London, England

Expensive... depends on YOUR budget- give us some idea of what you want /need and what you would like to spend. Also- I'd recommend NOT doing the London Pass. The Hop On/Off buses can be ok to get orinted, but onlly if you really want to or need to. You can easily get travel passes from the National Rail stations and use the 2-for-1 deals to save some money. One thing to consider if you will be there for several days- rent an apartment. Check out the London School of Economics- they rent spare dorm rooms and apartments to tourists. www.lsevacations.co.uk/ or www.lsetopfloor.co.uk/
You get ensuite, kitchen or kitchen access, and use of student facitilites like laundry room and lounge (read- TV and game room). Seems to be very reasonably priced and they have multiple locations in central London.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, 100 Cromwell, South Kensington, London. We stayed there in 2009, 2010 and 2011. It is a very nice hotel. It is directly across the street form the Gloucester tube staation We used Gray Line Tours for our day trips inside London, Bath, Cotswolds, Windsor Castle, etc. You can look them up at Gray Line Tours.com. We were picked up for some of our tours right across the street from the Crowne Plaza at the Holiday Inn. Crowne Plaza is owned by the same hotel chain as Holiday Inn.

I'm going to England for the first time in July. In planning (and I have to thank so many of the posters here for their tips!!), I've found that the 2-for-1 deal through the Days Out Guide is the best way to save entry fees to many London sights. I originally looked at the London Pass, but realized that unless we went to every single place that I was even vaguely interested in seeing, we'd be paying more for the pass than the individual entry fees. Going the 2-for-1 route means that we're only paying for those we get to, and IIRC, the 7-day TravelCard through National Rail (which is the one that comes with the 2-for-1 deal) is the same price as it would be through TfL (London public transit). Also, if you're going to be taking the train anywhere, make sure you book three months out (although if you're going in May, it might be too late)I was just looking at the one-way fares from London to York, and it looks like we'll be able to save 160 pounds total (26 GBP for two vs. 186 GBP) if we pay for our tickets online as soon as they're available as opposed to getting them at the station when we leave! As for our London hotel, we're probably spending too much, but I wanted a place with great location and both en-suite bath and breakfast included, so we're staying at the Morgan Hotel just behind the British Museum in Bloomsbury, which is about a 5-minute walk to Tottenham Court Road tube station. We're paying 130 GBP/night (around $200), which is a bit pricey, but it is peak tourism time in early July in a big city.

Brian, take a look at the London Lodge Hotel. It's about a 5 to 10 minute easy walk from the Earls Court tube stop (which is on the Piccadilly line so a straight shot from Heathrow). The hotel is air conditioned, has an elevator, comfy beds, friendly staff, and a very tasty breakfast is included in your rate. It is situated in a safe and quiet neighborhood, and there are tons of restaurants nearby. You are also just a short tube ride to most sights. As a matter of fact, we're staying there again in a couple of weeks. I usually check on prices through tripadvisor.com or hotels.com, and then check the hotel's website or call them to see what deal they can give. Also Kathy gave you some good advice - check into the 2-for-1 deals (www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london)available if you purchase your daily travelcards from the rail (train) system instead of the tfl (subway). Hope this helps - Mary

Thank you Mary, this is so helpful.

Brian, I found a couple of B&B's in the Bloomsbury area that seemed reasonable, at least when compared to other London hotels!! The Ridgemount Hotel, the Morgan, the Crescent, the Harlingford, the Jesmond and the Arran House prices vary from one to the next, but the area has been highly recommended as very central. Plus the British Museum is right there and it's free :)

At this late date, you may want to bid for a hotel on Priceline within a price range that works for you...and I would bypass the bus tour and the London Pass - just do a little research and make a list of the sites you want to see. You'll find many are free - British Museum, British Library, National Gallery, Changing of the Guard, Thames River walk, etc.