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Family Friendly B&B in London

HI folks need some more recommendations on B&B in London. Most places recommended by Rick are not kid friendly or are so small that they dont have any availability for summer.
We are traveling with 2 kids (4 & 11) and want to find something between $250-$300 USD including Bfast. Thanks Priya

Posted by
713 posts

There's the Arosfa Hotel. It's on Gower Street in the Bloomsbury area. http://www.arosfalondon.com/ I stayed there for a week in 2010 and liked it a lot. Pros and cons all mixed up together: They have some family (4 person) rooms; upstairs, no elevator. I don't think it's air conditioned. Good breakfast in garden (basement) level dining room. Friendly helpful staff/owners.

Posted by
1265 posts

Priya - A friend uses stays here when he and his family travel to London. He says it meets his needs quite well.

Posted by
784 posts

I'm not sure what you're looking for in terms of "kid friendly," but we stayed at the Lime Tree Hotel last year with our two teens, in a four-person room. The space was tight, but we knew it would be. The location was good, close to Victoria Station.

Posted by
43 posts

If you're looking for a real B&B and not a hotel with breakfast, I found this B&B agency. We ended up renting their listing in Belgravia which I don't think is kid frendly, but they do have listings that are. We haven't stayed there yet, but so far the agency has answered our questions in a timely fashon. They have listings in your price range and in the central part of London. www.athomeinlondon.com

Posted by
713 posts

Just FYI, the other day I learned that one of my favorite London hotels (from personal experience as a guest) was named by Trip Advisor as the best family hotel in London in 2011: base2stay in S. Kensington. See http://www.base2stay.com/kensington_family.shtml It's a small hotel with a nice exterior that blends into its old residential area, and an interior that was gutted and modernized a few years ago. Nice sized bathrooms, not palatial but not airplane-sized either. The hotel does not have a kitchen or serve breakfast, but each room has a mini-kitchen including fridge, microwave, sink, dishes, cutlery, etc. Wonderful for keeping snacks and light meals on hand vs. dining out every single meal. And when I was there they had discount deals with local restaurants.

Posted by
19 posts

We stayed at the Blades hotel in the Pimlico area. It was convenient to bus & subway (we used the Oyster Card). It has a great breakfast included and the manager Richard (I think that was his name) was wonderful to our children, 6 and 9 years old at the time. Our daughter lost a tooth while we were there and she was so excited to go to breakfast and tell him that the tooth fairy leaves pounds under the pillow in England. We had a quad room with a double bed and 2 singles, a small balcony and private bath. I looked at the price for July and the same room is 175 Euros ($229) per night. Nice, clean, safe area with a large grocery store nearby with pizza/prepared foods section if picnic-ing for lunch or dinner. Our kids were worn out and hot pizza in the room and the British version of Wipeout was a great evening on a few nights.

Posted by
20 posts

Thanks all for the recommendations. Most of them have no availability.
Does availability open up closer to the date (with 7 day cancellation policy)?

Posted by
5471 posts

If you are willing to go with a chain hotel, you might look at the Premier Inn chain. They have family rooms where kids under 16 are free.

Posted by
10 posts

It's already getting really booked up for Summer in London. We are also traveling in June with 2 kids. You may have to raise your budget a bit unless you want to be on the outer parts of London. We booked a family room at The Cumberland, from the recommendation of a friend. Great location and breakfast is available or included and also 2 bakeries right outside.http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g186338-d199113-Reviews-The_Cumberland-London_England.html Also, have you considered renting an apartment? We did this twice in London with kids and it's a lot more affordable and you get a larger space. Check out this:http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p271498vb Also, Onefinstay.com has great places. Good luck!

Posted by
19 posts

You may want to try http://www.cross-pollinate.com/ It is reccommended by Rick Steves in his Italy guidebook. My family of 4 is using it this summer in Rome for the first time, so I can't give any opinions yet. It is apartments and B&Bs, which seem to have much more space than hotels, but you will have to check dates.

Posted by
931 posts

Priya, we have used VRBO and Homelidays.com in the EU to find our apt rentals, with great sucess. Any time we are going to stay more than 4 days, we look for an apt. Make sure any that you select have great reviews, and lots of them. If possible, vett your choice on Tripadvisor. Google Map/Stret View the actual location, and ensure that it is in an area that is suitable. The best/most secure method of payment is a credit card. Always verify that you are talking to real owner by following up with a phone call to the listed number. Make sure that there is a local contact, in case you have a qurstion or problem in the apt.