We've been searching for lodging in London to accomadate a family of five without much<BR>luck, without it costing a small fortune,<BR>any suggestions. We have looked at some of <BR>the apts. as a possibility.

Hi<BR>One good place to browse for hotels by price, location, etc is<BR>www.londontown.com<BR>What were you looking to spend?<BR>Do you want two rooms?<BR>Do a search here or elsewhere for hotels that have been recommended for families, such as<BR>Norfolk Court<BR>Norfolk Plaza www.norfolkplazahotel.co.uk/<BR><BR>Kingsway Hotel<BR>www.hotels-london.co.uk/hotel.php<BR>hotel_id=57<BR><BR>From the New York Times 11/99: The Park Hotel, 64 Belgrave Rd, phone 207 834 3118<BR>Fax 207 834 9328. A newly-renovated budget hotel. Close to Victoria Station and Buckingham Palace.<BR><BR>In May 2002 the New York Times recommended The Express by Holiday Inn, 106-110 Belgrave Road, www.hiexpress.co.uk. phone 207 630 8888, fax 207 828 0441. It's in Pimlico, 52 &quot;cheerful&quot; rooms, some of which can accommodate a family of four. <BR>

Is the problem you've found just cost or availability? What sort of set up are you looking for &amp; for how long? Perhaps if you provide budget, general time period (how long &amp; when) &amp; what you've tried, people could offer suggestions.

With 5 people I'd recommend an apartment. We've stayed at Scala House and will be there again in 2 weeks. They have a website which gives all their info. If you are looking for luxury surroundings then it is not for you, but if you are looking for a clean and comfortable place to stay then I'd check it out. It is hard to give people advise when you do not mention a budget. Scala House is very convenient to the tube (1 block), within 3 blocks of grocery stores, etc. The owners are delightful people. <BR><BR>My other suggestion is that if you are looking for one hotel room for 5 people it would be better to get 2 rooms. Hotel rooms in Europe are small, there is not a lot of the Embassy Suite style accommodations so you will be very very cramped. While I've never stayed in one in London (we always get an apt) people on this forum talk alot about Travel Inn at County Hall. You can check them out too. I believe they are more like a Super 8/Motel 6 in furnishings.

Check out the Emperors Gate Short Stay apartments at<BR>www.apartment-hotels.com<BR>They are very family-friendly (the owners have 3 kids). I've never stayed there, but my neighbors stay there quite often and love it.

try this link: http://chslondon.com/vr/index.htm<BR>one of the best london apt. resources i've found. we are considering renting from them in june, although there's not a lot of feedback from other fodorites about coach house on this board.

Feel free to e-mail me - I have one suggestion but need to find the name in my files of a well-located basic but clean place I stayed in years ago. It came with a small kitchen and had rooms for 5-6 people. E-mail: [email protected]

We stayed at the Comfort Inn Hyde Park in June 2001 in a 3 bedroom apartment which included continental breakfast. Do a search on this hotel on this site and you'll see my comments in response to other posts.

I've stayed in Citadines Apart'hotels in France and the UK, and they can be a good deal. You can get a studio, 1 or 2 bedroom suite (in each case with a basically equipped galley kitchen) and usually with pay laundry facilities in the building (not your suite). They use fold-out couches (at least in the studios, not sure about the true bedrooms in the larger suites), so that you can convert your bedroom to a living/dining area - this might be nice with a crowd. You could probably get away with a one bedroom. Standards vary, but they're probably similar to a French version of a Holiday Inn in terms of style, quality, (lack of) character, etc. Prices are lower than for hotels (with discounts for longer stays) - they save money by changing laundry and doing housekeeping only once a week (you can pay for an extra visit), and limiting the typical hotel services (eg no concierge, maybe only a breakfast room, sometimes they have limited reception hours so you have to buzz yourself in after midnight - but they've probably got 24 hour service in London). Of course, you can save money by preparing some of your own meals (eg breakfast and lunch). There are about half a dozen in London, most in very central locations. Kensington is probably the most expensive. I stayed at the Holborn location, and it's quite convenient/safe and a little quieter than, e.g. Piccadilly Circus. While none of them will ever top my list of &quot;best hotels&quot;, I thought they were very good value for the money and I'll stay in them again.

Usually there is sale on Citadines South Kensington for about 65 pounds (studio) per night at Londontown.com. The one at Trafalgar Square is more expensive (123 pounds for one bed room).But the finishing are all the same.

If you are headinfg to London in the summer the London School of Economics uses their residences as bed and breakfasts. We stayed at the bankside residence last July (family of four) and it was very reasonable. It is not luxury but was cheap and comfortable enough. Our kids ages 15 and 12 back absolutely loved London so obviously where they slept at night was no big deal. They have a web site at http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/vac...side-house.htm