London Hotels: Victoria Station, South Kensington or ?

You're splitting hairs. What's it take to walk between the two areas - - twenty minutes?

You might see more posts on South Kensington recently because it's showed up in a guidebook or there've been a lot of 'me-to' s . It's not as close to other stuff as some areas, but you could chug out there if you wanted to see the V&A, the science museum, or the national history museum.

Draw a two-mile circle from the northern end of Westminster Bridge and stay on the north side of the river and you'll probably be happy anywhere. Probably the most happy the closer to the center-point you are that matches your budget.

There's no need to choose your place by committee vote, since most of the committee members have only stayed in one, or two at best, areas. Also, consider the fact that most of the committee members haven't spent more than a week in London in their entire lives, have seen only the listed attractions, and wouldn't be able to compare squat to pineapples.

Melinda,

Most of my stays have been in the Victoria area since its close to my train out of London. Since my last flight out of london was at 0600 staying near Victoria for LGW was the best place other than LGW itself.

my priorities are usually #1 location and then #2 cost. but they can be swapped.

Ive also stayed near Kings X too and will do so again for an overnighter since again, its close to Kings X.

To me since the tube is so nice and convenient, staying anywhere in london is a no brainer. If you have a particular area you just cant live without, then go for it.

to me, i would assume you would be going back so i would just pick a place get a feel for it once youre there and mark it off your list. Then when you go back either go back to the same place or choose not to.

happy trails.

Ed & Ray — great points. Thank you - I'm set! Ha!

I think both of those areas would be great to visit. We are traveling to London this July and will be staying in the Victoria area. We like that and have found it to be easy to get to everywhere we have wanted to go in the past. But if you can master "the tube" you can get anywhere pretty easily and inexpensively, so either should work for you. I just booked a stay at Luna Simone Hotel earlier this week. We have stayed there before. By letting them know that I found them through Rick Steves and that I am willing to pay them in cash, they knocked 50 pounds per night off my bill. I booked a triple room for 135 pounds instead of 185. Luna Simone is three star and they serve a traditional English breakfast, which is included in the price of the room. We stayed there in 2011 and it was wonderful.

I don't mean to promote a particular hotel. We have had a good experience with them. But whatever hotel you choose, it might be worthwhile to ask if they have a Rick Steve discount and will take a lower rate if you pay cash.

Hugh

Thanks Hugh — sounds like a great spot. Trip Advisor also …many accolades for Luna Simone.

Melinda, I recently had a very good experience at the Millenium Bailey's Hotel in South Kensington. The hotel was pretty, with a beautiful central spiral staircase. Very good service (we were upgraded to a suite without asking). English breakfast buffet was extensive, included. Easy walk to V&A museum and Kensington Palace. The best thing was it was right on the corner across from the Gloucester Road tube station. At the end of a long day of sightseeing and theatre, it was so nice to emerge from the station and see the hotel right in front of us. We paid an average of 142 BPS per night for a double. Wherever you stay, enjoy your trip!

Hi Melinda, I stayed at Luna Simone my 2nd visit to London but on the 3rd and 4th visit decided to stay in a more central area. I stayed somewhere off the Piccadilly Line so I wouldn't have to transfer to a different tube line from Heathrow. So on my 3rd visit I brought my young adult kids and we stayed in Soho. A little noisy but smack dab in the middle of everything. The tube was close by but we walked to alot of places and found bus 24 very useful to take us to Big Ben area. The 4th time, I came with my girlfriends (we all celebrated our 50th bdays, in fact it was just this past October) so I picked somewhere quieter and the Bloomsbury area won. We were still able walk to the West End area, British Museum, and public transport was very convenient. Again, it was off the Piccadilly Line and very easy to take the tube to visit the Kensington area. Now since Ive explored that part of London, I do want to stay in the South Kensington area next visit but for a 1st or 2nd timer, I recommend these areas. Now, you're probably wondering where I stayed my 1st visit. Well, I took advantage of a free hotel room (paid for by my bro in laws company since he was there on business) and I stayed in Watford Junction, a 30 minute train ride to London! This is how I learned the importance of staying centrally lol!

regarding the posts about the Luna Simone Hotel - I contacted them yesterday, told them what I'd heard about the Rick Steves and paying cash discounts. I received an email this morning saying they would only bring the price down from 114 to 110 pounds. Have been looking around at other hotels and have noted the time frame we're going to be in London, from June 13 thru the 20th, seems to be a pretty busy time. I know that's the height of tourist season, but does anyone know what else might be going on to make hotels that booked or pricier?

Two things you need to know about London - it has great public transit, and is eminently walkable. Victoria? South Ken? All depends on you, really. I have stayed in both areas. For me, I prefer South Ken. Two hotels come to mind - the Regency (between the Gloucester Road and South Kensington Tube stops) for closer to your three star experience, or the Rembrant, which is directly across from the V&A, around the corner from the South Kensington Tube, and a 10 minute walk from Harrods. The Rembrandt is a little more, but generally in your price bracket. South ken has Rocca (Italian restaurant), the Zetland Arms (pub near the Tube station), is close to the Anglesea Arms (10 minute walk from the Tube), and is just generally a nice area.

We are also fans of the South Kensington area. We used to stay at the Rembrandt but it became too pricey (unless you get a package deal through British Air, etc) so we now stay at Millennium Bailey . The location is great-- just across from Gloucester Rd tube station which has a direct line to LHR and there is an elevator in this station. The area has laundry nearby and Waitrose, etc. right there.

We have stayed at the "Crowne Plaza" in South Kensington. We stayed there four years in a row. It is part of the IHG Hotel Group (such as Holiday Inn, Intercontinental, etc.) You earn hotel points when staying there. It too is directly across the street from the Gloucester Tube station. The hotel is lovely. They offer two - free computers, for personal use, 24 hours per day. The computers are in the nice lobby. You might want to check "Trip Advisor" for ratings of possible hotels you are considering. I know the "Crowne Plaza" gets very good reviews, year after year. It is a very short walk from this hotel to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.