Thank you in advance for any help you can give me! My family (four of us including two teenagers) will be in London for 5 nights this summer and we are trying to decide on where to stay. It has been very frustrating so far! We are staying in an apartment for the Paris portion of our trip but would like to stay in a hotel in London. However, our budget is approx. 200 GBP per night and I'm pretty sure we will need two rooms. "Traveling light" is an unknown concept for the girls in this group (including me!). I've looked at the Premier inn London Victoria but when I called them to see if they have any adjoining rooms, the fellow who answered said he didn't know and redirected me to phone another company who handles their reservations. When I phoned them, they said they don't handle Premier inns! I really want to ensure we could at least have rooms close to each other. The other places I've considered are the Morgan Hotel, the Luna Simone Hotel and the Lime Tree Hotel (all well reviewed on Trip Advisor) but am a bit concerned with the lack of A/C and no elevator. I've also been looking at the Megaro Hotel but not sure about the busy area. I think we would prefer a quieter street although the price is right and it has A/C. I am very confused! Does anyone have on opinion on these choices or have any other suggestions? Thank you so much!

I would use Priceline and bid for two rooms. Priceline offers great deals - see www.betterbidding.com . The drawbacks are that you don't know the exact hotel before you bid, the rates are non-refundable, and you may not get your choice of beds as the room only guarantees double occupancy. However, I've not had any trouble getting twin bed rooms every time I have bid on Priceline in London. If you bid for a 4* hotel, you would almost certainly get A/C and an elevator, and in my opinion the hotels are most likely nicer than the ones you are considering. See www.betterbidding.com for more info.

Another option is London School of Economics student accommodation, which is available in the summer. See www.lsevacations.co.uk .

Personally - I wouldn't stay at the Megaro. It isn't just on a busy road - it is on a VERY busy road directly across from the main entrance to Kings Cross/St Pancras.

Priceline is an option as as WillTravel says.

The Luna & Simone is in a good location - on a busy-ish rd -- but <u>nothing</u> like Euston Rd at Kings Cross.

If you can afford the Morgan - it is right AT the British Museum. They have flats for just over your budget that would be a better bargain than 2 twins there for the same price.

Most Premier Inns have family rooms (including the Victoria property) - IF both kids are under 16 they stay in the parent's room for free. It would be a double bed and pull out couches/single beds. However that ONLY applies to under 16's. If either of the kids are 16 or older - then you'd need 2 regular rooms.

So if the kids are 15 or under - you wouldn't need adjoining rooms - you'd be in the same room.

Just a hop over the road from Sloane Square Tube station are a number of Apartment Hotels. All are terracotta brick buildings down a leafy road. You may find what you are looking for here:

http://tinyurl.com/yds5qlg

http://tinyurl.com/yc5q44q

http://tinyurl.com/yc3zege

http://tinyurl.com/ycx233p

Check www.londontown.com for great info on everything in London, including accomodations and current offers.

I always use Londontown and never have paid over 100 GBP with breakfast.

Or for more room try an apt.

This site has good listings in nice neighborhoods for way under 200 GBP per night.

http://www.citybaseapartments.com/se...bed=1&x=46&y=5

I booked a quad room at the Arran House Hotel for 6 nights in August at the rate of 129 pounds a night. There are also four of us -- 2 adults and 2 teenage kids (ages 13 and 16). The hotel has received great reviews on Trip Advisor.

saving, thanks.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Priceline isn't an option for us for a couple of reasons. One, we like to have the ability to cancel as we have had to change vacation plans in the past due to illness. Second, all of us will be together for 5 nights but then two of us will remain in London for an additional two nights while the other two head north for a competition. This is also why we would prefer two rooms so we are not paying the higher price tag for the additional two nights. And also my oldest daughter is 18, so she couldn't stay for free in any case. Finally, just not sure if the lack of A/C is a big deal? We are so used to A/C over here! Thanks again for all the advice and I will look up all your suggestions.

With Priceline, you could have a regular, cancellable booking up until the last minute, and then try your luck. You could also set up the bids so that the two rooms are bid for together, and then do a separate bid for the last two nights (although this could mean two hotels). I'm not saying you should do this, but you needn't rule out Priceline entirely.

Have you checked out the London School of Economics and its offerings?

http://www.lsevacations.co.uk/

I don't know which month you're going, but there are some rooms in your price range showing up at the Kensington Hilton in August. I stayed there for 8 nights 5 or 6 years ago, but I've heard it's still fine. It was in a nice area and we didn't have any problems getting around from there. The tube stop wasn't much more than 5 minutes away. I wasn't there in the summer, but I certainly think they would have a/c.

"<i>we have had to change vacation plans in the past due to illness</i>"

That is what travel insurance is for . . . . Whether or not you use priceline, you'd have expenses if you canceled. Airfares for one.