I have the last two weeks of the year off from work and my D is headed to Spain for a mini-term the first two weeks in January. I have never been to Europe and I want to take advantage of the timing. I checked out airline prices and London was the least expensive. My initial thoughts were to find a simple VRBO for the two of us and take day trips around the area.
Do you have suggestions on good spots to begin my search? Is there another place in Europe where this kind of trip would work better? I’m up for an adventure! Appreciate your opinions.
In the past we’ve used A Place Like Home, which is a U.K. rental agent. We stayed in Kensington, but where you stay kind of depends on what you want to do. Since we weren’t planning major days out by train, the location was fine.
Take a look at a London map and locate the sights are you want to see and go from there.
Hi just be careful of the random websites as many can be easily posted fake. How many days are you planning for? What types of things are you interested in? If you can give a little more detail, I can help!
Thanks for the sites. I’ll take a look. @Fishnlines29 14 days is what I have in mind. I like walking around local markets and getting a feel for the people. Love to be in a pub and people watch. Definitely want to see the sites and museums that tourists should see. I don’t want to be rushed and hurried every day. Thanks for any help.
@colorado_mom ideally, if I spent $1500 for the two weeks in a convenient location I’d be happy. We don’t need high end because I’d prefer to spend our days out and about. Thx!
@colorado_mom misunderstood your comment. Sorry! I checked London Connection and no properties were available for my dates. A Place Like Home looks like it has a few possibilities - just need more info on neighborhoods and easy access to transportation.
My daughter studied in London for two years and I visited her several times. I never had any luck finding a good flat rental so I ended up in hotels. I really enjoyed staying in the Bloomsbury area (Holiday Inn, Premier) as it was the most convenient to walk to Kings Cross / St.Pancras and Covent Garden, etc and the British Museum. There should be many rentals in this area for that time of the year. I also liked the Hampton Inn Waterloo. It is walkable from Waterloo station and you can walk over to South Bank and if you are up to the walk, even cross over the Thames towards Picadilly and Soho… We had a nice room overlooking the London Eye and the Old Vic theatre is down the street. A big breakfast is complimentary each morning.
I have also stayed in the Paddington area (Hilton, Indigo) which is convenient to the Heathrow express but there is really not too much in the area and the hotels were pricey.
Since you are there two weeks, you can probably do a side trip to Edinburgh or Paris or even Bruges by train. Try the Camdem Market. It is huge and lots of fun shopping or go up to Greenwich to see the Prime Meridian. Enjoy tea at Bea’s of Bloomsbury near St. Paul’s cathedral. It’s cute and quirky. Have fun! There is so much to do.
A Place Like Home is fantastic. We have used them for years. Be very careful about US-based folks. They are often just reselling listings from the local agents (and taking their cut, of course). Think about it. What owner of a London flat is going to deal with an agent in Seattle or wherever rather than one in London? We have rented via A Place Like Home at least 10 times, and we have never had a bad experience – just great service. And we save a lot of money by eating in the flat for breakfast and some dinners. If you want restaurant recommendations, just ask.
Don’t know what your budget is, but we aim for Chelsea/South Kensington. Can be pricey, but a lot of tube stations in easy walking distance with access to many different lines.
I am planning a few days in London and was just looking for lodging. Prices are rather shocking. As we will be there between Xmas and New Years, things are booking fast. Airbnb places were in outlying neighborhoods and we have two short days so I chose to stay central, in Bloomsbury. But for a longer stay, being a little more outlying and getting familiar with buses might save some money. Years ago I stayed in Hampstead, and loved my morning walks on the heath.
We are flying from London to southern Spain for a very reasonable price on a discount airline, so don’t count Spain out. Probably that will be cheaper than staying in London for two full weeks.
We rented a terrific flat in 2014 through http://www.farnum-christ.com/ (the Sloane Gardens 2 on their website). One block from tube on quiet residential street but with numerous restaurants and shops within a few blocks. I had been leery about booking online without a personal reference, and one of the principals of Farnum & Christ is a running buddy of a college classmate. Felt so much better having that endorsement. F&C very responsive to emails, and flat was tastefully decorated, clean, & well-equipped. We felt it was a good value and loved being able to have breakfast in as well as the occasional lunch or dinner.