Where to Stay / London

I love Kensington - we always stay there. Nice neighborhoods/shopping. Close to tube line.

Matt, I like the Victoria Station area - close to the Tube, Victoria Coach (Bus) Station and within easy walking distance to many of the more popular sites (Buckingham Palace, London Eye, etc.). It's a nice "residential" area and there are some good restaurants there (I like Santini's for great Italian food). Happy travels!

I would stay near Kensington/Chelsea area....I love it. If you can get a hotel near South Kensington or Sloane Square tube stations would be a great location.

Another vote for the Victoria area. Very well located, good resturants and pubs, easy to get on tube or trains, good shopping ( for snacks, toiletries, etc.)right in the station itself! We stayed in the Thistle (now called the Gosovenor) for several years. We really enjoyed that area. Also stayed in the Covent Garden area- while nice , I actually prefer the Victoria area now.

In September we stayed at Base2Stay in Kensington. It's not an apartment but it did have a 'mini-kitchen' with microwave, sink and refrigerator and dishes, etc. It was 5 minutes from Earls Court tube station and 2 tube lines. Close to a great pub and nice, safe neighborhood. I would definitely stay there again.

Last time in London we stayed right off of Sloane Square, nice suburban feel and yet close to Tube. Kings Road is a great walk off Sloane square and its a reasonably short walk to either Harrods or Victoria Coach Station, also on a good bus route. Its as close to central London as Victoria Station, but a little more gentrified however, for a short 5 days in London on your first trip; I would stay much more central- Leicester Square area is right in the middle of the heart of tourst London- Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Theater. Someone on an earlier post found good apartments right near Leicester Square

Depends on what you want to do and see (and what type of traveler you are!). We rented a flat around Christmas last year. We were told that the areas you mentioned were ideal, but once we started looking we found a great place in Covent Garden that was convenient to everything we wanted. It was close to a couple of tube stations but that area is so walkable... we walked everywhere (Soho, Chinatown, Piccadilly, London Eye, British Museum, etc.) Harrod's was one of the few places we actually took the tube. It was quite a lively part of the city, so if that's not for you, Kensington/Victoria/Chelsea would be worth pursuing. If you're looking for theatre, shopping, nightlife, etc. check into Covent Garden.

Hello we have stayed at the Crowne Plaza Kensington (100 Cromwell). We were there in May 2009, and May 2010. We will be returning there this September. It is centrally located and right across the street from the Gloucester tube. We used the tub daily. When we took "Gray Line Tours" for day trips, we were picked up either at the Crowne Plaza or across the street at the Holiday Inn. Both properties are part of the Priority Club Hotel points system. The Kensington area is very clean and nice. Elaine [email protected]

Victoria underground station is undergoing refurbishment of the escalators over the next year. The report states that it may take as long as 15 minutes to reach the platform during this period. Personally, I would suggest that you avoid staying near Victoria during that time. Below is the post from TFL http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/stationsandinterchanges/5140.aspx Kensington and Chelsea is a large borough; exactly where are you looking in that area?

We did much the same as Andrea ... rented an apt right in the Theatre District. So close to so many things. Made for great convenience. We were just down the block from the Prince of Wales Theatre. I'd definitely stay there again for my next trip.

You would do well to read the url below outlining the various districts, relative room rates and relative ease of transfers to airports , cruise ports etc. There is no single 'best' hotel district, they all cater for different budgets and some are better for some airports than others.
The nice thing about London is you can forget about being 'downtown', London is so spread out and the public transport so good it doesn't really matter where you stay with regards sightseeing. theatre etc. www.londontoolkit.com/accommodation/london_hotel_briefing.htm

We stayed on Bayswater Rd. across the street from Hyde Park. Our hotel (Thistle Hyde Park) was about 2 blocks either way from Tube stations. Surrounding neighborhood was fun, quiet, and classic Brit.

We rented a flat for 9 nights in South Kensington. It was on Queen's Gate Road, right across the street from Imperial College. Very quiet at night. We could walk to Glocester Road tube station in about 10 minutes, where there was a nice Waitrose grocery store. We could also walk across the street and through the college campus to an underground tunnel that lead to South Kensington tube station. We enjoyed South Kensington very much and would like to stay there again. Another good area is Earl's Court. The reason I liked Glocester Road and South Kensington Stations is you had the choice to take the Piccadilly Line or the Central Line/Circle Line to get somewhere, very useful! Victoria Station has no Piccadilly Line going through it. We also caught the bus to get into central London often, we loved the view from the front upstairs seat! I think it's the best way to see London!!

I prefer Kensington but either one you can't go wrong.