AIBU to ask for your suggestions for somewhere to stay in London

[Sarahplane]

I'm taking my DD for 3 nights in London for her 16th birthday present. I'm planning to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria theatre, natural History Museum, a days shopping. Any other suggestions for activities/museums welcome too. I'm looking for suggestions what area of London is best to stay in or any hotel suggestions (travelodge, Premier Inn type budget).

Just got back from a 3 night stay at Premier Inn County Hall & it was wonderful! Had a view of the London Eye from our room. Perfect location near lots of things on Southbank, right near Waterloo station & also right near a Pier so you can use the Uber Boat as a method of transport. We would walk over to Covent Garden/Soho/West End & we got a cab from the hotel over to the Natural History Museum (right next to Science Museum) which was about £15 each way in heavy traffic. Also less than £100 per night!

Definitely kings cross - they will store your luggage on both arrival and departure if you need them to and the 390 is directly by the theatre and drops you back at the door of your hotel later. It's the most convenient because you don't need to travel across London with luggage and one bus after the show. You can also get the tube back after but bu the time you walk though the tunnels at kings cross you are as well getting the bus.

Sorry I said definitely kings cross because you will arrive there from Edinburgh

We stayed at the Hilton bankside on great Suffolk st. and it's location is fab and there Is a premier inn across the road. It's 2 minutes from the southbank (of the river Thames) and all its amazing attractions (borough market/ tower/ south bank center). We walked everywhere (Westminster 20 mins, Covent Garden 25, brick lane 30, spitalfields 25 etc) but the walking is my favourite bit as it's all so fascinating and there is so much to look at. Can get tube or I like taking the odd taxi to Oxford street or
Camden. If you town load Citymapper it helps you work out the best way to get around (although Apple maps is similar)

Second flat iron they are all over London and relatively cheap for an amazing steak - quick service though so you are in and out in an hour and they give the nicest complimentary ice cream in the way our - good way to turn tables quickly!

Carnaby street is also a great place.

Thanks for the suggestions. Dd is terrified of heights so we'll be giving the London Eye a miss. So kings cross, Euston or Covent garden areas are best to stay then? Is oxford Street still best for shopping?

If it’s on the weekend you can sometimes find bargain in the City of London/ square mile as fewer people are there at the weekend

Given that you'll be coming into King's Cross, I'd go for the PI at King's Cross, St Pancras or Euston. All very close to the station, and excellent transport links across London.

I've also stayed at county hall and that is a fab location next to the London eye- your dd would love that for her birthday.

Personally would avoid kings cross as i consider it a transport hub which is a bit grimy imho and London has so many nicer places.

Covent Garden is my favourite place to stay. I love seven dials.

If you travel at a weekends in LNER they used to do £10 upgrades to first class on the train which would be a lovely treat too maybe check they still do.

There’s a lovely newish shopping centre with a roof terrace with views near St Paul’s. Not huge but nice shops. Then you can walk across the millennium bridge and go to the Tate modern/ walk on the south bank.

I’d personally avoid Oxford Street, Leicester Square, anywhere like that like the plague

I have also stayed at county hall Pi and liked it.

I always stay in Earl's court. Great location

I think premier inn county hall ( next to the London eye) is a great location

Personally would avoid kings cross as i consider it a transport hub which is a bit grimy imho and London has so many nicer places.

Not sure what is meant by 'grimy' but the fact that it's a transport hub is what makes it a good base.

I've stayed at the PI opposite the Hilton mentioned by @cherrypiepie twice. It's great.
I wouldn't worry too much about being "central", everything is so within reach with the tube anyway.
Also stayed on multiple occasions at the one next to Westfield Stratford- arguably a "better" shopping experience than Oxford St in some ways as all the chains are in there but without the tacky souvenirs shops. Then you go next door to your room!
You can't go wrong really with a PI.

Not sure what the prices are like now but we stayed at the Thistle Holborn (Bloomsbury) in a junior suite for a similar price to Premier Inn in August. Included breakfast and a huge bedroom; good location - walking distance from covent garden but quiet.

depends on your budget - if you are coming in to KingsX, Euston, St Pancras, look in some of the quiet streets around Bloomsbury, or in the City of London itself.
Plenty of Travelodge/Premier Inn solutions - but if you're not from a city centre, if you stay too centrally, you may find the traffic noise disturbing. I work next to a travelodge at Kings Cross - the road is pretty busy 24/7. A friend stayed in a Hilton near Tower Bridge recently that was very quiet in terms of traffic.
Do book ahead if you want to see specifice exhibiitons - because of social distancing there are generally less tickets, although if new to you, places such as the National Gallery are free, and easy to book for.
The commentaries can be a bit tacky, but even as a resident I love getting a riverboat tour down to Greenwich - google groupon etc, there's ususally discounts available - a great way to see bits of London and hear some of the history. Walking tours are fairly indersubscribed at the moment too

Shopping - sadly I walked through a major shopping street the other day, and hearly half the stores were closed. which was sad. Depends what you're looking for.

Have a fantastic time
You'll probably find London more welcoming than the thread on here the other week that was effectively saying "we live in a pretty tourist area, F off and leave it all to us to enjoy".

You can't go wrong really with a PI.

I agree with you actually, but are they paying you to advertise them @Geamhradh?

@CorrBlimeyGG

Given that you'll be coming into King's Cross, I'd go for the PI at King's Cross, St Pancras or Euston. All very close to the station, and excellent transport links across London.

I should have said we're coming into Euston as there is replacement bust service on a lot of the line that goes into kings Cross when we're going (because of the October half term and time off work we're tied to going 16th to 19th October or 15th to 18th

Also try the Imperial Hotel group in Bloomsbury. Their big hotel, the Royal National, is a bit of a bargain-basement coach tour type place, but the “City Sleeper” section is less mass-market and much nicer. If it’s open the Tavistock or the Bedford Hotels in the same chain are nice.

My very best London pick, like staying at your grandmother’s Bloomsbury townhouse, I’m not telling …

Bloomsbury is a great area to stay in - walking distance to the West End, but still has the feel of a local area where people actually live, so nice cheapest restaurants and a couple of good supermarkets.

I wouldn't bother with Oxford St tbh - nothing there that you don't have anywhere else in the UK - and a lot of it is really tacky touristy stuff.

Walk the regents canal and coal drops yard for shops. Really lovely, newly developed, markets on the weekend. Much better than Oxford street.

There is a Premier Inn round the corner from Wicked and a Park Plaza right next door. Victoria is a couple of stops from South Ken for the museums and a couple from Ox Street for the shops. Wilton Road (up the road from Wicked) has great restaurants these days (try Lorne) and you can go to Cardinal Place/Victoria Street for more reasonable chain type options.

Kings Cross is great with Coal Drops Yard at the back. Nice shops and places to eat.

Park plaza over the road from county hall premier inn is often cheaper and WAY nicer.

Travelodge Covent Garden is a great location. It's on Drury Lane. Literally in the heart of the theatre district. Walking distance from Leicester Sq/Trafalgar Sq. two tube stations close by. Nice pizza place across the road. The staff are great and the rooms comfortable and clean