My sister and I AND our 3 kids are visiting London over Spring Break. Any suggestions on reasonable accomodations? We are good at less than luxurious accomodations and at packing us all into a smallish space. We are also ok with staying out of London a bit and commuting in via "The Tube". Thanks in advance.

Michael, can you give us any more info to help us offer you suggestions?

Are you looking for an apartment or hotel? (An apartment can definitely help you cut down on the cost of food, as you can cook some of your meals or bring in take-out food.)

And if apartment, how many bedrooms would you realistically need, assuming some use of a foldout couch in the living room?

Do you have a target nightly budget?

The length of your stay could be a factor related to rentals. Some rentals are Saturday to Saturday and require a full week, while others are more flexible but still have a minimum rental.

As you think about "commuting in," be sure to factor those costs into your total budget.

Kathy

Hi Michael,

I would draw your attention to the thread "Seriously cheap hotel or B&B in London for some ideas". I think that should start you off with some ideas of costs and neighborhoods. And the hotel reviews on this site.

London is I believe the largest city in the world, and a large part of the pleasure of visiting it is staying in it, walking around in it and absorbing its atmosphere. It's not about just seeing Big Ben and the Tower and going back to the hotel. Because it's so easy to speak the language and so much of the culture is accessible because you may have read about it in school, you're more likely to walk down a street and stumble upon something you didn't even know was there.

It is also difficult to achieve a drastic enough savings without commuting a long way with your group to overcome the cost of commuting -- if that makes sense.

So, if you're a first time visitor looking at the "Tube" map of London, I generally advise people to stay roughly within the area of the Circle Line -- that's roughly "central London".

Some people would suggest Priceline, but it sounds like you need more than one room, and you might end up with a room far from public transportation, which for me would be a bad thing.

I would choose being close to public transportation (which is very safe, though it is limited at night -- tubes stop running and buses switch to a "night bus" schedule) than exactly which neighborhood or hotel.

London is a wonderful city for families. Try a visit to the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green -- they have an interesting Web site if you want to see what it's like. And, of course the Imperial War Museum. Both much more interesting than they sound!

Hello Michael,
My family has stayed at these reasonably priced apartments in London. http://www.hamletuk.com/

The area is near Katherine's Wharf, which is a very pretty area with many pubs and restaurants.

There is a Safeway grocery store just 2 blocks away.

The apartments are about a 5 block walk to a tube station, so while they are not central in London, it only takes about 15 minutes by tube to be in central london. The tower bridge and Tower of London are within 10 minutes walking distance.

Hope you have a great time in London! Laurie

Priceline can be a good option, but you will need more than 1 room - you will get rooms that sleep 2, so it sounds like you would need 3 rooms if you went that route. Hotwire is another option, and allows you to have more people in the room (for a greater price). If you choose central zones correctly with Priceline and Hotwire, there is no chance of ending up far from public transportation. See www.betterbidding.com for more information.

I don't think anything is available at these sites for your dates, but you can try these accommodations that are student rooms and apartments that are rented out for holidays:
http://www.lsevacations.co.uk
http://www.budgetstayuk.com/

I think a reasonably priced B&B (Bed and Breakfast) in an area such as Victoria or Earls Court might suit you.

These areas also have good facilities with access to the subyway system and plenty of places to eat.

For London, you can get really good deals sometimes if you book a "holiday package" on travelocity.

I use it for business all the time. Many times, it's almost like getting the hotel for free.

I have Vancouver Studios bookmarked for a future trip.

I have stayed at Vancouver Studios and it is hard to beat for its combination of location, simple kitchenettes with a table to eat at, free in-room wifi, and someone at the entrance 24 hours a day. It's very quiet.

I received very good service while I was there. Very nice staff. Plus, there was a problem with my room midway through my stay, and they switched me to a better room for the remainder of my stay without my even having to ask.

Lots of shops, pubs and restaurants in the area, a little supermarket and ethnic markets, always a couple of cops outside the Tube entrance. I never felt unsafe. Hyde Park is very near.

I would mention that the building is very tall and there are no elevators, so if anyone has a bad knee, asthma or anything, ask for a room on a lower floor, though these may be more expensive. But they are usually able to help carry bags up, although they may make you wait a bit until someone is available.