Where to Stay in London
 

We will be going to London June 29-July 5 for a wedding and want to stay in the Westminster area. We would rather stay in an apartment rather than a hotel. Can anyone recommend any apartments that are reasonable - would like to keep it under $200 USD. We would like a one bedroom, one bed for two people. Thanks.

Has no one stayed in London? Surprised that no one has replied.

Being as it is Sunday morning, perhaps most people are in church (I could only hope). Other than that, I find not many folks on Fodors on Sunday morning, it will surely pick up later in the day and if you but London apts in your search, you will come up with SO MANY answers. Halfpint.

You'll get lots of responses after the Ryder Cup and football games are over :)

But just to get you started -- $200 is less than £800 for the week (at least at today's exchange). How many of you/how many bedrooms are you looking for?

Check #1918 at
www.londonguestsuites.com which is in Westminster but it's the cheapest they have there & it's $262.00/night.

They do have one bedrooms under their "Specials" in Bloomsbury for under the amount you stated you wanted for a 1 bedroom.

I would NOT recommend the Citadines Apart Hotel in Trafalgar. Rooms are over priced and often have problems. Food is over priced. But, the location is fantastic.

Thanks for the replies - I will check out the sites you recommended. I guess we need to plan on spending a little more to get something decent.

Just rereading the responses - in response to Janisj - we are two adults (my fiance and myself) so we would like one bedroom, one bed.

Our group of 3 stayed at this VRBO apartment in June of 2007:

http://www.vrbo.com/47902

Unbeatable location. Apartment was nice (good appliances, TV, King sized bed) but not frilly, more minimalist in furnishings and decor. At the current exchange rate, their nightly rate (and I think they require a 1 week minimum) is just over your target range, at $213, but for convenience in Westminster, this place is tough to beat.

Ooh - I can definitely second twk's comment about the location of that vrbo flat! That is an amazing location. You would be paying 1/2 for the flat itself and 1/2 for where it is.

It is really close to the St James Park tube station, the Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the river, Trafalgar Sq - just everything.

Thanks I will check out that site. I don't mind going over $200/nite to get a decent place. Thanks for your info.

Darn - that place looks great, but I looked at our dates (June 29-July 5 or 6) and they are booked in July!
Any other places you recommend?

I have been looking at VRBO.com and have found some apartments in the Chelsea area - does anyone know if that area would be close to Westminster? Thx.

Chelsea would be fine. It is next to Victoria/Pimlico which is next to Westminster. So it isn't that far

What street are you looking at? Parts of Chelsea are very convenient - but parts are quite far from a tube station. For instance Sloane Sq to Westminster is a straight shot ride of only 3 stops. But some areas of southern/western Chelsea would involve a long walk and/or bus and/or taxi.

Chelsea is a very upscale area.

If you want to get outside the Westminster area, check out this flat which I've rented several times before. It rents through a different agency now but runs £695 per week & probably won't be booked yet since it's a new listing.

Go to www.aplacelikehome.co.uk & click on Price Band A. It's L47 Egerton Gardens which is near the S.Kensington tube station and a block from the Victoria & Albert museum & Natural History Museum.

Lots of restaurants & shopping nearby as well.

janisj the apartment I found on vrbo.com is near Sloane Square stop in Chelsea - the owner said it is two stops from Westminster.

carrybean I looked at that rental but it is studio and we really want a one bedroom. Can you recommend any one bedrooms on that website?

Thanks for all of your help.

I guess it is a semantics thing. There are two stops BETWEEN Sloane Sq and Westminter. But Westminster would be the third stop - thus how I came up w/ a 3-stop tube trip. Sloane Sq > Victoria > St James Park > Westminster.

Near Sloane Sq is a terrific area to stay.

okay thanks. We need to consider this one since it does have air conditioning (I am from Arizona and need air conditioning) and price for 6 days is 825 gpb fully inclusive which I think is a good deal.

To the OP, is there any special reason you want to stay in the Westminster area? There are relatively few hotels and apartment buildings there. And fewer supermarkets, etc. Other parts of central London are within easy reach of Westminster by tube or bus. In fact, it's kind of a transportation hub.

We stayed in a very nice apartment near Sloane Square last year; that's a great location, but the apartment is over your budget. (If anybody else is interested, it's L46 at A Place Like Home's website.)

Just wanted to chime in that we stayed in two different flats on Sloane Gardens some years (no longer available for vacation rental) and recently walked the area again -- it's just a fantastic neighborhood to stay in!!

Mimar: Did you read the thread? The OP is now looking at Sloane Sq . . . . .

Thanks for the replies. The only reason I was looking at Westminster is because my fiance's daughter is getting married at Westminster Chapel on July 4 but the Chelsea area looks like a good location. I am looking at one now that is $775 gbp.

Mimar - I will look at the one you recommend. I just received an email from that site on some others that I requestsed info on in Chelsea area - rates seem very reasonable in that site. Thanks.

Yes, janisj, that was why I chimed in.

But I do want to point out that Chelsea is an upscale and relatively expensive area. Given that the only reason for Westminster or nearby areas is one event on one day, I don't think 2 subway stops is all that much better than 4 stops or 6 stops. If the OP widens her search a little, she might find more for her money.

About the flat I recommend, I don't remember if it had air conditioning; it does have good cross-ventilation. It's not usually that hot in London, but it does get humid -- especially on the tube. The OP might want to consider a taxi on the big day.

Finally, I am a great proponent of renting through an agency, especially one where you can charge the deposit, etc, to a credit card. With VRBO you don't know what you're getting. The pictures could belong to another flat, the information could be an outright lie. An agency that's been in business for a while has their reputation to protect. And if you pay with a credit card and the apartment is not as advertised, you can dispute the charge.

Mimar thank you - I will look at other areas although the Chelsea area does look nice. That has been one of my concerns re VRBO.com - I am hoping the apartment would be legitimate and we are considering an apartment in that area and I asked the person for pictures of the living room and bathroom and she said she didn't have any and instead described it to me. So I will look at the unit you mentioned and if anyone else has any apartments we should consider, please let me know. Thanks.

vsd: Look at the top of the vrbo home page. There is a link to &quot;<u>Rent With Confidence</u>&quot;.

It explains their guarantees. This is a new-ish feature of vrbo and really does take care of the &quot;is it really a legit flat&quot; questions.

twk I have made two inquiries for http://www.vrbo.com/47902 as I like that one and the reviews are good. Did you call them when you inquired? thx.

twk - I finally heard from the owner of http://www.vrbo.com/47902 and the location can't be beat. She does have it available for our time period. She does charge extra for cleaning fee and has a refundable damage deposit which I guess is normal. Need to consider this one. Thanks.

Well we made up our minds - we are going with http://www.vrbo.com/47902
that twk recommended. You can't beat the price or the location! Thanks for all of your help.

Now I need to plan the rest of the trip - will leave London July 5 for Italy!

There are many good hotels in the Westminster area. If you are look for Bedand Breakfast hotels then you can find some nice budget ones in Ebury Street in Belgravia. You can sometimes also get lucky with prices at top hotels and the site
www.5starlondonhotels.co.uk can get some really good deals on the high end hotels. Worth a look!

vsd: Sorry I didn't get back to look at this earlier, but I've been in San Antonio at a seminar, among other places.

The owner of the flat was very helpful in several respects, and I think you'll be happy with the choice. It's really nice to be a short walk away from St. James Park, and yet to have a subway stop about 20-30 yards from your front door.

yes the owner Anita has been very helpful - we are looking forward to our stay. Thanks.

saving for me

Try bidding on Priceline.com I recently purchased 3 nights at a 5 star hotel in Mayfair by bidding at 162 dollars a night plus of course 15% tax

merl: This thread is quite old and vsd booked their flat months ago. (you don't say which hotel. $162 might be good depending on your specific dates -- but in general 5 star mayfair hotels go for between about $125 and maybe $150 on PL)