Hotel recommendations in London

There are many suggestions in RS's books. Try there first.

Be prepared for a little sticker shock. London is beyond experience. We are just back from a long weekend in London -- about three years since I last visit, London was always expensive but this was unreal. When we arrived on Thursday the pound hit an all time high -- 2.02. The prices as listed in pound is about right for an expensive Am city. Nine pounds for a small glass of wine doesn't look too bad until you multiply by 2.02. Eight dollars for a zone 1 &2 one way ticket. For movement within center London is actually cheaper for two via taxi.
Have fun. London is still a wonderful place to visit -- just take more money.

I am agreeing with Frank. Having said that, London is still my favorite big city. Hotels and B and B's are outrageous, so be prepared to scale down your standards if you need to save some money. Since all you will be doing is sleeping, go easy on the amenities in favor of more fun stuff in the city. Most museums are free so you save money there. The biggest shock for me was the Tube prices, it used to be affordable to use mass transit, now like Frank says it is cheaper to take a cab which doesn't make any tourism since for the Brits since they are trying to cut down on traffic and pollution. Go and have fun! For the most affordable and greatest food, go to the Crypt at St Martin's in the Field (next door to the National Gallery)

In regards to the tubes fares, the one-way prices are intentionally set high to encourage folks to invest in the Oyster Cards. You can save a singnificat amount on fares by getting an Oyster and to a lesser extent the day pass. For more info check you this guide: http://tinyurl.com/37jfk6

Where are you flying into? If Gatwick, consider the Victoria Thistle. If Heathrow, consider staying in Windsor. The Castle Hotel is nice.

Michael, my understanding of the Oyster card is the ride is charged full fare ($8, per ride) until the price of a one day travel card is achieved. And the is no additional charge for rides after the price of a travel card. No savings for one or two rides. If making a lot of trips on the tube/bus you could have good savings but for one or two trips it is not worth it.

Frank, you never pay the full-fare with the Oyster card. The Oyster card is always cheaper so it is generally worth getting the card even if you are just taking a couple of trips. A single fare with a ticket bought from the machine is now a minimum of 4 pounds whereas the Oyster single fare in zone 1 is 1.50.

We stayed at Vancouver Studios, in Sept. 2005. It's close to the Bayswater tube stop.

www.vancouverstudios.co.uk

I'd definitely stay there again. There is no lift, and your room might have a lot of stairs required to get to it, if that's a concern. We had a kitchenette in our room, which was really nice for breakfast and popcorn!

You can also try hotwire.com for great deals. I was very fortunate to get 3 1/2 star hotels for $100 (dollars not pounds) per night, VAT included. One wa the Hilton Wardorf, the other was Crowne Plaza.

Try the B&B Belgravia. I stayed there at the end of August for 3 nights. Cozy beds, good breakfast, free internet access and a self-serve free espresso machine in the lobby. It's right near Victoria Station on Ebury street. Cost was 80GBP a night. More reviews on Trip Advisor.