Staying in London and Scotland with kids
Jan 17th, 2005, 09:47 AM
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Staying in London and Scotland with kids
Hi -
We are planning a trip to London and Scotland in August! There is no shortage of things to do, but we are struggling to find a place to stay.
Starting with London, we'll only be there 3 or 4 nights, and my kids are going to be 9 and 11. I'm looking for a mid-priced hotel. I've seen a few recommendations, such as Dolphin Square Hotel and the Holiday Inn Mayfair. I'd like to be sure to find somewhere near many of the attractions of first time visitors without a lot of time to stay. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!
And in Scotland, we're looking at renting a place for a week near Loch Lommond as a home base where we can go hiking and enjoy the scenery nearby. Then we expect to take day trips to Edinburgh, Loch Ness, and some West Coast locations. Any suggestions for cottages or towns to try?
Thanks,
Kim from Boston
We are planning a trip to London and Scotland in August! There is no shortage of things to do, but we are struggling to find a place to stay.
Starting with London, we'll only be there 3 or 4 nights, and my kids are going to be 9 and 11. I'm looking for a mid-priced hotel. I've seen a few recommendations, such as Dolphin Square Hotel and the Holiday Inn Mayfair. I'd like to be sure to find somewhere near many of the attractions of first time visitors without a lot of time to stay. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!
And in Scotland, we're looking at renting a place for a week near Loch Lommond as a home base where we can go hiking and enjoy the scenery nearby. Then we expect to take day trips to Edinburgh, Loch Ness, and some West Coast locations. Any suggestions for cottages or towns to try?
Thanks,
Kim from Boston
Jan 17th, 2005, 10:44 AM
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Check out these pages (this coming from a wee lass you know!) for the kids and accomodation ideas:
http://www.kids-scotland.co.uk
http://www.lochlomondhideaways.co.uk
or the Scottish Tourist Board at
www.visitscotland.com
just might give you ideas!
http://www.kids-scotland.co.uk
http://www.lochlomondhideaways.co.uk
or the Scottish Tourist Board at
www.visitscotland.com
just might give you ideas!
Jan 17th, 2005, 10:45 AM
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No one location in London is convenenient to all the sights. it is a very spread out place - so what you want to do is be close to a tube station and on good bus lines. That way you can get anywhere quickly.
Dolphin Square is fine transport wise - it is a short walk from the Pimlico tube station which is one stop from Victoria ststaion. Vic. Satation is a major hub for every sort of transport. And having the extra space from renting an apartment there would be better w/kids.
But w/ a family, I'd first look in South kensington simply because it is the Science, Natural History and V&A museums are right there and it is only a short walk from Hyde Park/Kensington Palace and on the direct tube line to Heathrow.
But if your choice is the Mayfair Holiday Inn or Dolphin Square I'd choose DS because of the extra space, kitchen, etc.
In Scotland there are hundreds of nice self-catering cottages that would fill your needs. One really good agency to check out is www.uniquescotland.com. They have a really good website w/ clickable maps to find rentals in specific areas.
Another is www.mackays-self-catering.co.uk/ They will send you a huge full color catalog for free. (Even with the website I still like having a printed catalog)
Dolphin Square is fine transport wise - it is a short walk from the Pimlico tube station which is one stop from Victoria ststaion. Vic. Satation is a major hub for every sort of transport. And having the extra space from renting an apartment there would be better w/kids.
But w/ a family, I'd first look in South kensington simply because it is the Science, Natural History and V&A museums are right there and it is only a short walk from Hyde Park/Kensington Palace and on the direct tube line to Heathrow.
But if your choice is the Mayfair Holiday Inn or Dolphin Square I'd choose DS because of the extra space, kitchen, etc.
In Scotland there are hundreds of nice self-catering cottages that would fill your needs. One really good agency to check out is www.uniquescotland.com. They have a really good website w/ clickable maps to find rentals in specific areas.
Another is www.mackays-self-catering.co.uk/ They will send you a huge full color catalog for free. (Even with the website I still like having a printed catalog)
Jan 17th, 2005, 10:58 AM
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My kids (7 & 13)loved Loch Lomond. They preferred the beaches on the east side of the loch. I would also suggest hiking up Ben Lomond. There are many good websites about the new national park and the surrounding area. In Edinburgh, of all the attractions, the kids liked the Camera Obscura the best.
In London, we stayed at the Days' Inn Notting Hill Gate. This is a good area, with lots of restaurants, Kensington Gardens (especially the Princess Diana playground) and a tube stop for three different subway lines. They both enjoyed the British Museum, the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum.
In London, we stayed at the Days' Inn Notting Hill Gate. This is a good area, with lots of restaurants, Kensington Gardens (especially the Princess Diana playground) and a tube stop for three different subway lines. They both enjoyed the British Museum, the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum.
Jan 17th, 2005, 01:29 PM
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Kim
I rent houses in Scotland all the time, and as a consequence put all the web addresses in a single document.
Email me and I'll send it to you and you can browse for yourself.
FWIW my favourites are Discover Scotland, Cottages and Castles and Large Holiday Houses in Scotland, who have just started Little Holiday Cottages as a by product.
I rent houses in Scotland all the time, and as a consequence put all the web addresses in a single document.
Email me and I'll send it to you and you can browse for yourself.
FWIW my favourites are Discover Scotland, Cottages and Castles and Large Holiday Houses in Scotland, who have just started Little Holiday Cottages as a by product.
Jan 21st, 2005, 06:09 AM
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We have stayed in London many times with our children (now 17, 14) and we have always stayed at Scala House. It is an apartment hotel. The place is spotlessly clean and well run. All of the apartments have two bedrooms, living room/dinning area, kitchen and 1.5 bathrooms. We can then eat breakfast in and have room for the kids to spread out. It is located just a block or two from the Goodge Street Tube station. We like the location because we see a lot of theater when we are in London and we can walk back home after the show. Check it out. Susan
Jan 24th, 2005, 04:47 PM
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In London, try Rubens at the Palace for a fantastic family-friendly mid-priced option. I stayed there recently with my 10 and 13 year old kids after reading so many positive things about it on this site. It is a couple of blocks from Buckingham Palace in one direction and Victoria Station in the other. We were able to walk to Westminster Abbey, the Millenium Wheel and Trafalger Square. The people there were very friendly, especially to the kids. Great breakfast too!
The underground is so efficient, inexpensive and safe that you can get pretty much anywhere in central London easily as long as you stay near a tube station.
Dave
The underground is so efficient, inexpensive and safe that you can get pretty much anywhere in central London easily as long as you stay near a tube station.
Dave
Jan 25th, 2005, 09:24 AM
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Kim,
Regards London hotels...the Tube/Underground is very extensive BUT if you stay too far afield you'll end up having to make a daily commute to do any sightseeing. On the other hand, if you can stay where you can walk to at least some of the sights you want to see, the logistics are a bit easier.
That's the reason I like the Holiday Inn Mayfair, in the mid-priced range. The Reubens, which someone else mentioned, is in a fairly central location too. Also, you might want to consider the Sanctuary House Hotel, near Westminster Abbey (all of these have airconditioning...in August, always a good idea). Not sure the Dolphin Square has a/c.
To help you evaluate possible choices, you might want to cross-check the Tripadvisor.com and TheAA.co.uk sites (Tripadvisor has traveler reviews and the Automobile Association does ratings on many hotels).
Have a good trip.
David White
[email protected]
Regards London hotels...the Tube/Underground is very extensive BUT if you stay too far afield you'll end up having to make a daily commute to do any sightseeing. On the other hand, if you can stay where you can walk to at least some of the sights you want to see, the logistics are a bit easier.
That's the reason I like the Holiday Inn Mayfair, in the mid-priced range. The Reubens, which someone else mentioned, is in a fairly central location too. Also, you might want to consider the Sanctuary House Hotel, near Westminster Abbey (all of these have airconditioning...in August, always a good idea). Not sure the Dolphin Square has a/c.
To help you evaluate possible choices, you might want to cross-check the Tripadvisor.com and TheAA.co.uk sites (Tripadvisor has traveler reviews and the Automobile Association does ratings on many hotels).
Have a good trip.
David White
[email protected]
