My husband and I are traveling to London in Sept. 09 --questions?

Question

We were thinking of staying in a hostel, but it seems like couples cannot share beds in hostels because they are broken up into male and female rooms.

What are some other options for us besides the expensive hotels? We don't want to stay on the outskirts of London, but $200 USD per night is crazy!

What are some good (not ritzy, but not scary, either) neighborhoods in London that are centrally located?

Any recommendations on how to handle travel about London? Obviously the Tube would be most convenient, but it seems the most affordable option is buying a 7 day Tube pass for each of us, which still equals over $600 USD for both of us!

Any suggestions on how to have a nice stay in London without breaking the bank would be lovely!

Answer 1

Actually the YHA Youth Hostel Association now does Family Rooms and they say hostelling is for everyone! We found the clean purpose-built budget group of hotels to be perfectly acceptable and central. We kept a London travelog of it all. We found the daily travelcard to be much cheaper and inclusive if you keep off-peak. We had a great time, hope you do too!

Answer 2

my wife and i went to london about two years ago and stayed north of bayswater road which is north of hyde park. we actually stayed at a hotel

called caring hotel. small quaint less expensive. also, take advantage of the bus system. it is clean less expensive than the tube and it allows you  to see where you are coming from and going and how it all connects. good luck and have loads of fun.  

Answer 3

Hi Guys,

I work for Transport for London so I tend to get asked variations of this question quite a lot.

Rooms in the heart of London are fairly pricey,so I'd recommend staying slightly further afield. Not too far though. A lot of people tend to stay in Croydon because it's far enough to be a fair bit cheaper and offers easy access to the Capital - train services from East Croydon to London Victoria take roughly 20 minutes, with services available about every 10 minutes. A weekly Zones 1-5 Travelcard will cost £41.40 ($80+) each. What's more the trains from London Victoria to East Croydon are 24 hours, so you could just as easily sample the night life in London and get back to your hotel quickly.

As for a place to rest your heads after a good day's sightseeing, I'd say go for the Travelodge (www.travelodge.co.uk - search for their Croydon Central hotel). It's walking distance from the train station (5-8 mins walk) and walking distance from local night life (bars, restaurants, mini markets, cinema etc). A typical stay in September should be roughly £60 ($120) per night. To be honest, you won't find a comparative 3/4 star hotel for much cheaper than that, if any at all. The alternative would be to look for bedsits and hostels.

Without knowing your budget it's a little tricky, but I hope that helps.

Hope you have a great time!

Answer 4

I can't advise you on the hotel, but you've got your calculations wrong on the Tube. It's expensive, but not that expensive.

A seven-day pass covering the central zones 1 and 2 - which would cover almost anywhere you would want to go as a tourist - would cost £24 each for the week, about US$50. So not nearly as bad as you thought.