Where to sleep in London, two hotels and an apartment for short and long periods, all tested and strategically positioned, but above all three solutions to sleep in London all low cost. A difficult undertaking in the English metropolis, yet possible!
Chaotic, multicultural, sparkling and magical, London it is one of the most visited European capitals at any time of the year and by all kinds of tourists: families, groups of friends, singles, students, everyone always has a good reason to spend a few days in the multi-faceted British city. Unfortunately, however, London is also one of the European capitals with the higher cost of living: from accommodation, to food to transport, it is sometimes really difficult to get by on the cheap. Let's find out how to find a London cheap hotels.
London, Hotel at a good price
I have personally visited London many times at different times of the year, and I can confirm that the word "sleep" is definitely one of the highest budget items, unless you choose definitely out of town accommodations.
My enterprising soul, however, has always allowed me to find accommodation with a satisfactory quality / price ratio, in very different areas of the city.
I experimented with two different solutions:
Hotel for short stays of 2-3 days maximum
Our Apartments for longer stays
I've never tried hostels because I often travel alone or with my daughter, so I need peace of mind, security and… cleanliness - which is not so obvious in London!
Clearly the apartment has a much lower cost per person than hotels, especially if you are traveling in a group or family.
Furthermore, staying in an apartment has the undeniable advantage of being able to prepare food independently, with a considerable saving on the "meals" item and also to the benefit of the liver, since the varied London food puts a strain on the digestive system. anyone.
Matthew's apartment
The apartment that I can recommend you I found it on the Airbnb website and it is run by young Matthew.
Located in the quiet neighborhood of Islington, near Finsbury Park and still in 2 zone (an advantage in terms of transport costs and travel times). This is a classic Victorian style house with brick walls and bow windows to the front.
The neighborhood is residential, quiet and safe.
The house is large by London standards: it is composed of a large and very bright living room with a kitchen open and very well equipped, a brand new bathroom with a large and a comfortable shower bedroom.
In the living room there is a large and very comfortable sofa bed for 2 people.
The house really is clean (incredible but true!) and equipped with all kinds of equipment: from soaps in the bathroom, to basic necessities in the kitchen, detergents, washing machine, large refrigerator, TV, console, fully functional wi-fi, sheets and blankets available. in conclusion everything you need to ensure a more than comfortable stay.
Furthermore, Matthew is a really smart person with whom it is very easy to interact: he is very helpful.
The apartment is located in a residential area, therefore very quiet: during the night there is a pleasant silence, interrupted only by the infrequent passage of cars.
The location is also really strategic. A 5 minute walk away is a nice Tesco supermarket, various shops and places to eat something.
Also a 10 minute walk away is the bus stop.Underground Finsbury Park, on the central Piccadilly and Victoria lines. From Finsbury Park station, you can reach all of the heart of London in under 20 minutes.
In my opinion, this housing solution is excellent in terms of quality / price ratio especially for a small group of friends (4 people) or for a family with children.
London: Recommended hotels
For very short stays, however, choosing to stay in an apartment is not the best solution, because frankly you don't even have time to organize yourself with the expense that you already have to share.
For this reason, in my raids of a couple of days in the British capital, I preferred to stay in a hotel. In particular, I would like to recommend two, in different but equally strategic areas. Excellent especially if you are interested in shopping.
Zeta Hotel Gloucester Place
The first solution I can recommend is it Zeta Hotel Gloucester Place, strategically located in the Marylebone area, a stone's throw from Oxford Street.
The closest underground stop is Marble Arch on the Central Line, or Baker Street, where 5 lines intersect.
With a 5 minute walk you are in the beautiful Regent's Park. Always with a short walk you can also reach the Sherlock Holmes Museum and the famous Madame Tussaud's Evening Museum. Finally, a few steps from the hotel you can take Oxford Street with all its miles of shops.
The hotel has a excellent value for money, it is extremely clean, has very comfortable beds, is very quiet, and finally has comfortable and brand new bathrooms.
The rooms are not very spacious and no doubt not suitable for long stays. But they have every kind of comfort: individual heating, toiletries, hairdryer, TV with satellite channels.
It is possible to have breakfast in the hotel and frankly it is very convenient: however the quality / price ratio of the breakfast service in my opinion leaves a little to be desired because the buffet available is not very varied (there are not even scrambled eggs) compared to not a low cost.
Therefore, if you do not particularly care about the comfortable breakfast at the hotel, you will surely find excellent alternatives in the surrounding area. In fact, a few hundred meters away there are a couple of Starbucks coffees that guarantee you will not be left with a dry mouth.
Personally I very much appreciated the helpfulness of the staff of this hotel, in addition to its extreme cleanliness and finally proximity to Oxford Street. I was in London for shopping: there was a Primark less than 5 minutes walk from the hotel ... heaven, especially if you have teenagers like mine!
Ibis London Shepherd's Bush
Another hotel that I can recommend is theIbis London Shepherd's Bush.
This 3 star hotel really is cute and comfortable and is located in an area in the homonymous district of Sheperd's Bush, west London, a few hundred meters from the very famous Westfield shopping center.
The hotel belongs to the Ibis chain, which guarantees excellent value for money.
A 24 hour reception is available in the hotel. I must say that the staff are very courteous and helpful on all occasions.
In the hotel there is a convenient restaurant and bar where to eat / drink something if you don't want to go out. In any case, there is everything around, from shops to places to eat.
The rooms are silent, with very comfortable bed, spacious and clean, with a hairdryer available, independent air conditioning, tea / coffee making facilities and complimentary toiletries in the bathroom.
The breakfast it is served in the lobby bar; at peak times there may not be enough seating for everyone. The offering is not pharaonic but very good, basically more salty than sweet.
Overall the structure is good, the staff particularly efficient and kind, the location is excellent. The feasible price for being London. Definitely to be taken into consideration!
From a logistical point of view, the hotel is also very convenient: it is located a few hundred meters from the station Sheperd's Bush on the Central line still in zone 2, so in a really practical position, even if slightly away from the center - but not too much.
The undeniable advantage of this hotel, in addition to the average price lower than the others of the same category in zone 1-2, is the location.
The proximity to Westfield in fact, it guarantees you to have available every day of the week and until late evening not only shops for shopping but also cinemas, cafes, bars to tease, pubs and restaurants.
You are spoiled for choice, and it is no small feat for a dispersed city like London.
The area among other things is mainly commercial and residential, therefore relatively safe and silent at night. Not bad eh!
I hope I have given you some useful advice to guide you in the difficult choice of accommodation for yours London stay.
Whatever your choice, one recommendation: book early, because London is a very popular city and if you are not timely you risk having to settle, or spend a fortune.
