London and the Isle of Man

October 8, 2005 9:40 AM

London and Isle of Man Hotel recommendations: We are traveling to London and the Isle of Man in November and have yet to make hotel reservations. Does anyone have recommendations on inexpensive places to stay in London or Douglas (Isle of Man)?
posted by juggler to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

London hotels are expensive, but there is a new budget hotel recently opened by the 'Easy' company which is intended to provide cheap, clean, no-frills accommodation. The closer you book to your chosen date, the more you pay.

Alternatively, the chain hotels such as Premier Travel Inn and Days Inn provide reasonably-priced accommodation (by London standards) in central London.

Expect to pay about £100 ($175) per night per room for a standard double room with bath (breakfast not included). Anything less than that and it's likely to be sleazy. A standard double room will contain one 4ft 6" or (if you're lucky) 5ft double bed.

Don't book anywhere with a W2 postcode (Bayswater, Paddington) or anywhere in King's Cross.

Don't expect anything like the quality of accommodation or service to be found in the USA, even at $175 a night. That price will get you something fairly basic in London.
posted by essexjan at 12:37 PM on October 8, 2005

For a good, cheap stay in London, try International students house. Hmm... only dorms on their website now, but I have stayed there in a single room and would definitely try them again.
posted by Termite at 12:52 PM on October 8, 2005

Check out Youth Hostels if you're studenty. For cheap hotels right in the city centre of London I've found the Citadines pretty good value. (I stay there when I'm out with London-based friends.)
posted by alasdair at 2:04 PM on October 8, 2005

In London: check out the Penn Club. I've never stayed there myself, but I've heard it recommended by others.

Douglas is an old-fashioned seaside resort which only really comes to life in the summer months. Like a lot of seaside resorts, it feels rather melancholy out of season, especially in the evenings with the dusk falling (deserted guest-houses along the promenade, darkened rooms lit only by the flickering light of a television set ..), but you certainly won't have any difficulty finding somewhere to stay. I have stayed at the Welbeck Hotel, and can recommend it.
posted by verstegan at 3:15 PM on October 8, 2005

You might want to try www.laterooms.com
which is a discount aggregator for hotels in the UK--I travel to the UK quite often and have found it very reliable with substantial savings--40%-70% off standard rates--wide range of hotels including two/three/four star--Good luck and enjoy your stay
posted by rmhsinc at 6:02 PM on October 8, 2005

Don't book anywhere with a W2 postcode (Bayswater, Paddington) or anywhere in King's Cross.

I disagree. I've stayed in Bayswater many times and have no complaints. However, King's Cross can be dodgy.

There are bunches of cheap hotels near Victoria Station (Rick Steves info page here) -- a friend stayed at the Cherry Court and had no complaints), and in Earls Court. You'll do better, I think, near Victoria than in Earls Court, or at least the quality/dodgy ratio is higher.
posted by Vidiot at 5:16 AM on October 9, 2005