"Affordable" B & B in London!

Lancaster Hall is a budget hotel, part of which is also a hostel. It used to be, and maybe still is, a German YMCA. Have never stayed there but have often heard of it.

What do you consider "affordable"?

I guess "affordable" for this age group would be $50 USD, though even that seems like a lot to a 1975 traveler! Thanks for asking for the clarification! Susan

My husband and I normally stay at an inexpensive hotel on Gloucester Place, but eons ago, I also stayed in B&Bs. A quickie search of the web found this site, which seems to indicate you can score a room in a B&B for as low as 36 pounds a night! http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/london-england.html That being said, when I was 22, I stayed in hostels, and LOVED them. Your question seems to contain an internal contradiction - first you say that your daughter has looked at hostel sites online and (it seems) doesn't like the idea of multiple people in a room - but then you say that you "just loved B&Bs so much" that you wanted to share that experience with her. So if it's your daughter who truly doesn't like the idea of hostels, then absolutely, I think a B&B would be ideal. HOWEVER, if it's your decision that she should stay in a B&B, well... my two cents' worth is that I wouldn't trade the hostel experiences I had for the world. At 22, the charming, elderly-seeming (even if they're in their 30s :-) proprietors of B&Bs are much less interesting to most college kids than the 20-something travelers from all over the world who you meet in hostels. There's a vibrant, all-traveling-and-adventuring-together community that forms in hostels that, IMHO, is an amazing part of travel when you're young and seeing the world for the first time - everything from sharing fashion tips (cool boots - where'd you get them? Modena? really?) to cooking together (OMG are you putting ANCHOVIES in that?! - wow - that's really delicious!) to bonding over near-misses (that guy was such a freaking masher!) to hanging out together and meeting locals - is an essential and amazing part of the youth travel experience. And yes, many hostels do serve breakfast.

Kira's right. I would not consider hostels at my current age, but I stayed exclusively in hostels when I was in my early 20s and would do so again if I could go back in time. B&Bs are for us older folks.

When I traveled for a year in Europe and the UK in 1975, I, too, stayed in youth hostels. However, I stayed in bed and breakfasts throughout the UK. And when I stayed at youth hostels, I stayed in the only hostels available at the time -- International Youth Hostels for which you needed a membership!!! These accommodations offered now, called "hostels," are new to me and I wasn't sure they were the same as the old hostels. If they're the same, they're fine, I agree. Thanks for your help, all!

Susan, What you knew as the "International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF)" is still around. It has just been renamed to "Hostelling International (HI)". One can still buy a membership for HI and their hostels are required to meet certain standards. Check their website for a list of HI-affiliated hostels. There are also many private hostels now as well. If she is looking for a cheap hotel room, you might look at some place like Easyhotel. This is a discount hotel chain that offers very basic rooms. They charge extra for things like watching TV.

I really think $50 US is extremely low for a night's lodging in London. It's definitely a hostel budget, and I hope she plans carefully if she's really on that tight a budget. Fifty pounds sterling is probably more realistic. (EDITED to add - 50 GBP is still IMO not very realistic. "Realistic" would be more like 80 GBP.) In my last couple of trips to London (2009 and 2010), I found well-located and comfortable but not luxurious hotel rooms for between 80 and 110 pounds per night. And I agree, the B&B thing isn't usually a draw for the young. I've also learned that we Americans tend to have a romanticized view of B&Bs. There are plenty of them in the UK that are about as "charming" as the Bates Motel, and not nearly as clean. At least, that's what I picked up from friends in the UK ten years ago. Imagine your least sociable slovenly neighbor, getting whatever official permit she needs by doing the bare minimum, and renting rooms out by the night. I assume those tend to be located mostly outside London and not in the areas where tourists tend to stay, though. There are B&B style small hotels along Gower Street in Bloomsbury, not far from the British Museum and right on the doorstep of the University of London. They tend to be affordable in London terms, some are better than others, etc. I'd check out their rates and reviews on TripAdvisor. I stayed in what may be the best of the bunch, the Arosfa, in March two years ago. The guests ran the gamut in age from old (me) to young. I seriously recommend TripAdvisor reviews for checking out hotels, including but not limited to "bargain" lodgings in London.

Here is the web address for Hostel International:www.hihostels.com You can check the web site and read reviews. I hope this helps.

easyHotel is a budget alternative. The chain, set up by the founder of easyJet but run separately, offers tiny rooms (suitcase must go under the bed if you want to turn around) but with shower and toilet, and efficient housekeeping. For October your daughter can probably find a room for as low as 45 pounds (about $75.)

We all love trips down memory lane. $350 rdtrip airfares to London but time passes. Things change. If she wants no frills there are three Tune Hotels now in London. Asian hotel chain. Book online for cheaper deals. Same goes for Travel Lodges. Can't understand why she didn't see anything on airbnb. This goes for $60 per night https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/392085 or this one, https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/581849 or this one,https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/26713. The last one, she'd be staying with a family. I use airbnb frequently. Never a problem. A little more research and I think she'll find something she'll enjoy.

Susan - The Falcon Hotel has singles ensuite for 59-69 gbp per night. It is with in easy walking distance of Paddington Station.

Thanks, all. She's got it...

Not sure if that means she's got it in terms of already having lodging squared away, or if you mean she's got the info now, but she may want to look into university housing. Not sure about the end of October right in the middle of a session, but many universities rent dorm rooms out by the day, week, or month in summers, and the price would typically be within her budget. Some even have a B&B or small hotel on campus that will serve guests year-round. You'll have to do some research, but it's a thought. Alternatively, I can offer two options I've personally used, but it was something like 8 years ago (check tripadvisor...things change): Cherry Court Hotel – Victoria Station area – very cheap for London and doable back then, and Blades Hotel – Belgravia area – a bit more but also doable at the time.

Hi,
Pretty close...$350 r/t to London: my charter flight to London was $375 in June 1971. At her age I stayed exclusively in hostels, except in (West) Berlin at a Pension. Staying in hostels is great experience to have, esp. in one's early 20s. The YHA hostels at Earl's Court and St Pancras are well recommended. I've checked out the latter myself as a possibility for future accomodations. As for a "reasonable" B&B, I would suggest Kings Cross, some are as low as 42 GBP for a single. There is also a Travel Lodge nearby on Gray's Inn Rd.

Hi,
Back in the 60s when I was traveling in London I stayed at a beautiful and comfortable hostel called Holland House. If it's still in the same condition, you will have a very pleasant holiday. Hartley

It's 2012...that was like 50 years ago!?! And I thought mentioning a place from eight years ago was risky.

and lo and behold Holland House is still a hostel. Some things change. Some don't.

A vg B&B style hotel in a vg neighborhood 1.5 block from Kensington Park is Garden Court Hotel. they have sgle rooms w/ breakfast and share bathrooms for about $70 per night.Pvt bathrooms avail for more. this is very safe for her aND SHE CAN WALK TO ALOT OF THE TOURIST SIGHTS W/O BOTHERING W/ UNDERGROUND A BIG SAVINGS. I have stayed there and recom it. However a hostel will enable her to meet other people her age and to socialize. ck out the hotel it is also in RS guidebks.

Susan, If budget is a major concern, staying in Hostels is a good option to consider. I'm 60+ and still stay in Hostels every so often, and did so again a few weeks ago in Rome. I usually choose four-bed Dorms (rather than those with more beds), as they're a bit "quieter". I usually prefer HI Hostels as I've found that the facilities are quite consistent from one location to another. They're well managed and not "party Hostels" (in my experience). Having an HI membership provides slightly better rates and preferred booking over non-members. They appear to have about seven properties in the London area, so she should be able to find a room in one of them. Prices seem to be in the range of £21 per night, which is about the cheapest lodgings you'll find in London. Cheers!

Thanks, everyone! She just booked the final bed at the Palmer Lodge Swiss Cottage, a hostel in London actually it's a little out of central London, but hey, for 100UKL for 7 nights, not bad. Yes, it's a room with 20 other females (she's young!), but it looks amazing, includes breakfast, is open 24 hours and there were some great reviews online. Those few negative reviews had responses from the manager, so I think she did well! Thanks, again for your assistance. She decided to stay in a hostel in London and go for the B&Bs outside the big city. Wish I had $1,200 to travel to London and be with her, since her traveling companion bowed out! She'll get the best of both accommodations!

When i worked in London, Swiss Cottage was considered quite a swanky address. The tube is pretty efficient to central London from there, and in good weather some enjoyable bus lines (especially from the upper deck fron seat). She should be fine

Hi, Staying at Palmer Lodge...very good choice.

Re Holland House. Even older information can be usefull information.