Earls court station area? Might have found an apartment there.

Earl's Court is generally fine, and only a short tube ride into the tourist hotspots. I would rank Covent Garden above it... But EC is a good choice.

My mom is not willing to use the tube too much so we will mostly be using buses for our 10 day stay.

What is the general feel of the area? Anything to do at night? Restaurants? Would it be an easy bus ride to Covent Garden? Anyone know what a taxi would cost from here to Covent Garden.

I've stayed near Earls Court several times and it is fine. There are many restaurants and pubs so you won't go hungry. I don't know about taxi fares as we did busses and the tube.

I like Earls Court. Nice residential area with great restaurants. Feels like "home" as you're slightly away from the centre.

Buses into central London are good but take quite a time. Tube during the rush hours is painfully crowded.

If you followed the magnificent Rumpole of The Bailey series a few years ago, Rumpole and "she who must be obeyed" lived in the Gloucester Road.

Mostly older buildings and some newer.

It is difficult to succeed in choosing where to stay with the conflicting inputs of refusing Tube, can't walk far, want good neighborhood, and budget.

While Gloucester Road is convenient for the South Kensington museums of the V&A, Natural History and Science, and at a push Harrods, it is not at all close (except by Tube) to the usual tourist haunts.

For example, you asked about getting to Covent Garden. By tube it is a doddle. Down the Gloucester Road Underground Station, 12 minutes without a change on the Piccadilly Line and pop up the lift at Covent Garden Underground Station and you're there.

That 12 minutes becomes 50 minutes using a bus. 9 minutes walking (or more) to catch the number 14 bus, 26 minutes on the bus if traffic is light (Ha!), and 14 minutes walking at the other end.

If your mother is ruling out the Tube, I'd reconsider. If you use taxis to make up the distance your budget will quickly go out the window.

Decades ago, Earl's Court was nicknamed "Kangaroo Court" for all the wandering Australians renting cheap bed-sitter rooms. Not so cheap any more, although the main business street does have budget ethnic restaurants as well as more upscale dining. But, as has been pointed out, it is not convenient for major tourism activities without using its well-connected Tube station or slow surface busses. Gloucester Road, a little to the east, is a little posher. Covent Garden, in contrast, is the centre of the tourist circus (and Picadilly Circus.)

Its a place to be but there are other neighborhoods I'd like better, Covent Garden amongst them. I think its real advantage is the access you get to the museums and elsewehre (via tube) for the going price. Now, if you won't be using the tube I'd be doubtful. If the problem is being too far out for shorter rentals, maybe waiting? Last trip we did Victoria Station area which had good bus access.

I've stayed in the Earl's Court area and really liked it. I stayed at the Nadler Kensington, a few blocks away from Earl's Court Road, and thus fairly quiet at night, but close enough to all the shops and restaurants to be convenient. Earl's Court Road isn't posh upscale shopping, and that's absolutely fine with me. On that 10 day stay, I bought a cheap unlocked cellphone at Carphone Warehouse, dined a few times at Nando's, bought food at one of the small grocery stores, bought something (hangers?) at the ironmonger's (hardware store), and washed my clothes at Bobo's Bubbles launderette. All on Earl's Court Road. I never felt unsafe walking alone, day or night. It was convenient as a base for sightseeing, including a few day trips out of London by train.

I've also stayed in a hotel just across the road from the Gloucester Road tube station. That's one stop closer to central London than Earl's Court, and it's also a great area for useful shops and restaurants. In fact, there's a shopping arcade directly above the Tube Station, with a big Waitrose store, and a Boots, restaurants, coffee shop, and more. Like the Earl's Court area, it was convenient for all my sightseeing and exploring London. It's also closer to some of the attractions like the V&A and Harrod's. (Although TBH I've never been interested enough to go into Harrod's, in several trips to London over the past 20 years. So yeah, if you're all into posh shopping I'm not your girl for info.) And I never felt unsafe walking in that area.

But: On all those trips, I used the Tube, all the time. It's going to be much less convenient if you aren't going to use the Tube, so I'd look closer to the center of London.

I would think that making sure the rental complies with London short-term stay regulations is also important, to be sure your stay goes smoothly.

The Earl's Court area is probably my favorite while in London. I like the quietness but the closeness to museums and other attractions.

The Earl's Court tube station has a pretty reliable lift and it's a short walk out the back of the station (towards the exhibition center) to catch the bus (#74?) that runs down Cromwell towards city-center. Overall, the transportation connects are quite good from that part of town.

Since you're looking at an apartment, there's a Waitrose grocery store above the Gloucester Tube Station and a Sainsbury's grocery off Cromwell across from the Marriott.

Thank you all for the useful info. It is greatly appreciated.

I think we are going to book this place if the carpets are not wool. We really wanted covent garden area but too much hassle to book and this place is $1000 Canadian cheaper. So that will pay for some taxi rides if we need them.

Mom prefers the bus to the tube but will do the tube if a very long distance is involved. Hopefully that will be ok. She just prefers to see where she is going.

The 74 is quite a useful bus route from Earls Court ending up at Baker Street through Knightsbridge. The rest are possibly of limited interest although there is the C1 to Victoria as an alternative to the Circle/District.

Thanks Marco I will check that out.

Before we spent 2 weeks in London in April I would have agreed with your Mum in re bus v tube. However, I ended up absolutely loving the tube. You would spend a lot of time stuck in traffic going by bus, time you could spend at the sights you went there to see. I say this as a life long claustrophobic, got over that on this trip. Have a wonderful time.

"You would spend a lot of time stuck in traffic going by bus."
Unlike one of the previous posters, I have found this not to be true on my past trips to London. Last spring (May 2016) we spent two weeks in London, took the bus often and were never stuck in traffic. Traffic stops and starts, but always seems to get moving after about 30 seconds. The bus drivers in London are amazing drivers and are able to go around stopped cars and avoid bicyclists that dart into their paths! We frequently took the tube but preferred the bus because of the always interesting views.

We saw Prince Henry's Room from the window of the bus. We were on the #15 bus going along Fleet Street. I knew about this place, but had forgotten about it. If we had been on the tube, rushing from place to place, we would have missed it.

Photobear, here's a neighborhood profile of the Earl's Court area from AirBnB, with great photos:
https://www.airbnb.com/locations/london/earls-court
Yes, it is a good area in which to stay. Good transportation all around there.

It's too bad your Mom doesn't want to ride the tube very much, because the Piccadilly tube line runs through Earl's Court, and you can take the Piccadilly (eastward) to South Kensington (for V&A Museum) and onward to Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Russell Square (near British Museum). Going in the opposite direction (westward), Piccadilly takes you to Heathrow Airport. Very handy, in case you're flying in and out of Heathrow.

I'm with your Mom; I do prefer the bus in London in order to see more! But sometimes you have to use the tube. Or a combination of tube and bus.

Pick up a London bus route map as soon as you get there. You can find them at tube stations and at the Visitors Centre that is across the street from St. Paul's Cathedral.

If you have a color printer connected to your computer, you can print this London bus map. Turn your computer to "landscape" so the map will print horizontally, giving you a larger image.
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/key-bus-routes-in-central-london.pdf

Earl's Court is not shown on this map, but there will be a bus line connecting you to the South Kensington area, the Number 74, which Marco mentioned. It begins in the lower left of the map I've given you, and goes into S. Kensington, then continues on to Harrod's department store and other locations. On the map its line is a "hot pink" color.

We were in Earls Court for a week at the beginning of this month. Great place! We were a 5 minute walk from the tube on Warwick Road. Great restaurants on Warwick and on Earls Court Road. We really enjoyed just walking around the neighborhood. I would definitely stay there again. Very easy commute to all the typical areas you'd want to go to. And a direct line to Heathrow on the Piccadilly line.

Earls Court is my "home" neighborhood as I spend about three months a year there. (I left it a few days ago, will be back the latter half of June and then most of the summer.)

Gloucester Road is not Earls Court. It is more South Kensington/Kensington so I have to wonder where the apartment is actually located.

Both areas are fine and a mix of residential and commercial.

Numerous groceries/supermarkets, restaurants, and take aways.

Too bad you can't take the tube as the Piccadilly line will take you directly to Covent Garden without a change. A bus will mean a transfer and take around 45 - 60 minutes depending on time of day and traffic. The tube in less than 20 minutes.

Indeed if it is actually on Gloucester Road advice about Earls Court isn't really relevant. Of course in reality it might be nearer to Earls Court but calling itself Goucester Road thinking it sounds more appealing.

this is the address I have for it.....you tell me. LOL

43 Bramham Gardens | Kensington SW5

Might be more Earls Court but kinda close to both.

Looks more Earls Court to me.

That looks like Gloucester Road is a bit of a caché exaggeration to me. Hmmmm.. If they stretch a point there, where else do they also stretch a point?

The only decent bus from there is the C1, and unfortunately it is not a double decker. It winds around and goes to Victoria.

If you haven't made a deposit on the Earl's Court apartment yet, I suggest you look around at more Covent Garden apartments.

I hear you saying over and over that Covent Garden is really where you'd like to be.

I know you've looked at a lot of apartments already.
But here's the AirBnB profile page for Covent Garden.
Scroll to the bottom of the page. There are some apartments pictured, and then it has a button for you to click to find more apartments in Covent Garden.
Maybe there will be some there that you haven't seen before, and will like.
I think you'll be happier in Covent Garden and it is more centrally located for tourists to London.
https://www.airbnb.com/locations/london/covent-garden

Good luck in your search.

Looked at all the ones in Covent Garden that had 2 bedrooms and an elevator in our price range. 3 have refused us cause we don't want to stay more than 10 nights. We gave up.

I keep looking but over $500 a night Canadian is not in our budget.

We even looked in Soho and thought we found a good one but it had so many rules it scared us away.

One was don't over use the electrical system because if you throw a fuse it could take hours to fix. Under floor heating is used so any water that touches the floor could cause the electrical system to trip off even in the bathroom and you would be responsible for repairs.

Also the DISHWASHer was coin operated. So weird that we did not feel safe booking it.

That apartment is two blocks away from me. It is Earls Court. The area is fine.

The C1 is the closest bus to you and it goes past the V & A museums and Harrods before winding it's way to Victoria.

If you were taking the tube it would be a nice quiet area to stay in. But bus only will be difficult and time consuming.

Of course, there is Uber.

Earls Court is fine. You'll like this area. Just build in extra time for buses. I think you are wasting more time trying to find the perfect apartment than you'll spend on buses each day.

Mom has decided that she is willing to take the TUBE yeah.....

Haven't kept track of your dislikes and must haves or even when you are traveling.

Providing one more option hoping you, Mom and hubby will agree.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g186338-d8363557-Gorgeous_Waterside_Apartment_near_Tower_Bridge-London_England.html

I had seen that one. Unfortunately it's over budget ( this one is over $500 Canadian a night ) and no mention of a lift. Great looking place though.

The place in earls court is $260 a night Canadian. They said as soon as the people who are staying there check out next week, they will check if the carpets are wool or not. Keeping fingers crossed.

Our other backup is an apartment off of nine elms that is supposedly a 5 min walk from Vauxhall station. Would this be better than Earls court? I know that it is in a beautiful high rise but thought there would not be much of a neighborhood feel.....

Vauxhall is on the Victoria tube line, which will take you into the heart of London, to Victoria Station. From there you can easily walk to Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben or switch to another tube line or catch a bus.

St. George Wharf Pier is near Vauxhall, and you can catch the river boat RB6 there. Takes you directly to Westminster Pier.

If this apartment is near the river, facing the river, you will have a fine view.

Nine Elms has a lot of new apartments, cafes and shops being built there. The new U.S. Embassy in London is being built there. Not far away is Battersea Park and Power Station.
Pro: These will be modern apartment buildings with brand new kitchens and baths.
Cons: The buildings (and neighborhood) will lack the character found in London's older neighborhoods. There will be construction still going on in the area, so could be noisy at times; mostly in the daytime when you're out sightseeing anyway.

New Covent Garden Market is in Nine Elms. It's a huge wholesale fruit, vegetable, and flower market.
http://www.newcoventgardenmarket.com/

You would be near Lambeth, and could walk north and then east to The Imperial War Museum. There's a walking trail on the riverside, called The Thames Path. You could use that for your walking and stay off the street until you got closer in to central London. You could walk this all the way up to the London Eye.

If you don't mind, would you please send me a link to this apartment by PM? Just want to see the views and what the exterior of some of the new apartments look like out there. Thanks.

We stayed in that "gorgeous waterside apartment" that Claudia linked for three weeks last May and I assure you is does have a lift--a nice big modern one. We loved that apartment and I mentioned it to photobearsam before, and she said it was over budget. So I am only writing this now for the benefit of others who might be interested in a lovely modern 2-bdr. 2 bath apartment in a great location. PM me if you have questions.

Victoria Underground station is in the middle of massive construction, and at the moment there is no lift or escalator to the surface. Mom might suffer.

Uh oh! So much for the Victoria line! Thanks Nigel!

I do see the Number 77 bus on the map going all the way from New Covent Garden Market (the east side of the market) and Vauxhall bus station to the London Eye. Runs north and south. Wandsworth Road and Albert Embankment are two of the roads it travels. Then it continues up Lambeth Palace Road to the London Eye area.

The Number 77 continues on to the stop Waterloo Station York Road, where you can hop off of it and onto the RV1 bus, which goes many places in central London. RV1 to the north goes to Covent Garden. RV1 traveling east goes to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

Once you get to the Tower of London, you can hop on the #15 bus and travel west to St. Paul's Cathedral, Trafalgar Square and many other stops along the way.

The RV1 and the #15 I have used many times. Both routes very useful. Have not used the #77.

See the bus map I gave you in a prior posting.

Lola, apologies for being repetitive but there have been so many recommends for her that I lost track.

Emma, I don't have the exact address as Airbnb does not give them but from what I see, it's right on the River and on Nine Elms and I think it is called Embassy Gardens

As you noticed from the Earls Court apartment calling itself "Gloucester Road," this new apartment may not actually be in the exact area it describes. As Emma stated, Vauxhaull has some good areas and some bad ones.

Claudia---no worries about repetition. I am glad that someone else has noticed that apartment. We thought it was wonderful in every way, and especially nice for a family. Unfortunately it is is too expensive for the OP. But we found that the lodging cost was offset in part by savings on meals, as it was easy and comfortable to cook our own rather than going out for dinner.

Photobearsam -- Earls Court is much better location-wise than Nine Elm. I hope that the Earls Court apartment will work for you.

Lola that does look like a great apartment! Keeping it in my back pocket as I dream of having a need for it. (i.e. for my brother and his family!)

Nine Elms is a new characterless development of glossy flats (and heavy security) around the US Embassy.

I'd go for Earl's Court a gazillion times over before choosing Nine Elms. Earl's Court feels like London. Nine Elms feels like an architectural drawing.