To ask for travel advice (preferably from Londoners) here?

[Badabadaboom]

I know I am but posting for traffic!

I currently live as an expat but I’m travelling back to the UK in either July or August as a family of five and want to stay somewhere in or close to London . I know it’s going to cost a fortune so hoping to find somewhere that can accommodate all of us for as cheaply as possible without being in a dodgy area. I will be looking at air bnb (reluctantly as I’m not a fan).

I was wondering if you had any other suggestions of sites I could use - and also any areas that might be on the outskirts (preferably with park or two) where we could travel into London easily.

Any advice or tips would be very welcome! Thank you in advance.

[LlynTegid]

It is only an hour from Brighton to London, consider there perhaps?

Agree about university accommodation.

[MenaiMna]

@MaverickGooseGoose

Have a look at urbanstay.com I have used the Cannon Street ones for work and really rate them. My phone won't let me do links
For some reason.

Urban-stay.co.uk is url

[MenaiMna]

@Badabadaboom

Thank you. I know of booking.com but are there any other sites you have used that specialise in aparthotels?

Citadines
Staybridge by ihg suites

[DoubleShotEspresso]

Advance apologies to Croydon, but yes I would avoid this area if I had the choice (& you really do have lots to choose from) for a whole week.

I would consider the prospect of train strikes, if you are reliant upon public transport, perhaps might be wiser, cheaper and easier to factor in transport other than rail? Elizabeth line most definitely is your friend here...

Stratford: Massive shopping mall and Olympic legacy park -not quite sure what you'd reasonably and safely do after day one there tbh, I find it very soulless there and unpleasant.

Greenwich: You have vast green spaces aplenty, lots of indie type areas with access to Greenwich peninsular, galleries, the Thames (could do a riverboat ride and catch some sights and do an afternoon at the south bank?), great museums, the Observatory and affordable cafes, restaurants etc. The winter light show at Canary Wharf (accessible via DLR) is a short journey away...

Also adjacent to Blackheath and there are a few hotels that are not too crazily priced and family friendly right in the centre of Greenwich, meaning all would be walking distance for you.... There's also a Premier Inn in Lewisham which less pretty is a single short bus ride into central Greenwich so could save yourself some cash there if it's just a base you need?

Crystal Palace is pretty but small in options. Great park yes, but very limited high street. Other than eat there's little else to do...

Croydon: As above I am sorry but noooo

I would also give some of the major London hotels a bit if a search as hotel occupancy is very low here right now, you may grab a great deal on a family room somewhere more central?

[Hollyhocksauce]

Problem is you'll pay just as much in travel costs as staying somewhere more central.

Do you want somewhere posh and nice for a holiday or does that not matter?

[BIWI]

You say you want to keep the prices low, but what's your actual budget? Bear in mind that July/August is peak summer time/schools are on holiday etc.

Even a basic/budget hotel like Travelodge or Premier Inn is going to cost you at least £1000, if not more.

I went on to booking.com and put in a date at the end of July, and this place came up, in Barnes/Putney - far nicer than many others, which are just dormitories or backpacker places - for £1,115 for the week.

[cestlavielife]

Do you want to be putside and enjoy a s7burb ir town? Or are you coming to see london.?
If you want to see london then staying out will cost in travel time and €€€
Depends on your motivation for visiting
Go to kent coast margate deal whitstable and travel in. For one or two days if you want england and london as an add on.
If you want london stay in london zone 1 or 2 with easy buses to sights

[ImmigrantAlice]

@OneTC

Did you Google Ealing murders, or Reading murders, or Greenwich murders? Stratford? ffs 😅

No, but I couldn’t in good conscience recommend anyone stay in Stratford or Reading either.

[TaraRhu]

Have you looked near Battersea Park? My friends got an amazing b n b next to it. Really amazing park with a zoo, good play park, go ape, cafe. Then you can go to the power station for shops:/ entertainment. There's good bus links into town and the tube.

[MaverickGooseGoose]

And avoid Croydon!

[Phos]

www.booking.com/hotel/gb/welwyn-business-park-apartments.en-gb.html

This is Welwyn Garden City. It's about 25 mins to Kings Cross by train and you have Panshanger Park, Stanborough Lake/Park and Sherrardspark woods. There'll be stuff on airbnb but I know you're not keen.

[MaverickGooseGoose]

Have a look at urbanstay.com I have used the Cannon Street ones for work and really rate them. My phone won't let me do links
For some reason.

[OneTC]

@ImmigrantAlice

We’ll have to agree to disagree there, and it’s also quite a walk to the station.

insidecroydon.com/2022/04/22/murder-investigation-under-way-after-addiscombe-stabbing/

Did you Google Ealing murders, or Reading murders, or Greenwich murders? Stratford? ffs 😅

[Bluesclues1]

Which part of London will
you be visiting, or is it just a sightseeing trip?

why not Windsor? Lots of accommodation, good links into London (6 min train to Slough which has the Elizabeth line - very easy to do), and is a nice town in its own right so things to do if you don’t fancy going to London everyday.

[olderthanyouthink]

Somewhere along the line to Victoria around Sydenham hill, penge east, Kent house?

Bare in mind it costs about £9 a day to go to zone 1 from here though but it's only 15-20 mins

[2bazookas]

I suggest you look for a family room at one of the inexpensive chain hotels like Travellodge or Premier Inn. Close to a rail link.

[Optimist1]

@Anyotherdude

Just a thought - universities have a scheme where they let out rooms in their halls of residence during the summer www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiAg_mN5-f8AhWHh1wKHRxeDcoQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityrooms.com%2Fen-GB%2Fcountries%2FGB&usg=AOvVaw35Fvicmjh7hffHnbO21Jzm
maybe try them?

Great minds think alike - I've used www.universityrooms.com before and been very happy with location and cost.

[IsThePopeCatholic]

@ImmigrantAlice

OP, please don’t do this. There’s a reason that anyone who can avoid Croydon does.

Avoid Croydon. It’s hell.

[ImmigrantAlice]

@OneTC

There's nothing unpleasant about addiscombe, park hill, East Croydon area.

I'm not advising them to go and sleep rough in West Croydon bus station

We’ll have to agree to disagree there, and it’s also quite a walk to the station.

insidecroydon.com/2022/04/22/murder-investigation-under-way-after-addiscombe-stabbing/

[OneTC]

And I like how no one jumped on reading 😅

[OneTC]

There's nothing unpleasant about addiscombe, park hill, East Croydon area.

I'm not advising them to go and sleep rough in West Croydon bus station

[ImmigrantAlice]

@OneTC

The OP is looking for an affordable place to stay for a week, convenient for London. They don't need to worry about the horror of admitting it at a Clapham coffee morning

As though that’s the reason to avoid it…

There’s nothing snobbish about not staying in somewhere so unpleasant.

[OneTC]

@ImmigrantAlice

OP, please don’t do this. There’s a reason that anyone who can avoid Croydon does.

The OP is looking for an affordable place to stay for a week, convenient for London. They don't need to worry about the horror of admitting it at a Clapham coffee morning

[tenbob]

Have a look at Club Quarters. A lot of their rooms have kitchenettes and they are in very central locations

[Anyotherdude]

Just a thought - universities have a scheme where they let out rooms in their halls of residence during the summer www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiAg_mN5-f8AhWHh1wKHRxeDcoQFnoECA8QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.universityrooms.com%2Fen-GB%2Fcountries%2FGB&usg=AOvVaw35Fvicmjh7hffHnbO21Jzm
maybe try them?