Another apartment question...... you are going to be so sick of me.

Soho apartment. Spend the money saved on other elements of your trip -- a taxi when you're tired, an extra glass of wine.

Mostly I would advise against Seven Dials unless other reviews say that it's quiet. It really does seem it would be very loud there!!!

All of these areas are busy.

The Buck House Apartment is one block from Victoria Station which is where you will get the Gatwick Express train to the airport. However, the entire area around the station has road construction going on.

The Seven Dials will be very busy as this is mainly a shopping/office area and not a residential area. It could be noisy at night. This would be my last choice.

The Soho Square Gardens will also be busy with lots of activity going on. Is the garden apartment facing the front or the rear? This would make a big difference. In front, you'll get lots of noise. In the back, it will be quieter. And since you know there won't be much light, it could be because it might be a lower level/basement apartment.

All three have bus service nearby.

I can't' suggest which one to take because I personally wouldn't want to stay in either place. I prefer to stay just on the outskirts of zone 1 but I don't have to worry about not taking the tube.

I'm with Frank on this one, but as I hate noise at night, my preference would be Soho, as the least noisy option.

I don't care for the Victoria area, but that's just personal preference - it has good transport links, but I find it to be rather soulless and full of large office buildings.

We loved staying at Seven Dials, our favorite location of three stays in London last year. Read teh reviews. Does anyone mention noise? Our apartment there was very well sound proofed.

Since your plan is to use the buses for transport, you might want to compare the three locations for proximity to useful bus routes:

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/central-london-bus-map.pdf

We found the bus worked best for us when there was at most one transfer per trip.

Also check out proximity to grocery stores---you will want one within walking distance.

Laurel could you send me the link to your apartment rental. ?

Darn it....I thought I had the right areas.

When I rented in Paris I was decided early on and was confident about my choice. For London I am at a loss.

If these areas are not good then where do you suggest?

We had an apartment in Nine Elms on the list but was told there was nothing around there and not desirable.

Will there still be road work near Victoria by November?

We just got declined by another apartment because they say they can only rent from airbnb for 75 days a year and they are too close to that limit.

That is the 3rd one that has declined us and we also had 3 that said this was too early in the year to commit to us for just 10 nights in November. Man this is harder than I thought.

Whenever I have choices that are close, I always go with the cheapest. This seems like a no brainer to me -- save the $500 Canadian.

Don't get discouraged! Of the negative comments above, the only one that would put me off a place I really like is theone about road works around Victoria Station. This can cause major disruption of the bus routes and significant delays in travel.

The TFL website has a section where you can investigate roadworks, but it only works up to 90 days out. Here is what it shows for the Victoria Station area from now to 20 June:

http://public.londonworks.gov.uk/roadworks/?x=oefrM-LIhXDKWYbIU8FQKg

( guess I could have entered July)

It looks like a major disruption, especially by the Royal Mews.

If the image does not come through, go to the public.londonworks.gov.UK/roadworks site and enter the street as Vauxhall Bridge Road in Westminster. But unfortunately It not tell you if the project will last into November.

I see my session expired, but you can use the link to query a location anew.

Hi photobearsam,
You've probably checked this, but do they all involve the same amount, more or less, of stair climbing? I wouldn't want a surprise on that front.
It was a good point about what direction the apt faces. Facing into a courtyard can be quite a lot quieter than facing the street.
I would not pick Victoria because I rarely spend my days near there.
Soho could be a winner – especially if "garden" = faces into a courtyard. I like the saving $500 too.
Cheers,
Jill

FBS,
This is the apartment we rented from London Connection, although the second bedroom also had a queen bed at the time. Lovely bathroom, small lift, great location.

Here's your thread where you indicated your Mom will have the final decision:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/anyone-take-buses-only-in-london-and-not-the-tube

"We are down to looking at 3 apartments. Waiting to see which one my mom (72) will pick. One is near Buckingham Palace, one is near Covent Garden and one is in the nine elms area."

"I'm hoping mom picks the place near Covent Gardens which is at Seven Dials ( might be noisy) or the flat near buckingham palace."

Which one is your Mom leaning toward?

We rented the same apartment that Laurel did - lovely apartment but found it noisy even though we had the windows closed. Too many ambulance noises as it was on a circus and high up. After coming back from a day playing tourist - I will like a nice, comfortable space with good light and open feeling.

Gail I do not remember noise! But we lived in Rome at the time and were probably so relieved to not have motorini going by that we didn't hear a thing!

Well, mom was leaning towards the one near Buckingham Palace but that one is now not even listed on Airbnb anymore and his other 2 properties are gone too and the one I liked at Seven Dials is not willing to rent to us for just 10 nights this far from the date. So I found another at Seven Dials but the owner has not responded and it's been 4 days.

This is crazy. So frustrating

The Garden apartment has reviews that say that 2 rooms are facing the street and can be a bit noisy and 2 rooms facing the back. Sent the owner a message and waiting to hear back.

The one my mom wanted the most at the beginning, we sent a rental request and all we got back was one word, well not really a word it was Sry so I guess that was sorry and then it it just said declined.

You might want to explore the Citadines website for a less frustrating process. These are serviced apartments in various locations, seemingly making up in convenience what they may lack in character. They appear to be within your budget. You'll be doing business with a hotel-like chain instead of a bunch of apartment owners, and you can count on conveniences like elevators. I haven't stayed in one but others on this forum seem to like them.

Dick we looked at those but the ones we were interested in did not have availability but I will recheck them regularly.

If they (Citadines) didn't have availability for November, it must be because they haven't opened up their calendars yet (???).

For the Garden apartment, if the two rooms for SLEEPING are towards the back, that's the only thing that matters. Who cares if it's a bit noisier in the living room-- you're not going to be trying to sleep there.

I think it was not open for dates yet but now there seems to be some availability but it is even pricier than the price if the apartments. Still might be what we do.

As for the apartment one bedroom is on the front and one in the back.

Looking at other websites too.

Just think I'm getting close and then figure out it's not going to work.

If you are willing to stop with AirBNB and move on there are other options:

Do a Google Search for "Serviced Apartments in London". Serviced apartments are managed apartments run like hotels but you get a full apartment. One company is Fraser Apartments.

Next. go to Booking.com. They also have apartment listings.

Widen your search area. Yes, it will take you longer to get into central London by bus but you could get a great deal.