london vacation rental question

[willtup5]

doing a 3 day pre-cruise stay in London September next year. we are a family of four and hotels seem an expensive option for us. have been checking out vacation apt rentals on line. They do seem more affordable although they do get more expensive closer to the city center. I am wondering if anyone could give me feedback on their experiences with vacation rentals in London. which area to stay in London that is affordable, with good transport options to sites in the city center. I have been looking at Kensington park region. Your insight is greatly appreciated

[John Bull]

Kensington Park? :confused:

Kensington Gardens (adjoins Hyde Park, you won't spot the join ;)) & South Ken. (museums) very convenient, Kensington & North Ken. only a little less convenient.

 

No personal experience of rentals but ....

A good selection of rentals around Tower Bridge, but generally pricey.

"Tourist" London is broadly between Kensington in the west & Tower Bridge in the east, & between the South Bank of the Thames and Oxford Street/Bayswater Road, so anywhere between will be walkable to some sights and easy by tube (metro) to the others.

 

Areas further out can be tolerably convenient if near a tube station, but some areas are better than others - the prices will give an indication but check back here or TripAdvisor before committing, especially if a price is very competitive

JB :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

doing a 3 day pre-cruise stay in London September next year. we are a family of four and hotels seem an expensive option for us. have been checking out vacation apt rentals on line. They do seem more affordable although they do get more expensive closer to the city center. I am wondering if anyone could give me feedback on their experiences with vacation rentals in London. which area to stay in London that is affordable, with good transport options to sites in the city center. I have been looking at Kensington park region. Your insight is greatly appreciated

 

You don't mention the age of the children -- I assume its children rather than parents/inlaws -- in your group. Anything in close walking distance to Kensington Gardens will offer the lovely advantage of plenty of green space for kids to run and be a bit boisterous after a day of touring.

 

If your kids are fans of Peter Pan, make sure to visit the statue located on the grounds. Older children will appreciate the location relative to the excellent Natural History Museum on Cromwell Road. (That's next door to the Victoria and Albert Museum, but I'm not confident younger visitors would find the V & A museum as interesting as either the Natural History or, in Bloomsbury, the British Museum. I've never visited the Science Museum which is located just around the corner from both Kensington museums.)

 

There are two underground stops in the vicinity: Gloucester Road and South Kensington. Both are served by three underground lines: Circle, District, and Piccadilly. Those three lines are particularly convenient for getting to some of the top tourist destinations.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I would imagine it is possible the area being referred to is around Kensington Park Road and Kensington Park Gardens, so between Ladbroke Grove and Holland Park? Not a bad area, but a little further out of the way than what has been described above :)

 

Another example of why being specific with place names is really important in London!

Edited November 12, 2014 by Cotswold Eagle

[pkamison]

Just used a company called London Perfect to rent a 2 bedroom in South Kensington - it was near the tube and a 10 minute walk to the Victoria snd Albert and Harrods - very nice and worked out great

 

 

 

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[Ashland]

Just used a company called London Perfect to rent a 2 bedroom in South Kensington - it was near the tube and a 10 minute walk to the Victoria snd Albert and Harrods - very nice and worked out great

 

 

 

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Would that be www.londonperfect.com ?

[orchestrapal]

Most of the better rentals will not rent for 3 days and many will not accept children. There are many many companies listed if you Google London Short Term Rentals. Good luck!

[pkamison]

Yes it is londonperfect.com - I dealt with them completely via ema - my payment ( in dollars) was sent to an address in the US - I also used their recommended driver/car from Heathrow airport (Lushi cars) and it worked perfectly and they were waiting for us , took us directly to the apartment , the representative had the keys and oriented us - very good service. - they sent me PDF email info before we arrived with lots of great information - I would use them again

 

 

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[LondonTowner]

Have a look at Citadines. They are serviced apartments and I think they have a few locations in London. Just thought of them as I have driven home past their City branch.

[Ashland]

Yes it is londonperfect.com - I dealt with them completely via ema - my payment ( in dollars) was sent to an address in the US - I also used their recommended driver/car from Heathrow airport (Lushi cars) and it worked perfectly and they were waiting for us , took us directly to the apartment , the representative had the keys and oriented us - very good service. - they sent me PDF email info before we arrived with lots of great information - I would use them again

 

 

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Thank you so much..great info.

[Scrapnana]

Take a look on TripAdvisor. We found a flat that way. We stayed in the Marble Arch area. Lots of buses and tube stations along Oxford Street.

[Jems797]

doing a 3 day pre-cruise stay in London September next year. we are a family of four and hotels seem an expensive option for us. have been checking out vacation apt rentals on line. They do seem more affordable although they do get more expensive closer to the city center. I am wondering if anyone could give me feedback on their experiences with vacation rentals in London. which area to stay in London that is affordable, with good transport options to sites in the city center. I have been looking at Kensington park region. Your insight is greatly appreciated

 

We booked an apartment pre cruise this summer thru vrbo.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) in the Belsize Park area (Camden) and found it to be very convenient, within about a 5min walk to tube station and that line will take you to central London in 10-15 mins and directly to Liverpool Street station where you can take the train to Harwich (if that is where your cruise departs). The neighborhood also had some nice cafes and bakeries for breakfast, lunch, etc (though the apt had a kitchen). Also one tube stop away was Camden market that was loaded with great places to eat, shops, the whole Camden lock area was interesting. Big park area Hampton Heath, just north of the Belsize area too.

We have stayed in Kensington area and Bayswater area in the past but found Camden to be more affordable and more interesting.