Ideas for "charming" family lodging in London December 2015?

Take a look at the London Lodge Hotel. It's about a 10 minute walk from the Earls Court tube stop, very quiet neighborhood, a lot of good restaurants and pubs in the area, good breakfast, and comfortable rooms. We've stayed there a number of times and think of it as our "home" when in London.

Marie, you will have a wonderful time, though several museums may be closed. We spent the holidays in London with our children in 2005 and many top restaurants, museums were closed for a 2 week stretch. I've used http://www.onefinestay.com previously and this summer will be using https://londonconnection.com for apartment rentals.

We stay at the Rydges Kensington. Our son has been 14 and 15 on each trip and he loved it, too.

http://www.rydges.co.uk/?gclid=CPWomqi-kMYCFYdbfgodN6gAsA

We love the location, just a block away from Gloucester Rd Tube station (serves the Piccadilly, District and Circle lines). Lots of great eats nearby (including a dynamite Indian restaurant). The boutique hotel is smaller, very quiet and very clean; honestly, the rooms are not huge (for your "boys," you may need more than one room) but, they are comfortable with great bathrooms and the windows open; it has very nice restaurant on premises; a bank across the street (ATM); a post office and bus tour-booking half-block away (with a stop directly in front of the hotel); terrific concierge services, free Wi-Fi (though, we didn't use it as we left all electronic gadgets at home!) and more. There is a

It provides an easy walk to the fabulous V&A (LOVE it), the Science Museum (which, to be honest, we didn't much care for) and the Natural History Museum (another LOVE): All of these are FREE.

We will always stay at this hotel on future trips.

We have recommendations for two hotels: One in Earl's Cross (London Lodge) and one near Paddington (London Elizabeth.) About the same price.

Any ideas of which one would be a better fit for a family of five? Looking for small places to eat...pubs, local fare.

Thank you Steves' posters!

Thank you, Emma.

And you do you have a recommendation of which neighborhood would be better for restaurants?

Marie, the London Lodge Hotel is actually in Kensington, the Earls Court tube stop just happens to be the closest.

If you're looking at the London Elizabeth, you may also want to consider the Craven Terrace and Queensborough Terrace areas. I've stayed at The Byron, and it's pretty charming. It's part of the Capricorn group--they also have a hotel on a quieter street in Marylebone (the Blandford). Another "cute/charming" one I can recommend is Hart House on Gloucester Place. These are all smaller Georgian or Victorian buildings. Plenty of decent restaurants and pubs in all these areas.
Good luck & have fun!

Have you considered renting a flat, or are you set on a hotel? My family (with adult children) likes the convenience of having a common space and a kitchen in a flat, and the chance to live more "like a local." We typically eat breakfast at the flat from supplies that we get at a local grocery store, and stock up on snacks and lunch items, too, for days when we want to pack food instead of eating out. It's really nice to be able to relax in the evening together and still have a little private space in the bedrooms.

For our trip this summer, we have rented a flat in Chelsea thru LondonConnection.com for the five of us. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths---plus a washer and dryer just in case! (https://londonconnection.com/property/3-104-godfrey-street-sw3/). It isn't a bargain, but definitely cheaper than 2 or 3 hotel rooms.

I hope that you find something that will work for your family!