letterman

My husband and I are spending 4 nights in London at the end of June. I have been to London a few times for work, but am pretty unfamiliar with neighborhoods and getting around. We'd like to stay in a hotel between $200-300/night that has some local English charm but is not dowdy (we don't want to stay at a big hotel chain or something too trendy like a Morgans property) and is in a central location near transportation and provides breakfast if possible. We plan to visit the London Eye, British Museum, and the Tate while there, and will want to hit some great, but not terribly pricey restaurants. We are in our mid-30s and love art and design and are foodies who love lingering over a great bottle of wine and fantastic food. Would also appreciate any suggestions on cool upscale bars to try where we can get a good strong gin martini and nice glass of champagne. Thanks!

yk

I think the Rembrandt hotel gets good reviews here.

ekscrunchy

If you are an adventurous diner, you might enjoy the legendary St. John.

I had a fabulous meal at J. Sheekey two weeks ago, but the price might veer into the high-moderate range.

avalon

Try www.londontown.com. We prefer Renbrandt or even more so Millenium Bailey's. It is right across from the Gloucester Rd tube and also has excellent bus connections. You might like La Famiglia on Langton St, It is moderate priced for London, an a well known London institution.The York and Albany is another place you might like.

bettyk

We've stayed at the Rubens at the Palace Hotel twice. It is across the street from the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and a a couple of blocks from Victoria Station. We made our reservations through www.londontown.com also. They have a very good breakfast buffet and a nice bar and restaurant at the hotel.

Across the street to the left from the Hotel is Bumbles. It's a nice place to have a good meal. There are numerous pubs, restaurants and the Ebury Wine Bar not far from the Hotel.

http://www.bumbles1950.com/

http://www.rubenshotel.com/index_flash.htm

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/pubsandb...iew-14573.html

http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/tube-vi...estaurants.php

schnauzer

Hi Letterman, we recently stayed at the Millenium Baileys for 2 nights and were really happy. Had that old English feel and very convenient, right next door to Gloucester Road tube. There is a great cafe 2 door down for a fantastic breakfast, don't waste your money in the hotel. We booked through London town.com and got a good rate, but it had certainly gone up by the time we arrived from the time of booking. Would recommend highly.

Schnauzer (for more details you can try and find the bit about london on my Schnauzer reporting live from Paris thread) we were there from May 20th -22nd. I have dated most of the entries so it should be reasonably easy to find

hsv

Arguably the best Martinis in town served in the Dukes Hotel's bar - in a side street between Piccadilly and Green Park.

hawkeye52241

Hi there - I know you don't want a chain, but I have to let you know about the Trafalgar. It is the only Hilton that has been allowed to omit 'Hilton' from its name. Also, if it has 'English' charm it is of the 'Cool Britannia' kind (contemporary and minimalist). I'm British and I love it and have stayed there 4 times in the past few years. If the hotel does not sound to your taste, do consider its bar, which is very cool. Edgy cocktails, including champagne and bourbon ones, and often there's a DJ too. Busiest times are 5 - 10 pm. There is also a roof garden bar, but you may have to wait 30 minutes to get there because it overlooks Trafalgar Sq and is popular.

adania

For cheap but great food, you could try lunch deals (http://www.moneysavinglondon.com/Gre...in-london.html) If you're after cocktails, they're really going to cost you in London - and most drinking revolves around pubs not clubs. but you could try some of the cool bars of Upper Street in Islington. Time OUt has an article of rooftop bars some of which are quite good - it's here - http://www.timeout.com/london/bars/features/3328.html - obviously depends on the weather though!

white_apple

Hi letterman,

I had a fantastic time when I visited Apsleys at The Lanesborough. The decor was beautiful www.apsleys.co.uk

They have a meal deal for 3 course for £24 which was so worth the visit. I always wanted to visit the famous Lanesborough Hotel where Michael Jackson stayed while he was in London.

Have a great time.

Sue878

We stayed at "The Sumner Hotel" in May. Very nice small boutique type hotel, includes breakfast. Also we really liked the King size bed. Within walking distance to Marble Arch tube station. The staff were really helpful and friendly.

Sue878

http://www.sumnerhotel.com/

avalon

The Sumner is lovely, even though I have not stayed in their new location. We stayed at the original on Sumner Place, but I am sure the service and quality are the same