First time London trip!

You might want to do a search on this site for university rentals. I have seen postings about staying in dorms when students are not there.

www.easyhotel.com. Cheaper than some Hostels, 2 people room for 25 pounds a night if you book soon enough ($40). Ensuite private bathroom with shower.

Many locations in central London. I stay in the Earls Court one every trip (near South Kensington, 10 minute tube ride to central area). I think Victoria area and Paddington are a bit more pricey.

Colleges tend to rent out during holidays and half term (End of october).

London school of economics in Holborn area is one that rents out dorm rooms. Great area, close to tube stop and grocery and tons of shops, pubs and restaurants.

Quick note: not many convents of any kind in London, let alone ones offering tourist accommodation.

FYI. When I looked into EasyHotel, they only have rooms with a double bed. No room has 2 twin beds.

London is a very safe city, just use your common sense like you would at home. I've walked from the theater late at night back to the hotel and had no problem, felt safer then I do when I walk at night here in the states.

For $40/night in London I'd sleep in a double bed with...your dog! :)

@elaine--HA! that's EXACTLY what i was thinking!

Ginny, we went to London last October and loved it! I already want to go back! We stayed at the Lancaster Hall Hotel which is attached to a hostel. This is in the Bayswater area just north of Hyde Park. Just google the hotel name and you can get prices on both the hotel and hostel - we thought very reasonable. very safe area,also.

Oops! I thought that maybe Easyhotel had two beds in some rooms. My mistake! They are great though, very clean and affordable. It is good if you only need a room to sleep and shower in. The beds are double/full sized. Are you close friends? lol.

But if it comes down to it, it might still be cheap to each get a room there, than to pay 150 pounds for a (2 bed) single crappy room somewhere else!

Thank y'all so much! These tips are such a major help!

We just got back from 10 nights in London.

Afforable sandwiches can be bought and taken away for a picnic from Pret a Manger. Everything was delcious. The prices are higher if you eat your food there. They are all over the place.

There are small grocery stores like Waitrose or Tesoro that have food for takeaway too.

Food is the most expensive I have seen anywhere.

We would go to a pub and some house wine and two inexpensive entrees and it would be 45 pounds!!!

Sandy's right. London restaurants are expensive. Save your pennies for a splurge. Pret A Manger and other similar places are good places to fill the tummy with decent food. London has plenty of fast food joints -- McDonalds, Burger King, pizza joints -- that are reasonable by comparison but more expensive than their American counterparts.

Avoid sports bar and places that obviously cater to tourists.

A random tip: Always have 10p, 20p and 50p coins on you for public loos. They arent always free. But if you need the loo and have no coins then McDonalds always has a free one and they usually dont say a word about it if you come in to use it since it is so busy they probably never notice.

An increasing number of McDonald's now have electronic locks which require a code to unlock the door. The code is printed on the bottom of the receipt. Some of the McDonalds in Amsterdam do charge for use the bathrooms. I believe the money collected goes to local charities.

Most restaurant has their menus post outside so you can see what they have and the prices. You can get a great meal at a good price in pubs...also look for small cafes they aren't expensive.

I buy the best sandwiches at Sainsbury's. They also have salad items in plastic to-go holders too. I also eat like a pig at breakfast which is included with my B&B, then a lot of times just granola bar it for a late lunch and do a sandwich for dinner. So only buying 1 meal/day. This also gives more time for sightseeing.