My husband and I are considering spending our week in London next September renting out a dorm during school holiday. Has anyone done this before? Does anyone have recommendations? We would like to have breakfast included with a good location in town. Also, we will need one that is coed. All reviews would be so helpful. Thanks!!!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
While I've never stayed in one, I have looked into them several times. Early September is probably ok - schools start around mid-September, so if you are planning later in the month, there may not be anything available. There is one website (which for the life of me, I can't find or remember) that you can use to book in all London dorms. There are also links to each of the dorms for more information about each one. Many of the locations are very well-located, since they are near the unies. The rooms are en suite, and basic - no A/C for example. There are usually either communal kitchen facilities, and some may have cafeteries.
Posted by
Denver, Colorado, USA
713 posts
There's a list of London schools who rent dorm rooms to tourists if you scroll down this page: http://www.reidsguides.com/t_h/t_h_university.html. The page has links to each of the schools' websites. I didn't try all of them, but the LSE one worked.
Posted by
BC, Canada
345 posts
I've stayed with LSE (Bankside, Northumberland, High Holborn, Carr-Saunders), UCL (Goldsmid), and Westminster (Wigram). All the rooms have either had one single bed, or twin singles. You'll have to figure out which, if any, have double beds, or if you're fine on your own. For the most part, I haven't had any problems (a towel went missing from my room, management said it was found downstairs on a floor number and returned it...???), other than a few poor mattresses... bedding quality would actually be my biggest concern. All were in great locations, with great rates. And some came with good food, too. All were co-ed. Do some research, check Trip Advisor for reviews (which reminds me, I need to do reviews for this summer), and figure out where will work for you.
Posted by
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
215 posts
My oldest son attended grad school at UCL. When we visited, his room which he shared with a girlfriend was basically the same as any grad student dorms I've seen in the US. It was small but adequate for two people and was en suite. There was a shared eating area with 6-8 other students attached where you could prepare breakfast. The location
was good, a short distance from the British Museum.