My kid is driving most of these decisions (which is good!) but she and a college roommate are doing a for-credit summer in Brussels starting in mid-May and a lodging decision has come up. For the sake of a cheaper airfare, they’re landing in London 4 days before the program begins and would like to stay in the city for 3 nights. They wanted to stay in a hostel that a buddy recommended but I"m a bit hesitant because they’ll have all of their stuff with them for the entire 3 months – laptops, etc.
Any ideas on hotels that
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are centrally located
not a million dollars
have at least a modicum of personality…not the chains
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It’s not 100% important but they’ll be leaving from the St. Pancras Station for Brussels…so I guess being somewhat in that area would be good.
There are three cheap hotel chains you could try.
-Premier Inn
-Tune
-Travel lodge
I know at least the first two of those have branches by Kings Cross/St Pancras. I have never stayed at Tune but I believe it’s pretty basic and you have to pay extra for things such as towels and windows.
I know you said no chains, but I am not convinced the super cheap but characterful b&b of your dreams exists in London (unless your wish list includes poor maintenance and bed bugs). You could try Captain Bligh house, which is a cute place but more expensive than the above (and not in the area you want, but it’s very easy to get around London using public transport). More expensive still, try Luna and Simone.
There are public holidays at the beginning and end of May so if this trip coincides with either of them, places may be fully booked already or more expensive.
Would Airbnb work? My daughter, who is studying in France, and a friend who is studying in Sweden met in Brussels and stayed at a very nice Airbnb for a fraction of the cost of staying in a hotel. She has plans to do the same when meeting a friend in London later this spring.
As a middle-aged fuddy duddy, I was very leery of the whole sharing economy, but it is the economy of the next generation.
Check out the Wombats and Generator Hostels. Hostels are great for young people and there are very nice ones these days. As @SlackerMomMD states, there are private rooms available with twin beds which would allow for privacy as well as safety of possessions. It’s not all bunk rooms.
My S stayed at the Generator for a few days on his way to his study abroad destination with all his belongings, and felt very safe. Hostels generally offer different types of rooms and not all are dorm style. Bring a padlock to use with the lockers.
You could look at the Ibis Hotel on Cardington Street. I haven’t stayed in this one, but I believe it’s the same chain as the one we stayed in in Germany - though the photos look like it’s a step up. What price point are you thinking?
My son and a friend stayed at Hyde Park Suites, adequate but not fancy, and located right near Queensway and Bayswater tube stops. There were lots of young internationals staying there and places around there. Maybe look at the smaller places around there (Hotel 43?) for more personality.
So here’s where they ended up (after checking out many of the great suggestions here!). http://www.kensingtongardenshotel.co.uk/# $143 a night (U.S.) but that’s then divided by 2 (traveling with her roommate) so that feels doable! I’ll send along their thoughts in May after their visit and post it here.
When I and traveled in Europe during my college/early working years I generally stayed at bed and breakfasts. I don’t have any specific suggestions since it was years ago, but it might be worth looking online for some B&Bs. I remember them being clean, reasonably priced, and breakfast was included.
Airbnb might work as well.
@SouthernHope - in a somewhat similar situation here for London (son and a buddy). Is your D flying into London? If so, which airport? The link you provided looks great (thanks) but with so many airport options it all gets very confusing!
Do not stress about the airport . Flights from the US will arrive at Heathrow or Gatwick. If the passenger is able to navigate a US airport they can navigate one in the UK (follow the signs). Also, the website of any hotel or tourist attraction in the UK will give information on how to get there, including using public transport. Alternatively, if you have money to burn, you can flag down a cab (I have been in a London cab twice in 10 years). Uber exists but I have never used them. I think they are not allowed to pick up at airports so you would have to go outside to find where they are hiding to avoid this issue.
The tube is only expensive if you buy single cash fares. Oyster card (an electronic wallet which you can load with cash) halves the price and there is a daily cap (which varies depending on which transport modes and zones are used. You can Google it). Once the cap is reached any further journeys that day are free. For example, I think all zones bus only cap is about £5.
Staying at the airport is a false economy because you will spend at least an hour travelling each way to get to London. Heathrow especially is far away and Heathrow hotels apart from one are not attached to the airport.
