London Hotels w/Balcony or Patio

Hi Christine

A few years ago now I stayed in the Vancouver Studios near Hyde Park/Paddington. We had a room with it's own little garden terrace. Vancouver Studios I just looked it up again and it looks even nicer than I remember.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

While searching Airbnb for our upcoming trip, I was looking for something less expensive and found several places with an outdoor space (garden, patio) but they were waaaay out outside the city and would have required a significant daily DRL roundtrip. Nevertheless, it might work for you. We ended up in a tiny Kensington flat with a window!

Look at and via email contact the Sydney House in the Chelsea neighborhood. Inquire about the room with the terrace; Cost, availability. If you like book it!

Same with Fraser Place in the Canary Wharf neighborhood.

The Cavendish has balconies and is pricey.

Balconies and/or terraces aren’t common place so
consider renting a flat. On the London Perfect website their is an apartment called Salisbury in the South Kensington neighborhood. Looks lovely. 1 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen. 2nd floor, no elevator.

Good Luck. Great city to explore!

Thanks to each of you! I will check out all the options suggested. (We, too, would like to stay closer in to London.)

I’ve actually tried to book Vancouver studios, I applaud anyone who can fight their way through that website to actually book anything.

Vancouver Studios was my go to place to stay for years!

Looked at the website.

Carol what happened when you tried to book?

Did you email them about the issue?

OP I’d still consider them. Nice neighborhood. Lots of variety of restaurants and cafes and easy peasy stroll over to Kensington Palace and gardens. Also you have 2 tube stops to choose from; Bayswater and Queensway.

I had no problem with the Vancouver Studios site but, unfortunately, the balcony room is already booked for our week in September. Hopefully, I haven't waited too long for decent options. Worse case, I'll at least have to find someplace where the windows open! Again, many thanks to all!

Guess what: booking.com has "Balcony" listed as one of its filters under "Room Amenities" for London. I don't know how precise that is--could it be an open-access balcony you enter from the hall rather than from your room? You might need to verify the situation with the hotel. But perhaps searching with your specific travel dates (and other desired features) will allow you to identify some decent possibilities in areas that aren't too far out. I know from experience that it's not easy during popular periods to find a room for a 7-night stay, so you're smart to be looking now.

I just checked for a short stay on random dates in September, and some small hotels (former row houses) popped up with reasonable rates. (Check carefully if you need an elevator, because such places might not have one.) You could start by filtering for places within 1 mile from city center, but there will be more options is you extend the limit to 2 miles (and more if you don't impose that restriction, of course).

On a stay of this length in London, it would definitely be smart as well as courteous to contact the hotel directly to see if you can get a somewhat better rate.

The Resident Kensington has some patio rooms. Some big, some small. Check with them on the different ones available.

If you go with that hotel, become a member on their website. It costs nothing but will give you a 15% discount over their regular rates.

Thank you to all for these suggestions! I have used booking's site as well as others but, yes, once I find a possible fit I always go to the hotel's website. I know it's better for both them and me.

ALL SET! Successfully booked at the Vancouver Studio's Luxury Golden Key Balcony Room in Bayswater. I think the location sounds convenient and, despite not having a lift, the room is on the 1st floor (what we in the States would call the 2nd) so it's only one flight up. Thanks, again, for everyone's help.

I'm glad you found a good solution. I have a sometime-travelmate who strongly prefers a room with a tub. I know how challenging it can be to add a requirement like that.

Vancouver Studios is one of my favorites. So glad it worked out for you!

I am glad you found a place you like and that works for you.

Since this is your first trip to London, I have a suggestion. With claustrophobia you may find riding the the Tube (underground or subway) very uncomfortable. I knownI do. I dread heading downs the stairs or escalator to the underground platform to wait for and ride the train, and I cannot wait to get back above ground.

As a result, in London we walk a lot ( it is a wonderful city for walking, especially through the many parks or along the river on the Thames pedestrian path. Or we use the extensive bus system or the fun and scenic Thames Clipper “water bus” ( now using the name Uber but they are a regular scheduled service, not like Uber ride sharing at all).

From your location, you can walk south to Bayswater Road, which runs east-west along the north side of Kensingon Gardens. There you can catch the 148 bus( marked in green on the map below) whisk will take you past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abby to the area around The Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and Westminster Bridge and Westminster Pier (for the boats).

Or you can cross Bayswater Road and enter Kensington Gardens, continuing south ( or wandering a bit) until you reach Kensington Road running along the south side of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. There you will find the 9 bus ( dark blue on the map) that will take you to Trafalgar Square and Aldwych. Both are good hubs for other bus routes. We like the 15 (teal blue on the map);which runs east-west past many historic and iconic buildings to St. Paul’s Cathedral, and beyond to the Tower of London.

Using the bus is very easy, and much expensive than the Tube. You can read the guide below for detailed instructions, but basically you find the right stop for your bus (they are marked with lettered signs) and board at the front, tapping your contactless credit card or Oyster card on the machine. You cannot pay cash or buy a ticket on the bus. Then find a seat (we like to ride upstairs). No need to “tap out” (as one must exiting the Tube) as the bus fare is the same no matter how far you ride.

The river boats are more expensive, but so comfortable and scenic we feel it is worth it, especially if heading to Greenwich or other distant spots. Again, you cannot buy tickets on the boat; you use your contactless credit card or Oyster to tap and pay. (If using Oyster, check to be sure you have sufficient £ on the card to cover the boat ride—-prices start at £5.20 and go up from there, depending on how many zones you traverse). You can also purchase tickets online and put the the pdf on your phone—-see the last link I posted here)

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/key-bus-routes-in-central-london.pdf

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/using-buses-in-london?intcmp=53125

https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/river/about-river-bus

https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/route-map

https://www.thamesclippers.com/plan-your-journey/ticket-information

Another suggestion. Have you thought about how you will get from the airport into London and to your hotel? Assuming you are flying into Heathrow, I strongly recommend the Heathrow Express. It goes from T3 or T5 at Heathrow Express straight to Paddington Station in 15-20 minutes, and if you buy your tickets online well ahead (like now for September travel) it is only £5.50 per person. This is faster and cheaper than either the Tube (which I do not advise for you) or a car service.

You will have to descend one level in the airport terminal to the boarding platform, but the train pretty quickly emerges from the tunnel into daylight for the rest of the journey.

https://www.heathrowexpress.com/#/

Paddington is fairly close to your apartment—a 15-20 minute 1 km walk. If you do not care to walk that distance with luggage, you can take a black cab from the taxi stand right outside the station. It is an easy level,walk from the train out to the street.

Lola: Your suggestions are very much appreciated! The specifics on the how/where of transportation options are super helpful. And I will look through each link as well. We, too, love to walk and every city we've visited includes long days of pleasurable exploring and we plan the same for London. The Rick Steves' Forums never fail to connect like-minded travelers who want to help everyone enjoy the best possible travel experience. Many thanks to everyone!

You can also take the Elizabeth line from Heathrow to Paddington. It takes about a half hour and costs 12.70 GBP anytime. No need to purchase a millenium before.

Christine — if you will have cell service during your London visit, I highly recommend downloading and using the CityMapper app. It will always give you bus options and for every option it offers you, estimates the time needed and shows you how much of that is on transit, how much is walking, etc.