3mkids

Family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 kids 7,11, and 15. I was trying to find a flat, but I am now also considering a B&B or a suite typle hotel. We want to be proximate to London sites such as Tower of London. I am a little confused as to which areas I should be focusing on to be the best located. Can anyone give advice as to what area(s) might be the best for proximity as well as a nice area to stay in. Also, if anyone has specific recommendations regarding specific places I should look into, that would be great. Thanks to all who advised that Barnes may be out of the way.

MFNYC

London is large and the sites are spread out. There are several good location that are close to at least some sites. The most important thing to be clsoe to is a tube station. The tube can get you almost anywhere, quickly and cheaply.

For 5, you'll probably need 2 adjoining rooms,a double and triple.

We stayed in So. Kensington, near the V&A Museum, and not far from Harrods. We were near 2 tube stops as well. It wasn't near (walking distance) to the tower.

janisj

If you stay near the Tower of London you will be a long ways from most anyplace else.

The most convenient neighborhoods (just in general - there are other good areas too) are:

South Kensington - The V&A/Natural History/Science museums, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens and good tube connections.

Victoria - Buckingham Palace, the river, Tate Britain and very good transport connections

Bloomsbury/Russell Square - the British Museum, British Library, Oxford Street and decent transport.

Covent Garden/The Strand - Very central, Covent Garden, the river, lots of theatres, Trafalgar Square/National Gallery, good transport.

here are few flats or agencies to get you started:

E&E Apartments http://eandeapartments.co.uk/ Moderately priced flats in Pimlico and Victoria.n.

Hamlet (UK) Ltd. (if you still want to stay out near the Tower) www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hamlet_uk/ 1 and 2 bedroom flats in St Katherine’s Dock.

Scala House www.scala-house.co.uk Phone An Apartment bldg with 2-bedroom flats near Tottenham Court Rd, Oxford Street and teh British museum

Price Apartments www.priceapts.co.uk Studios thru 4-bedroom flats throughout London.

Chelsea Cloisters www.chelsea-cloisters.co.uk Phone Full service flats on the edge of South Kensington.

There are also lots of threads on here about other good flats in London

Lynaenovo

3mkids - After much research, we (family of 5 - 2 adults & 3 kids, ages 15, 15 & 16) are staying at Scala House in late July & early August. It looks like they have a great set up for a very reasonable price - fully furnished apartment, good location and we get the benefit of having a washer & dryer 1/2 way through our trip! The benefit of not having to find a laundry and waste time doing wash (when we can do it at night) is a big plus! Don't forget to order your tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London... would think your kids would be a great age for this!

Lori

First thing realize London is a huge city and very spread out - you will not be near all the sights where ever you stay. That said if you want to stay near the Tower of London I recommend Hamlet Apartments at St. Katharine's Marina/Dock. We stayed out there a few years ago and loved it --- but it is not convenient for anything except the Tower (we know London well, so this was not a problem for us, but could be for others). It's a great area tho and very quiet.
We have stayed at Scala House 4 times and find it very convenient to the tube, buses, theaters, etc. Neither of these places are furnished like Buckingham Palace (if you are looking for complete luxury) but are basic apartments, clean and comfortable with complete kitchens, etc.

Lori

I would like to add this regarding washer/dryers for the poster staying at Scala House (which I hope you will enjoy, we have stayed there several times). The apartment kind of w/d are all one unit, first it washes (and washes and washes-they go on forever) and then it spins and spins and spins (forever) to dry the clothes. The entire process is lengthy and clothes never really get completely dry we found. We just take them out and hang them up over the tub and let them dry the rest of the way "naturally"

You cannot do a large load in them either so do not plan on washing alot at once.

janisj

OOPS - just noticed the "Phone" 's in my post. I copy pasted from a longer entry where I had included the Phone numbers but decided to cut them since the url's are enough. Apparently I didn't cut enough

janisj

The all in one washer/dryers lori mentions are pretty common in London flats. Laundry in the UK is often an adventure

carylspall

Look at www.laterooms.co.uk
Look at late let ,type in London,inner city and you will get the choice of 4 or 5 apartments - one near Tower Bridge.