Finding accommodation in London might sound easy: a huge modern and touristy town with plenty of options… well, finding the right place to sleep in stunning London can actually be a nightmare, even following my tips on hotel bookings!
Hotels in London are usually overpriced, not clean, with low value and not very helpful staff. Sometimes they don’t even speak fluent English… crazy.
Recommended accommodation in London
If you follow me on this blog or my social networks, you already know I travel to London every few months and since 1998 and I deeply love this town. Trip after trip, I got to test any sleeping solution: cheap hostels, private flats, any category of hotel, Airbnb bedrooms, countryside inns with a daily commute to town, and even boats on the Regent’s Canal!
In the last five years I finally found “my place” in town and selected a few other solutions to suit any kind of stay.
So, here’s my own selection of sleeping solutions in London.
Best affordable luxury hotel in London
No doubt about which London affordable luxury hotel to recommend: the Citizen M Tower of London.
I actually love – and let’s stress love – any Citizen M around the world, and when I’m planning a trip to a town they already covered, I always try to book a room there.
Citizen M always offers great cool common areas filled with interesting art, huge libraries, USB plugs everywhere, and enjoy jazz music. Their bars are open 24h/7, and the staff is super helpful and cool. They’re super smart, too, and I love it: speedy self-check-in and check out iPad-controlled rooms, mood lighting options, and super speed wifi.
Their rooms are just the same in any hotel: middle size spotless double bedrooms with huge 2×2 bed, big flat smart tv, tiny sink, and tiny glassed restroom right in the middle of the room, big luggage drawer under the bed, and huge window.
My favorite hotel in London is the Citizen M Tower London cause it’s just a few steps from the subway entrance and 100m from the ferry pier, ideally located to visit the town and start highly recommend walking tours and for only 19£ you get upper floor rooms with a great Tower and Bridge view. The first thing in the morning when I’m staying there is opening blinds and curtains to enjoy the view and start smiling. Love it! I told you…
Best hostel in London
I stayed in several hostels in London, but my pick is definitely the Generator Hostel, an old police station near King’s Cross station.
Their top location really makes the difference to me: just a very short stroll from Camden Town, Covent Garden, and Regents Park, very close to other useful stations such as St. Pancras International train stations and Russell Square, on the Piccadilly Line. Perfect for moving around.
I’ve to say the industrial cool design is also something I like, with exposed brickwork and hot-rolled black steel I partly selected for my home too.
As with Citizen M, the Generator London also has a great bar with beautiful communal wooden tables and super cozy pods, offering a wide selection of beers, cocktails, and snacks till very late.
I travel solo, but I’d recommend Generator London to groups of friends and couples too. Cheap hotels in London are really terrible, and the twin and double rooms and the and quad options here offer an excellent solution for everybody.
Best Airbnb private flat in London
I’ve to say I had pretty awful experiences with Airbnb in London: overpriced and oh so untidy and dusty private flats, absent landlords, horrible provided linen, and so on. Once I realized one couldn’t save money and be happy in this town when traveling with friends and family, I started booking only the selected Airbnb Plus accommodation.
After so many deceptions, last November I finally ended-up booking the perfect private flat in London!
I was traveling with two friends, and we stayed in a stylish Victorian home on pretty Alma Grove, in Bermondsey. A very quiet neighborhood, just 10 minutes walking from London Bridge and the tube/train station.
Lizzie and Kate rent a lovely two floors home with a nice back patio. It’s very well furnished and equipped and has three double rooms and two bathrooms on the top floor and a big double dining room and a huge kitchen on the ground floor.
I never met the two hosts, as they opted for a lock-based self-check-in and check-out, but they replied instantly each time I texted them asking for details or help. They also left us a welcome message on a board and complementary selected chocolate bars, tea, infusion, coffee, still water, and beers. A very nice touch.
Best luxury hotel in London
Well, there are plenty, and they really represent all range and taste in terms of luxury and they, of course, are super expensive (count more than 500£ per night).
When working both at Paris and Valencia Opera, I stayed in several luxury hotels in London, also called Palaces. The one I recommend in case you decide to treat yourself with such an accommodation, or if you can afford it without stressing your wallet, is The Savoy.
It’s posh, extreme, and everything looks big in there, starting with the impressive black and white lobby and the stunning Edwardian and Art Deco style rooms. Still, it’s much more stylish than any other London palace, and this is due to its deep Britishness and history. If you have to try one, try this one.
Their claim is “things happen differently at the Savoy.” I guess is true as they’ve been an icon of British luxury for centuries, welcoming guests as Winston Churchill, Monet, world Royal members, and stars as Maria Callas, Fred Astaire, Arturo Toscanini, or Marlene Dietrich, whose suite is still daily decorated by fresh pink roses bouquets as she loved it to be.
Bars and restaurants at the Savoy are also worth a visit and the main chef these days is Gordon Ramsay.
Cheap hotels in London
There is also cheap accommodation in London, but the value is quite terrible and can’t be compared to the same level option elsewhere.
Two years ago I had a nice surprise though, staying at the Knaresborough Boutique Apartments. Room was really tiny, but tidy and clean, with a kitchenette and microwave. Staff welcoming and helpful and Earl’s Court Underground Station is no more than five minutes walking and there’re bars and restaurants all around. I stayed there twice and can recommend it.
Another nice hotel is the Nadler Victoria, right in front of the Queen’s mews and only a few minutes walking from Victoria station. I stayed there booking last second and got a big discount for a very nice and well-equipped room, but underground… so, not for everybody. The second time I tried to book, it was costly, so I opted for another solution. I guess you can check if you can get a special offer and then make a decision.
You can also decide not to sleep in London and stay in a suburb and commute to visit the town, just like locals do. You’ll spend a bit more as per the Oyster card and won’t be able to enjoy London nights fully, but you could still save some money.
