My son will be staying over in London (in August) for a few days on his return from Africa. Could you please provide me with some ideas of good (i.e., safe) locations for him to stay? I'm sure his budget will be quite small (as he's paying for this, not me!), but I thought I would provide him with some ideas to check out once he gets there (or via internet before he leaves Africa). We have never been to London and have no idea of what's where. He is interested in history and art. Is it possible to rent a room at the last minute? Are there youth hostels there? Any help is appreciated. I could probably check Lonely Planet or other budget-minded forums, but Fodors people have never let me down!

One,. of many, sources for somewhat budget-level accommodations is www.londontown.com.

Used to be the area around Earls Court was a nest of inexpensive lodgings but that may have changed.

Hi Jill, try www.laterooms.com for your son's needs. For instance, if the regular room rate is 65 pounds at The Brompton Hotel then you can probably get 5 pounds off through Laterooms. I stayed at the Brompton Hotel on Old Brompton Road which is in a very pleasant and safe neighborhood, South Kensington. It is a block from the S. Ken tube station and there is a fabulous Indian restaurant around the corner from the hotel that is inexpensive and has great food! Hope this helps!

There are youth hostels, although you may want to check www.lonelyplanet.com or www.slowtrav.com for the 'good' ones. There are also dorm rooms that get rented out from colleges, which might appeal to him.

Hi there Jill. There are lots of cheap offers for london hotels ... the best I have found are at http://www.hotels-london-hotel.com/h...tar/cheap.html these are usually great prices and up to date. You may alos like to look @ http://www.hotels-london-hotel.com/top20/ which are the ones people have booked most.

Any idea how small his budget is? Priceline is great for London. Most folks aim for 4 or 5 star properties, but they also have 2 and 3 star places which would be really cheap (for London anyway)

Check out biddingfortravel.com

London School of Economics rents out its dorm rooms during summer break at budget prices. You can find them on the web.

He will definitely have to book ahead.

Check out the Youth Hostel Association. They have hostels in some great Central London locations and star gradings.

www.yha.org.uk

Hi Jill- this is off topic, but I saw an earlier post by you regarding a photographer on your gondola ride in Venice. I am going to Venice to start my honeymoon and I want to hire a photographer to take pictures of my new husband and me. How did you find your photographer?

Thank you!

Hey Nic - I found her through Destination Venice and her name is Mara. Their website and e-mail address are http://www.destination-venice.com/eng/contact.htm and [email protected]. I communicated with Roberto Boem. I do not know the specific cost for just the photographer because it was included in the gondola ride, the American lady (Ziggy) who picked us up at our hotel, escorted us to the gondola, picked up the wine, read our vows, showed us around St. Mark's a little and told us of a fabulous place for dinner -- Olivera _______, near the Doge’s Palace.
I was very happy with the pictures - they arrived at our home just as we returned (5x7 in a small 3-ring binder). I would do it again in a heartbeat - it was just so memorable! Let me know if you want more (or less!) information. I have the name of the restaurant somewhere at home if you'll need that.

Thanks for the great information, Jill! I will definitely look into it!

Ok, I'm back. I've tracked down a few hostels for my son, but don't know the areas. Which of these areas would be best for central location, tube access, food?: Holland House (located on/in Holland Walk - Kensington); St. Pauls located on Carter Lane (EC4V 5AB - don't know what that means!); St. Pancras, located on Euston Street (NW1 2QS); Ace Hotel in West Kensington. Westminster and Mayfair-Soho are to be good zones if bidding on Priceline. Any feedback on this information would be greatly appreciated. He's getting down to the wire in needing to book a hostel. Thanks!