Place to stay

Pamela, you need to do a bit more research. There are hundreds of hotels in London. It is impossible to recommend one, especially as you give no info on your preferences. What do you call "not too expensive". Hotels in central London start around £100 per night.
London does not have a "downtown" (nor does any other city in Europe, it is a US term). The centre of London stretches over many miles, from the City via the West End to Westminster, and some sights are outside this area. You will need to travel by tube (métro/Underground Railway) or by bus from sight to site, so any hotel that is convenient to a tube station (and most are) will be "near all the sights".

You need to get a map of central London with all the sights marked. Plenty on the Internet, start by reading this leaflet here.

(And nobody but Americans says "London England")

Some Canadians might say London, England as some of us live fairly close to London, Ontario. ;)

Kathy, ah but, if you choose to name a town after some other, it is beholden on you to add a qualifier, as in Frankfurt am Main, or Stratford upon Avon. London will always be just London, same as Boston is a small town in Lincolnshire, Halifax is in Yorkshire, and Brunswick is a town in Germany and (for the benefit of Pamela) Newmarket is in Suffolk. :-)

Pamela,

Getting back on-topic, I have stayed in the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum and Darlington Hyde Park hotels. I chose each for particular reasons and was happy with each.

The Darlington is within walking distance to Paddington train station/tube stop and Hyde Park. Very convenient jumping-off point for site seeing by the able bodied. The rooms we small and stuffy and the breakfast not really memorable but the room was clean and the staff friendly.

The Holiday Inn was typically “Holiday Inn.” Not very charming but you know what to expect and your expectations aren’t disappointed. It’s VERY conveniently located halfway between Earl’s Court and Gloucester Rd tube stations and on a major (#7) bus line. It’s within walking distance to the Natural History, V&A, and Science museums. If you are a “walker”, it’s also within easy walking distance to Hyde Park, Kensington Palace and Harrods. More energetic walkers even might walk to Buckingham Palace (~2 miles) or beyond. At any rate, the location is very good for site seeing…

London is one of the most expensive cities in Europe. But, although it has a really fine public transportation network, spending the extra money for a close-in hotel (or rental) pays off as it allows you to maximize tourist time.

I think my next trip to London will involve a holiday rental apartment. Apartments seem to be a lot better value than hotel rooms especially if traveling in a larger party. There are some really attractive holiday rentals in the Earl’s Court/South Kensington area.

Good luck,
Todd

Hi, two moderately priced hotels that I can recommend are: The Luna Simone, in the Victoria Station neighborhood--on a great bus line and near the tube. And, The London Elizabeth, across the street from Hyde Park, at Lancaster Gate, near Nob Hill--a half block from tubs station. Both are lovely, small hotels and not pricy..... Check out their websites for more info. Karen