Staying in London cheaply this summer

[val douest]

If you are travelling through London this summer and need an inexpensive bed for the night then it is worth considering the various university halls of residence which are scattered around the capital (with some right in the centre).  If you have a mid-morning flight from Stansted, for example, by choosing a place within easy reach of Liverpool Street Station it may be possible to avoid a pricey overnight stay at Stansted.  The good thing about the Halls is that most rooms are singles (though there are some twins and doubles) so if you are travelling alone you don't have to pay a premium.  I have just booked my son in law into the University of Westminster's International House on the Southbank in July so he can walk to Blackfriars to catch his bus to Spain the following morning - single rate £29.  A useful website is http://housing.london.ac.uk/cms/short-term-housing/halls-of-residence.html.  There are en suite rooms as well as more basic accommodation on offer and prices are considerably lower for stays of longer than a week.

Val

[NormanH]

Very interesting.

I had heard vaguely about this but didn't know your highly useful link.

Thanks a lot

[Scooby]

My great aunt used university accommodation a lot for her summer holidays - she swore by it.  I used it when I was younger and was still training.  A number of the courses I had to go on (not themselves run by universities) had an intensive summer session and so, to avoid the commuting, I often arranged to use university accommodation.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Another way is to use web sites such as wotif.com. We have picked up some bargains through that. Stayed in a 4 star hotel in London for about 60 quid a night once. Right next door to Hyde Park. It was nice.