Affordable, safe lodging in London for young woman traveling solo

J., you will see lots and lots of London hotel suggestions in many threads here. London is a very expensive place, but you can get safe, clean, comfortable and affordable rooms. The Bloomsbury neighborhood has a good number of smaller hotels that operate as b&b's. It's quiet, attractive, centrally located, well served by the Tube and buses. Very near the British Museum. Many of these smaller places are family-operated, and the difference between a great place and a not-so-good place can be attitude and thoughtfulness. Look for that when you check out reviews. And don't wait too long to book.

Hi, J. "Affordable" means different things to different people, but check out www.darlingtonhotel.com. I've stayed there once and am booked in again for this September. Staff were friendly, room was clean and comfortable. Easy walking distance to Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens, as well as to Paddington Station and Lancaster Gate. Safety and security, particularly for female travelers, are their priorities.

Check out the London School of Economics. They have multiple locations near good tube/bus stops (some more central than others but all reasonable). Here is the website for their fall rentals http://www.lsetopfloor.co.uk/ You get a kitchen, ensuite and access to student services like the laundry room. You could also check out Citadeins at this website
http://www.citadines.com/ They also have multiple locations- several VERY central. You need to realise that London is a very large city and the sites are not all located in a small area. However, the Tube and bus system is very save, relatively cheap (check out the postings here and on TripAdvisor about Oyster Cards and Travel Cards), and very easy to use. Any accomodation inside the circle line on the tube map (yellow line, I think ,on the map) will be reasonably close to most of the major sites.

I recently stayed at the Vandon House Hotel, which is owned by a college in Iowa. It worked out great for me - price and location. They have a 24-hour front desk Here's the link: http://www.vandonhouse.com/. Recommended in RS guidebook.

J. It would help if you could provide some details on your criteria for "affordable". What price range are you considering? Also, what type of "establishment" are you considering - budget Hotel, Hostel or ??? Finally, do you have a preference on which part of London you might like to stay? You might find it helpful to have a look at the London or England Guidebooks, as there are good listings for Hotels in various price ranges and in various parts of the city. You should be able to find the Guidebooks at your local Libarary or larger Book stores. Note that these are now available in E-book format, if you have a Reader.

I have stayed at the Vondon House and it is an excellent place to stay. Just be aware that single rooms do not have en suite baths and you wil need to go down the hall to shower. The Alhambrah Hotel near St Pancras is a good hotel also.

Go to www2.travelodge.co.uk. We use them every trip and they have Holiday inn express type lodging all around London. Sign up and you can get very inexpensive sale notifications all around London and the UK. Our favorite is Marleybone Travelodge, right across the street from the tube and rail station. Sign up soon, as the fall sales might be on any time. We once got rooms for NINE pounds per night, often they go for 19 pounds. None better IMHO.

We have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Kensington, 100 Cromwell and been extremely happy with the hotel and its location. We stayed there in 2009 and 2010,. We will be staying there again this September. It is in a very safe neighborhood. It is right across the street from the Gloucester tube station. It is very convenient to touring in London. Kensington is a highly recommended area to stay in in according to the tour books.

I suggest the Premier Inn London County Hall hotel. I've stayed there as a single woman and with friends, moderate, clean, great location right across the Thames from Parliament.

I stayed (single woman) at the Morgan Hotel in Bloomsbury, literally around the corner from the British Museum. Great location, quiet at night, fairly close to several tube stations, mostly took the bus, as several stopped right in front of the hotel. Everyone was very nice, the staff all native English speakers, huge breakfast, free wifi. To save money, I used theatremonkey.com for the theatre - lots of good advice there. Many of the museums are free, including the British Museum. The Oystercard was very convenient for getting around and saved me a bit of money too.

I stayed at the Hilton Hyde Park. I felt very safe, was right by a great tube and bus lines, and right across from Hyde Park, near Kensington Palace.