spending May in England
 

My family (spouse plus 3 kids) is spending the month of May in England. We are looking to rent a place...London rentals are going for at least $1500 US per week at the lowest, so we are contemplating suburban rentals. Any ideas to trim the cost in the city a bit?
I am not really sure how to go about this. Any advice would be appreciated.

There are a LOT of other parts of England other than London. Did you mean you want to spend the entire month near London?

"suburban" London is really Greater London and nice houses will be pretty expensive anywhere - plus there would be the higher cost of transport and extra time getting in/out of the city.

Before we can give useful advice - please clarify if you meant "London" and only London -- or did you mean "England". There are thousands of vacation rental all over the country that would cost a lot less than $1500 / week.

We have booked flights to London, England. That is as far as I have gotten yet...so I am open to any suggestions...Ideally, London is our first choice and was wondering if there are monthly rentals or a source of those on the web.

skriss,
Have you tried www.homeaway.com, www.vrbo.com or www.cyberrentals.com? I believe they have rentals worldwide and you should be able to find one for a month. Even if the listing shows rates by night or week, you can contact the owner to inquire about a monthly rental.

Jane

If you are here for a whole month it seems a shame to restrict yourself to one area. I'd look at doing maybe 2 2-week rentals (or even 3 or 4 weekly rentals) in different areas as England is so diverse. You could even think about a week in Wales or Scotland as well as England.

I understand that it isn't a lot of fun to keep shifting with 3 kids in tow, but I really think you'll regret spending the whole month in one place, and one move halfway through your trip isn't too painful.

You should find rentals for a lot less than $1500 in May.

What sort of things are you interesting in doing and seeing while you are here?

I appreciate the helpful replies. We were contemplating splitting our time between 2 places. As far as activities go, we like museums and historical sites, but are not big on touristy things...for this holiday, we just wanted to spend a month in a different setting.
What is one other locale that you would recommend?

We have contacted 2 owners offering flats in London- price for a month is approximately $3750 for the whole month-...the neighborhoods are Willesden Green and Crystal Palace.
Does anyone have any input on these neighborhoods?

Thanks so much.

Willesden Green is a decent neighbourhood in NW London. I would describe middle-class, some upper-middle class, quite safe residential areas (though not that exciting in terms of dining options or activities nearby). Zone 3 on Jubilee Line, takes about 15 min to Bond St, 30min to London Bridge direct.

Depending on how far away you are willing to stay in the "suburbs," we stayed in The Red House in Moreton-in-Marsh in May 2005 (http://www.cotswoldholidaycottages.com/redhouse.html). It looks as if a whole month could cost you around $2,000, and the town is 90 minutes from London via train. It was an easy commute into the city, and the Cotswold area is lovely.

Yes, it would be a shame to be in England in May and not see something of the truly beautiful blooming countryside. Of course, the parks in London are nice then too.

London is extremely expensive now -- unless you are Norwegian. Have you considered other cities in the UK, like Manchester, Edinburgh or Glasgow? Or smaller cities like York, Bath/Bristol, Oxford, Brighton? The kids might like Brighton, and it's an easy train ride into London.

Will you have a car or do you plan to rely on public transportation? Some suburban London locations might need a car. Also train fares are not cheap -- though they're considerably less expensive if you buy well ahead of time. A car might be more economical for a family if you're planning several train trips.

A MONTH??????

I'd spend no more than ONE WEEK in London and then get out to anywhere in the countryside or another smaller city for the other three.

I do hope you are thinking of renting a car...it would give you a LOT more flexibility.

I wholeheartedly agree with Dukey. A week in London is plenty. If you are like me at all you will really crave the countryside. Do not get me wrong - I like London but feel there is so much more to see than just that city. Whenever I think of England my first thoughts always, always go to the rural areas and lastly go to London.

These suggestions are really helpful. I think I am disconcerted by the idea of driving on a different side of the road. Is it that big of a deal?
Our family has driven throughout Italy and France, but we were a little leery of driving in the UK...maybe it is an unfounded concern of mine???

Skriss,

I put 1,600 miles on the car we rented and it was no problem after the first day. Granted, at first it's really weird being on the other side of the car while driving on the other side of the road, but when I got home, it took me a day to stop looking to my left for the rearview mirror! The first or second roundabout can be a little scary, too, but then you figure out how efficient they are. For questions about driving/roundabouts/etc., just do a search on the Fodors Europe forum - there are tons of great suggestions and helpful hints.

I drove in Ireland last summer and was also nervous about being on the "other" side of the road, but I agree - after the first day it was fine, and it was much easier to see the countryside. I wish we'd had one in the Lake District (northwest England), as it would have been much easier to stay somewhere scenic and go where we wanted. It'll probably help if you have your spouse telling you to stay left every so often. Roundabouts can be a bit tricky, but you'll get used to them quickly. Unless you're extremely used to a manual, make sure to rent an automatic transmission.

Just don't do it in central London!

Thank you for all of the great advice. We have decided to rent a flat in Willesden Green for the month...found someone who was willing to give us a good deal...

considered the suggestions from the posts about countryside stays and car rental, but spouse and I will be working on graduate research during our stay, so we decided we need to stay central to the city.

We are hoping to take a few daytrips- Brighton, Dover, and Paris via the Eurostar. Are these practical daytrips?

Any helpful suggestions on getting around the city from zone 2 and which transportation pass to obtain? We are thinking of getting the oyster card and trying to travel in the off-peak hours.

Is Willesden Green a decent neighborhood?

Again, I appreciate the helpful suggestions.