We are accompanying my husband on a business trip to London, but need help locating a place to stay since we have 5 young children. Any suggestions? Convenience to attractions is important.

Do you have a budget my dear? If not, then take a couple of penthouse suites at Claridge's, problem solved.

How long is your trip? Are you wanting a hotel suite (I assume you need more than a room with 7 people), or maybe to rent a flat/apartment? We need to know a budget range to offer suggestions.

We also have five children, and have been travelling. In London, we have booked apartments through www.euracom.co.uk. We stayed in their apartments just off Trafalgar Square which is very central, and also in a place beside Tower Bridge - good for the London Dungeon and the War exhibition, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast and Tower of London. Our children (aged last time 15-7 enjoyed all those, and also the London Eye. Funnily enough,most of them didn't enjoy Madame Tussauds at all (and I had veen saving it as "treat of the week". The reason was that they had never heard of most of the famous people exhibited there, and so their interest level plummeted. We were out of there in 45 minutes! The London Eye was a big hit, as, of course was the Dungeon.Adults will find the whole place gruesome, and the kids would have spent the day! Write your mobile phone number on the backs of their hands in case they get lost anywhere. Enjoy the trip.

Here are some websites for flat rentals you might want to check out:
<b>
www.english-manner.co.uk
www.aplacelikehomelondon.co.uk
www.priceapts.co.uk
www.paramountrentals.com
www.londonconnection.com</b>

Although we haven't stayed with them yet, we booked a flat through Coach House London rentals. Their address is www.chslondon.com. I believe they had homes or apartments in London that slept 8-10 or more. In my searching of all of the apartment/flat agencies that the folks here supplied, I thought that Coach House had very appealing rates.
As I said though, we haven't officially used their property yet, so we will see how good they are to work with. However, in our correspondences and dealings thus far, they have been very professional and helpful. Hope this helps!

A couple of other follow-up questions for pkanderson, in addition to the all important &quot;what is your budget&quot;:

--when are you traveling?
--how old are the children?

David White
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What is your budget and when are you going? We landed a great deal at Claridges ( don't laugh!) last summer. Two enormous bedrooms, two full baths, an office ( !) for 299 pounds a night. We nearly had half of the entire first floor of Claridges to ourselves.

If this is not beyond your budget, it's well worth looking into through Claridges and The Savoy Hotel Group which also sometimes offers family accomodations at The Berkeley and The Savoy Hotel.

Luckily, my husband's company is footing the bill as long as it is comparable to what he'd be paying to stay at a nice business class hotel by himself. Our children range in age from almost 1 to 10, and we will be there from Dec. 15 - 22 (which I know is cutting it close to find something.) I appreciate your suggestions.

What sort of budget is the company allowing for that? The reason I'm asking is because there's a wide variance in prices between what various companies might consider a reasonable rate.

I don't know how a company could operate without any set limit, but I think it is not likely you will find a rental apartment to house 7 people for the same price as someone would pay for a room by himself, in a business-class hotel. I'm not sure what would classify as a business-class hotel, but I've been in one in the last year or two in London (4*, I guess that's what that means), and it was only about 125 pounds for a double room (reserving on Londontown).

I would find this out ahead of time so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Beaufort House has very nice apartments, but quite expensive. You could get a 3 bedroom apt there, with an additional bed for one child. It's in a great location, in Knightsbridge. www.beauforthouse.co.uk
I've stayed there several times with my children.

Dolphin Square is good too, but a little less conveniently located (near the river). It does have an indoor pool though, and you can easily walk to the underground from there.

His company is quite flexible, actually. Since he is trading his business class seat in order to sit with us in coach, he is saving the company a few thousand dollars. So, we can spend probably up to 350 pounds/night.

Have a look at Beaufort House then, I highly recommend it. There's a kitchen in every apartment with everything you need for breakfast.
Washing machines too.

pkanderson,

If you can spend up to 350L a night, I'd recommend looking into what The Savoy Hotel Group has to offer. Availability may be an issue since those dates are right around the holidays, but it's certainly worth checking! Just do it SOON.

Good luck, and post again to let us know what you've found!

Try the Scala House. We are staying there with our four children the week following Christmas. It is an all two bedroom hotel. If you rent the penthouse (which is not much more) the living space is larger for folding beds. They welcome children, are close to Googe Tube station, and have been most helpful. Others have recommend it as well. www.scalahouse.com--I think.