London accommodations Archives - Mom's Guide To Travel

Nov 21 2015

American? Tips on How To Travel To London

London may be a big and modern city but if you’re visiting from the U.S. it takes a bit of coordination to ensure you put together a great trip. Most non-business travelers go to London to see the popular sites such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, The London Tower and Oxford Circus.

If you don’t have time to do all the research and planning, either hire a travel agent or a travel consultant (and here’s why) to craft the perfect experience for you.

Where to stay in London

London isn’t cheap. Choosing where to stay is going to depend on your budget and what area you prefer to rest your head. I’m a fan of renting apartments in London but it takes a lot more coordination than staying in a hotel.

Here are a few posts that highlight my apartment renting experiences in London as well as castle accommodations.

Renting an apartment in Greenwich

Renting an apartment in Stockwell

Staying at Thornbury Castle in Gloucestershire, England

Things to do in London

There’s plenty to do. What’s your fancy? Here are a few posts to give you ideas on things to do in London with or without kids.

Harry Potter Studios

Harry Potter Studios Part 2

Exploring outside of London

Travel tips

There are just a few things you need to know before you get on the plane and travel to London.

Ways to save money in London

London travel tips from a local

International tipping advice

If you want to put your London trip planning on auto pilot, pick your dates, set your budget and outsource it!

Click below to have me plan your next experience.

Plan My Trip!

Oct 30 2014

Travel To London And Europe

We’ve ben traveling to Europe since 1994. I, in particular have an addiction to cities like London and Greece.

There’s an excitement about planning a trip to a foreign country that can’t be compared. It’s different from planning a trip to another state on your home soil.

The unknowns are future lessons waiting to be shared.

Travel To London

London is one of our favorite cities and one of the more popular destinations for Americans traveling to Europe.

Besides its bustling international flavor, London has a rich history that never gets old. 13 million inhabitants, many from all corners of the world keep the city fresh and worth visiting.

Iconic attractions like Big Ben, London Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and many more intrigue visitors year after year. Newer attractions such as the London Eye, The O2, and the Harry Potter Studio offer a bit more diversity for families returning to London with children.

Unfortunately getting to Europe from the United States can be expensive. The airfare and the value of the dollar in cities like London, Paris, Geneva, and Munich are a deterrent for American families who’d like to explore that part of the world.

But There Are Options

Expensive comes and go with online specials and deals.

You have to be resourceful, flexible, and forward-thinking to find deep-discounted flights. As long as you give yourself ample time to start the process, prepare and plan, you’ll find that you can travel to Europe affordably.

We also offer ideas for you to save money once you get to the destination.

Ways To Save Money In London

I like to travel in London by metro with an Oyster Card to cut down on my transportation costs. I also prefer to book apartments over renting costly hotels. I get more space for my dollar. I can also save on food costs by cooking some of my meals at home.

Booking tours and passes such as the London Pass BEFORE leaving the States also helps to save money. I can usually find a discount and I don’t have to worry about standing in a cue.

Here is a list of some of the topics that I cover on Mom’s Guide To Travel. You may find these posts useful as you prepare and plan for your European trip:

5 London Travel Tips From A Local

London Apartment Rentals Through The Ever-Growing FlipKey

Exploring Outside London – A Day Trip With Viator

5 London Travel Tips For Americans: Must-sees and Money Saving Advice

London Attraction: The Magical Harry Potter Studio Tour – Part 1

Travel To Greece: The First 4 Lessons That We Learned

Living Like A Local: Tips For Renting An Apartment In Athens

I’ve always found that having the opportunity to explore, learn, and experience another culture is a blessing. It’s a chance for us to step out of our norm and learn more about the world around us, most of which we only know from TV, movies, or books. We have pre-blogging experiences to other European destinations on which I’ve never written. However, if you ever want to know about:

Getting engaged in Cyprus
Living in Florence as an exchange student
Spending Thanksgiving in Paris
Partying in Belgium with Friends
Considering living as an expat in The Hague, Netherlands

or any other non-published European adventure, let me know. I’ll be happy to share.

Maybe one day I’ll sit down and write those memories into posts that you can enjoy. In the meantime, leave a comment below or hit me up under Contact Us with your comments or questions.

Dec 11 2013

London Apartment Rentals Through The Ever-Growing FlipKey

Grey, cold, dreary – that’s all I know of England. Of the five times that I’ve been to the country, I’ve only ever visited in either November or February. Why? It’s just happened to work out that way. However, for some reason, rainy weather doesn’t bother me when I’m renting an apartment, my accommodation of choice while I’m visiting London. This time around, I rented a place on my own and with confidence through FlipKey.

London Apartment Rentals Flip Key — Spacious living room made the stay feel more like home.

I didn’t expect November to be a terribly popular time to get accommodations in London but as I procrastinated longer and longer to book one and watched my once-plentiful options on the FlipKey site dwindle, I realized I miscalculated. London apartment rentals are a growing trend and have become more popular with the increase in online portals.

The very first time I rented an apartment in London was right after college with a group of girlfriends. Three of us had birthdays in February so we took a spur of the moment trip to London. We rented an apartment from a co-worker who worked in our London office and the whole transaction was seamless because we knew him. At the time, there was no FlipKey or any other online market for apartment rentals.

I don’t know what people did in the past when they wanted to avoid renting hotel rooms. I guess it was through personal connections like ours or maybe even private realtors. The point being, you needed some assurance or insurance that you weren’t going to get scammed.

And that’s why I’m liking FlipKey. Besides the fact that they’re a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, a site that I trust, they:

Have a rating system for renters to use to grade “landlords” – from experience to email responsiveness.
Have a sizeable inventory with 240,000 listings in 12,000 locations around the world.
Offer a guarantee, in case things go wrong.
Allow me to save my searches to look through the next time I return to the site.
Look at past renters’ photos.

This trip around was all about going off the beaten path a bit so besides taking day trips out of the city, or staying the night in a castle, I wanted to stay near the Stockwell – Brixton area.

My apartment was a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom flat that was the perfect size for my family of four (had I brought them). Your experience with who you rent from will undoubtedly be different from mine but I got the luck of the draw and had the sweetest “landlord”, Matt, who was patient and responsive while I was still here in the states and available once I got to London.

The apartment was immaculate, spotless inside and out. Both bedrooms had luxury hotel-grade queen beds that put a smile on my weary, travel-worn face. The master bedroom had an en-suite, a desk, ample closet space for my clothes, and led out to a small patio. The second bedroom also led out to the patio and had its own storage furniture for clothing and a desk. Its bathroom sat just outside. The bathrooms were small but they worked and that’s all that was important because I wasn’t planning on spending a lot of time in them.

The living room was an ideal size for a family as well with a couch, two love seats, a flat screen TV, and WIFI. If need be, someone else could have slept on the couch.

I’d say the best part of the apartment was the kitchen area. I was able to store food in the fridge, cook breakfast in the morning, microwave a snack, and make some tea. These amenities are key if you’re traveling with your family and trying to save a few dollars on food. But wait! The cherry on top was the washing machine. Most of the apartments I saw on the FlipKey London page had a washing machine, gold for a traveler not looking to pack up dirty clothes.

Tip: FlipKey is becoming increasingly popular (4 million monthly unique visitors) and London is one of its top markets. By de facto, if you see an apartment on the site that you like and fits within your budget, grab it fast! Chances are it will be gone the next day. There are no reservations and you usually have to pay for your apartment upfront.

My opinion: London apartment rentals are cost-effective for families. You get more for your money than a hotel room and it allows you to immerse yourself further in the culture of a city.

FlipKey provided me with a stipend to test out their service and rent an apartment during my stay. All opinions expressed within are my own.

Nov 24 2012

London Accommodations: Experiencing London in a Go With Oh apartment

London is a fun and exciting city with tons of things to do for couples, individuals, and families traveling there. However, for some people it can be an expensive trip when you factor in the cost for a hotel room. With rates averaging a little over $200 a night, London accommodations can easily account for over 50% of total trip costs.

One of the ways to control overall costs, especially for a traveling family, is to manage meal expenses. Renting an apartment home, like the Go With Oh apartment I stayed at in London, helps in this arena but also provides comfort and much-needed space. I traveled with five women, and we all shared a three bedroom, two bathroom apartment. Our London accommodations also had two futons in the living room, perfect for an extra body.

Go With Oh Apartment Living Room — Living Room

I always seem to visit London in the winter time. The first time I traveled there was during Thanksgiving, the second time I visited was in February, and this most recent time was at the beginning of November. Cold-weather travel requires extra clothing and therefore, larger luggage. Thankfully, the apartment was spacious enough to accommodate all of our outerwear and bags with no problem. A standard hotel room might have presented more of a challenge. Closets in the hallway and bedrooms, customary of what you’d find in an everyday apartment, contained all our belongings and kept the space clutter-free for the most part.

Go With Oh Apartment Master Bedroom — Ample Closet Space

Although it was chilly in London, I appreciated being able to stand outside on our Go With Oh apartment balcony. We had a great view of East London, the complex’s plaza, and our all-important bus stop. Most of our time, however, was spent chatting in the living room. We were either sitting on the couch playing games, watching the local news on the flat screen TV, or chatting as we surfed the internet, much thanks to the wireless router.

Go With Oh Apartment Plaza — Apartment Complex Plaza

It was convenient to be able to wake up to a fully-equipped kitchen, stocked with all the cookware and silverware that we needed. We filled the refrigerator with our individual breakfast and snack-time needs, and crowded the dining room table with our evening libations, crackers, and cheeses. When I travel, I don’t always want to sit down in a restaurant or dining room for breakfast. Sometimes I just want to wake up, grab a quick breakfast, eat it in my pajamas, and then get on with my day.

Go With Oh Apartment Kitchen — Eat-In Kitchen

Two full bathrooms, a washing machine, ironing board, drying rack, dish washer and oven were the other amenities that made the place feel more like home. Experiencing London this time around in a Go With Oh apartment set a different tone for my trip. I felt more immersed and less like a tourist.

Go With Oh Apartment Laundry Room — Laundry Room

Luckily, London isn’t the only place where you can rent a Go with Oh apartment. The company has flats in ten other European countries. Our London accommodations were perfect for the traveling family or a group of wandering friends.

Go With Oh put me up in an apartment in London for four days. All comments expressed in this post are of my honest opinion and are my own.