Where to stay
Finding the right accommodations in London can be challenging, but it’s far from impossible. Book as far ahead as you can.
Good areas to stay
There are many to choose from; and as long as you’re reasonably close to an Underground station (and you nearly always are), you’ll be in good shape. Below are some of the areas we typically target:
Marylebone – Convenient access to Hyde Park and Marble Arch (Oxford street too but avoid…avoid!). Nice neighborhood feel.
Chelsea – Great shopping and restaurants, upscale but a nice neighborhood feel.
Knightsbridge – Upscale again (a theme is emerging!) This is in the Harrods area. Can be a little quiet in the evenings though.
Kensington – Near the V&A, Natural History Museum, Kensington Palace, etc. A good, solid choice.
Mayfair/St. James – Buckingham Palace area and super pricey! But not too shabby having the Queen as your neighbor.
Belgravia – Can you say posh? The most expensive of the expensive, but I’ve occasionally found a deal. And then you can tell everyone you’re staying in Belgravia!
On the fence…
Bayswater – Not terrible but a bit grotty (aka dirty)
Little Venice – Never stayed here and the Underground access isn’t great. But it’s a cute neighborhood with good restaurants. Not the most convenient.
Islington – I mostly class this one as “iffy” because I don’t know it well. It’s not the most convenient, but the area itself is fine based on what I know.
Shoreditch – Quite the “hip” area at the moment but in more of a business district. Again, it’s not the most convenient, although there are many cools restaurants, pubs, etc. (Ed says he would definitely stay here!).
St. Paul’s/Moorgate/Finsbury Square – Nothing wrong with these areas but they’re in more of a business district – dead on weekends.
Areas we typically avoid:
Soho/Covent Garden – A nice area but pretty chaotic and loud.
Westminster – Quiet in the evenings…not a lot of restaurants open, etc. Kind of dodgy.
Canary Wharf – Across the river and not at all a convenient place to be for sight seeing.
Kings Cross/St. Pancreas – This area used to be known for its prostitutes and drug dealers. It’s experienced a major turnaround, but I still wouldn’t stay there – too chaotic regardless.
Booking a flat
As my sister once told me, “the world is made for families of four”. This nugget of wisdom applies in spades when it comes to travel accommodations, so we always rent a flat, rather than trying to squeeze into hotel rooms. My primary sources are:
VRBO and homeaway.co.uk – These two companies are now one so you’ll find little difference between them. Nearly all the properties are managed by agencies, rather than by the owners themselves, but I’ve always found them to be reliable.
One Fine Stay – This is a more upscale rental service that we’ve used a couple of times. The places are nice but more expensive.
We also rented outside of London last summer through Oliver's Travels, although they have flats in London too. This is more on the “luxury” side so expensive, but I will say the place we rented was pretty magical.
Not recommended – I don’t personally use AirBNB because I rented through them once and got burned big time. I know others who use it regularly though. I also don’t recommend Plum Guide – very unreliable.
A few hotel recommendations
My hotel knowledge is extremely limited but here are a few suggestions. Most are in more of the business areas because most of our hotel stays are business travel related.
The Grange St. Paul’s – More of a business hotel but nice and conveniently located. The Grange is a chain and pretty reliable.
The Montcalm – There are a number of Montcalm hotels throughout London, and they have a good reputation. My preference is the Royal London House but this is in the business district – not the best for tourist activities but not awful either.
The Cumberland – Very near Hyde Park and the Marble Arch tube station. A serviceable place but very convenient. This is now the hard Rock Hotel.
The Radisson Blue Edwardian – Near the British Museum.