Looking for a little help from Dis friends re: London, England

[McGoofy]

My family and another family are in the early stages of planning a trip to London, England. We have the dates nailed down to January 2010. Our most difficult decision is trying to find a place for the 4 of us to stay. (Two couples). We looked at hotels, but we think we would rather try to find some sort of rental home/serviced apartment. That would allow us to stay at the same place, yet have 2 separate rooms, as well as have a kitchenette. We would like to be near city center as we think we would rather not rent a car and hopefully only have to use the Tube. Here's what I would like help with: recommendations of a decent place to stay in a safe area that meets my description. Hoping to keep it relatively inexpensive as we will be there for 10 days. Any suggestions would be most helpful. Thank you in advance.

[MNNHFLTX]

I don't have a specific place to recommend, but look at London's official website (visitlondon.com) as they have a search engine for lodging that includes self-catering apartments. Another website that lets you search specific dates is londonconnection.com--they are supposedly a reputable company. We had looked into renting an apartment two years ago when we were there, but decided to stay in a Jury's Inn in East Croydon (southern suburb of London) as we were flying into Gatwick and renting a car for part of our stay (so that we could drive to destinations outside of London). Incidentally, if you don't plan on venturing much outside of London, I think it's smart of you not to rent a car. The traffic is crazy there and there is no parking. Not to mention some of the fees you get charged just to drive around certain areas.

Areas I would recommend for lodging-the West End definitely (very touristy, but in the heart of a lot of cool neighborhoods, the theatre, shopping, etc.) and Westminster/Victoria (as it is so close to some of the major historical sites and Victoria station is a main hub for both rail and tube lines. I have heard that Knightsbridge and Kensington are good to stay in too, but typically more expensive.

That said, we are going back next summer and won't be staying in any of those areas, lol! We get a good deal with the Hilton Tower Bridge through my husband's company, so we are going to take advantage of that. It is just across the river from the Tower of London. Not the most picturesque area, but close to a tube station and some sight-seeing opportunities we missed the last time out.

[Daisy'sMom]

We stayed at the Chelsea Village and the Millenium Mayfair. We loved the Mayfair, and the Chelsea was fine. I envy you. We had a wonderful time in London.
The Mayfair was close to Oxford ST, the best for shopping. It is also close to Hyde Park, etc, etc. We walked to most places. It is very close the US Embassy. I wish I was going with you. Have a wonderful time.

[McGoofy]

Thank you for your quick replies! I will check some of these areas out. As we all had our lap-tops out together yesterday, we saw some of the places that both of you mentioned, but we just had no idea of whether they were good places or not.

With that said, any locals out there who know the area?? I think the best recomendations can come from people who live there. If people were visiting my city, I have definite places that I would say "yes, stay there" or "no, stay far away from that place!!"

I will research any suggestions given!

Thanks!