Latest / UK Travel Planning / Where to Stay in London: 12 Best Areas Compared

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Where to Stay in London: 12 Best Areas Compared · UK Travel Planning

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Covent Garden or Kensington, South Bank or Shoreditch.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been staring at a hotel map wondering which part of London to pick, this one's for you.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Twelve areas, H1 suits, and the pros and cons worth knowing before you book.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've got Doug with me this week.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Hello there.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: And he's hoping to chip in occasionally with some some pearls of wisdom about where to stay in London.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now we know one of the biggest questions we get asked, and it comes up in the Facebook group all the time, is where to stay in London.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_03: London's a big place.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: It is a huge place.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: And we know when we do consults and we do video reviews, quite often that's something that we do look at in terms of where people are choosing to stay in London in relation to what they're planning to do, day trips and things like that, just to make it easier for them.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And the temptation with London is often to stay a little bit further out.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that can have all sorts of problems that go with it.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: We know it's cheaper, but you there's a lot of things you've got to consider.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we know it is the really the big decision of the trip if you're planning to spend a decent amount of time, well, any amount of time in London, really, you're going to be thinking about that.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So now we actually have done an episode on this topic before, which was episode 68, which quite a while ago.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I've talked through how to choose your area.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So the four steps why staying central usually pays for itself, uh, budgets, how close you want to be to tube station.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you want that decision-making framework, go back and listen to episode 68 because it's all really good advice.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's a very popular and I don't really want to repeat that in this episode.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So this episode is slightly different.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to take you around the 12 areas themselves that we kind of consider the the kind of best areas to stay at in London.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we're going to go through each one just at a time, sort of talk about the area, kind of who it suits, um, you know, what is on your doorstep if you stay in that particular area, and basically the pros and cons worth knowing before your book because each area has pros and cons.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: It most definitely has.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's true.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and each area like different areas suit different people.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And one thing I never do is I never wag my finger and say you shouldn't stay here or you should stay there.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I can't bear that approach.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, what our idea is to give you the information so that you can make like make that decision based on your own needs.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're all grown-ups and we all can kind of figure out what would work best for us.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's true.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um, if you're not sure, you can send us a message, ask in the Facebook group, or we can obviously always do an itinerary consult, we can do a video review and help you with this information, like if it's something you're struggling with.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_03: I will point out there is more than 12 areas to London.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, there are.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: There are.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_03: In case anybody asks.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: I've just kind of grouped them into 12 areas um just to make it easier um to kind of think well, just to kind of group them together into kind of areas that go together.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_03: It'll make sense when you start going through it.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's an overview, so it's a quick tour of all of the 12 areas so you can work out which ones might suit you.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we'll be coming back to each of them with a more in-depth episode on individual areas.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I know I keep promising that I'm going to do that, and that will be something we will definitely do in 2027.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but if you don't want to wait for those, we do have a full guide to every area on our London website, londontravelplanning.com, which has got hotels at every budget and a map.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So once something catches you, you know, if you're listening, you think, oh, that sounds really good, that's where to go and just dig a bit deeper.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, Doug and I have stayed in quite a few of these areas over the over the years.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I'm going to share kind of my favourite three areas.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: You've stayed in a lot more than I have.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, yes, because quite often I do stay on my own.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: I travel solo into London and stay in different parts of London.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: I've also stayed there with friends when I've not been with you.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: I'll disappear off on the train somewhere.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: So so yes, I have stayed in a lot more areas, but there's a couple of these areas that I've kind of got pegged that I want to stay at definitely to explore a little bit more.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: South Kensington actually is probably top my list next time.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, let's get into it.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go through all the different areas.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I say we have got um a total guide to where to stay in London on the LondonTravelPlanning.com website.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I will link to that.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's what I'm gonna be referring to.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what you need to go and have a look at for get this information, get a little bit more detail, and then from there you can start looking at individual areas, right?
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: So the first area we're gonna talk about is Covent Garden, Charing Cross, and Trafalgar Square.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now, popular areas, and we know a lot when we do consults, a lot of people are trying to stay in that Charing Cross area.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, Covent Gardens we're probably gonna mention anyway, it's one of my favourite areas to stay in.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: But I think it's one of everybody's favourite areas.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think so.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now, who's it good for?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: That area, Common Garden, Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: There, it's a really good area for first-time visitors who want as much as possible close by.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it because a reason for that, because there is so much to do around that area.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: You've got the piazza at Covent Garden, you've got theatre land, there's so many amazing restaurants, good shopping, it's all around that area.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a really, really good area to stay in.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Now, from Covent Garden, you've got Soho, the embankment Trafalgar Square, all within 10 to 15 uh minutes on foot.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: You've got the Royal Opera House, the Market Halls, London Transport Museum.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: I know that's one of your favourite stuff.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: It is, yeah.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we highly recommend it.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, we're going to do an episode actually all about the less unknown or the smaller museums in London uh beginning of November.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll we'll cover the uh London Transport Museum.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you've got Charing Cross station is close by to um and that's got trains to a few places.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Charing Cross is close to uh London Waterloo, which you know is one of the stations that opens up the south of England.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it yeah, they are close.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, because uh Charing Cross is kind of north of the river and Waterloo is south of the river.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll kind of cover a little bit of that area around Waterloo in a bit of a lot of time.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: Charing Cross is close to Trafalgar Square as well, very close.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: So now when I'm in London, this is an area that I tend to stay in when I'm on my own.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um I like and I like to stay in the Z Hotel in Hoborn, right?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: At Holborn, Hoborn, which is just up the road.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's a reasonable price and it's a great option if you're traveling solo, and it's really next to the tube station, so it's really good.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now downsides of this area, um, it's busy and it's quite lively in the evening, and it it can be quite pricey.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: But it's a great area to stay in if you like the restaurants, if you want a little bit of kind of nightlife, you want to go, you're going to the theatre, especially if any of that in that theatre district, and it's absolutely a perfect area to stay in.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: I think it's the I think you hit on it initially there.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_03: First hand visitors, I think you just won't get better.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's a it's a really, really good area.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: So that that's kind of that covenant garden Char and Cross Trafalgar Square area.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Next area we're going to talk about is Tower Bridge and the City of London.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now we have stayed in this area before.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, and again, this is I think this is if you want to be beside the river, you want to beside River Thames, um, and a bit of history and a bit of a quieter area, this is an area to stay in.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the city is the oldest part of London, and staying by it down by Tower Bridge puts the Tower of London, the river, and a couple of thousand years of history right outside your door, basically.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, we stayed at the Citizen M, and I when you come out the Citizen M there's there's the old Roman walls, yeah, London walls, literally outside the door.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's crazy.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we stayed at the Citizen M because it was great for early and late tours of the Tower of London.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_02: Which is what we're doing.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we did the with Walks Devour, we did the opening ceremony, and we also have done I've done a ceremony of keys a few times now, and it's a perfect place to stay because it's literally a few minutes' walk away from the Tower of London.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: It had also been very good.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_03: I did the uh Uber boats, the illuminated uh tour, bridge tour, and that sets off at half past nine at night, so that would have been perfect.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So another perfect um thing if you're doing that, perfect area to stay around Tower Bridge and the yeah, City of London um area.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one thing I will say about that area, which you might not expect, is that the city is absolutely packed with office workers during the week.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, but in the evening they all go home and it really empties out.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's much quieter, much calmer after dark than kind of the West End, which we've just talked about.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's still really well connected.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so the I guess that quiet bit it kind of cuts both ways.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: So in the weekday evenings and weekends can feel very quiet.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some of the smaller cafes and pubs close at the weekend because the customers are mainly the office workers, but on the plus side, that's a really lovely place to be at the weekend.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, actually, I I was in what went to Borough Market earlier this year, had a Sunday roast, and we actually walked across and walked through the city, and it was so lovely because it was so quiet after the craziness of Borough Market on a Sunday.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's also slightly cheaper to stay there because at the weekend, because it because of that exact reason.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because it is mainly kind of the area for for where there's so many people come into the area to work.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, for trains, you've got Liverpool Street Station, um, which has got the Stansted Express and trains to Cambridge, Norwich, and then there's also heading out to the east, and then you've got French, which will give you the link out to uh Essex, coastal Essex.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a good area for that.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh area three, we've got twelve to we've got twelve, so area three, yep.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: South Bank, Bankside, Southwark, and Waterloo.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh now this is a great area if you want to enjoy a stroll in the evening because you've got that lovely riverside path running down past the London Eye, the Globe, Tate Modern.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's a fantastic walk down that way.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: If you like culture, if you're there during the festive season, it's a great area to stay in because you've got the Christmas market there.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I actually have stayed in that area, stayed in that area a few years ago with my friend Lucy, um, and we really, really enjoyed it.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, again, that riverside path, it's wide, it's flat, there's loads of benches, so you can have a stroll there along there, sit down, have a break, have a you know, just if you've got your drink, have a drink with you, you know, drink the water, whatever, have a snack.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now by late November, that whole stretch is lit up, and there's a Christmas market, as I've mentioned, alongside there.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so it is it is lovely.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: It does get pretty busy though at the Christmas time.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now, um, as I said, you've got Waterloo, which is a great base for actually getting to lots of day places.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, we we could list so many of them there, but you know, that includes Windsor's Direct Train to there, you've got Winchester, Salisbury, South Coast, and not to mention sort of Gatwick as well, Gatwick Airport.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so that's a really um it's a good I like that area, I really do.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's also handy if you picked up, if you're going on a day trip with English bus, which I did this year, I did three trips out with English bus, um, because they pick you up beside the London Eye.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's really easy if you're gonna go out on a trip with them, if you stay in the area, because it's just a quick stroll over and they come and pick you up and you go out for the day, and then you get dropped off, same place, and then you're back at your hotel.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that works really well.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one thing that I want to say about that, because we're kind of talking about plus and the pluses and minuses in area.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: That one thing I will say that it does get very busy at weekends, especially around the London Eye.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and some of the streets are a little bit further back from the riverfront are probably not as pretty.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: That's true.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so but it but it is an uh it's an area that I enjoyed staying in.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: I thought it was really good.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you've got the leak um street tunnels.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I spend a bit of time looking around there um this year, yeah.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: And also just off the leaks, there's some lovely cafes and restaurants, quirky at cafes down that side, yeah, as well, which I think quite I wouldn't say hidden, but not straight in your face.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_03: So it's worth having a look around there, some good choices.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: And there is that's actually quite a wide variety of accommodation prices in this area as well.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: So it's actually quite a bit.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_03: I actually enjoyed it, yeah.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: So now the next area, and this is the one I've got kind of earmarked to stay in next time, is South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, and Chelsea.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it sounds so posh.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a great area for any if you love museums.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I wouldn't know what I could actually stay in a hotel opposite the VA, I'd be very happy.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: You'd stay in the VA itself.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's great, honestly, it's a great area for mu if you love museums, if you if you're traveling with your family, um, and you just want somewhere a bit more elegant and karma near Hyde Park.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's lovely.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So if your itinerary, you know, you're gonna visit some of the big museums like South Kensington, um, is famous for, like the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, the VA, they're all in that area, and of course you've got Hyde Park.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So it is a lovely, and it's it's a very expensive area in terms of you've got beautiful white um house terraces along there.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and as I said, for families, this is a real winner because those three museums are free to enter.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're on a budget, that's fantastic because you can there's a pedestrian tunnel from South Kensington tube station straight to the museums, uh, which is really handy when it's raining.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and we're actually after this, we'll be recording an episode for next month all about what to do in London when it rains.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um we'll probably be talking about the museums.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, short episode because I'll say just travel around by train.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, what when it's raining.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Now, South Kensington is also on the Piccadillo line, so you can come straight in from Heathrow if you're staying there.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now the drawback about staying in this area, it is one of the more upmarket parts of London, uh, which means it comes with the price tag to go with it.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, both for hotels and for eating out.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is not a cheap area.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Knightsbridge in particular um is the home of Harrid's and Harvey Nichols.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: So shopping is lovely, but it's not cheap.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: But again, we've we've had we've done some consults and we've had some interesting hotels that have been mentioned in that area that I'd like to stay in.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that sounded really good, really good option.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, next number option is number five, which is Greenwich.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we've stayed in Greenwich.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: Greenwich, and that was that was a good experience.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: We still enjoyed that, didn't we?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because it's a little bit, it's a little bit further away.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, if you're a history lover, if again families, it's a good area.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And anybody, if you're coming back to London for a second or third visit, Greenwich will give you a completely different side of London.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Naval College, uh, there's a market, there's a huge open park, and it's all in one place.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_03: There's a cable car.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, there is the cable.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: You've done the cable car, haven't you?
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and there's far more room to breathe than in the centre.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want something that feels a little bit friendly, a bit more local, a bit more slower paced.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Slower paced, then I would say a Greenwich is a great area to go to.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's got, I mean, we used to in a lovely BB there probably about 12, 13, 14 years ago.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it's that long ago.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_03: We got invited down to a party, didn't they?
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was it was lovely.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's really got kind of a bit more of a village feel than actually feeling that you're in kind of central London.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and it's it's not a big journey back into central from there.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean not far from central London.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now you can get back into central London using the DLR, which is Docklands Light Railway.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, also a Tribule line.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, or you can take uh a boat, the Uber boat, down.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I would recommend doing that at least once because that's a lovely trip back.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'll also mention there's a cruise terminal at uh Greenwich as well.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_03: So if you should be arriving by cruise ship, some of them call the move up and stop there.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um and Greenwich Station also has trains into London Bridge, which take about 10 minutes, so it's not too not too far.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um now, worth knowing if you're gonna go there and you want to because there's amazing things to do in Greenwich, and I I love Greenwich, I absolutely do.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um but if you're gonna go there, things like the Royal Observatory, it's atop of a steep hill.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: So you just have to kind of just take your time if you're gonna go up there because it's a bit of a it's a bit of a bit of a height.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_03: It's the last part, it's a gradual rise through the park, but but it's the last hundred yards or so, it's pretty sink, yeah.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: But otherwise, everything's kind of on the flat, by the river, it's really nice.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: The market's really nice.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Again, there's some really good pubs actually there for and you're gonna smile because I always mention I like having a picnic there.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: You do, you do.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: I'd rather just go and have a Sunday roast at some of the pubs down there, to be honest.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the pubs that we've been to in there are really great.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've had people taking out games and like have like the games.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, I can remember.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: I can remember we did that.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: We were there once, and there were people that were doing all these little games and the show.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really neat.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, so I remember, yeah.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so area six is the East End, Spittlefields and Shoreditch.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, this is a different area again.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we're talking about the we're talking about the East End of London now.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: So this is great if you love your food, you love markets, or you want something a little bit different.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: So creative modern London.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: So if you base yourself in Shoreditch or Spittlefields, you it's really about bars, there's lots of stuff going on there.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the best food in London.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, history.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_03: I always feel like there's a history vibe there and buildings and I was gonna say, well, that area is absolutely steeped in history.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes, um, and a bit some of it gruesome because that's the um area of Jack the Ripper.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that obviously if you're gonna do a Jack the Ripper, Walken Church will be that area.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um now Liverpool Street Station is right next to Spittlefields, and the Elizabeth line will go from straight to Heathrow, and then there's also the Stansted Express.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, the Stanside Express uh to the airport, and but the you're also owning up from Liverpool Street Station to the east, um Suffolk and Essential.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, okay, yeah.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, worth knowing about this area, it's lively, it's a late night part of town.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're if you if you're not a light sleeper, you don't kind of want the nightlife, then probably East End isn't the place to go.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it feels very different from kind of that the London of the West End.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but some people love it for that.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're looking for something a little bit more edgy, a little bit more different, then I would.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: I'll just stay there, but I I have always enjoyed going out that area.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, oh I love that area.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's just it is fantastic, it is a lovely area to go to.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of street art, uh, there's a flower market out there, yeah.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of markets, so it's really good for that.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, area seven is um Camden and King's Cross.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now we've stayed here quite a few times.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: Quite a few times, I know it's north London, yeah.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's obviously my train history.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: I've used King's Cross, St.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras, uh Houston Station as well, many, many times early in the morning or right back late at night.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: So it's it's been a place that's suited on both of us, really.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_00: Especially when we're we're sp when we're getting those trains out across to Paris early in the morning or Amsterdam or wherever, it's like you you want to be close by.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it that area around King's Cross, it like King's Cross used to be an awful area.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: It is used to be, and I can remember kind of 30 years ago, if a lot well, probably longer than that, 40 years ago, it was not it was really not an area that you felt safe in.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: It's good for train spotting though.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: Uh well, it's completely been rejuvenated, the whole area.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's a good one again.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: Markets, um, there's the music in the area, a lot of connections with music, and obviously the connections by train north as well as right, yeah.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_03: Eurostar.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, my hometown, Burn on Trent, had a close association with St.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras next door to King's Cross from the beer uh beer industry.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we should mention actually you've got three train stations there in a row.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, two very close together, and one further up Euston Road.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: You've got Houston, which sort of serves um basically the north and the northwest.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: And then you've got St.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras, which obviously we've got the St.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras International Park, which is uh your stars, but also heads into the towards the East Midlands, Nottinghamshire.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: So that's Derby Sheffield, Nottingham, and then you've got King's Cross, which basically heads north, and then is forms the East Coast main line all the way up to Edinburgh.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: And York and York and Edinburgh, yeah.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: So in that area as well, now you've got Cro Coldrop's Yard, and obviously you've got Camden's uh famous markets.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um and this is uh literally where we stay.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we stayed at the Pullman, we stayed at the Megaro, um, and then if you want something more budget friendly, actually we stayed at a place called Keystone House.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that was that was very good actually.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that again, because I think we were getting a Eurostar, the first Eurostar of the morning at 6 a.m.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: or something.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_03: And that's the balance you have to work out because you you we caught the early trains, we've got a long day's travels, and it's a more visably priced, the early trains, but then you've got to pay for accommodation, so it's that balancing act you have to just.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as I said, this area really has kind of shed its kind of reputation it's it used to have.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, and it's become really one of the best connected places in London to base yourself.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got Camden Market, Regents Canal, there's a music venue or a short short walk away.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: There's a British Library, which is always worth popping in.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: Go and see the treasures at the British Library.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's right next to St.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Pancras.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, St Pancras Station is beautiful, yeah, it is.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, so that's worth just going in and having a look round St Pancras because it is beautiful.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: St.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras is in essence two stations in one because the old and the new.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's um, as I say, really like if you're taking the Eurostar or you're gonna get Thames Link, or then it's a really good station, and there's really good shops in there as well.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: It's actually a bit of a hidden secret, or Van King's Cross, and St.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_03: There's some really tucked away traditional pubs worth visiting, some good food.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Excellent.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what we I think we really like the area because we I guess I've seen how that area's changed over the years.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's it's there is some affordable, like we found some affordable places to stay.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: There are more expensive.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we stay at the Pull Mum, the Megoro, they're pretty they're a little bit more expensive, uh, but they're really nice.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, um, obviously you've got Camden in the Camden Market area.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm not a massive fan of Camden Market, to be honest.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's gone a bit touristy.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_03: It gets very, very busy as well.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: It does, yeah.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and if you're going up to more towards that area, it can be a little bit more scruffy.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's really if you want five-star luxury, that's not there to stay in.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um also Camden Market gets very, very crowded at weekends.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_02: It really does.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's the if that would put me off that more Camden area, but I think King's Cross, if you're taking a train, honestly going to the Eurostar, you can't be better than staying in that kind of area.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, okay.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: Next area is Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia, which I just love that.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia, it just sounds so posh.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: It sounds portion.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you're a book lover, museum lover, or anyone who wants central London with a karma feel, then Bloomsbury and Fitzerovia are just perfect.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: So they sit just north of the West End.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so central London is on your doorstep, but once you're back in your hotel, honestly, it feels quieter and more residential.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: The streets around there are kind of full of leafy garden squares and gorgeous Georgian terraces.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: There's bookshops and cafes that the area's always been known for.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_03: Beautiful flowers in the summer.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely beautiful area.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, the British Museum is there, and that's free to enter.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to go and check out the British Museum, um, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia is a lovely area, as they say, to enjoy some also good restaurants around there as well.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now you've got Tottenham Court Road Station, it's kind of on the edge of that area, and that's on the Elizabeth Line, which will take you straight back to Heathrow.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, good links from Tottenham Court Road, yeah.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: And um, this this area often also gives you a better value than Covent Garden or Westminster for a very similar location.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_00: So that's worth knowing if you want to be central without those central prices.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um now thing to check is a lot of the hotels here are in converted Georgian townhouses.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: They are beautiful, but it can mean small rooms, steep stairs, and sometimes no lift.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's always worth checking before you book for that.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, most definitely.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, area nine.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: If you're still keeping up, we're in Mayfair, Merrillbone, and Oxford Street.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is great, yeah, another great area.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_00: So great for special occasion.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_00: Anyone who loves shopping, um, I mean, everybody knows about Mayfair, it's the most exclusive part of London.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, it yes, it's the most expensive square on the Monopoly board.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: Just going to say that.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: Anybody who's playing Monopoly will know Mayfair.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: It sits on the eastern edge of Hyde Park, it's full of smart hotels, fine restaurant, and elegant townhouses.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if a park lane stay is not in the budget, and for most of it isn't, um, look a little further north around Marlebone and Oxford Street because you're still close to the shopping and to the park, but slightly less expensive.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've got a soft spot for Marlebone.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the high street has got a lovely village field with independent shops, cafes, um, it's and it's a very easy, lovely place to stay.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, you've got Marlebone Station as well.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Marlebone Station, yeah, great uh rail links up on the Chiltern line, you've got towards Oxford, Bister Village, where we can ultimately with a change at Lemmington up to Stratford upon Avon.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yeah.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So now the only thing I would say about that area is Oxford Street.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's not particularly great.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it has gone downhill, I would say, the last few years.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I probably would say not to stay on Oxford Street itself.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: Though the talk uh it's apparently going to be pedestrianised, so that might make it a bit quieter.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_03: That's a good idea, actually.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um but honestly, kind of that Mayfair at Marlowbone would be probably my pick to consider in that area because it's uh it is really nice.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh now area 10 is Westminster and St.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: James.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is another great area for first-time visitors, especially if your priority is seeing the famous landmarks on your doorstep, because they are.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's what so you've got Big Ben, the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, all within a short walk.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: You've got St.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: James's Park, which is one of my favourite parks.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's a lovely, lovely park to go to.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: You can go and see the Pelicans.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yes.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you get a great view when you stand on the bridge of the London Eye.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can see Buckingham Palace.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now there are some lovely hotels, and actually on my top of my list, and actually because I want to go there for afternoon tea as well, is Rubens and the Palace, which is opposite um Rubin's at the Palace, which is opposite Buckingham Palace, not actually in the palace, it's opposite.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you want mine and invite there.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: No, I wouldn't know.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think the king's gonna invite me to the palace, but you never know.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: I might get maybe for for um what is it?
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: What was it?
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_00: What would be the word to say for uh podcasting?
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh duty to podcasting or for services to podcasting, that's it.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: That would be good, wouldn't it?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um that would be really, really cool.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: Now you've also got Victoria uh station close by.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: So this is another popular area with people because it's a little bit cheaper, that area.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Victoria is very good.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: You've got again, it opens up the south of England.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, you can get down to Gatwick Airport, Brighton, um Portsmouth, you know, the south coast opens up to England.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and there are actually plenty of restaurants around Victoria train station itself, and you obviously you've got the bus station there as well.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're taking a coach or getting a bus, that's probably where you're gonna be heading around that area.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, bus station's a couple of minutes from the train station.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, from the train station itself.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so yeah, it's a nice area.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's probably it's great for tight skiing, but it's a little bit quieter at evenings.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: So again, it depends what you're after.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so area 11 is Soho.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so now this is great.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: If you again theatre, you like food, anybody who wants to be quite right in the middle of it, because that's what you've got.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_03: I was just thinking of Hamley's toy shop.
• 26:48
  unknown: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: But shopping as well, because you've got Liberty, you've got Hamley's, you can go for dinner in Chinatown.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, cool.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you've got the West End, honestly, Soho puts you in the centre of the action.
• 27:00
  SPEAKER_00: You've got Covent Garden, Mayfair, and Fitzrovia all pretty close by.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and if you're and honestly, if you're a theatre lover and you're going to be doing a lot of theatre, stay in that Soho area or again Covent Garden, because that's brilliant.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you can walk back to your hotel after the show rather than queuing for the tube.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, Piccadilly Circus is on the Piccadilly line, so it's straight in from Heathrow again.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um now worth knowing for this area, it's lively very late into the night, which is a great part of the appeal if you want that.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: But if you're a light sleeper, probably not the area to stay in, or ask for a room at the back of the building.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that would be your best bet if you want to stay in Soho.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: Another great area for Christmas, though, Christmas lights.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, too.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, right.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: Last area, if you're sticking with us, it's Notting Hill and Little Venice.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a great area for couples, photographers, because oh my goodness, I have love Notting Hill.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and if you want something that's a little bit like pretty and village-y, then that's where you've got to go.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: And now Notting Hill, of course, is the is the London that you'll have seen in the films Notting Hill, Love Actually, and of course Paddington.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I only know Paddington film there.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Do you not seen Love actually?
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: Or I'm sure I've made you sit and watch both of those other two.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: Probably fell asleep.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_00: No, I don't think it's honestly.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: Well, so Notting Hill, think pastel houses, um, the more market on Portobello Road, street food.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's just I it's a beautiful area, and uh there's wisteria there in in that April, May time blossom.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: It is honestly, it's the best place to go for photos.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: I've got some had some beautiful photographs taken there a few years ago.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, you've seen them.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_03: I had some nice photos around the little Venice area.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: You did last last year, yes in autumn.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_00: So now Little Venice, if you're wondering where that is, it's just to the east.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's got the canal and Regents Park beyond it, and it's a really gentle neighbourhood feel.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: Another place for if you go to London on a second visit, that's worth staying.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you've got Paddington Station, kind of right between the two of Nottinghill and Little Venice.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: Actually, towards onto the canal, and you could walk all the way down to Little Venice very easily.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so and I know we often get asked about Paddington.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Paddington's another area that that people like to stay because it's a little bit cheaper.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah um, so and obviously you've got Heathrow Express and you've got the uh Elizabeth line, Heathrow, and then if you're going west, that's Oxford, Bath, Bristol, then Paddington Station's the one.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and obviously, so kind of skipping back to Notting Hill as well again.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you're gonna go to Portobello Road, I will say obviously the market's best on a Saturday.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but if you're planning to visit over the August bank holiday weekend, that's when the Notting Hill Carnival takes place.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: So either plan to go to it or just avoid that area.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: And now the drawback about it is that it's a little removed from the main site, so you will be having to take the tube uh most days, and Portobello Market gets extremely crowded on a Saturday.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: So weekday mornings, karma if you'd rather avoid the crush.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: But again, a lovely area to stay in.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I just want to give you three things to check before you book.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: So we've gone through all 12 areas.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, as I say, if that was if you want more information, I have got detailed guides on each of those areas on the website.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, whichever area you choose, these are three things I check on the hotel listing before you book.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they're really, really important.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: The first one is if there's a lift, because a lot of small London hotels are in older townhouses and some have no lift at all.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_03: We have a story on that one.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: We have experience of this, haven't we?
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that actually was we stayed in Common Garden and a hotel I will not mention because we won't be staying there again because the manager was particularly rude.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my only um only experience thing ever of particularly rude staff.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we ended up at the top of this building with our luggage.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we didn't have a lot of luggage, but we still had to take up five sets of okay, you had to take five sets of stairs to get there.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: And also, this brings me to the second point because this was the middle of summer, and this hotel also didn't have the second thing I'm gonna check for.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: If you are gonna be staying in London over the summer, check for air conditioning because London can be stiflingly hot, and a lot of hotels do not have air con, especially the older ones.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so if you're coming between June and September, I would absolutely check if air conditioning is important to you.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: We ended up with a fan, but we still melted in the room.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: The room was very, very small.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: Was very small, very stuffy, top of stairs, and and no air con.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: It was and the manager was unpleasant.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_03: Suffice to say, we didn't spend a lot of time there.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: No, we didn't.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: I love the area, but not particularly the hotel.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the third thing, actually, you kind of alluded to the third thing to check is room size.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, London hotel rooms are small, often much smaller than visitors from the US or Australia or New Zealand are used to.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so look at the look at the room size in square meters or square feet if it's listed, and look at the photos properly.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because honestly, you might get a bit like we we had that problem in Japan because we had 10 little rooms in Japan.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: But but London can be just as ridiculously small as some of the rooms.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also we'll just mention this as well because this is something that's crossed mind is bed size as well.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: Because I know that's right, the beds in the UK are tiny.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: They're really tiny.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: And we have we struggle every time we go back with double beds that are just ridiculously small and not very long.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: So again, if you've got if you're particularly tall, your husband's particularly tall, um, do check that uh when you're checking out for your uh hotels.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: Not always the length, it's it's the width, isn't it?
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: The width and sometimes the length as well.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um so sometimes that's why it's worth checking and maybe paying a little bit extra for London accommodation.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, because it it does pay off in the long run.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I know people say, Oh, I only sleep there, it's not that important.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_00: But you've just got to figure out what are the things that are important to you.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, which is why when I'm on Mount, I like the Z hotels, they're they're not expensive.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, the rooms are perfect, they're really well set out.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: Talk about things being important.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_03: Where was the one where I couldn't make a cup of tea?
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that was the Citizen Hermit Tower Hill.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_03: Lovely hotel room, lovely hotel, great location.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_03: But I could not make myself a cup of tea.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they didn't have a kettle in the room, and that might have changed because it was a couple of years ago now.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I did we did complain, and then we're like, oh, it's to bring everybody downstairs to say, Well, what?
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we know first thing in the morning when we wake up, like, people don't want to see me downstairs.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_00: They really don't.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the first thing we want a cup of tea.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: So that was the only thing about that particular hotel.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now I don't know if that change changed that.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_03: It's funny how it sticks in my mind one detail or somewhere.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was one of those things that was like, yeah, the staff were lovely.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_03: I do remember the staff were lovely.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: You had to keep going downstairs and get hot water, didn't you?
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_00: So you could make tea.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: In my dressing gown or I hope he didn't go down in your dressing gown.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_03: I think I probably did one.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, oh dear.
• 33:50
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think that's allowed.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, we'll forget about that.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's a fashion.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: Was it?
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it was your I don't know.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: I um I was gonna say maybe it was your Japanese kimono rather than a dressing gown.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, there you go.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Possibly.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, let's talk about top three.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my top three places to stay.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know, this might be different from Doug, actually, because I kind of put this together.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: One is just these are areas rather than specific hotels.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_00: So my favourite, I guess, is Covent Garden.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: I love that area because it's all stuff's always cracking off.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the restaurants are great, theatre's amazing.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's just got a really cool feel, that area.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_03: I think it has.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_03: I agree with you.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, and I'm I'm not too far from pick and cheese, so I can go and yeah.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_03: I knew that would come into the equation somewhere.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the other area that I do like, I have to say, is around South Bank.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_00: And now you haven't stayed there.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: That was that was me that stayed there with Lucy a few years ago.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just liked it because you could walk over Westminster Bridge, you know, you've got uh House of Parliament, London Eye, Thames, we'll go and walk walk down the Thames.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_03: I can see the appeal, particularly in a summer light evening.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_03: I imagine that's that's very nice.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but also kind of again festive season, it's quite a nice area to stay.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_00: And the the third one I'm going to mention, again, because we stayed there a lot, is that kind of St Pancras area, especially when you're catching trains.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_03: I I I feel that that's probably one of my go-to areas because it usually involves trains that day or the following day.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_03: So it's the area I know quite well.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_03: I know Paddington Station very well as well, um, from using it multiple times.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, that North London does have an appeal to me because I think there's a lot of range for hotels for or all accommodations for all price ranges as well.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_03: I think there's a lot a lot on offer there.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and now obviously the the area's kind of improved, and you've got a cold drops yard, and you've got so there's there's there's plenty to kind of for like eat in and eating out and stuff at night.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_03: I've seen lots of families around there.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, in front of um King's Cross and St.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_03: Pancras, the King's Cross Square there, they have markets there, there's things going on all through particular at weekends, there's things like events and things like that.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_00: So okay, so those are kind of those are the three areas, but uh honestly you can't really go wrong with any of those twelve.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's just suiting, it's really picking what suits you.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and and also there's lots of other factors which we covered in the first one, but obviously consider the time to get from your accommodation to where you're going for that day.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, to again look at your itinerary.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I'm back again.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because that's always it's not the going out in the morning, it's a coming back at night.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Just you like don't want to be walking.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Had enough.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, can I just sit on this bench?
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's true, that's true.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, anyway, that brings us to the end of this week's episode.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: So we've looked at 12 areas and hopefully you have one or two in mind for your own trip now.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if one of those areas has caught your eye, head over to LondonTravelPanning.com where you'll find a full guide to each of the 12 with our hotel picks at three different budgets and a map showing exactly where each area is in London so you can visualize it.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um keep listening because we'll be doing more in-depth episodes on each individual area throughout 2027.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: Now everything is linked in the show notes at uktravelplanet.com forward slash episode 220, along with episode 68 if you want the framework to help you choose.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, if you'd like to see exactly what's around each area before you book hotel, take a look at our ultimate London travel planning map.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: It has more than 900 handpicked places across London in 16 categories.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_00: So you can see at a glance which area puts you closest to the things that you want to do.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I will also add a link to that in the show notes.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: But I guess, Doug, that's it probably for this week.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: Happy UK travel planning.