London Lodging

Mary - I will preface my post by saying, "I have not stayed at this hotel, but a friend has and I value his opinion". His comment was "It met his needs perfectly". The Falcon Hotel is located close to Paddington Station. www.falcon-hotel.com/

Take a look at The London Elizabeth Hotel. It's a little further out than I like to stay, but not bad. http://www.londonelizabethhotel.com/ http://goo.gl/9gkXE I stayed at the Darlington Hyde Park for 2 nights last year. It, too, is a bit further out than I like to stay (5 minutes walk from Paddington station), but I was catching the train to Cardiff the next morning, so it was convenient. It is a 40-room hotel, and the included breakfast was pretty good. They have a laundry room too. http://www.darlingtonhotel.com/ http://goo.gl/nCUv7 Another option is the Morgan Guest House near Victoria Station. http://www.morganhouse.co.uk/ http://goo.gl/v4VwA Ridgemount Hotel in Bloomsbury, not too far from the British Museum. http://www.ridgemounthotel.co.uk/ http://goo.gl/qDu97 For a little bit more money, The Sanctuary House Hotel. It is in a great location, and they offer discounted specials on the weekends. http://goo.gl/7nqaQ http://goo.gl/WniDo

You will probably not find a decent hotel for less than $200 a night; that said, here's a recommendation of one I have stayed at: The Sanctuary House Hotel is a good value, is recommended by Frommers, and is in the top 15% on Trip Advisor. A double room currently shows £120 on weekends ($200 ish). It even fits your plan of going to the Westminster Abbey service as it's just a 5 minute walk from the hotel..... you walk out the hotel door, look right & you can see it!

I recently did the same search. Flight was in and out of London with a trip to Istanbul in between. For the first time opted to try the airbnb website. Found two great places! Both within my budget. One place will NOW be where I return each time I visit London. Perfect in every way. Have also stayed at the Vancouver Studio Apartments in Bayswater where I enjoyed having a kitchenette in the room. Have a great visit.

Mary, look at the small hotels in Bloomsbury. They operate essentially as B&B's and several seem to get good reviews. The neighborhood is nice and right up against the British Museum and very well equipped with Tube and bus transport. Also, it's going to be quieter at night that some places smack in the center of the West End. They won't be romantic, but they'll be clean and functional.

I stayed at the MOrgan HOtel in Bloomsbury last September. £90/night for a single and I see they have already raised their rates to £100. It is family-run, father and son, the staff all seemed to be the son's mates - very nice kids in their 20's. Great breakfast and free wifi. The room I was in had some vintage furniture in very good condition, modern tile bathroom and tiny kitchenette (fridge and kettle - maybe a microwave, can't remember). Tell them it's your 5th anniversary trip and they might give you one of the nicer rooms (mine was super). You don't say when you are planning to go. If you're waiting until next summer, beware - with the Olympics, prices are likely to soar even well before the games begin.

I recommend the Georgian Hotel (not the Georgian HOUSE Hotel). It's near Baker Street within walking distance of Regent's Park and Hyde Park. It is in a lovely old brownstone (or whatever they call them in London - I am blanking - anyway, an old house, it looks like) and is just lovely. It isn't frilly and super romantic, but the rooms are nice and pretty spacious, it is spotless, and the staff is really nice. We found it to be exactly what we wanted, well within budget, and ideally located. It was recommended by a friend who always stays there when he and his partner are in London. My husband even found a local pub just steps away (the Volunteer, at 245-247 Baker Street) that was friendly, non-touristy, and right up his alley for an after-sight-seeing pint. http://www.thevolunteernw1.co.uk/ Oh - and rooms at the Georgian start at 45GBP! http://www.georgianhotel-london.co.uk/

Hello. My husband and I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Kensington in 2009 and 2010. We will be returning there next month. It is part of the Priority Club Hotel Points Program. It is owned by the same as the Holiday Inns, InterConetinental and Holiday Inn Express chain. It is close to the Gloucester tube station. In fact it is right across the street. It is very convenient for all the sites. It is just one stop on the tube to Harrods. UPSTAIRS in Harrods they serve a delicious buffet lunch until 3:30. They also serve tea there in the afternoon, adjcent to the buffet. The downstairs food hall serves great fish and chips too. London is just plain wonderful.