Gay London

Next Wednesday, March 20th

I’m looking for budget accommodations for my partner and me for one night. I’d like something in central London, close to the tube and inexpensive. I haven’t done the London scene in YEARS.. I’m out of touch, please help.

I have always had luck using UK Hotels Assist

http://www.demon.co.uk/hotel-uk/

have you tried www.priceline.com (http://www.priceline.com) and www.biddingfortravel.com? (http://www.biddingfortravel.com?)

if I spent more than $60/night in London for a Four Star Hotel?

I would be embarrassed.

I have to second the suggest to check out Priceline...

I've been very fortunate and have also been able to regularly find a 4 star for $60-70/night.

Good luck!

If you're just scouting for hotels, I'd recommend using Expedia. They usually have fairly decent deal (which need to be paid for in full at the time of reservation) with links to the hotel sites or complete hotel descriptions. I was in London in early Dec. for 4 nights. Stayed in Piccadilly Circus for about $65/nt. Close to Soho, West End, and gay bars.

Last August we stayed at Aston's Budget Designer Suites (How could you resist such a name??) in South Kensington. It was a short walk from the South Kensington tube stop, and there was a gay bar or two in the neighborhood that we saw out walking around.

Most importantly http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif it was a nice walk from Harrod's and the V&A museum! It's a beautiful neighborhood and while we're not much on strolling hand in hand, I don't think I would have felt uncomfortable at all in the area.

I thought it was cheap at around 100 pounds per night, but not if decent lodging can be had for $60/night as ATC suggests.

Have a fun trip!

There are a number of 'Thistle' chain hotels in or near the west end (piccadilly circus or leicester sq area) all very well located for soho. Just remember that there are gay destinations in other parts of the city. When you arive, walk into the nearest gay bar, pick up BOYZ - a free fag mag - and checkout this listings section at the back. Enjoy.

This is cool, thanks gays.. I mean guys. :-)

Oh, I may have overstated (who me?). However, I stayed at the Thistle Marble Arch a couple of weeks ago for $65. Check out www.biddingfortravel.com (http://www.biddingfortravel.com) to get an idea of the going Priceline winning bids, then bid! They seem to be running from $60 to $80 for a four star hotel right now.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by robb:
[B]I thought it was cheap at around 100 pounds per night, but not if decent lodging can be had for $60/night as ATC suggests.
[B]</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ATC:
Check out www.biddingfortravel.com (http://www.biddingfortravel.com) to get an idea of the going Priceline winning bids, then bid! They seem to be running from $60 to $80 for a four star hotel right now.
</font>

This is an excellent source of bidding information for hotels. Few, if any, posters on FT would think to use Priceline (PL) for an airline ticket (no miles, yikes!!). But PL works very well for hotel accomodations.

Also, be aware that a PL 4* rating in Europe is generally equivalent to a 3* rating in the USA.

Things to do in London!

1. Read my trip report, might give you some ideas.
2. Walk around Old Compton Street and along Shaftesbury avenue, go to the CXR and Kudos bar, very fun. Also there are other bars around there that are also nice.
3. I recommend Heaven, though I skipped it on my last trip, also DTPM at Fabric was good for some more "thumping music".

Chris

http://www.gaybritain.org/

I also recomend priceline and biddingfortravel.com as well. We were at the Thistle Marble Arch last week for $66+VAT and it was close to the tube, shopping, and cheap/good food.

BillJ

It's looking like a trip to London is on for thanksgiving, what area should I bid for on priceline?

Same as always; the rates don't seem to vary that much. You should look at biddingfortravel or www.betterbidding.com. (http://www.betterbidding.com.)

You might also want to look at reviews some and decide on which zones you are ok with. We decided after getting the Thistle Bloomsbury this year that we are going to avoid the Marble Arch-Bloomsbury zone and only bid the Mayfair-Soho zone next time. (The Bloomsbury was only passable for our expectations and it seems that hotels coming up in the Mayfair zone are more consistent in terms of quality.)

BillJ