Which Areas in London for a Hotel?
 

I have a client who wants to travel to London for 6 nights. They are looking for an area in London that is safe and located near transportation. She is looking in hotels in either South Kensington or Bloomsbury areas.

Can anyone tell me if they would recommend these areas and any hotels in those areas if they do? Are there any other areas that experienced travelers would recommend

The only place she has voiced being absolutely against is in the Picadilly area - apparently some friends of hers have warned her away from that area.

Anyrecommendations would be welcome.

Piccadilly/St James's/Mayfair is far more central an area to stay thatn Bloomsbury or South Kensington. Suggest she ignores the advice of her friends.

What hotels? What budget?

Think!

The difference between Piccadilly & South Kensington is pretty minimal and there's a wider choice of hotels in South Kensington

Piccadilly BTW generally means the infamous Regent Palace.

They are looking for a three or four star hotel. We have recommendations of Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum in South Or the Royal Lancaster Hotel north of Hyde Park so far.

I don't know why her friends told her to stay away from Picadilly - they told her it wasn't a "safe" area, but with all the hotels I can see around there, I can't imagine why these people didn't consider it safe. Of course, I've never been to London, which is a real handicap when you are trying to help someone book a hotel.

I will take any and all advice into consideration and try and have her rethink that decision if necessary.

If all the ferraris and lambourghinis (sorry if they are misspelled) are anything to go by St. James's and Mayfair must be safe neighborhoods ;;) We really enjoyed our stay at the Devere Cavendish. Location is perfect for evenings at the theatre and the underground. Deborah

Marble Arch is a nice area, and it's served by <a href="http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/...df">21 bus lines</a> that go everywhere, plus the Central Line if you prefer traveling in tunnels.

Folks on biddingfortravel.com have reported getting the Thistle for $55 on priceline.com lately. That's a bargain.

I agree all areas of central London are safe, but I also think Bloomsbury is a good choice for travelers to London, especially if they plan to do a lot of theater going.

To me, South Kensington is good for people who like to shop.

It would be easier to help if you knew why your clients were spending a week in London and how they plan to spend the bulk of their time.

They simply want to visit London and do sightseeing. They plan to go to Stonehendge, might want to see a show, but want to see all of the tourist areas in London.

I thought 6 nights might be a bit much and suggested possibly taking the train to Paris for a day.

I have a short list of hotels I had looked around for them:

Somerset Bayswater
Montcalm Hotel Nikko
Royal Lancaster Hotel
Flemings Mayfair Hotel
Holiday Inn Kensington Forum
Victoria Park Plaza Hotel

I am open to any and all suggestions, especially if anything thinks 6 days might be a bit too much time. They are flying from NY.

I will take all suggestions to heart.

Six days is no time at all to spend in London. Six months, more like.

I suggest the Millennium Bailey's in South Kensington. We got it on a Priceline bid, but that is, of course, not guaranteed. It's just across the street from the Gloucester Road tube stop that has three lines so you can get just about anywhere easily. There are lots of restaurants nearby, and it is in walking distance of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Kensington and Hyde Parks, and Harrods if she is a walker.

We have also stayed at the Morgan Hotel in the Bloomsbury area. It is around the corner from the British Museum and is a small, family owned hotel with more local flavor than the big places have. The room rate includes full English breakfast, and the hotel is a couple of blocks off Oxford Street for shopping.

I think the Montcalm Hotel Nikko is in a terrific location for sightseeing in every direction, and if they get a bit of nice weather, being that close to the parks will be a real treat.

Six nights in London is not too much at all, especially with one day given to Stonehenge. I hope that if they are in London during the time the Globe theater is staging shows, they will go. It's terrific and not expensive. They will easily fill up their days with places to go and things to see. London is vast and delightful.

And expensive! If they are not prepared for the high prices at restaurants, they should invest in buying a Time Out guide to dining, which has many excellent options for people who don't want to spend $70 per person per meal.

The Hotel Russell, less than 100 yards from the Russell Sq. tube station (in Bloomsbury.) Too expensive? Across the way is The President. Nice neighborhood.

They are planning last week of September or first week in october.

Do you recommend they buy tours before they leave or will they have plenty of opportunity to find day tours when they are there?

If they want to go sightseeing in London, all they need is either the hop-on hop-off buses and/or to find their way about the regular transport system (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/maps-home.shtml). That particular topic has been covered on a lot of threads here.

I have always stayed in the South Kensington area. I have found it to be very convenient by tube to get most any place. It is not only within comfortable walking distance of shops but also close to several top notch museums and fine restaurants. I have enjoyed stays at both the Rembrandt and Jurys Kensington as well as at several small guest inns on Sumner Place.

To help you understand the "piccadilly warning" -- Piccadilly (the street) is fine. It is the border between Mayfair and Green Park/Buckingham Palace. The Ritz is on Piccadilly so you can see it is a very upscale place.

Unfortunately Piccadilly Circus is an entirely different kettle of fish - and that is the area most visitors would call "Piccadilly". Piccadilly Circus is a noisy, crowded hangout with probably the single worst hotel in London. The already mentioned Regent Palace is HUGE (the largest hotel in London), lots of rooms w/o baths, full of big tour groups, and lots of young budget travelers running up and down the halls at all hours.

So you can see why your client was warned off "Piccadilly"

But if they can afford one of the posher hotels at the other end of Piccadilly - it is a great area. Me personally - I'd prefer South Kensington, Covent Garden or Russell Square.

Thanks for all the assistance, I appreciate it.

Six days is not too long. We spent 7 days there in December and barely scratched the surface of all London has to offer.

We did enjoy a daytrip to Oxford/Stratford-upon-Avon/Warwick Castle. That was a plenty long day....I personally think Paris is a VERY long daytrip even though I know some people do it. There is so much to enjoy in and close to London...they could visit Bath, spend time at Hampton Court Palace, go to Windsor Castle, etc...

As for where to stay, the tube and buses are so easy and accessible and the sites so spread out, that there are many areas that would suit. It depends a little on their personal style....for example, you mentioned they were coming from NY....some people love to stay in Midtown/Times Square while others love the Village or the Upper West or Upper East. Any are fine places to stay as the transportation connections are quick and easy. It is same with London. If you haven't looked already, there are a lot of hotels reviews on tripadvisor.com which might help you narrow down your choices.

Good luck! :-)

Six nights is so little time - but Paris is so close by that if a person isn't planning to go back to Europe soon, I say at least consider giving it a shot.

Go straight to Paris from the airport you land at, spend the night and day in Paris, and return on the last Eurostar to London Waterloo. (If you'd have to change airports, you're probably better off taking the train from London.)

Here's my whirlwind Paris tour: http://tinyurl.com/c2tgo