LSE Carr-Saunders & Cherry Court lodging

I've stayed many times at Cherry Court Hotel so I'm partial to them. The Patel family are lovely and helpful. I've stayed there on solo trips, trips with my daughter, and trips with my husband, probably 10 times over the years. Their rooms are small, but their beds are SOOOO comfortable. They are clean, safe and pleasantly small. Easy access to Victoria Bus or Tube, but we walk to Buckingham Palace, then down the mall, to the guards, Trafalgar Square, etc. and/or have walked to Parliament as well. Pimlico has a lot of restaurants from which to choose. There's also a sandwich place down the street for takeout, kind of a variety store...in lieu of a kitchen. Also, there is a grocery store and Boots in Victoria Station. In addition, I'd go for the AC to be on the safe side.

I don't know anything about the other hotel, but isn't Marylebone inconvenient? (I could be wrong about the convenience factor.)

Marylebone/Fitzrovia is emphatically NOT inconvenient, despite what the last poster says. It’s in a really nice area not far from Euston station and Regents Park, with Tottenham Court Road (good for food shops/cafes) on your doorstep. Short walk to Oxford Circus or British Museum.

It’s basically a student dorm, very acceptable standard, and one I often recommend.

Bear in mind that your budget is minuscule for London in July, and either choice is a good one.

Personally I’d hate to change rooms everyday but your views may vary.

The odds are that you won't hit very hot weather in London, but you might. For me a/c would tip the balance. I've had to change rooms, and it is annoying, but not nearly as bad as needing a/c and not having it. It will help a lot if you travel light so you don't have to spend a lot of time packing up.

Thanks so much for the opinions!

I know we have a very tight budget and that's why it's so important to us to get first hand opinions on the lodgings.

In our minds:

-the changing of rooms, size of rooms and small breakfast are the worst parts of the Cherry Court lodging. The location and en suite bathroom are the best parts in our thoughts.

-the LSE lodging's biggest benefits are no changing of room, big breakfast to start the day and hold us over until dinner, the use of the kitchen. The worst part is the shared bathroom.

Any other thoughts/opinions?

You’ve summed it up very well! Now you need to make a decision.

Personally I prefer Fitzrovia to Pimlico, as someone who works in London a lot. It manages to be fairly quiet while extremely close to bustling areas and transport. However I hate shared bathrooms.

But I know a lot of people on this board rave about the Cherry Court - it seems to have that personal touch that so many of you here like.

-Cherry Court is on a quiet side street. I agree about breakfasts, generally. I love the full feast in the morning. However, all the times we were there, breakfast arrived in a basket with fruit, drinks, and snacks. We always had something from it with us during the day, and usually something left over in the Evening. There's a coffee/tea pot in the room.
-If you travel light, it takes 5 minutes to pack up your bags. I'm sure the Patels will move the suitcases for you while you are out.

-Clearly, I'm partial.

PS: Just looked at LSE. It looks like a dorm situation. Clean. Maybe social. No character. Either one looks like it will work, so you must choose. Or flip a coin. I'm still partial to CC.

Joby! So happy you found your way to the forum! I knew you would get some opinions on your current front-runners.

I looked at the LSE website after we talked yesterday and I think my main concern would be no AC there. Long ago and far away I visited London in a July and hit a heat wave. Emma, a regular on the forum who lives in London, says that year (1976, lol!) was a record-breaker so my experience was not usual.

I'd ask how you and your daughter tolerate heat? I, personally, do not do well in heat, especially when traveling. It doesn't bother others nearly as much as it does me so you'd have to make that call based on your personal experience.

You also might hit cool and pleasant temps, too. Was it 2 summers ago that it was chilly all summer?

In any event, I know you and your daughter will have a wonderful time on your spur-of-the-moment trip!

We stayed at a different LSE dorm several years ago and the shared bathrooms were large separate dorm bathrooms for men and women. There were plenty of enclosed stalls for showers and toilets. I think we even had a sink and mirror IN our room but we had a larger room of which there were a couple on each floor. It wasn’t bad at all and I would do it again.

Lived in Marylebone for a year, and its really lovely, has a lot more personality than Pimlico.

I love all the info you are sharing! Thanks so much for that. After reading all of the posts--in my mind--it seems like the scales might be tipping toward LSE in the Fitzrovia area? Maybe, sorta :)

Aren't we fortunate to have to make this decision--first world problems.

Found photos of the nearby (near to LSE Carr-Saunders) Regent's Park--that almost tips the scale all the way :) What a lovely area to have close by to walk. Is it safe to do so?

And, thanks, Pam :)

Another fan of Cherry Court here! I stay there every time I go to London and really appreciate the kindness of the Patel family. The location is great, public transportation is so convenient, stores and restaurants nearby, and safe walking around at night. When I stayed there last summer, I was very grateful for the air conditioning!

For travelers on a budget, I think LSE is great. I can't personally speak to the Carr-Saunders location - I've stayed at their Northumberland House one a few times (including a stay that was over 2 weeks). I went with LSE Northumberland specifically because they have ensuite bathrooms in that location. Northumberland didn't have full breakfast included, but it did have small kitchenettes available to travelers if you want to cook something very simple or store some food or beverages in a fridge. It had plenty of lounge areas (rarely used by me as the rooms are spacious) and a coin-op laundry facility meant I could pack ultra light and pop in a load of laundry late in the evening. While not a super quiet residential neighborhood, it was a great location (less than 2 blocks to Trafalgar Square) because it was so central to many tourist sites that I could walk to a lot of things and I saved money on public transportation. And when I couldn't walk, it was great to be able to pop out the front door and have a multitude of public transit lines right nearby.

Only you can determine your tolerance for A/C vs. no A/C and nobody can predict the weather this far in advance. My first stay in Northumberland was for half the month of August and I was never hot. In fact, I had the windows closed because it was chilly outside.

So happy you have gotten so many good responses! It's a tough decision when there is no real right or wrong answer!

Thanks for the replies! I “think” LSE May be the better option for us now.

Now, to just go ahead and reserve :)

If you do make the decision to book at the LSE
( provided there’s still availability ) you might review the Regents Park Open Air Theatre schedule to see if there are tickets available. That is, of course, if what’s being staged during your travel dates is of any interest.

It’s a lovely park.

Thanks to everyone who posted--we've decided to go with the LSE lodging--done and booked! We think it will work out well for us. I appreciate all the suggestions/opinions :)