London Hotel Tips by graememooney

Check to make sure this hotel is still in operation. Sadly, I'd heard they had closed down, but perhaps they have renovated and re-opened....their website states they are closed, but has links to other London hotels.

Inexpensive, great location, friendly staff. Make sure you check all internet sources on pricing - you can find a great deal. This hotel is not for the foo-foo-chique people. It's a place to lay your head, shower etc. and be in the centre of everything. Make sure you get a room on the ground floor inside (overlooking the centre of the hotel - nothing to look at but no noise from the street). This is especially important if it's warm - there is no air conditioning and it can get nastily warm in your room. If you have a first floor room you can open your window (hopefully) and prop open your door for a great flow-through breeze.

Unique Qualities: Soho, China town, Theatre district, almost all tourist/historic sites within walking distance. Regent Street (shopping) around the corner. Amazing location.

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Theme: Hotel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: US$40-80  » Currency Converter
Address: Sherwood St. Piccadilly Circus
Directions: Across from Picadilly Tube Station
Website: http://www.regentpalacehotel.co.uk

Hotels A view of Hyde Park from the new Royal Suite at the Baglioni Hotel will cost you £4,500, excluding VAT, but there are more affordable deals in London's up-and-coming areas. Try the Hoxton Hotel (020 7550 1000, www.hoxtonhotels.com), where a glass front wall connects the comfortably louche interior with arty, down-at-heel Shoreditch outside. Book for a weekend break and a double room could cost as little as £79 a night. Even better, Shoreditch is right on the fringe of the City, with Liverpool Street station providing easy access to the Tube network.
In central London you would be hard-pressed to find better value for money than the B & B Belgravia (020 7259 8570, www.bb-belgravia.com). Its handsome monochrome lounge is furnished with leather sofas and a swish modern fireplace. A double room costs £107.
There are also good options in Earl's Court, once famous for the dinginess of its low-rent accommodation. Here, Mayflower Apartments (020 7370 0991, www.mayflower-group.co.uk) has caged love-birds in the lounge and exotic décor that includes a teak arch from Jaipur, while its sister boutique hotel Twenty Nevern Square (020 7565 9555, www.twentynevernsquare.co.uk) is just as lovely. Both keep things chic in an Eastern style for less than £100.
If location is more important than style, Premier Travel Inn County Hall (0870 238 3300, www.premiertravelinn.com) is right on the South Bank and currently offering doubles for £99 a night. Housed in the building that was once home to the Greater London Council, the rooms are crisply functional, though none has a river view. If price is the only consideration, £40 a night buys a basic bed and attached shower-room at one of three easyHotels (www.easyhotel.com). The Kensington easyHotel is 20 minutes' walk from the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums; the others are in Earl's Court and Pimlico.


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Theme: Other

Hotels A view of Hyde Park from the new Royal Suite at the Baglioni Hotel will cost you £4,500, excluding VAT, but there are more affordable deals in London's up-and-coming areas. Try the Hoxton Hotel (020 7550 1000, www.hoxtonhotels.com), where a glass front wall connects the comfortably louche interior with arty, down-at-heel Shoreditch outside. Book for a weekend break and a double room could cost as little as £79 a night. Even better, Shoreditch is right on the fringe of the City, with Liverpool Street station providing easy access to the Tube networkIn central London you would be hard-pressed to find better value for money than the B & B Belgravia (020 7259 8570, www.bb-belgravia.com). Its handsome monochrome lounge is furnished with leather sofas and a swish modern fireplace. A double room costs £107.

There are also good options in Earl's Court, once famous for the dinginess of its low-rent accommodation. Here, Mayflower Apartments (020 7370 0991, www.mayflower-group.co.uk) has caged love-birds in the lounge and exotic décor that includes a teak arch from Jaipur, while its sister boutique hotel Twenty Nevern Square (020 7565 9555, www.twentynevernsquare.co.uk) is just as lovely. Both keep things chic in an Eastern style for less than £100.

If location is more important than style, Premier Travel Inn County Hall (0870 238 3300, www.premiertravelinn.com) is right on the South Bank and currently offering doubles for £99 a night. Housed in the building that was once home to the Greater London Council, the rooms are crisply functional, though none has a river view. If price is the only consideration, £40 a night buys a basic bed and attached shower-room at one of three easyHotels (www.easyhotel.com). The Kensington easyHotel is 20 minutes' walk from the Natural History, Science and Victoria and Albert Museums; the others are in Earl's Court and Pimlico.

Simon Coppock is editor of Time Out London for Visitors (£5.99) and Time Out London Shortlist (£6.99; the 2008 edition is published next month).


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Theme: Hotel