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London hotel recommendations?


SundayZip
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I'm planning to be in London for a week and am looking for hotel recommendations. It may help to narrow options if I list a few of my preferences:

Hotel type: Clean, quiet and comfy. Don't need a lot of extra amenities such a workout center, in-house restaurant, room service, etc. Size does not matter (in this case). 😁

Price: There's the adage, "you get what you pay for" and I think there's something to that.  I don't need or want The Ritz and certainly don't want to pay those prices. On the other hand, I've looked at a few London budget hotels on travel sites and they make me a bit uneasy.  
Neighborhood: I'd prefer NOT to be in tourist central. A neighborhood with character that is slightly off the beaten path and has a decent selection of pubs and casual eateries would be great. I'd also like easy access to London highlights via public transportation.

Hotel recommendation?  Thoughts about neighborhoods?

Edited by SundayZip
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We always stay at the Intercontinental Park Lane, at Hyde Park Corner.  It straddles Piccadilly, so the Queen is one of your  neighbours (actually she was born in the house which was torn down to build the hotel), its in Mayfair and a hop step and a jump to Knightsbridge, with Hyde Park across the rd.

Hyde Park underground station is right on the doorstep.

 

 

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I like staying in the Mayfair district.  I stayed at The Washington Mayfair Hotel a few years ago.  It's close Green Park with easy access to the tube station and a couple of stops to the West End (London's Theatre District). I found the Mayfair area to be a fairly central location. 

See: https://www.washington-mayfair.co.uk

 

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Years back, Hooboy introduced me to an intimate, cool spot in Earl's Court.  The K+K George.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d195217-Reviews-K_K_Hotel_George-London_England.html

It's not fancy, but it's no dump either.  It's easy to get to, but set back enough from Earl's Court Road that you don't get the noise, but close enough to catch the Tube in about a five minute walk.  We saw Paul McCartney at Earl's Court Arena, which was also about a five minute walk.  

If you want some fun, Villa Gianni is a few streets over.  Star Indian is open until 5am.  It's delicious and they deliver.

Get a patio room on the ground floor, facing the garden.  It's beautiful to wake up to.  

Your room rate includes brekkie.  It's quite a spread  (However, you shouldn't pass up a morning at The Wolseley either).

 

I suppose it's no longer fashionable to call it Earl's Court (now Kensington).  It's an interesting area.  More day-to-day, local feeling than touristy, but close enough to jump on the Tube and get where the crowds are.  

 

Sidenote:  HB told me the reason he would stay there so frequently is that they had reliable high-speed internet included in the room rate, so he could upload to the site on a nightly basis.

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@Benjamin_Nicholas you really get around. i'm kind of impressed at your wide breath of knowledge ( on a lot of stuff) . 

I have a love hate relationship with London hotels, and I have stayed at a range of them. From Claridges ( which is fantastic, but so not cheap)  to a dump of a Residence inn ( the one by the Tesco's ) in Kensington . The walls are paper thin.  I haven't found one I truly liked, that didn't cost an arm and a leg. 

My two simple rule about London hotels ( If you are searching) 

- Stay out of the congestion zone.  Any place east of Marble arch. ,will incur a congestion charge for cabs or vehicles entering which can add up .I don't often cab around, but I like to do avoid this. The congestion zone is for vehicles only. You can look up the congestion zone map on line.  The Intercontinental Park Lane is in the congestion zone for example……  I had a provider ask me for an uber to my place once, which I didn't mind ( it was late) , but I was glad I wasn't staying in the congestion zone. Kensington is not in the zone. 

- Stick to Zone 1 ( the tube goes by zones, so yes hotels further out are cheaper, but you'll pay a lot in transport) 

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've always stayed in Kensington because it's the richest area, I like the Gloucester Tube station which goes to Heathrow and Piccadilly both and is on the Circle line to boot. Rates are well under half West End or Mayfair. I'm thinking of splurging on the Indigo or new W on Leicester Square this trip even though I may skip the theaters this time because of the UK surge. A cheaper alternative in the center is Bloomsbury next to the British Museum. Most of the new cheaper tourist hotels are across the Thames with a nice view of London but that is a fairly wide river.  

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2 hours ago, tassojunior said:

I've always stayed in Kensington because it's the richest area, I like the Gloucester Tube station which goes to Heathrow and Piccadilly both and is on the Circle line to boot. Rates are well under half West End or Mayfair. I'm thinking of splurging on the Indigo or new W on Leicester Square this trip even though I may skip the theaters this time because of the UK surge. A cheaper alternative in the center is Bloomsbury next to the British Museum. Most of the new cheaper tourist hotels are across the Thames with a nice view of London but that is a fairly wide river.  

I rented a flat directly across the street from the British Museum. Great place and nice owners.  Being able to cook and bake saved a nice bit of money and made for a more intimate experience.

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