Apartment in London

What is your budget?

I suggest you look at TripAdvisor "Vacation Rentals" or their UK partner HolidayLettings.com.

My personal preference in London is the Earl's Court/Kensington/Knightsbridge (SW5 & SW7 postal codes) triangle, but you do pay a premium for this area. But, my philosophy is that if I'm going to plunk down several thousand dollars on airfare, I'm not going to try to save a couple hundred by staying somewhere that is inconvenient or takes an inordinate amount of commuting time.

We had a family of five a couple of years ago, two 60s and the three of us in our thirties in a very large (by West Kensington standards) 3 bedroom/2 bath flat. It worked but I wouldn't add another person to that if I ever wanted to see them again. We tried to find something larger and there was no such thing outside of our somewhat generous budget. You may be best to look at a couple of flats in the same neighborhood or what I have heard about here and on tripadvisor as Aparthotels.

You will absolutely need at least 2 two bedroom apartments. As closely as short-term rentals are looked at, there are max occupancy laws that scrupulous landlords don't mess around with.

As Airbnb is more geared towards singles and couples, VRBO or HomeAway might have better options for groups. Although Airbnb is worth a look.

The one time we rented an apartment in South Kensington in was advertised as sleeping 4. It was advertised as a 1 bedroom and a fold- out couch. The bedroom fit my husband and I snugly. The fold out was literally cushions that unfolded and ended up being essentially a mattress on the floor. Also, there was no way a second adult could have fit.

So, advice is to read any and all reviews carefully and remember that space is tighter there. Ask lots of question.

Try the Ascott chain http://www.the-ascott.com. They have a number of London residences, mostly with their Citadines brand but also two more luxurious ones.

Note that Citadines four-person rooms usually have one double bed and one sofabed.

How about this house?

http://www.vrbo.com/360217

I recently found an apartment through London Connection. They are very professional and easy to work wioth online.

I have done business and am very satisfied with the firm, In The English Manner, and would recommend you contact Gloria and ask her. She is the local USA booking representative and is very helpful. With a full kitchen you also get a washer/dryer which is very handy.

I just recently recommended Citadines Trafalgar Square location to a friend who booked a 2 bedroom for her family. I knew they would like the location as it is extremely close to multiple tube and bus stops (bus much easier for the seniors as the tube often has long corridors and lots of stairs to navigate) and lots of black cabs running through that area. Also, there is a Tesco market within 2 blocks of Citadines Trafalgar and many shops, restaurants and sightseeing. Their apartment had a washer/dryer and kitchen.

That particular location of Citadines has everything from studios that sleep 2 up to the 2 Bedroom Apartments - just depends how much privacy your group might want - but you most definitely will not fit all 8 adults into a single 2 bedroom unit.

Citadines does have other locations around London, but I believe Trafalgar the only location that has 2 Bedroom offerings.

London School of Economics also offers apartments (and standard guest rooms) for tourists at some of their locations scattered around London. LSE's Northumberland House (located right across the street from Citadines Trafalgar location) does not have apartments, but their guest rooms are serviced daily by housekeeping and they do have a small kitchenette and laundry facilities that are available for guests to use. If you want to inquire about any of LSE's tourist lodgings, you should either call or email them directly with specific dates. Their website frequently shows them as being fully booked when they are not.

See my post: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/london-bridge-apartements

You should check out A Place Like Home, it’s a boutique short lets agency with more than 25 years’ experience in vacation rental services. They have a wide collection of great apartments and houses with 3 or more bedrooms, suitable for families. You can have a look here:

http://www.aplacelikehome.co.uk/properties/#bedrooms=3

Thanks for all the helpful replies. You all are fantastic!
I was thinking of 2 one bedroom apartments and not just one :-).
I will check out the various recommendations and see what suits us best. There are apartments available but most of the time they do not have staff on the property and you have to go to another location for the keys etc.
Thank you all again. I will do some research based on the replies here and I am sure I will somewhere suitable.

We stayed at Vancouver Studios this September. We loved it! They have two bedroom and three bedroom apartments. They are recommended by Rick Steves. We really enjoyed the apartments. The hotel is at a different location, but once we checked in they sent us to our apartment in a prepaid taxi. They were very helpful at all hours. We highly recommend the apartments.

There are apartments available but most of the time they do not have staff on the property and you have to go to another location for the keys etc.

I have had this happen only one in too many rentals to count. In every other case they either:

• meet us at the apartment

• meet us at the bus/boat/Metro stop

• have a coded entry not requiring someone to bring keys