abcd1234

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to London, for 4 nights at the end of March. I have done tons and tons of research and feel like I am exactly where I started, clueless. A little background information before you submit your comments:

We are in our early 20s, enjoy a good nightlife (pubs etc) and are excited to sight see. That being said, we are looking for a lively area, which is easy to travel from (close tube stops etc). We our going to be tourists in an unfamiliar area so we are also looking for a safe area as well.

We can spend about 175-200 USD per night. Something nice and comfortable to lay our heads at night after traveling. I know people suggest Londontown (we have been looking there) and also Priceline (I would rather not pay for a hotel without knowing where it is) but any past trip suggestions would be great.

Also, any suggestions of an area to focus on staying? I am all over the place with that and it is not helping and we can not narrow our selection down.

Any names of hotels would be greatly appreciated. I know I probably seem crazy and am looking for a dream to come true but we are looking forward to this trip so much, I just thought maybe my friends here could help. Thanks so much for everything.

janisj

Londontown really is the best website for finding/comparing hotels and rates. Your $175-$200 is approx £110-£130 and for those amounts, Londontown will be the best place to find rooms.

Plugging in 4 nights in late March these good hotels all came in at or under your budget:

Copthorne Tara, Kensington Forum Holiday Inn, The Academy, Club Quarters St Pauls (in a business area so quiet at nights/weekend but a terrific bargain), Rydges Kensington Plaza, the Rathbone, Dolphin House (and apartment hotel next to the river and near Pimlico tube station), Millennium Gloucester, Park Plaza Victoria, and Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt. I stopped at £120. I also omitted the MANY in less convenient locations.

I personally would be happy at ANY of the above. But Dolphin House, and the Academy would be amazing bargains.

azzure

Have you checked Tripadvisor? The Luna & Simone might fit your bill.

janisj

The Luna and Simone is in a convenient location and doubles ensuite run about £100-ish to £120. It used to be a very good budget option, but is so popular that they have raised the rates to where one can get a nicer/more upscale place for the same £££ or even less.

I've referred lots of folks to the L&S, but anymore only if they want to be close to Victoria.

babelic

I have visited London twice and have stayed in Victoria both times. It's very convenient for getting around easily since there's railway station, tube and bus station. Lots of shops that are open late too, so easy to get snacks / drinks.

I have stayed at Thistle Grosvenor which has excellent location. Room was spacious, but a little bit tired looking and it had no windows even though we were upgraded (our room was on the station side). If you find a good deal I would consider this - we paid around 80 pounds per night for double room.

Second time I stayed at the Hotel Park Plaza Victoria. I booked it through priceline. I had done research and at that time there were only two options for 4 stars hotels in Victoria area and I would have been happy with both. This might be worth looking into.. We paid 76 pounds per night ( breakfast not included) and got a really nice room with supersized bed.

janisj

babelic: Priceline is a problem for the Victoria area now. It is in the Westminster zone and a few years ago PL re-drew the zone boundaries to include areas across the river in Vauxhall. I wouldn't want to 'win' a Vauxhall hotel.

Now -if you meant booking through Priceline instead of bidding, that is different. But then one pays a lot more than they would by bidding, and Londontown would probably be less expensive.

zeppole

abcd1234,

I really like the South bank for all the things you say you are looking for

A double at Captain Bligh house is 85GBP per night

http://www.captainblighhouse.co.uk/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...n_England.html

A 4 night stay at premiere inn, southwark (lots of great transport links), comes in at around 450GBP

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/S...ndon-southwark

And you might want to check out LSE "Top Floor" (rates are from 80GPB per night to 110GBP for an apartment. But they book up way in advance.

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

How much does "upscale hotel" or "posh property" at a bargain price mean to you weighed against neighborhood with great places to hang out at night or good but affordable places to eat? Meaning, would you be OK with a clean, safe, plain place to stay in a neighborhood that was fun in itself once you stepped out the door, or would you find it more your London dream to be in a plush 4* for a cheap price and tube it to other places at night if the nabe out the door was stodgy with blah restaurants?

babelic

janisj, I did mean bidding At the time when I was booking (August) there were only two hotels coming up when booking 4 star hotel from Westminster area and the other one was Park Plaza Westminster Bridge which is a bit further, but I would have been happy with it at the price we got. This may have changed though

avalon

Also try Kayak. I had booked the Grovenor Kensington direct and the price for 14 days was 1984 GBP. I checked on Kayak and got it for 1965 DOLLARS. A huge savings!Had to prepay but it is fully refundable

isabel

I have been to London six times and always find it harder to find a decent hotel, at a decent price, than any other city. But I was just there a few weeks ago and was pretty happy with both the hotels I stayed at. The first was the Comfort Inn Buckingham Palace Road. It's five minute walk from Victoria Station so tons of bus and tube options, plus walkable to many sites - Big Ben and around, Buck Palace and St James Park, Trafalgar Sqare, in the other direction we walked to the V&A and Harrods, Hyde Park, etc. So well located. Clean, not terribly shabby, free wi-fi, decent breakfast included. We paid 89£ a night.

But the following weekend I was going back to London but the price for that time period would have been 179£ so we stayed at the Travelodge Waterloo. Also well located as Waterloo station is a five minute walk with tube lines, buses. North Lambeth tube is five minutes in the other direction. And from that hotel we walked to Covent Garden area, Jubilee Embankment, etc. That Travelodge is brand new so very clean and comfortable. Wi-fi is extra as is breakfast (there's a Cafe Nero around the corner for cheaper breakfast option.) We paid 90£ a night there.

If you go to the Comfort Inn or Travelodge websites you'll find numerous other hotels in those chains and I've heard some of them are not as good (and/or more expensive). I have never stayed in chain hotels (except Ibis) in Europe before but in the case of London it worked well for us.

travelgourmet

<i>also Priceline (I would rather not pay for a hotel without knowing where it is)</i>

You have to do your homework, but bidding on Priceline is not necessarily a shot in the dark. There is a lot of information that can help you narrow down the choices, and mitigate the risks of not knowing exactly what you are booking.

Frankly, the savings are such that I almost always book with Priceline. I'm not even particularly frugal, but $75+ per night in savings is simply too much to pass up.

zeppole

Isabel, that's great to hear you liked the new Travelodge. It's a great location. I especially like it being walkable to the Cut, which has more than one restaurant and drinking spot I like.

travelgourmet, I'm also somebody who isn't so driven by the savings on priceline that I use it. I'm very picky about a London hotel, and there are lots of expensive hotels with lots o' stars that I think are not worth it at ANY price. Plus, I want to have read traveler reviews regarding noise, smell of cigarette smoke, air con, bed comfort. When I'm travelling $75 per night saved does not make up for lost sleep. The OP said the travelers are "looking forward to this trip so much", it really makes sense to me they don't want to bet on their hotel, but maybe they'll reconsider.

abcd1234

What area should I focus in on if using Londontown... or dare me say it.. Priceline?? Thanks for all of your help!

abcd1234

Zeppole, you nailed it. I would like to stay away from Priceline purely because I want to know where I am going and what I am getting when I enter my credit card information. That is why I am looking for specific hotels rather than general information, thank you for all your help everyone.

We are going to London then to Rome. My girlfriend has studied in Rome so we have somewhat of an idea about what to do there, that's why, as of now, London hotels are our #1 focus. I will be posting asking for advice with Rome in a short time, you can bet on that. Once again, thanks for the great suggestions and keep them coming!

TaniaP

For reliability and value for money, you can't go far wrong with the Premier Inn chain. You won't get charm or ambience, but you will get a decent, clean room with a good shower. There's always a bar on site, and buffet breakfast is available (though you might want to eat elsewhere in the neighbourhood).

I go to London once or twice a year, and I have stayed in other places, but I know what I'm getting with this chain. I've stayed at County Hall, Victoria, Hampstead, Kings Cross, and Kensington Premier Inns; all are good, all are near tube stations. I haven't stayed in Southwark (mentioned above) but the area is fun.

I've stayed in Luna and Simone a couple of times, but as janis says, it's getting pricy. The other drawback for me is its lack of a bar. Sometimes I like to go downstairs and have a glass of wine before bed, and I don't necessarily want to look for a pub. The area is OK though, and there are loads of inexpensive hotels on Belgrave Road.

One other place that I often see offering good deals is the Ibis near Earl's Court; personally, I would avoid it. I snapped up a good price here once, but it's quite a walk from the tube, and in a nondescript part of Fulham - good if you are a Chelsea FC fan, but I can't think of any other good reason to stay there.

In your case, and with your budget, I would look at Premier Inn County Hall (next to the London Eye, walk to many attractions), or maybe Victoria. For more of a 'neighbourhood' feel, Hampstead (actually Belsize Park) is nice, and about 15 minutes into central London on the tube.

Michel_Paris

Keep open to the possibility of B&Bs, you can do well pricewise.

I stayed at the Academy Hotel in Bloomsbury, bit upscale, old renovated townhouses. I booked as a flight/hotel deal in Expedia.

travelgourmet

<i>Plus, I want to have read traveler reviews regarding noise, smell of cigarette smoke, air con, bed comfort. When I'm travelling $75 per night saved does not make up for lost sleep. The OP said the travelers are "looking forward to this trip so much", it really makes sense to me they don't want to bet on their hotel, but maybe they'll reconsider.</i>

Well, all I can say is that I have never ended up in a place with Priceline where sleep was an issue. As long as you are booking a 4*, the worst that you will end up with is a somewhat older, but adequate hotel. You might also end up with 2 twin beds, but this isn't as bad as it seems at first glance.

To my mind, the issue is what you are going to get for $175-$200. I mean, someone mentioned the Travelodge and another person mentioned the Premier Inn. Look, these places are fine, but they are a bed and a shower. A 4* on Priceline is easily the equal of either chain, and you have the chance of getting lucky. You are simply not going to get an especially memorable hotel at that price point, so why not give Priceline a shot?

I took a stab at a 4-day stretch at the end of March - 3/19 arrival, 3/23 checkout.
- The Travelodge properties all come in around GBP 90, or $140.
- Looking on Expedia, the $100-range yields the NH Kensington, which is out of the way, along with a bunch of other hotels that are either poorly located, or otherwise unmemorable. - At around $120, you get the NH Harrington Hall, which is a better location, but still in South Kensington, so not the most fashionable address. There are a bunch of others that are also either out of the way, or not a good bet for quality.
- At around $150, you see the Melia White House pop up, which isn't a bad hotel, actually, but in a quiet neighborhood. A lot of other independent hotels at this price that seem alright, but nothing jumping out to me as being a particularly great choice.
- At $175, you see the Copthorne Tara show up, which is about the worst 4* on Priceline, but is still clean, comfortable, and has decent service. A few more Priceline 4*s show up at this range, but nothing particularly great.
- The Crowne Plaza Shoreditch shows up at around $200. I like this hotel and love this neighborhood, but it is not the neighborhood for everyone and has a bit of that grungy, transitional neighborhood feel. In the same neighborhood, the Hoxton is also available at around this price, and this is a very good choice, if you like hip hotels.

Were there a slam-dunk hotel choice in the $175-$200 range, then I'd say go for it (The Hoxton might qualify, though rooms are small). But the reality is that pretty much any hotel in that price range will involve some sort of compromise, and I don't think those compromises are any worse than what you would have with Priceline.

<i>What area should I focus in on if using Londontown... or dare me say it.. Priceline??</i>

For Priceline - Considering that you are willing to splash out a bit more, you might try for a 5* in the Mayfair/Soho zone to start, at maybe $150 per night. If you don't get anything, add either Westiminster (if you would be happy with the Marriott there) or one of the many zones without 5*s (Finsbury, Notting Hill, Bloomsbury, Regents Park, Hammersmith) and go up to $155. Keep adding zones without 5*s (because you won't end up in those zones) and upping your bid until you reach your limit on price.

Alternatively, if you wanted to save some money, you could start off by bidding for a 4* in maybe Mayfair/Soho, at around $100. If a no-go and you are willing to stay in Bloomsbury/Marble Arch, then add that zone and increase by $5 or $10. Alternatively, log in with another email and start over with a new bid. If you are happy enough in Kensington, then you could start with Kensington and start bidding as low as $75, judging by the low NH prices.

janisj

<B>abcd1234</B>: I use priceline all the time --but since that doesn't seem to appeal to you there is no need to even consider that option. (and there is no right or wrong in the debate, but it WILL go on a bit )

There are REALLY good hotels all over. Of the ones listed so far, my short list (considering your budget and what they are running for at least some nights at the end of March on LT) would include:

Dolphin House. Near Pimlico tube but not in the thick of things. You would get much more space here - it is an apartment hotel so you'd have a kitchen/kitchenette and the space of a flat w/ the amenities of a hotel.

Academy. An upscale-is/traditional hotel near Goodge street tube station and the British Museum.

Premier Inn County Hall (avoid most of the other locations). More expensive than other Premier Inns but right next to the river/Eye and directly across the river from Big Ben/Parliament/Westminster Abbey. Not posh and no river views (the ££££ Marriott on the other side of the same bldg snatches all the views Think HI Express quality. Mostly paying for the location.

Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt. A very nice hotel near the Gloucester Rd tube station (direct tube line from LHR).

Each of these would be a great place to stay (I don't think the Premier Inns come up on London Town but you get the best rates using their website)

Others listed would be just fine but for amenities and/or locations these would be my short list. Every one of them is in a different neighborhood.

janisj

ignore the Emoticon