Apartment Stay in London
We have never done apartment living when vacationing before. We normally stay in hotels, B&B’s, campgrounds or small guest-houses and hadn’t considered renting an apartment for a week at a time.
London is one expensive town and renting an apartment for the duration of time you are there will help save a lot of money. We cooked our own food, did our laundry and had a comfortable place to drink some beer and wine at night rather than spending all our time in expensive restaurants and bars.
It is a great way to stay in a downtown area at an affordable price.
Located a mere 800 metres from the Old Town tube station in the Islington area we had a 2 bedroom apartment all to ourselves for 8 whole days courtesy of Oh-London, an apartment and hostel rental booking agency.
Rick wasn’t arriving until a couple of days before the beginning of the Festival of Slow, so Sherry, Dave and I took advantage of having the two separate bedrooms to ourselves.
Driving in the Festival of Slow at Goodwood
We were pretty excited to see that we were right across the street from Jamie Oliver’s production office and one of his non-profit restaurants was just around the corner. We made a mental note to go there for dinner later in the week and indeed we did!
Our one Splurge Night at Jamie Olivers
For the most part though, we took advantage of the eat-in kitchen and made dinner at home a couple of nights. The best way to save money when travelling is to avoid eating out and we ate like kings for peanuts in our cozy apartment.
We stocked up on eggs, yogurt, coffee and toast to have breakfast in each morning in front of the tv catching up on the BBC news and the Tour de France results for Dave.
Catching up on the BBC
Having bought an Oyster Card for the duration of our time in London, we had unlimited access to the tube and spent our days sightseeing. We didn’t have to worry about any commute or hopping on a train to get from one attraction to another. Thanks to Globetrotting Girls for letting us know about purchasing an Oyster Card.
Using our Oyster Card to Get Around
We had an amazing night out when we met up with some of London’s top travel writers, bloggers, tour companies and pr agencies when we joined in on a TBU meet up at ….
We almost didn’t’ make it thought because we had difficulties figuring out the European Laundry in our apartment and had our clothes stuck inside after the drying cycle ended.
figuring out european washing machines
The door was locked and it took us literally hours of working on it to open the door. We drained water from it, started cycles over again, put it on a spin cycle only and tried drying our clothes again but only for 10 minutes at a time. Nothing worked. Then suddenly after another try, it magically popped open and we made it out just in time for the latter half of our meet up.
I’m glad we did because we met some amazing people!
Wanting to book your own apartment stay in London? Visit Oh-London for more details.
Check out these tips that we got from Oh London on how to choose.
1. What sort of bunch are you dealing with? Don’t be afraid to ask the most basic questions, like how long have they been in business, and whether you’ll be able to call them in your native language. Have a look as well on travel forums to see what other people are saying about the company.
2. Before you even think about handing over your credit card details, do a quick recce. A secure site will have certain seals of approval, such as those issued by VeriSign and Thawte. The browser’s status bar (at the foot of the screen) should also change when you’re at the booking stage to show you a closed padlock icon.
3. There’s nothing worse than finding the flat of your dreams, going to the hassle of entering credit card details, only to be met with a message that says “sorry, we’ll need to check availability and get back to you”. Look for companies offering instant confirmations and save yourself the wait.
4. Wading through small print may not sound like fun, but one thing you should pay attention to are any ‘hidden’ charges. These could be in the form of booking fees or surcharges for having the temerity to use your credit card. Some firms charge and some don’t – if yours does, they should at least make this clear at every stage of the booking process.
5. Keep an eye out for previous guests’ reviews of the accommodation. Such insights can make all the difference in whether you choose apartment A or B. (Make sure they’re bona fide, though. Check if the apartment’s rating is actually backed up by the reviews, or whether the company might have given itself an undeserved pat on the back.)
Comments
13 Responses to Apartment Stay in London
Leave a Reply
Posts
- Italian Hospitality in the Apennines on June 19, 2013 by debndave - 1 Comment
- Emilia Romagna: Captured Beauty on Instagram on June 18, 2013 by debndave - 9 Comments
- Fast Cars – Get Your Adrenaline Fix with Ferrari on June 17, 2013 by debndave - 6 Comments
- Sometimes a Couple’s Gotta Relax on June 16, 2013 by debndave - 6 Comments
- Honesty, Fear and Triumph – Dear Reader on May 27, 2011 by debndave - 166 Comments
- Petra by Night in Photos on May 4, 2011 by debndave - 163 Comments
- How Travel Saved our Marriage and Transformed Our Lives on June 18, 2012 by debndave - 148 Comments
- So You Want to Be a Pro Blogger in The Travel Business on November 14, 2011 by debndave - 142 Comments
See Our Travel Photos!!!
As Seen On
Get Inspired!
Media and Appearances
Archives
Partner with Us
ThePlanetD is one of the top travel blogs on the Internet. We work with brands and tourism boards to help bridge the gap between the corporation and consumer. To find out how you can work with us, visit our Media/Advertise page.Write for Us
Travel Resources
Connect with Us
Log in -
Development by MWL Development -
Designed by Gabfire Themes
Google+
We are thinking about this for next summer in Europe! I love the picture in front of the washing machine….we have had very similar situations!
Good to hear we aren’t the only ones. I just felt like an idiot. It happened again in Kiev too. We were looking up the model and make on the Internet trying to figure out how to get the damn thing open. I am so glad we made it to the meeting eventually, but it was a bummer to miss out on pre event drinks with 501 Places.
How much is the price for this apartment? This info will be useful for your readers.
Hi Kenny, Prices vary from time of year to number of people and the length of stay. You are right that it would be useful information, but we cannot quote prices for you when circumstances are different for everyone. We instead have provided a link for our readers to follow to get their own quotes for the area and times that they are looking for. Oh London’s website is very easy to navigate and you can easily find a quote for a say in Downtown London. Good luck and cheers.
We have a large family and we have rented apartments in Rome and Paris. It did save us a lot of money but one thing to be aware of is that the amenities may not be what you expect in a hotel. Ask before you book.
Good advice Michele. An apartment is not a hotel and it is important to check out all the amenities to make sure that it has what you want. They are two very different ways of staying in a city. A hotel caters to you and gives you the full vacation experience, while an apartment gives you the sense that you are living in the city for the time you are there. Both are beneficial for sure.
We just got back from Paris where we rented an apartment in Mont Matre just below (what a fabulous view) Sacre Coeur. We saved a ton of money by using the local grocery stores and bakeries. The washing machine was great because we pack light. Internet was included and even the TV came in handy for the local weather and news.
How fun! I’m thinking of using HereStay.com to rent a vacation home in London next summer. Have you considered that?
I haven’t tried them yet. You must let us know how it goes. Apartment stays are a great option indeed.
serviced apartments are a great concept and can work out cost effective in the long run. It is ideal or families, relocation, business and international assignments. why are they cost effective you may ask? well unlike hotels serviced apartments should charge per apartment and not per person, there are no hefty bill charges like Laundry, telephone charges etc.
The location of these serviced apartments should be in prime locations, where there is easy access to trains, restaurants and super markets. if your booking via an agent then they should advise all details of the property to you, what the amenities are etc.
London serviced apartments are best for long stay family holidays, best alternative to hotels.
Pingback: A Florence Bed and Breakfast with Character
Pingback: A Florence Bed and Breakfast with Character | I am on travel