What section of London to stay in?
 

We will have a 3 day layover in London in August. We have 3 children ages 8-16 with us. What is the best area of London to stay in? We like to be in the city since we've never been there before. Also, what do you recommend for a more upscale hotel?

What sort of price range do you have in mind?

If you're picking out a hotel that you want to be in a good area and a good value, Holiday Inn Mayfair, which is considered a 4* hotel, would do quite well. But it might not be upscale enough.

I can't really say a price range since I'm not familiar with London prices, but I do know I'd like more upscale than a Holiday Inn.

Not knowing London prices doesn't mean you can't give us a target budget.

You have five people and want something "upscale". Well you are talking about 2 rooms - so are you willing to pay $600 per night total, or $1000? More? Less?

"Upscale" hotels in London tend to have very upsacle rates. £200 per night per room (approx. $700 total) is sort of mid range.

oh, to clarify -- I meant £200 is sort of midrange for hotels, not midrange for upscale/5 star properties.

There are many different areas in London that have good (and upscale) lodging; most are also centrally located, more or less. When we went with our 10-year-old son last fall, I decided the Covent Garden area would be good for us, as I wanted to be able to walk to a lot of sights, and the Knightsbridge and Kensington areas wasn't the best for us, as none of us are that interested in the shopping scene.

We ended up staying at Montague in the Gardens (I believe it is a 4*), which is near Covent Garden, but more technically in Russell Square. It's right by the British Museum, an area that's a little less touristy than some other areas, and we really enjoyed the location and the hotel. I can't remember exactly what we paid; I blocked it out mentally because it was THE MOST expensive hotel stay we've ever had. Part of the expense was because we had to have a large (deluxe?) room, which were the only rooms that were able to hold an extra bed for our son (you'll need two rooms, I'm assuming, with one room holding 3 people). The room was relatively spacious, with a separate, curtained-off area with a small bed for him. Breakfast was not included, which was preferable for us, as we like continental breakfasts with coffee and a good croissant, which we got from a cafe down the street, though one day we went to a place where my son could try a traditional English breakfast. The lobby and other common areas were beautiful, and the hotel terrace looks out onto a garden.

I would be willing to pay approx. $500 U.S. a night total. If we need 2 rooms than $250 per room. I'd go to $600 if it was an absolute necessity but I'd rather not.

That might be a difficult budget with the "upscale" rquirement. Try here:
http://www.dolphinsquarehotel.co.uk/

You might have to phone to find the best deal for your particular family.

That helped - now we know you are like a lot of us -- Champagne taste on a beer budget.

$500 is only about £140 per room give or take - that won't get you posh/upscale in London. It can get you a nice mid-range hotel though. Look at Rubens at the Palace or Royal Horseguards. Both are very nice, in great locations, and w/i your budget - but not super-posh.

(Normally Priceline would be the next suggestion - but it isn't an option for you because you can only guarantee 2 per room)

Now you could rent a nice 2 bedroomed flat for less (even a lot less) than $500 but a really posh one will be close to $400 per night.

we stayed in kensington in march 2004.
really enjoyed it.. nice neighborhood, well connected, (in fact, our hotel was just across the street from the Glouster (sp?) tube. loved it

Mayfair is very central and a sensible place to base yourself for a few nights.

As for your budget. 600USD per night. Try calling The Connaught as they seem to be the cheapest of the grand London properties at the moment. Although I think a suite (which they might do for slightly less than two rooms...although I doubt it) will be much more than 600USD per night.

You're here for two nights and three days or three days and four nights?

We have stayed at Dolphin Square a few times. The kids like it because there's an indoor pool, and you get much more space than you would in two hotel rooms (we have 3 kids too; always need two rooms otherwise). It's not really walking distance, being in Pimlico on the Thames, but the underground is not far.
If you have never been to London, you may want to be more central. Check out the Connaught, as suggested by m-kingdom.

Sher, I don't know wether this will exceed your budget, but there's a wonderful apartment building on Beaufort Gardens, called Beaufort House. They can get quite expensive, but it's worth checking out. It's like having your own English apartment. Walking distance to the South Kensington Museums and Harrods. And if you and your kids are picky eaters, you can always get a take-away from Harrods!
www.beauforthouse.co.uk
For budget reasons, we have opted for Dolphin Square a few times, but I much prefer Beaufort House.

Haven't stayed there, but have read good reviews on Fodor for the Scala House apartments off Tottenham Court Road near Goodge Street Tube Station. www.scala-house.co.uk. They have a penthouse apartment for 210GBP per night. You might want to give their website a look.

We've stayed at Scala House several times but I would hesitate to recommend it to someonw looking for "upscale". It's comfortable but certainly not upscale/luxury by any means. We are fond of the place and have been treated very well there but if you are looking for furnishings like Buckingham Palace :-) then it would be a big disappointment.

I agree w/ Lori. Scala House is great for modest apartments in a convenient location. But it is certainly not upscale in any sense of the word.

Daisy58, what is the name of the hotel where you stayed?

Upscale Dorchester! Mid range Hilton! bottom range YHA hostel....all in Park Lane/Marble Arch area.

I think, as in many cities, there is no 1 best location with or without children when the transport system works so well. You should look for the nicest hotel/apt. for your family within your budget. To that end, I'd search Londontown.com and 1 or more of the website services that search multiple websites (kayak, sidestep, mobissimo). You might also do some research on tripadvisor and here and sign up for email specials from any hotels that interest you. Don't poo poo a Holiday Inn in London. They are well located and good value in a city where everything will cost double what you're used to paying. They have, in the past, done family specials during the summer.

You might check the Landmark hotel, decidedly upscale yet sometimes, not as outrageous as some others. It's conveniently located across from the Marylebone train station and within walking distance of a number of museums and attractions.

An area that has several family friendly hotels is County Hall on the Thames near the London Eye. The Marriott is the nicest there. There's also a Travel Inn.

sher11, My husband and I really liked the Devere Cavendish in the Saint James's area near the park and an easy walk to Piccadilly Circus and the theatre district. It gets very positive reviews on Tripadvisor and has A/C, something you might need in August. Although I would consider it more of a business centered hotel there were a number of children as guests also. I would think they might have some larger family rooms and hopefully some favorable prices. We had a terrific room rate through British Airlines. I think London is a kid friendly place for a major city, have a great trip. Deborah