England and Scotland - family of four adults

The Park Plaza hotel next to Victoria Station is pretty good and a very good location. They usually have pretty good deals when you book in advance. I have also done VRBO too and stayed in a apartment near Westminster with good results. I have been almost every year for the last 15 years so I would be more than happy to help you plan your trip, you absolutely need to see the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London too !!

I'd check out the London School of Economics. They rent spare dorm apartments to tourists. They have multiple central locations- all good, all near trube and/or bus stops.
If their site shows no availablitiy, you might want to email or call them. Sometimes their site doesn't work with certain web browsers. http://www.lsetopfloor.co.uk/ I'd also check out Citadines. They also have multiple locations. We used the Covent Garden-Holborn location years ago when we took our kids with us. http://www.citadines.com/uk/london/holborn_covent_garden.html

Thanks, Toni I did check out your suggestions. Seems the Citadine has one bedroom apts and I could not find a Top Floor place with three beds. Darren, I did also check out the Victoria Park Plaza. Looks like we would need two rooms there as I didn't see apartments. Is the Victoria Station location good for proximity to sites, tubes or ??? I am really trying to get a feel for which area of London to concentrate on for lodging. I read earlier on this helpline someone recommended areas 1 and 2 of the tube to streamline time traveling. Any pointers or suggestions?

Unfortunately London is probably going to be more expensive than usual because of the Olympics. however, for only 4 nights, I would strongly suggest be as near the center of everything as you can. A hotel near piccadilly circus/Leicester Square/Trafalgar square is very central and you can easily work to a bunch of the major sights- Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly, Green park, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Thames, Horse guards, Oxford Street etc etc. You would also be in the hub of the Tube lines and can get almost anywhere quite efficiently i have read on this site that there are some very reasonable hotels near Leicester square. My favorie location for a "quiet location" is Dolphin Square apartments near the Pimlico tube station. It is a block away from the Thames and close to the Tate and reasonable walking to Westminster Abbey. may work better than a hotel for a family of 4 adults. We have stayed there many, many times and always come away very impressed

Deedee, You mention that you have read various things online but I didn't see you mention that you had studied guidebooks. For example, Rick Steves' London. In there he shows where all the various major attractions are, and groups hotels and other rooms around them. You can then see how they all tie together. Best would be to own the book so you can pull it out for reference anytime you need it, but you can take it out of a library or look at it in bookstores. I'd suggest a bit of basic research...

Deedee, my husband and I and our two adult children made the same type of trip you are planning in 2008. We found it more convenient to bunk my husband and son in one room, and any daughter and I in another - that way we had 2 bathrooms which made getting ready for early breakfasts and siteseeing very helpful. Yes it was a bit more expensive, but you can usually get a price break if you email the hotel directly and ask. For London, I suggest finding a place along the Piccadilly tube line. That makes it very easy and economical to take the tube from Heathrow with no changes, and also getting directly to Kings Cross for the train to York. In London one of the places I can recommend is the London Lodge Hotel - it's a 10 minute walk from the Earls Court tube stop in a quiet residential area, there are tons of very nice and reasonable restaurants nearby, a grocery store on the way to and from the tube, the hotel is air conditioned, it has a lift, and breakfast is included. In York we stayed at the St. Raphael Guest House, which was lovely, and they do offer a family room that sleeps 4. It costs about £6 for a cab from the train station, but once there it is a very short walk to the walled area and alot of good restaurants. Also your breakfast is cooked to order with freshly baked bread everyday. The owners Dom and Zoe are extremely helpful. In Edinburgh I suggest Fraser Suites which is 1/2 block off the Royal Mile and within walking distance of the train station. Send me a PM if I can be of any further help, but as Nigel suggested, get a copy of Rick's Guidebook (I recommend the Great Britain one which will cover York and Edinburgh as well as London). It will be worth every penney (or pence) - Mary

Deedee,
Some Citadiens have 2 bedrooms- I think the Trafalgar Square location does. Check their home site. http://www.citadines.com/en/index.html Also,, check out this site, they are affiliated with Citadiens and have 2 bedroom units. http://www2.somerset.com/en/uk/london/st_marks.html

Thank you all for your help. Yes, Nigel, I have read the guidebooks, too - Rick Steves London, England and Scotland. They were very helpful. I will take another look at the books, but I was looking for first-hand opinions about the London neighborhoods for promixity to sights, tube as well as having quiet in the evenings. You folks are wonderful to try to help me with this and I will check out your suggestions.

Yes, Victoria Station is close to many things. I try to walk as much as possible as that is one way to "see" the city !!