B&B's in London

Cara, You won't find many (if any) true b&bs in London. Much more common is a small hotel that may (or may not) include a full English or continential breakfast. Many on this board have recommended the Luna Simone or the Lime Tree in the Victoria Station area of London. I would also suggesst that you check the London Forum on TripAdvisor.

Glad you made the point about "B&B's" in London, Toni. I think it's helpful to point out to people that they're about as likely to find a true B&B in London as they are in Manhattan. But we must get 20 or 30 people a month who are, apparently, looking for B&B's in some of the world's largest cities. I don't know where these people are ending up, but I think it helps to give them a heads up on what to expect and not expect.

Can you define "reasonably priced"? A site like londonbb.com has rooms available scattered around London; however, many are in neighborhoods further out from the center (Notting Hill, Camden Town, Hampstead, etc.) so you'd need to use the Tube a lot. Do you have any idea what area of London you would like to stay in? Also many of the londonbb.com offerings are private rooms in someone's home and again, may or may not include breakfast, and may or may not offer a private, ensuite bathroom. If you are willing to forego breakfast, another option for reasonably priced lodgings in central London would be the rooms or studio apartments rented to tourists through some of the local colleges and universities. There are many available during the summer season, and a few colleges keep a very small handful of rooms available to tourists throughout the year (ex. London School of Economics "Top Floor" has rooms year-round at the Northumberland location which is less than 2 blocks to Trafalgar Square). The bonus with booking through the universities & colleges is that if you need to cancel, you won't lose a lot of money like you would with a B&B as many B&Bs require you to forefeit your deposit (typically a night's deposit) unless they can book the room last minute.

Cara, Ceidleh asked you to define "reasonably priced". I will ask you to define "London". Last year I was searching for a reasonably priced B&B "in London" (it was £60 for a twin bedded room) and www.smoothhound.co.uk took me to The Melrose House in Penge East. It was a bit of a walk to the train station, tho not awful, and a bit of a train ride into Town, again not awful. (My sister wanted us to stay in "a nieghborhood".) Our room was in the annex and not pictured in the brochure. Breakfast was good and met some very nice people also staying there. So, my advice is to look a little further afield and share your experiance with us.

My husband and I are staying at one of the locations offered by londonbandb.com next week. It is right in Westminster, near the Pimlico station and not far from Victoria, it includes a private room and bath and breakfast, and it is 95GBP per night.

Jessica: For many years my wife and I would stay at Dolphin Square very near the Pimlico Station (I understand they have changed) and were very comfortable in the area. can walk to Westminster and the Tate Museum. Not far by tube frrom Victoria, and well served by busses

Daughter and I have stayed at homes in 2 B&B networks, London Home to Home and At Home in London. Both networks have a wide range of homes and prices across London, with full or Continental breakfast, and some have ensuite bathrooms though we always did shared bath to keep our expenses down. Really enjoyed talking with our hostesses at both locations. Have a great trip!