We are planning our first trip to London (and beyond the US borders) in March. I understand the weather is still mercurial and cold but that's okay. We'll be staying 5-7 days and plan on staying in London and sightseeing. I'm a little overwhelmed by the hotels, however. I really want to make a good choice for us so my husband will be willing to do this again! The Morgan Hotel seems to be a favorite of travelers. Is this so? And, if booked, any recommendations? I don't mind if it has en suite facilities so long as it is clean. I know most are small rooms but my husband is tall and I am, um, rather round. Yes, we are on a budget so we are looking in the $150-$160 range so you can understand my apprehension! This is a wonderful site and the info on food, budget, etc. is invaluable. Any input I receive is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your consideration and replies.
Nancy

DanandNan,
We are booked at the Morgan Hotel in March. I made the reservation in early December. I would urge you to contact them ASAP to determine availability. We handled everything via fax - 011-44-207-636-3045. You can also phone at 011-44-207-636-3735.
There was also a poster (elaine)earlier this week that mentioned a nearby

sorry about that -elaine mentioned the Arosfa Hotel as a budget alternative. Many people also suggest Travel Inn County Hall - near the London Eye as a decent choice on a budget.
JoeG

Nan, many Fodorites like the Gloucester Road tube stop (South Kensington) area for convenience. There are lots of hotels there, but one I stayed in a couple of years ago that is in your price range is the Adelphi on Cromwell Road. It is made from several townhouses put together to form the hotel, bathrooms are en suite, it has charm, and it has a good breakfast. We paid £129 for a triple, and our daughter paid £85 for a single after we moved on. Those prices included both full breakfast and VAT which is 17.5%. It is a couple of blocks from the tube stop which has a small shopping area adjacent to it.

Other recommended hotels near the tube stop are a Holiday Inn and a couple of Millenium Hotels. If you do a search, you should turn up a lot of information on this area. It is within walking distance of Kensington Park, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and Harrods if you like to walk.

Thank you, Joe and Carolyn. Your info is very much appreciated. Since we are unfamiliar with this, it helps to talk with people who have been to London. Many thanks,
Nancy

Try the web site for the Millenium Knightsbridge - it has a great location and off season they sometimes have specials for 89 or 99L.

Yes the Morgan is a favorite here. Tripadvisor.com is a good place to look for hotel reviews as well as rants & raves here.

Someone recently posted about getting the Victoria Park Hotel (near Victoria station) for $114 (yes dollars!) on Expedia.com but don't remember the dates. Londontown.com is another popular hotel website. If it's just the 2 of you, why not try bidding on Priceline? Go to biddingfortravel.com and/or betterbidding.com-both websites that offer help for bidding strategies. You <b>could</b> wind up with a 4 star hotel at a 2 star price.

We stayed at the Marriott County Hall hotel. It was a wonderful experience (I have lived and worked in London many years but now live in Ireland).

The river view rooms are just spectacular and you can take a trip down the thames just over Westminster Bridge, you can look out your window and see the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.. not to be missed. Easy to get to and from with buses, underground and taxis.

The staff are lovely and helpful, and although it gives a top class feel, they are not 'stuffy'.

I have stayed in many hotels around the world and would rate this as in my top 10.

You can get good deals on the internet through Marriot themselves, or you could try www.lastminute.com or www.hotels.com

Have a great time !.

I contacted the Arosfa Hotel through Fodor's and thought I might let everyone know that the link is incorrect. Michael Freedman emailed me back and said the link is to the Arosfa Hotel that is 150 miles from London! He stated I must have gone through the Fodor's link. I will email Fodor's and let them know, although they may already be aware of this. Again, thanks to everyone for the input - it's been very helpful in making our travel plans.

Hi
Yes I did recently stay at the Arosfa in London, and as a very inexpensive basic B&amp;B I recommend it.
HOWEVER, the bathrooms are incredibly small, not even 3 feet wide including the shower area. I am not petite and found I had to do some contortions; a particularly tall or round person would find this very difficult I think.I am not exaggerating when I say that the bathroom was not much larger than an airplane bathroom, with an additional 24 inches for the shower.

On the other hand, the place is attractive, clean, and conveniently located.

I had looked at the Morgan but was saving money by staying at the Arosfa.
Next time, budget permitting, I will stay at the Morgan, St Margaret's, or the Fielding.

Fantastic! Thanks to everyone for your input - it has been immensely beneficial. After our trip, I will post and give rant and/or rave about where we end up for future info.
Nancy

Hello:

We are going in March as well. I bought 2 nights in London for $90.00 per night on priceline. (With tax my credit card was charged $208.00) The hotel is the Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park. Don't know the hotel or the area but the price is right and the Red Touring Bus you hop on and off has a stop in front of the hotel. It's supposed to have Kensington Gardens on one side and Hyde Park on another. Breakfast is included. Sounded good to us! Anyone know of the hotel or area?

Nic

Nic, to get a response to your message, you might want to post a new thread with the hotel and see what people have to say. Someone suggested that to me in another post and it worked great! Otherwise, people may not see it and you won't get much input. Have a great time!
Nancy