I know it's expensive to stay in london but my parents want to go when i go over to see my fiance`. We'll go to his house in east sussex but they want to stay in london for a few days. Any suggestions on affordable hotels that aren't gross and possibly close to a tube station? Need help, i've only been to london once and all the hotels i look up seem about the same.

We stayed at one - was called Rubens - was directly across the street from the royal stables..only a short walk to Buckingham and all the rest. Not huge - wasn't over priced - clean - came with breakfast. But - nothing is 'cheap' in London. Don't remember the price, but worth it. They would enjoy the stay there.

*Close to Buckingham
*Tube
*Rail (not far)
*Hyde Park
*Pubs - shopping etc.
*Nice place to be - right in the thick of it but quiet and cozy

Rubens

We stayed at The Parkcity London Hotel in Sept. 2006. It was amazing. Clean, on a quiet street, exceptional staff..from the doorman, to the reception desk to Ruby's--the small but very well run bar. At just over $200/night it may be more than your parents are looking to spend, but I can tell you they will leave feeling relaxed and well cared for!

Just a word about room size. It's a good thing Heather mentioned it before we arrived. I was anticipating US size rooms.....not college dorm room sizes! She laughingly said, "Hey that's how things were built 200+ years ago. There are restrictions about renovations, too." In Cambridge, the room was HUGE in comparision.

Here's a tidbit of info about it. You may be able to get a better price by checking different web-sites..........

Location. The Parkcity London Hotel In London, England's Lexham Gardens, Is In A Quiet Setting, But Has Easy Access To Both The Earl's Court Exhibition Center And The Shopping And Sights Of Kensington. The Hotel Offers Quick Access To Three Tube Stations, Earls Court, High Street Kensington And Gloucester Road. All Three Stations Are On The District Tube Line Providing Quick Travel To All London Sites And Attractions, Including Sloane Square, Victoria, Cannon Street, Wimbledon, Hammersmith, Richmond, Kew Gardens And Ealing Broadway. London Heathrow Airport Is 14 Kilometers From The Hotel.

We prefer the Berners hotel right off Oxford street...but as someone already said, nothing is really ever 'cheap' in London.

ETA: just was looking for some links and I came across this....the hotel is closed for a massive reconstruction

http://www.jjwhotels-fr.com/en/thebernershotel/index.shtml

Thanks guys, i'll have a look and show my parents. If you have any more ideas i'd sure like to hear about them. They'll be staying in Eastbourne as well so i'm looking for a place there for them also. All ideas welcome.

I have two suggestions for you.

Quality Crown Paddington (renovated in 2005). We stayed there 9/05 right after they reopened. Everything was new and clean - still typically small but quite nice. I believe we paid 72 quid per night. The staff were Indian.

Parkwood Hotel (B&B) in Hyde Park area. Quaint and typical. 70 quid for a double bed ensuite. This was our favorite just because it was truly 'european'. Not new but cozy. The hostesses were Poles.

I only make note of the hotel staff because it was an interesting discovery to me that so much of the population of London are not born-and-bred British.

Our last stay in London was at a Thistle - certainly not the be all and end all, but I don't think it was overly expensive.

The one I liked even better, however was the Brompton Hotel which I recall being reasonable when we were there - it was right across from the tube station in South Kennsington: http://www.bromhotel.com/ It was a very London/euro hotel, which should mean something to Americans now accustomed to staying in non-US hotels. It's super close to museums (V&A) and - most importantly for me - walking distance to Harrods!

It is literally across the street from the Tube station too.

Oh - also - if you stay around there - or even if you don't - might I suggest a London Walk? http://www.walks.com/ They have a bunch on every night of the week and my fiance and I love them. We stayed at the Brompton and did this Old Knightsbridge Pub Tour - http://www.walks.com/Homepage/Friday/default.aspx#141 - that was loads of fun (and full of pubs, c'mon what more do you want) - it met right at the tube station too. So get there, dump your luggage, and hit the town.

Well, they won't win any prizes in the Deluxe category, but the Travelodge chain is dependably inexpensive and, as they say over here, does what it says on the tin. A clean room, decent beds, no fripperies. There are quite a few in London, ranging from £70-£95 depending on location, but I just checked the website (www.travelodge.co.uk) and there are deals to be had for as low as £26 a night depending on when your stay is. There is a web special on at the moment which ends on the 17th.

Heads up though, if you are not familiar with London: of the "London" hotels they list, only some of them are in areas you would actually want to be in to be near the centre. Avoid the following: Battersea, Dockland, Ilford, Kew Bridge (very pretty down there, but takes FOREVER to get into town), Park Royal, and London City Airport. Of the remaining, the King's Cross area can be a bit of a mixed bag -- much, much safer than 10 years ago, but does still on occasion have the whiff of 70's Times Square about it. You'd probably want the Covent Garden or Marylebone hotels, as these are central and well-trod areas, but predictably most expensive. Liverpool Street is on the edge of the financial district, and a bit far from touristy stuff. Farringdon is on the edge of Clerkenwell (still trendy), but again, a bit far away, and frankly the positioning is a little less than ideal.


I also use the ViewLondon website a lot for restaurant and bar reviews, and I just peeked at it -- there is indeed a section on hotels. Looks like there are some deals to be had there...Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt in South Kensington is £67.50, which is a steal. Also try lastminute.com -- not the cheapest always but things do pop up from time to time.

Good luck!!!

There are 2 Holiday Inns at the Gloucester Road underground area. I have stayed at both and would recommend them. The one that is not the Forum (the smaller of the 2) is more American with rooms with 2 double beds. 12 of us stayed there in August 2006 (after attending our wedding) and everyone was very impressed with the hotel, the location, etc. Both hotels are not badly priced for the location in London.

G & I have stayed at the Travelodge too. We found the rooms to be great! Nothing fancy, but it was clean, spacious, with a huge comfy bed and the water in the shower was hot and strong! They typically have a pub associated with them too. The food was really good! We liked it so much that when I go back in April, we have booked a few nights there again.

Thanks for everyone's help. They're talking to their travel agent about the london hotel, but we know nothing about places in Eastbourne. Has anyone stayed there? They have bigger hotels right on the beach but i was hoping for something smaller and maybe a private hotel. Any ideas are greatly welcome. Thanks a bunch.