London Hotels - Family of 4

[small6no0]

Those using Premier, are there locations that allow 4 in a room where the kids are over 6yo ?

We are thinking that if we are near a subway station we will be able to get to a majority of the sights on our 2 day stay pre cruise.

Then not to sound stereotypical, but we really want to find something close to the best fish and chips in the city.

The Premiere Inn I recommended (Waterloo/Westminster Bridge) has rooms for 4 (our kids were 10, 12 at the time) is right next to Waterloo station and an easy walk to the Westminster stop. There is also a Premiere Inn County Hall right around the corner but it was a little more per night. Both are in walking distance of the London Eye, London Aquarium, Thames River Cruise boats (we took these to the Tower of London and Greenwich), Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, 10 Downing, St James Park, Winston Churchill War Rooms, etc.

The rooms are small but being able to walk so many places was great. Also, there was a Starbucks with free wifi around the corner.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I try to stay at the Celtic in Bloomsbury whenever I can. It's right behind Russell Square Tube Station, walking distance to Covent Garden and Leicester Square and lots of other nice neighborhoods, too. It's not very expensive and they do have rooms that fit 4 people. Have a great time!

Nice location but the tube station is small and only has elevators not escalators therefore at peak times you will have a wait and a queue to get on an elevator.

Plus side it's near the British Museum.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

We stayed Jan 2014 and our kids were 9 and 13 at the time. No problem with age.

If you want to see the main sights, I would suggest one of the hop on hop off sightseeing buses - they take you round the city and provide a recorded audio commentary. You can hop off at any stop and hop back on again later. They are great for getting the lay of the land and seeing (from the outside) lots of places. They also have a special kids audio tour (so they don't have to listen to the boring adult version!). We have used them all over England and Italy too.

If your kids are into Harry Potter and you have time - I highly recommend the Warner Bros Studio Tour - located in the stages where HP was recorded. Tons of props, sets, memorabilia. Best thing we did on our last trip back to the UK.

Maybe someone local can recommend a good chippy. You could try somewhere on this list - http://youngandfoodish.com/london/top-10-fish-and-chips-in-london/

If you buy a Oyster card then go on normally red buses there in the price including tube fares and you can see just the same but far cheaper and a more regular service, yes there's no commentary but it saves money to those who want to.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

There is an amazing fish and chip shop in Chiswick. I still dream of their chips! Chiswick is a bit out of the way though.

There are many good ones all over a London, that's a little bit of a way out of central London, there is for example a pub near the St Paul's city tourist information office that sells traditional fish and chips.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Those using Premier, are there locations that allow 4 in a room where the kids are over 6yo ?

We are thinking that if we are near a subway station we will be able to get to a majority of the sights on our 2 day stay pre cruise.

Then not to sound stereotypical, but we really want to find something close to the best fish and chips in the city.

Yes they do have family rooms, there are good fish and chips all over the city, one is in a pub next to the at St Pauls City information kicks for tourists, easy to find.

 

[ctnurse]

We are booked at the Travelodge in Waterloo. We haven't stayed yet, but the reviews are good, and we are just looking for a place to sleep for a few night, so we are ok with basic. It is close to The Tube and we were able to get a family room. And the price was really good.

 

[holula]

There are many good ones all over a London, that's a little bit of a way out of central London, there is for example a pub near the St Paul's city tourist information office that sells traditional fish and chips.

As a general rule I won't eat anywhere in Central London that attracts tourists. I used to work in that area and it was difficult to find good food which was more complicated than a sandwich.

The link a PP posted, Sea Shell of Lisson Grove is good. I've been there a few times.

 

[mytripsandraces]

Nice location but the tube station is small and only has elevators not escalators therefore at peak times you will have a wait and a queue to get on an elevator.

Plus side it's near the British Museum.

The elevators are a plus when you're lugging luggage.

 

[Avery's mom]

If your kids are into Harry Potter and you have time - I highly recommend the Warner Bros Studio Tour - located in the stages where HP was recorded. Tons of props, sets, memorabilia. Best thing we did on our last trip back to the UK.

We would like to do this tour when we are in London in June. Booking direct is a lot cheaper than booking a package with transportation included, however, I want to make sure that getting there on public transport is doable. We will be traveling with a toddler, so a lot of tube stops isn't ideal. How did you get to the WB studios?

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

As a general rule I won't eat anywhere in Central London that attracts tourists. I used to work in that area and it was difficult to find good food which was more complicated than a sandwich.

The link a PP posted, Sea Shell of Lisson Grove is good. I've been there a few times.

I live and work in London and there are so many good places to eat, there the odd rip offs but it's a working city and the people who work in the city demand good food at a reasonable price. You. An find something on most streets.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

The elevators are a plus when you're lugging luggage.

Yes and no. The elevators there do not go to the platforms there still steps there, off peak you will be ok, peak hours with bags will be " interesting"

 

[LisDH]

We would like to do this tour when we are in London in June. Booking direct is a lot cheaper than booking a package with transportation included, however, I want to make sure that getting there on public transport is doable. We will be traveling with a toddler, so a lot of tube stops isn't ideal. How did you get to the WB studios?

Wedid this last year and I would highly recommend booking with transportation included via charter bus. We looked at the public transport options and it is a long and complicated journey, especially if you are going with a toddler.

One other tip if you go - opt for the audio guide. We did not pick up one and found we got through the tour much faster than we should have and likely missed a lot of the detail that would have been in the guide.

 

[Avery's mom]

Wedid this last year and I would highly recommend booking with transportation included via charter bus. We looked at the public transport options and it is a long and complicated journey, especially if you are going with a toddler.

One other tip if you go - opt for the audio guide. We did not pick up one and found we got through the tour much faster than we should have and likely missed a lot of the detail that would have been in the guide.

Thank you! I always appreciate hearing from people who've 'been there and done that'. I just hesitated paying more if it wasn't worth it - but it sounds like it may be worth the $$ to save ourselves a ton of hassle.

2 years ago I tried to save money by getting to our Cape Liberty cruise using public transportation and it took 3 hours to get from midtown Manhattan to the cruise port. Granted, I was pregnant and we had luggage, but there is no way I want to do something that stupid again just to save a few $$.

Thanks for your input - I appreciate it!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

This will give everyone an idea of the transport by rail connections to and from dover and to and from London.




image by Andrew D Porter, on Flickr


Now London Bridge is having major disruption due to ongoing rail works for ThamesLink, so AVOID use Charring cross or St Pancrus.
Many services from Kent, in particular at peak times are not stopping at London Bridge all of this year.

 

[socababy]

We are staying at the Parkwood at Marble Arch this summer. It's a bed and breakfast and from what I am told, in a nice area. We are traveling as a family of 5 and didn't realize that most places don't have room for 5! So I was very pleased I stumbled across this place. Good reviews on Trip Advisor!

 

[Stressedmom2]

If you buy a Oyster card then go on normally red buses there in the price including tube fares and you can see just the same but far cheaper and a more regular service, yes there's no commentary but it saves money to those who want to.

Re Oyster card - a visitor card can b purchased on line - the site will also recommend amount which should be bought for duration of stay. Also note children travel free on tube. Therefore for family of 4 only adults require Oyster card. Wud highly recommend purchasing these cards as ticket q's can b lengthy.

 

[KayR]

Wedid this last year and I would highly recommend booking with transportation included via charter bus. We looked at the public transport options and it is a long and complicated journey, especially if you are going with a toddler.

One other tip if you go - opt for the audio guide. We did not pick up one and found we got through the tour much faster than we should have and likely missed a lot of the detail that would have been in the guide.

Definitely get the audio guide for each person (you can't really share them) and if you have kids (maybe more for older kids than toddlers) they have a kids passport where they have to find all the golden snitches.

We had a car and stopped on our way from Edinburgh to London, so didn't use public transport. We did look at trying to go whilst we were staying in London. Depending where you are staying, the tube/train journey might involve several changes of stations. They do have a shuttle bus from the train station near the studio so that helps. If you want simple, maybe book a tour with transportation. If you want an adventure with tube trains, overground trains and buses, go public transport.

Another fun thing to do is go to Kings Cross Station and find platform 9 3/4. Toursit-y, yes, but fun to do. We have some fun photos of our kids 'running' through the wall.

-Kay

 

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

We rented a car and drove out to the WB studios. It was wonderful! I also highly recommend it! We were in Europe for a month and it was the most expensive thing we did (especially once we bought $50 wands for all three kids in the gift shop ) but it was worth it.

 

[small6no0]

Wedid this last year and I would highly recommend booking with transportation included via charter bus. We looked at the public transport options and it is a long and complicated journey, especially if you are going with a toddler.

One other tip if you go - opt for the audio guide. We did not pick up one and found we got through the tour much faster than we should have and likely missed a lot of the detail that would have been in the guide.

Totally agree that the Audio Tour is worth it. We did use public transit to get there and it was very easy for us, but it depends on where in London you stay. The train to Watford Junction leaves from London Euston (this is train not Underground) and takes only 20 mins. You can then take the Studio Shuttle from the train station and back for a small fee. It was actually easier and cheaper for us to take the Underground to Euston and take the train, than take the Underground to the points in London where the Transportation included option picks up. Hope this helps!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Re Oyster card - a visitor card can b purchased on line - the site will also recommend amount which should be bought for duration of stay. Also note children travel free on tube. Therefore for family of 4 only adults require Oyster card. Wud highly recommend purchasing these cards as ticket q's can b lengthy.

Agree.