I will be going to London at the end of May. I have been looking at ABC Hyde Park and Marble Arch Inn. We're on a budget but would like to stay somewhere decent. Has anyone stayed at either of these two places?
Posted by
Bremerton, Washington, USA
198 posts
Jennifer; We haven't stayed at either of those two places. We stayed at the George Hotel close to Kings Cross Station and within walking distance of the British Museum. http://www.georgehotel.com/english/index.html We loved the location. Quiet street and with within walking distance of so many things. The price was very reasonable and the full British breakfast was included.
Basic rooms but clean. We will stay there again when we return to London in 2012.
Posted by
OP
Germantown, TN
8 posts
I took a look at the George Hotel. It looks nice and it is withing our budget. My only concern was the area. I've read that Kings Cross is not a place to stay even though it is central. Is this true? I know there are always shady parts of any city...we live in Memphis! But I dont' want to worry if we are out at a pub until the wee hours of the morning and then have to walk back to our hotel.
Any thoughts?
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
Jennifer: I looked it up just to be sure, but the George is one of a number of little hotels in Cartwright Gardens. My wife and I stayed at a different one a few doors down for six weeks in 1975. The area even then was very nice. Cartwright Gardens is closer to Euston than to Kings Cross. It is right across the street from a University of London dorm, and there is a little private park separating the two sides of the street. Back in the 70s when you walked 10 minutes or so to Kings Cross the area did get a little seedy. London at its worst, though, is far less dangerous than Memphis or Washington, where I now live. Although I haven't stayed in Cartwright Gardens since, I try to walk through the area every time I come back to London. Since the opening of the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras, the area on Euston Road has exploded with new developments. The neighborhood is just fine, don't worry about that at all. You are a few minutes walk from Russell Square tube station, a shopping center, three rail stations, the british Museum, and the University of London. I can't speak to the interior of the George hotel, but perhaps someone who has stayed there will comment.