London hotel help

[Kewz1]

Hi all!

I am in the very early stages of planning a trip that would include London for November -- 2005. Yes, I know it's over a year away but with my family it will take that long to put it all together (think the Griswolds in European Vacation. But worse.)

I could really use your help in choosing a London hotel!! Here's some info:

There will be 6 of us: me, DH, 2 kids (8 & 10), my mom, and my sis. My father, perhaps the only sane one amongst us, is staying home. He's paying for the trip though so perhaps he is a little crazy.

Having never been to London I *think* that the area we want to stay in is the Knightsbridge/Kensington area but I'm open to suggestions.

We will need two rooms. I (Dad) would like it if we kept it in the L300 price range (for both -- total). Mom isn't to keen on sharing a bathroom with anyone outside of her immediate family either. Did I mention this group is demanding?

I hope I provided enough info. Thank you in advance for any and all help you may provide.

Kristen

 

[londonpenguin]

Kristen:

A fun site to look at for hotel ideas is Smoothhound. Get yourself a good map of London (I like the London Mapguide edited by Michael Middleditch ... I think the A-Z is a bit too much for the average tourist) and a good guide book (Rick Steves's guide books are fun) and figure out if Kensington/Knightstbridge is definitely the area you want to be in. Of the areas I've stayed, the only two I probably wouldn't return to are Camden Town (a teensy bit too distant for my taste) and a street near St. Pancras Station (really, really depressing). The places I would certainly return to are Bloomsbury, Paddington, and near Lancaster Gate. When I was in London in June, I stayed in Paddington while a friend stayed in Marylebone. I visited her at her hotel, and I thought the hotel itself (the Hart House) and the Marylebone area were perfectly fine.

Have fun planning (check out Europe Through the Back Door for planning info and boards)! Sometimes planning is nearly as fun as the trip itself!

Teresa

 

[Kewz1]

Teresa,

LOL! I just finished checking out the Hart House website before I returned here. I'm so glad you mentioned it! Thank you for the links and info!

Kristen

 

[TZMOM]

I'm leaving in a few weeks and staying at The Rubens Hotel - very close (from what I understanding) to Buckingham Palace. Not sure what the daily rate is, as I went through an online travel agency for an independent tour, but if you want to PM me w/your e-mail address, I'll be happy to let you know what we did, how the hotel was, etc.

Whatever you choose, have a blast - I've never had so much fun as I've had scheduling, picking stuff to do for this trip. Everyone on the UK Community Board has been so much help!!

Good luck!!

Jane

 

[vernon]

A friend of mine stayed here http://www.southwarkrosehotel.co.uk/ and got some really good rates on the internet. They don't go into 2005 yet, but if you play around you'll get a rough idea. It's a recently refurbished hotel and my friend thought it was excellent value. It's just south of the financial district of London, close ( 10 minutes walk) to the Tower of London and St Pauls Cathedral. It has excellent links to the local tube (subway)

November is not a busy time for London hotels, it is likely they will discount their rates quite heavily. I would keep looking at websites like Expedia and Priceline but you should get a REALLY good hotel for that type of money in Nov.

If you can switch your plans about a bit I would suggest trying to bring the vaca forward a bit, August or September you would get much better weather and a lot of the "summer" or outdoor activities are going to be much more pleasant than in a dull dank and dreary November.

 

[Duggas]

We're going to the Radisson Pastoria Hotel for a weekend in August. Its literally just off Leicester Square, its between the square and the National Portrait Gallery so you are central for just about everything, theatreland, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall etc. We managed to get a double room bed & breakfast for just over £100 per night but I know they are constantly having different offers at different Radisson hotels so it might be worth trying them.