London accommodation - any suggestions for a quick trip?

[Sillybones]

Just that really - doing a few days (3 nights max) at the start of next month. Largely coming for the Harry Potter tour but also usual tourist attractions. Know my way around OK but usually only there for the day for work, or someone else books me if I'm staying for any longer.

Flights into City seem much more expensive, but then you save on the Gatwick/Heathrow Express I guess. Would like somewhere for 2 adults and two kids (one teenager, one under 10), so a standard Premier Inn room would be fine but they do seem to vary. I'm happy with it being basic, as long as it's clean.

Any suggestions? Also looked at apartments but they seem quite pricey given that we'll only be there to sleep.

Thank you .

Central London premier inns are expensive, but clean and reliable and cheaper than other London hotels!

The studios tour is excellent if you're a fan of the books and films, but almost like a museum - it's a lot of shuffling about looking at stuff. I loved it, but very different premise to universal studios

We stayed at the Travelodge at City Airport.

Was fantastic, staff were brilliant-nothing was too much trouble and it was so clean.

It's a quick tube trip from the centre of London. The tube station is a few minutes walk from the hotel.

We couldnt hear any planes either but we did see take offs and landings.

That's a ridiculous amount for fares - it would be a 'no' from me until there was some epcial deal or cheap advance fares.

Do you have a family rail card? We went to London from Edinburgh at half term the train cost nothing like £900. We bought the tickets and rail card on trainline. We were going to go to the Harry potter studio but there was no availability, I think you have to book well ahead.

Columbia hotel, bang opposite Hyde Park. Five mins from Lancaster gate tube. Large old fashioned hotel with enormous rooms (ours had four singles in and could have fit eight). Very old fashioned (think aubergine bathroom) but clean. Cost us £90 a night including continental breakfast. We booked through trivago.
Had room 214 I think, apparently the biggest family room.

......there's also free parking if you can get a space.

Those prices sound mad. We live in London and in the last year have flown up to Glasgow and Edinburgh and flights have been £50-70 return each.

The coach your to hp studios is a rip of btw. Much cheaper taking train from euston

Many nice hotels for £100 a night. Look on booking.com

Friends and family railcard?

OP, have you thought of airbnb? A couple of friends have used it and thought it was great. It's obviously just staying in someone's house- but as accommodation in London is SOOO expensive (and I speak as someone who lives here), it's a really afforidable option. And as you are just really using it as somewhere to sleep, maybe it would work?

We went to HP studios 6 weeks ago - DC are 10, 8 and 1. Not huge Harry Potter fans, but we all loved it. DH and I perhaps most of all. :o)

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Premier Inn at Putney. It's a two minute walk from the District Line so less than 15 minutes from the South Ken Museums and offers very easy access to the West End and London Eye, etc. Direct train to Watford from Clapham Junction which is a 20 minute bus ride away.

It isn't cheap - it would be £289 for three nights (I just looked it up) but it's convenient and very safe and right on the river. Stroll over if the weather's nice and eat on the embankment overlooking the river. There's a cheap Wetherspoons, a more upmarket Youngs, Carluccios and a few other cafe type places.

Show the children where the Boat Race ends and walk along the river towards Hammersmith and spy the Michael Jackson statue at Fulham Football Club. Get the River boat up to the London Eye and beyond.

Hi OP, the travel lodge Liverpool st is always clean, warm and relatively cheap. It is 2mins from Liverpool St station and a 5 min walk from Aldgate or Moorgate so good tube links...

Depending on dates, weekends are generally cheaper in the city, e.g. Club Quarters (next to Leadenhall market is c£150 through the week and c£80 Fri / Sat

I hope you find something!

AB

Travelodge in Kingston on Thames or Twickenham is cheap when no rugby on. Train is cheap if booked c. 12 weeks in advance. Use thetrainline.com best fare finder and tickety split.

I'd forgotten about railcards! That'd bring it down to £500 - flights would be about £800 (Aberdeen so much more expensive than Edinburgh or Glasgow) now unless we mess about with times, and I think it's about £25 isn't it on Gatwick/Heathrow Express for each adult?

Thank you all so much for the advice and recommendations - I hadn't thought to check availability of the tour as it's 3 weeks from now, but looks like I should do that chemenger.

The travelodges at city airport or Excel are very good, much cheaper than central London, clean and comfortable. Right on the DLR so easy to get into London quickly.

Gatwick and Heathrow express are both massively overpriced imo. If you're not under huge pressure off time get normal public transport in. If you decide to stay Watford way you could prebook a taxi from Heathrow, would be less than £50.

Ignore me I clearly didn't read your post properly...

Sillybones - I don't know where you're coming from in Scotland, but I have been looking to get up to Glasgow to see some friends at half term with DD2 and with a railcard, if we are not too fussy when we travel, we can get there and back for £66 - check out prices on the trainline. We did it a few years ago, with four of us and got there and back for £90. The trains were quite sensible times, no more than one change as well.

I would have a look at Travelodges on the edge of London, as others have said, and travel in. I think there is a Premier Inn in Watford? If you're just going to be sleeping there, you don't really need to be slap bang in central London, do you?

If you live near a small station and have a friendly staff working there, ask them to work out the cheapest fare for you. I've done this before, as they have access to routes and information that you won't necessarily get (although the trainline website is pretty good).

If you split your train tickets Aber to Edin and then Edin to Berwick and Berwick to London (you stay on the same train) it will only cost you 35 per adult each way.

From heathrow you can just get the Piccadilly line tube. No need for heathrow express. Heathrow express is just quicker but not by much

Thank you all! Will definitely be flying if we do go ahead with it after looking at all the times, but there's some really useful info here which will hopefully help others too. That's a great idea for future re splitting train TheresLotsOf.

I have stayed here which is more of a guest house than hotel. Rooms are small but clean and I felt very safe. Fairly central too.