# Recommendation for hotel/B&B in London



## 3kids4me (Feb 27, 2008)

Thinking about taking my middle child (age 14) to London from June 12th through June 18th.  She has fatigue issues and so I would like to stay somewhere with her within easy (very easy) tube walk or even near some sights.  Doesn't have to be a timeshare...a nice hotel would do as long as we have two beds to sleep in!  (I looked at some hotels on trip advisor but they are hugely expensive so not sure what to do...I'm sure the cheaper ones are more of a hike from things which wouldn't be so good either...)

Can anyone make a recommendation?  I have some frequent flyer tickets on hold right now!

Thanks so much!

Sharon

P.S.  If anyone can recommend another fun city to take her to instead of London, I'm up for that too.  Can't be too hot though....


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## scotlass (Feb 27, 2008)

In two weeks we are staying at a hotel called Sanctuary House Hotel near Westminster.  We chose it because we are going to Palm Sunday Service at Westminster Abby and then taking the train to Gatwick for a flight to Cornwall.  It's supposed to be just a few blocks from WA.  I can let you know when we get back how it is, if that's not too late for booking.


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## 3kids4me (Feb 27, 2008)

Thank you!

After traveling all the way with a kid who has never been before, I don't want to end up with a problem place to stay...so I really appreciate it!


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## nonutrix (Feb 27, 2008)

Try the Thistle Hotel chain.  I've stayed many times in the Selfridge Hotel which is about two short blocks from the Marble Arch tube station.  The Marble Arch Hotel, in the same chain, is directly above the Marble Arch tube station.  I just checked and their rates are L139/night for two beds inclusive of VAT.  I don't know if this was the price range you were wanting, but you can't beat the location.  There are several hotels in London that are built directly above the tube stations.  This will be about as close as you can get.  

Let me know if I can help any more.

nonutrix


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## helenbarnett1963 (Feb 28, 2008)

*try all the big hotel 'chains'*

try all the big hotel chains - thier websites usually have maps so you can easily see where a hotel is located for tube stations.

Hilton, Thistle, Holiday Inn, Marriott, Juys Inn, Days Inn, TravelLodge, Premier Travel Inn, Novotel...I'm sure there are others.

We stayed at the County Hall Premier Travel Inn and it was fine for a couple of nights - clean, comfortable beds, reasonably priced edible breakfast.  About £100 per night for a room. But nearest tube is across the river at Waterloo I think.

Green Park Hilton is very nice (very old fashioned and civilised), but more pricey.  (All decent accomodation in London is expensive - £150 for a room per night is considered cheap!)

What we always do is look on the hotel chain websites and get a shortlist, then shop around for cheaper prices - a tip, use the UK version of Expedia or other websites rather than the US version to get better deals.  Aslo, worth calling the hotels direct (NOT their central booking offices, the hotel itself) you can sometimes get a better deal with a bit of 'cheek'.

Not sure how familiar you are with the tube, but be aware of what tube line you are looking at.  Circle line has trains every few minutes but there may only be one every half hour at certain times on the district or northern lines - so having to change lines to get to a destination can be time-consuming.

hope this helps

Helen


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## IreneLF (Feb 28, 2008)

Arran House Hotel is a combo B&B /hotel running 100 pounds a night for a 2 bedded room with bath and full English breakfast. Got some good reviews on Tripadvisor and from Frommer, very clean, good service etc. You'd have use of a kitchen and a washer/dryer both of which can come in handy...
It's near the British Museum on Gower Street, convenient location, a few blocks from a tube - and also convenient for buses. You know the tube system is vast so even if you are living right above a stop, the changes from one line to another may be tough.


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## KforKitty (Feb 28, 2008)

For me the most convenient place I've stayed in London was the Hilton Paddington.  Its a mid-price hotel and often had cheap package deals for short stays.  Its right above Paddington station and a number of tube lines.  I've stayed at the Thistle Marble Arch and the Thistle Charing Cross but these are only on one tube line (Central Line and Northern Line respectively) so going a couple of stops and changing lines will be necessary to reach many sites.  However there's also more within walking distance from these two than Paddington.

I know London fairly well so if you want information on any places you find let me know.

Kitty


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## nonutrix (Feb 28, 2008)

Another transportation option which shouldn't be forgotten for those not wanting to walk far are the London bus system.  If you find a hotel at or near a major bus hub, you'll find that you can get almost to the door of many major attractions.  Marble Arch is one of many of these hubs.  For example, from Marble Arch you can go by bus to Harrods, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, the museum district, Kensington Palace - I think you get the message.  For years I had only traveled in London by tube, but one time we took my DH's elderly mother so we were forced to rethink our approach or pay dearly for taxis.  We found the buses to be incredibly convenient, cheaper and closer to everything!

For more info, route maps, and bus hubs go to:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1110.aspx

Hope this helps!

nonutrix


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## Laurie (Feb 28, 2008)

Sharon - how 'bout Paris - have you been there? It shouldn't be too hot in June (or I should say - we went in August a couple years ago and it was downright cool), and especially since you've taken one child to London, perhaps something different and new for you and your daughter?

Here's a reasonably-priced hotel I'd like to try next trip there - actually 6th floor of a hospital, in an incredible location NEXT to Notre Dame ... couldn't be more convenient to a huge number of major sights:
http://www.hotel-hospitel.com/ang/accueil.htm

And you can get about either by metro or the boat along the Siene (sp?) - we enjoyed having the boat option - bought multi-day tickets for both, and alternated.


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## 3kids4me (Feb 28, 2008)

Laurie,

That hotel looks interesting!  I will tell you, though, that when my daughter and I have to go up to Boston for her visits to the Children's Hospital, we have often stayed in the hotel connected to the hospital.  The thing is, it gets quite noisy at night with ambulances...can really disturb your sleep!  Maybe this would be different...but something to think about.

I'm sure she would love Paris, but no more frequent flyer seats to be found and I don't know Paris at all nor do I speak French, so it would be much harder to plan for just the two of us!  At least a trip to London is less overwhelming because I know where things are!!

Thanks again!

Sharon


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## Laurie (Feb 28, 2008)

3kids4me said:


> The thing is, it gets quite noisy at night with ambulances...can really disturb your sleep!


From the reviews on TripAdvisor, I gather that the bells of Notre Dame are much more of a "noise" issue than ambulances! (which many liked), tho someone did mention it's next to a police station w/sirens... I'd put up with a lot though, for that location.

We don't speak much French either - English is widely spoken there - but if you'd prefer an English-speaking city that you're already somewhat familiar with, I get it. Not to mention your FF tickets! 

In London we've stayed at Park Inn Hyde Park (once upon a time British Air offered 2 free hotel nights w/a flight booking) - and it was fine and convenient to transportation and I was about to recommend it - but gee, it was nothing that special and I just looked at prices on Expedia - ouch. I see what you mean! To make yourself feel better, just look at prices in pounds, not dollars.


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## x3 skier (Mar 1, 2008)

I second the idea of using the bus instead of the Tube. A nice place is the Thistle near Marble Arch which is a central transfer point for many lines.

Taking the bus gives you a good view of the city instead of the tunnels underground, especially from the upper seats on a double decker. The Tube is also getting more prone to breakdowns and closures of the trains and escalators. Limiting your travel to the Tube as a place for selecting accommodations means cutting down on your options.

Cheers


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## eal (Mar 1, 2008)

I "third" the idea of using the bus instead of the tube.  Now that London has a high tariff for cars to drive in the city during the day, it is very easy to get around by bus and you can see so much more.  You can get a cheap weekly pass and have a blast.  

The last time we were in London we stayed at 2 Hyde Park near Marble Arch and getting around was a breeze.


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## PStreet1 (Mar 1, 2008)

We've used Priceline with marvelous success in European cities.  We've always gotten a 4* hotel, located where we wanted to be for $100.00 dollars or less a night--yes, dollars.  Do your research on www.biddingfortravel.com

The first listing under each city is the hotels Priceline uses in each city and the locations (Priceline divides the city into bidding areas).  The bidding areas are actually quite small.  We've stayed in central London, central Amsterdam, central Paris, central Munich, central Brussels.......always in a 4* hotel, always for under $100.00 a night.

With Priceline, you know the area you are bidding on and you know the *level.  They absolutely don't switch you.  If the bid is accepted, you'll be where you want to be in the *level you selected.  You really can't lose.

On biddingfortravel.com, check out the list of hotels used and areas.  Then look at their forum and see what bids Priceline is currently accepting for the *level and area you want.  Then make your bid.  You'll be thrilled with the hotels--and the money you'll save.


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## 3kids4me (Mar 2, 2008)

Hi Pat,

I've considered Priceline, but the biggest drawback is that you may end up in a room with one bed, which really wouldn't work for me and my daughter.  She needs her own space to stretch out...and because she may have more limited stamina than the typical tourist, we may end up spending more time at the hotel than others would, so the place to stay becomes that much more important.

I've looked at bidding for travel to see if there is a way to get around that "one bed" thing, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

I do like the idea of a flat because we could save money on food and also I can do a little load of laundry every day.  Some of the most reasonably prices flats on vrbo are gone already though...and the other issue, of course, is that it's hard to tell how far a flat is from the tube/bus.  We need to be close.  (I had looked at a rental at Carlton Court, for instance, which is a nice place to stay...but a friend was able to tell me that it just wouldn't work for my daughter given the distance to transportation.)

Thanks for the input!

Sharon


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## PStreet1 (Mar 2, 2008)

2 rooms on Priceline might well beat the price of one room gained any other way.  Our first and last nights in London, we always use Priceline and get a 4 star airport hotel (all but one time, it's been the Sheraton Skyline), and it's been between $50.00 and $60.00 a night.  We find it convenient to de-compress before heading into the city the next day, and we love being at the airport ready to go the next day----it has the added advantage of being cheap.


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