop the habit of looking BOTH ways when you cross a street. We forget about traffic coming from the "wrong" direction there. I knew a woman who was killed when she stepped out in front of a car.

Airport: Unless your time in London is extremely short you don't need to be close to the airport. I assume you'll fly into Heathrow and you don't want to be that far out.

The Tube: The London underground is a great way to get around. Read about the London Oyster card for payment, it cuts the cost by almost half and they'll refund your unused portion when you leave. The Piccadilly line goes all the way out to Heathrow. There's a booth where you can buy the Oyster Card as you go into the Tube station from the arrivals area.

Hotels: Where to start. There are chains, there are flats, there are boutique hotels (no elevators), and there's Park Lane. Rule of thumb - the closer you are to the center the more expensive the hotel. Get yourself a map of London and a map of the underground system and look for a compromise. I use booking.com and on my last trip ended up in a Premier Inn London hotel. It was reasonably priced, very clean, and had a restaurant on site. If your budget can't stand at least $400 per night ($200 per room x 2 rooms) you should look for a flat.

Location: I recommend the Kensington, South Kensington, and Earl's Court areas. These are residential and have restaurants and other services. You can find hotels near a tube station where the tube line goes right to the city center and a lot of the attractions you want to see. If you opt for getting close to a Piccadilly line station you're also on the line from Heathrow.

(We chose the Premier Inn hotel at Earl's Court for all these reasons. Earl's Court station is about 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus and a 45 minute ride from Heathrow.)

If you'll be coming through Gatwick instead of Heathrow you'll take a surface train to Victoria Station. In that case you might look at the areas of Chelsea and Pimlico.

Breakfast: Check on how much you'll pay for breakfast at your hotel. An English breakfast is a huge affair. If you don't want to eat that much you might do better at a street cafe.

No prob Janis, all my posts got deleted...

So... giving advice in USD to somebody giving a budget in CAD to spend in GBP is perfectly sound.

Good to know.