London hotel recommendation

[Freckleface]

I am planning a holiday in the UK and will be staying in London for a week. Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels? Cost isn't really an issue but I don't want to throw money away.

 

Not fussy about which area of London as long as it isn't an area with a lot of crime.

[StevieF8]

The Premier Inn is very good value for money, they are all over London but this one is in a particularly good location, very central, about 2 minutes walk to the London Eye and 5-10mins from Westminster, 10 mins walk to Westminster Abbey, 20 to Buckingham Palace - couldn't be closer to the main sights really

 

Waterloo Station is just round the corner, for the Tube

 

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONCOU/london-county-hall?cmp=GLBC

 

Reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d210361-Reviews-Premier_Inn_London_County_Hall-London_England.html

[flag of convenience]

We stayed a week in London House Hotel in Bayswater,W2. Great location. Close to Kensington Gardens, Notting Hill Gate, Oxford Street, etc. The area has a great buzz,very safe very international. Hotel pre booked from Oz was very comfortable. Only complaint was Girl on reception had double booked us which resulted in a rather heated arguement on arrival.

[northernbird]

The Premier Inn is very good value for money, they are all over London but this one is in a particularly good location, very central, about 2 minutes walk to the London Eye and 5-10mins from Westminster, 10 mins walk to Westminster Abbey, 20 to Buckingham Palace - couldn't be closer to the main sights really

 

Waterloo Station is just round the corner, for the Tube

 

http://www.premierinn.com/en/hotel/LONCOU/london-county-hall?cmp=GLBC

 

Reviews

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186338-d210361-Reviews-Premier_Inn_London_County_Hall-London_England.html

 

Second recommendation for this one. We stayed for 4 nights with 2 kids and it was fantastic. Clean, close to everything. Can't fault it to be honest.

[Freckleface]

Second recommendation for this one. We stayed for 4 nights with 2 kids and it was fantastic. Clean, close to everything. Can't fault it to be honest.

 

A double recommendation - always a good sign. :yes:

 

Thanks

[whoiam]

There are also a few self catering apartments if that would interest you--I too had been looking at options recently and might have gone for an apartment had our group numbers been fewer. gives you a bit more space and the option of a quick meal without having to dress up and go out!

http://www.marlinapartments.com/ this one I looked into--seemed to have good reviews but cant say for myself as I didn't stay.

[Petals]

We stayed in the Swiss Hotel down opposite the Thames. My oh picked it because we like a bigger size of room. It was very nice and we were extremely handy to everything by shanks pony.

[pintpot]

Premier Inn is a really good budget chain - seriously impressed with their offering for the price (comparative to other places). I worked away in Manchester for the best part of 4 months not long ago and even though I was allowed to book in anywhere, after a couple of weeks of splurging on 5* places I ended up staying in the PI because I liked it - decent room, comfy bed, no hassle, not spending money on concierge services and other flim-flam in which I'm not interested. Just a good room for a good price

 

So that rec you've had is OK. If you want something a bit posher, the two Park Plaza hotels round the corner (think they are called the PP Westminster and the PP County Hall, but they're right next door to each other) are very nice too, just a bit more luxurious and with a few more services. Other places I've stayed at and liked a lot in London are the Grange St Paul's (not all Grange hotels are great, this one is virtually new) and Malmaison (quite sexy and I love Clerkenwell which is the area it's in) but it's not got the biggest rooms and not that well located for transport

 

You can often get exceptional VfM at the Millenium Gloucester and Bailey's (next door to each other at Gloucester Rd, Bailey's is nicer) and the various Radisson Edwardians around the city (again these vary, so be a bit cautious).

 

I'd steer clear of Paddington, Bloomsbury and King's Cross (loads of cheap hotels in these areas, and lots of rubbish ones, there are good places but lots of chaff to sort through to find the wheat) and Park Lane (full of grand old hotels but nearly all of them are poor value IMO - was in the Sheraton 8 months ago and it was rubbish, the Grosvenor House a few months before that which was better but not worth the money). Otherwise, stay anywhere within the Circle Line or thereabouts - it's all central, you'll be using transport anyway so doesn't really matter where. I wouldn't worry about crime, yes, London is a huge city and it exists but there's no one area in the central zone that's particularly crime-ridden or crime-free. Baglifting/pickpocketing is probably your biggest risk, and Oxford St is the worst place for this. Chains to avoid IME are Thistle (bought and sold too many times through private equity hands and zero spent on renovations in the past 10 years) and Hilton (partly my personal bias as every Hilton I've been in around the world in the past 10 yrs has been spectacularly mediocre)

 

You can often get really good deals on London hotels through booking websites - try www.lastminute.com and www.expedia.co.uk where I've had lots of good deals. It seems to be longish stays (4 days+) or very short last minute ones where the best deals can be had.

 

I worked in London for most of the last 9 years and loved far enough away that staying in town in a hotel was a pretty regular occurrence, maybe once a fortnight, so I've been in tons of the hotels, fwiw. Enjoy yourself!

 

PS The tripadvisor London forum has tons of info on it - worth dipping into, there are lots of contributors who are tour guides so in and out of all the hotels all the time

[GilraenH]

A double recommendation - always a good sign. :yes:

 

Thanks

 

We stayed in the Premier Inn at Earls Court a few summers ago. 2 minutes walk to the Tube (Lots of underground lines at Earls Court). 10-15 minutes walk to The Natural History Museum/Hyde Park. Clean, comfortable rooms. Great breakfasts and lovely service.

 

My 2 boys often ask can we go back to stay there, they were delighted with it.

 

I also stayed in the Strand Palace Hotel in February near the Australian Embassy for a Oz Skills event. Fabulous service, lovely clean rooms. I was travelling on my own and felt really looked after and safe there. It is a short walk to Soho/Convent Garden and either Temple Tube or Covent Garden Tube. Loads of theatres near by too.

 

Have a great time!!:biggrin:

[Freckleface]

Premier Inn is a really good budget chain - seriously impressed with their offering for the price (comparative to other places). I worked away in Manchester for the best part of 4 months not long ago and even though I was allowed to book in anywhere, after a couple of weeks of splurging on 5* places I ended up staying in the PI because I liked it - decent room, comfy bed, no hassle, not spending money on concierge services and other flim-flam in which I'm not interested. Just a good room for a good price

 

So that rec you've had is OK. If you want something a bit posher, the two Park Plaza hotels round the corner (think they are called the PP Westminster and the PP County Hall, but they're right next door to each other) are very nice too, just a bit more luxurious and with a few more services. Other places I've stayed at and liked a lot in London are the Grange St Paul's (not all Grange hotels are great, this one is virtually new) and Malmaison (quite sexy and I love Clerkenwell which is the area it's in) but it's not got the biggest rooms and not that well located for transport

 

You can often get exceptional VfM at the Millenium Gloucester and Bailey's (next door to each other at Gloucester Rd, Bailey's is nicer) and the various Radisson Edwardians around the city (again these vary, so be a bit cautious).

 

I'd steer clear of Paddington, Bloomsbury and King's Cross (loads of cheap hotels in these areas, and lots of rubbish ones, there are good places but lots of chaff to sort through to find the wheat) and Park Lane (full of grand old hotels but nearly all of them are poor value IMO - was in the Sheraton 8 months ago and it was rubbish, the Grosvenor House a few months before that which was better but not worth the money). Otherwise, stay anywhere within the Circle Line or thereabouts - it's all central, you'll be using transport anyway so doesn't really matter where. I wouldn't worry about crime, yes, London is a huge city and it exists but there's no one area in the central zone that's particularly crime-ridden or crime-free. Baglifting/pickpocketing is probably your biggest risk, and Oxford St is the worst place for this. Chains to avoid IME are Thistle (bought and sold too many times through private equity hands and zero spent on renovations in the past 10 years) and Hilton (partly my personal bias as every Hilton I've been in around the world in the past 10 yrs has been spectacularly mediocre)

 

You can often get really good deals on London hotels through booking websites - try www.lastminute.com and www.expedia.co.uk where I've had lots of good deals. It seems to be longish stays (4 days+) or very short last minute ones where the best deals can be had.

 

I worked in London for most of the last 9 years and loved far enough away that staying in town in a hotel was a pretty regular occurrence, maybe once a fortnight, so I've been in tons of the hotels, fwiw. Enjoy yourself!

 

PS The tripadvisor London forum has tons of info on it - worth dipping into, there are lots of contributors who are tour guides so in and out of all the hotels all the time

 

Thanks heaps for all this info. It's great.

[TristanH]

It really depends on what you're going to London for and where you want to be

 

Holiday Inns (and Premier Inns) are both very good chain hotels and if you get one near a tube station, then all the better because that makes getting around the city easy (if you don't mind paying for that).

[byrned]

Premier inn westminster it is one of a few hotels based in the county hall, which is on the westminster bridge just at the side of the london eye. We stayed there and it was great, close to everything walking distance to trafalgar square, houses of parliament, big ben, westminster abbey etc. tube station. good restaurants nice walk past london eye down southbank.

[Kingpin]

I am planning a holiday in the UK and will be staying in London for a week. Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels? Cost isn't really an issue but I don't want to throw money away.

 

Not fussy about which area of London as long as it isn't an area with a lot of crime.

 

We (myself, husband and 3 kids) have stayed at Think Apartments Tower bridge and found it excellent. Just down the road from The Premier Inn. Really reasonable rates, helpful staff and beautiful top floor apartment.

[pablo]

I allways stay in Russell square,decent prices and close to all yer need....