Dawn, that is fantastic. I am so happy for you and you will have such a good time!

thanks so much! I had pretty much told myself that the airfare was gone and that is just how it was "suppose" to be... so now I am sort of in shock!

I have never been to London and am going to need a ton of advice on where to stay et. We will of course be renting a house/flat -

We will do the same in Paris... I am just stunned.

Congratulations, dawn! I am excited for you!

Just keep in mind that Christmas is "high" season in England so don't be surprised if the flat prices are higher than what is currently posted. Good luck with your search.

Whew. I just read this thread all in one go and was worried for a minute there. So glad that everything worked out, dawnnoelm.

thank you so much - I am going to enjoy planning the trip. As many of us here, the planning is almost as much fun for me as the travel!

Oh - that is wonderful. You will have a great time. And getting in on the 23rd will give you a day to get a lay of the land and do some grocery shopping before everything shuts down for Christmas . . . . .

janisj... help me find an area to rent in... pretty please? I am SO confused.

I'm very happy that your plans are working out well. For your London accom try the Mansions apartments at Earls court. We've booked there for our family of 4 for Sept with good reviews on trip advisor and of course fodors. Handy to Tube and attractions. We have used www.vacationinparis.com for renting an apartment in Paris also with good responses so far. Good Luck

no offense - but I would not recommend staying near Earls Court. You don't want to be stuck that far from the center of things when there is no transport . . . .

Try http://www.londonguestsuites.com/ - they have flats of all sizes and all price ranges. And there is always vrbo - lots of London properties.

Sorry I also forgot to mention www.2hydeparksquare.com for apartments in London. Well recommended by other Australian Friends but not available for our trip.

thanks janisj - I looked on VRBO and love it (I have used it in other areas) my confusion is what area to look in in London.

My preferred areas - Bloomsbury and the Theatre District. I would take a look at London School of Economics flat accommodation - school will probably be out and the flats will be available.

Thank you WillTravel - I will look into both areas and suggestion of the London School of Economics. We will have our 15, 11, 18 year old with us and a friend for 18 year old.

What do you think of these apartments:

http://www.vrbo.com/50246

http://www.vrbo.com/56931

http://www.vrbo.com/37089

Do you have the tube map from tfl? It's a good to refer to it when looking up apartments, hotels, etc., and helps you get familiar with things. Another good map on the tfl website is the map of major tourist attractions and corresponding bus routes, so you can see where everything is:

http://tinyurl.com/38dmr3

A lot of people like to stay somewhere on the Piccadilly line, on the tube stops from South Kensington to Holborn.

Bloombury is roughly in the area of Tottenham Court Road, Goodge Street, Russell Square, and Holborn tube stations.

South Kensington is another popular area. Covent Garden area is popular too but more pricey.

Are you looking for an apartment? I think an apartment would definately be the way to go with a group of six. Bloomsbury or South Ken are probably the "safest" bets for something central, affordable, and decent, and for a first time trip to London. I'd start checking out vrbo and cross-referencing the ads with the tube maps.

Not to be a party pooper, but from your previous post, you mentioned that you don't want to spend more than $1750. Is that per night or the whole 5 nights you will be there?? Because from the vrbo apartments you listed, those 5 nights during Christmas season will cost you at least $4,400++ (Note that the rates they put there are in &pound. If its $1750/night, then your choices are within your budget.

Hi Joyce - I am afraid that I will not be able to find something with that budget - I looked and was not finding anything.

Apres - great advice - I will definately get a tube map and start on it.

Hi dawnnoelm, the Sloan Square apartment is only 1 minute away from the tube. The 2 Nottinghill apartments says they are a 10 minute walk from the tube.

You'll want to be near a tube stop. I think Sloan rangers is the better located of the three.

Thanks again Apres. I was thinking the same thing - it is going to be COLD and we are from Southern California!

The Sloan Gardens flat is in a great, posh location. The other two look nice but are in not nearly as good a location.

You will pay a premium for Christmas week. But if the Sloan Gdns flat doesn't fit in your budget, there are lots of others for less. It does look very nice but you really don't have to pay that much if your don't want to.