London hotel ?

The Rembrandt is in South Kensington, across the street from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It has a fabulous breakfast buffet. It is cheaper if you fly British Airways and book through them at the time you book your flight.

Mike, that's quite a low price for a nice place in London - London tends to be one of the more expensive locations. You could look at places which advertise their rates in the local currency. The UK uses the British Pound, sometimes denoted by GBP or the symbol £. Given the current rate of exchange you are looking somewhere south of £150.

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Here are my recommends after years of London visits. All well within your budget. The Ridgemount Hotel in Bloomsbury, Luna and Simone in Pimlico, The Kensington Hotel on Queen's Gate, or the Base2Stay hotels in Kensington and SoHo. You should also check out the Ampersand in S. Kensington. Or The Rookery in Clerkenwall, Read Tripadvisor reviews on all to help narrow down what you feel meets your standards. Might also consider places on the airbnb website. Just make certain the accommodation is within Travel Zones 1 & 2.

I have stayed at the Millenium Bailey's Hotel in Kensington a couple of times. If you book a few nights in a row you can usually get a deal. It is directly across from the Gloucester Road tube station which is served by the District, Circle and Picadilly Lines which is pretty convenient. I have not had breakfast there so I cannot attest to that but there is a Starbucks and Pret A Manger across the road!

We loved the Radisson Blu Edwardian Vanderbilt in South Kensington. Right down the street from the Gloucester Road tube station and in your price range. Breakfast was wonderful there, too.

I liked the Sanctuary House hotel very very near Westminster Abbey, and right by the tube. I'm pretty sure standard room in your range.

Mike, This is our favorite London Hotel: http://www.theroyalpark.com/?gclid=COLHst_ek7kCFYdQ7Aod4w8Ayg
Near Paddington Station, so very easy to take the Heathrow Express from LHR. I can't remember the exact price but centrally located may make up for if its over your range, not only close to Paddington but also to Lancaster Gate Metro so you have the option of plenty of metros to make your way around the city. Not sure also, if the DC means you are in DC if you are just FYI, The Royal Park is under the Government Hotel rate. :) We've never eaten breakfast there but they offer it. We've stayed there four times in the last 8 years, always great.

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, South Kensington, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It is a lovely hotel in the South Kensington area. South Kensington is a picturesque area to walk around in. The hotel is directly across the street from the Gloucester Tube station. In 2012, we couldn't get a room there, due to the Olympics coming. We then stayed at the Doubletree in Westminister. The Doubletree was conveniently located also. We could go outside of our hotel, turn left, turn around and we were on the Thames. We could walk along the Thames everyday. The hotel was a short walk to Big Ben, Parliament, the Tower, Bridge, the Piers, the Horseguards Parade, etc., etc. We would go back to either hotel in a minute.

Mike, be sure to look on kayak.com to find some good rates. That's where I've been looking. When I find a decent rate on there, I look on TripAdvisor to see how it's rated, then I doublecheck that I can't just book direct through the hotel or B&B. I've found several that are closer to $150-$175 and are well rated AND central. (The ones we're looking at are in Westminster and near Victoria Station.) I'm sure you could find something near your neighborhood for less than $200! Oh, I failed to mention that our trip is the end of March, so it's close to the time that you're going. Good luck!

Just FYI, the base2stay Hotel in South Kensington has changed their name to the Nadler Hotel in Kensington. I stayed there just last month and was extremely happy with it. It's a 5 min. walk to the Earl's Court tube station (it's on the Piccadilly Line which means if you're coming and going through Heathrow it's a direct tube ride there, no transferring lines). They don't serve breakfast but there are numerous cafes and restaurants nearby and each morning I just picked up a latte and a scone and took this back to enjoy in my hotel room. The rooms have refrigerators and microwaves. I'd definitely stay there again. Cost about $175 per night for single accommodations, and well worth it.

We have had good luck with London House Hotel near Paddington.

My husband and I stayed at the Luna & Simone in the Pimlico area. It's a B&B and we were very pleased with the place. Peter & Bernard, twin brothers who own and run the establishment are great. The rooms are clean, well appointed and the bathrooms have been completely re-done and have great water pressure. We paid cash and were given the Rick Steves rate of 110 pounds per night. The Pimlico tube is a block and half away, also close to Victoria Station. Good restaurants in the area are "O Sole Mio" and "The Marquise".

We recently stayed at Millennium Bailey's and liked it and will stay there again. The location is great with the Gloucester Tube Station just across the street and the line is direct to Heathrow which was perfect for us. Waitrose is right there at the tube stop and many other handy places such as Boots, a laundry nearby, etc. Nice helpful staff there also-we had a very early flight out of LHR and they arranged for a driver.

There are lots of decent hotels in your price range. Almost anywhere in Zone 1 will be near a tube station. South Kensington, Bloomsbury, Trafalgar Square/Covent Garden, Victoria Station, and Westminster are good areas to consider because they are all walking distance to several tourist sites. Not true of Paddington. Also, be sure that the hotel you are looking at really is in South Kensington, and not Earl's Court (sometimes they lie!). Earl's Court has convenient transportation, but it is on the edge of central London and is not walking distance to any major tourist sites. The Strand Palace is my favorite hotel in London because of its location. It's right behind Covent Garden and is walking distance to the River Thames, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, West End theatres, Westminster Abbey, London Eye, and the Southbank, just to name a few. It's also walking distance or a short tube ride to Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and Leicester Square. http://www.strandpalacehotel.co.uk/ The Ridgemount Hotel in Bloomsbury is below your budget. http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/prices The Morgan Hotel in Bloomsbury is another good option. http://www.morganhotel.co.uk/index.html The Lime Tree Hotel near Victoria Station is quite nice. http://www.limetreehotel.co.uk/ You can check reviews and traveler pictures of these and other hotels on tripadvisor. Also check Londontown.com for more hotels.