london in spring...I need cheap outside london
 

hi all,

I am going back to London this spring...sometime between mid march-mid april. I have finally come to terms with the fact that if I stay cheap in central london, I will not get a good deal. Every hotel, and I mean every hotel I have explored under 45 pds is a dump in central london. (I should have known this already, but one can hope).

Rather than take the chance of getting a really bad place, I have decided to explore other options. Someone said here that you can stay at some really nice 3 and 4 stars out in the suburbs of london for much lower prices.

Does anyone have any suggestions of areas or hotels outside of central london? I will be staying single and will need ensuite.

My two main requirements are:

close to train
ultra clean
ensuite

I do not mind small or old fashioned as long as the rooms are very clean. I would like the hotel to be as close as possible to the train or tube station as this will make traveling back and forth into london central much easier.

Any suggestions?

I go to London a LOT and face the same budget problems. But when considering the travel times and extra transport costs I find it actually more economical to stay in the city center.

Now - IF I am touring outside of London then it is whole different situation - you can pay substantially less out of town. But if I am mainly going to be in London, it is not convenient enough for me to commute into town, especially since I like to go to the theatre or concerts most evenings.

But Priceline is a very good option for you. You can get great 3 or sometimes even 4 star properties in the best neighborhoods for less than £45 per night.

I haven't used Priceline which many have said is a good way to find a bargain.
However, in central London (Bloomsbury), a year ago I stayed at the Arosfa Hotel, no elevator, small rooms with very small bathrooms, but clean and pleasant, and cooked breakfast provided each morning. A year ago my single was 45 pounds. They now have a website.

I meant to add, you can search on it at tripadvisor.com

I find it hard to believe you will ever get a nice 4 star anywhere within a 100 miles of London for under 45! I agree with others. You obviously aren't picky about the location if you're even willing to stay in the middle of nowhere, so I say go for Priceline where you'll get more for your money.

I wouldn't necessarily give up on central London. I've had the same problem, and it's really depressing how hard it is to find something decent in central London but I posted that questions a while ago and got a lot of good suggestions. The link to that thread is: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34537042

On that thread rj007 talks about a B&B in Harrow that he stays in. There was also mention of another suburban B&B that sounded pretty good. So you might check those two out.

But I have to say that after giving it a lot of thought and research I decided that the time and money spent getting to and from the suburbs outweighted the extra money and/or dinginess of the cheap central London hotels. I'm still waiting to see how the one I booked for March will be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed while trying not to expect too much. Good luck.

I don't think they ever drop as low as 45 pounds, but I've sometimes seen rates as low as 70 pounds for the Thistle Selfridge, the Hilton Olympia and the Hilton Kensington.

You also might check out Sandra Gustafson's book (formerly called Cheap Sleeps in London, might now be called "Great Sleeps"). She gives very detailed descriptions of bargain hotels - sometimes room-by-room. She also has some suggestions for bargain alternatives.

As someone who lives in the suburbs (Watford - 20 miles North West) I know how expensive and tiring the travelling can be. If you take the tube (the cheaper option over the mainline railway) it's £12.00 for a one day travelcard before 9.30 and £6.00 afterwards. The journey takes 50 minutes and you then have to change to get to the west end.
The train from Watford Junction is much quicker (20-25 minutes) but even more expensive (around £10.00 for an off-peak travel card). You will have to judge whether any accommodation savings are worth it. There are a few cheap B&B's near the Station but a decent hotel would be around £50.00 a night.
St Albans would be a possible alternative as it's a lovely historic town in it's own right with enough to keep you busy for a day but you won't save much money.
Harrow is nearer and has some okay accommodation with 3 different tube lines close by.
I would bite the bullet and get the best deal you can in London but please let me know if I can help further with out of town ideas,

Adam C

You will regret your decision to say outside of London and travel in .. it is simply very expensive. Yes, there are dumps in London, but there are also "ok" places as well. "ok" does not mean 4 star luxury, but you would still be better on in London then commuting (which is tiring, crowded and expensive).

You might consider a studio flat - check Price Apartments website. They have several studio's with private baths and kitchenettes on Balcombe St. (5 min. from Baker St & Marylebone Station). They are NOT luxury, and a little more then you want to spend, but you can save some money by eating a few meals in (or at least breakfast). Again, not luxury, but Nick Price and his son, Warren, are lovely people to deal with and very accommodating. The neighborhood is safe (as much as anything in London).

Another idea for a flat is Hamlet Apartments which has 1 bedroom flats in St Katharine's Dock (Marina). They are a little more then your budget also, but a very nice area - we had a one bedroom with a small balcony and view of Tower Bridge. The Tube stop (and bus) is Tower Hill, about a 8 min. walk from apt. and there is a grocery store around the corner.

I know of other apartments we have stayed in but they are more expensive, overall tho I think you would be better with an apt. and eat some meals in to save money rather then commiting from the suburbs.

I have to agree with everyone who is telling you to use Priceline. You are traveling single so you don't need to worry about two beds or extra rooms. Check www.biddingfortravel.com to see what people are getting now (looks like a lot of 4* places are turning up for $85 a night) before making a bid. My husband and I used Priceline for our London trip in 2003 and stayed at the Royal Horseguards for $70 a night.