My party of three originally planned to arrive in London on 10/2 by train after two nights in York and before that three days in Edinburgh. At present we have rooms booked at the Doubletree by Victoria Station for four nights. After reading through Rick's guide book for the UK we think 3 1/2 days will not be enough time to see London and take a couple of side trips. We had hoped to travel by car to the Cotswolds and Statford on Avon/Warrick Castle/Oxford, so we are considering another night in London. Our hotel stay will be covered by Hilton points but for additional night I will have to pay for two rooms, which are very expensive. We can cut one night in York and add it to London and I've been looking for an apartment there for five nights. We did the same thing in Florence a few years ago and it worked out fine. Does anyone out there have any thoughts, experience or suggestions about finding an apartment for five nights in a nice section of London. The cost is not necessarily a problem because the points I'd be saving are worth 14 hotel room nights in the US. I'd like it to be in a safe neighborhood in case we're out at night, reasonably close to a tube stop or train station and if possible, close to sites we will want to see.
Posted by
Land of La
8729 posts
Search airbnb. Look for apartments in Chelsa, Earl's Court, Victoria, Belgravia,
Marleybone, S. Kensington, Knightsbridge. Tube stops are all over London. 10-20 minutes at the most from a few of these neighborhoods to the tourist site. Less from most. You can search by price and neighborhood. Only opt for places that have reviews.
Posted by
Litchfield Park, Arizona, USA
92 posts
Hi Jim, I would check out www.homeaway.co.uk which is the web site I was told about for planning my upcoming UK trip in November. They have apartment rentals all over the world and the prices are comparable if not cheaper than a hotel, plus you get the luxury of having a self contained apartment/home for the duration of your trip. The prices include everything you would need, including linen and cooking, WiFi, cable TV etc etc. Check it out and see if there is anything there that would suit your needs.
Some of them do have a minimum rental period of 3 days, but often things can be worked out with the owners. :) Happy travels !
Posted by
Washington, DC, USA
571 posts
3.5 days isn't enough to see London, but then neither is 4.5 or 5.5. You could spend a year and not see it all, but three and a half can give you a taste of it. Personally I think you're looking at the problem the wrong way. Why reinvent the wheel and adjust all your travel dates when you can cut one or both day trips and focus on London? More bang for the buck that way, in my opinion, but of course your priorities might be different than mine.
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
I was just there for 7 weeks. Didn't make a huge dent in my list of things to do. You say close to the sights you want to see... what sights? I just stayed near Victoria Station. I like the area, great access for transport, and you can walk to Big Ben in 15 minutes if need be.
Posted by
Los Angeles, California
1986 posts
3 and a half days in London does not really allow for any time to take day trips to anywehere. However, if you are willing/able to take a day away from York, why dont you do one of your optional trips (Cotswolds or Stratford- you could zip through both) spending the night in the Cotswolds and then go on to London for your original 3 and a half days using Hilton points. I love both York and the Cotswolds, but dont know how much time you will have in York