hi, can anyone here comment on the london ryan, by king's cross? am about to book on londontown.com but would (primarily) like reassurance that it's in a safe area (will be traveling alone)... any comments on quality of hotel would be appreciated too... saw some posts hinting that right around king's cross stn was a semi-shady area, but they weren't that recent, so maybe the neighborhood's changed??? didn't see any reviews on hotel itself, although a few ppl had mentioned booking there... thanks for any feedback!

Vivian<BR>Based on my own opinions, the area around King's Cross station does have a "seedy" feel to it. It is also a bit on the fringe of the things you will be going to London for. I would suggest that you get a bit closer in, perhaps in Bloomsbury or elswhere, for your stay. If you plan to use the tube to get around and will be walking at night from tube station to hotel, etc, the area around King's Cross might give a single lady some pause. Now, perhaps one of our friends that live in London would care to toss in their two pence worth here and let you know what the current situation is.<BR><BR>Other nice area you might want to check into is Knighsbridge.<BR><BR>Have fun<BR>

Kings cross has a deservedly bad reputation. It is a red light area and a centre for drug dealing. Having said that, the area where the Ryan is is safe enough. <BR><BR>THe dodgy bit of Kings Cross is the area from the top of Grays Inn Rd, the whole of the area around Argyle Sq and the area between the Thameslink Train Station in Pentonville Rd and the CAmden Town Hall (where I use to work). Also the bottom of Caledonian Rd.<BR><BR>THis probably doesn't make much sense to you but look at the local area on www.multimap.co.uk usinng those street names and the Post code WC1 and you will see that this actually a small area which you could easily avoid. It also heavily policed.<BR><BR>If you are staying there just use the usual urban drill ie no falshy camers watches, ostentatious amounts of cash etc.<BR><BR>Can't comment on the hotel itself though. If yo need specifics feel free to email.<BR><BR>DAvid

I just came back from london and got<BR>off at that tube stop and noticed the<BR>hooker and drug dealers right away.<BR>I would avoid the area if i were you.<BR><BR>I have stayed at a bed and breakfast in<BR>Hounslow and it is totally safe<BR><BR>He has a web site<BR><BR>it is<BR><BR>www.ashdownehouse.com<BR><BR><BR>

thanks, all, for the feedback... overall, i guess it certainly doesn't sound all that bad, though not ideal ... i do have a little more time before i leave, so i will check out other neighborhoods...

vivian: As David says - the area around the hotel is safe enough, but the general Kings Cross is VERY dicey. Take this from an American woman who frequently travels alone to London/UK and is comfortable in most any section of London - I would definitely not book there. Not because that specific street is dangerous - but because you simply don't have to to get a bargain.<BR><BR>If it was an unbeatable bargain I would say go for it -- BUT You can get just as good a rate in much better areas. There are a lot of discounts available in REALLY GOOD areas so why stay in a dodgy one?<BR><BR>You can stay in Victoria, Pimlico, S Kens, just about anywhere and be really safe.

thanks for your comments, janis... i have been looking into s. kensington in particular as i've noticed many positive comments for it on this bd...