Holiday accommodation in Student Halls of Residence (Hotels in London in general)

Member Name: mumps

Product:	Hotels in London in general
Date:	02/05/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good quality and good value

Disadvantages: Not available in term time

Visiting London can be an expensive business but lets face it a visit to the Capital is worth it. I found, quite accidentally, that staying in student accommodation is a really good value way to have a holiday.

Now you might be picturing a grotty bedsit in a not very salubrious area but believe me you might be pleasantly surprised.

Imperial College
The first time I booked student accommodation I stayed in Halls of residence belonging to Imperial College. To be precise I stayed in Beit Hall, Prince Consort Road, South Kensington pretty well nextdoor to the Royal Albert Hall, close to Hyde Park and the Science museum so a great location if you have children. We had breakfast in the Senior Common Room which was very pleasant. The halls are an attractive old building but with excellent facilities. The bedroom was quite spacious with a nice en suite and comfortable twin beds.
Queen Mary
Situated in the East End just off the Mile End Road the Queen Mary's campus is a contrast to Imperial College. It is very modern and we stayed in an en suite room in a student flat, I think there were five bedrooms and a shared kitchen, which means you can save some cash and cook a meal rather than using restaurants all the time. The kitchen looked over the canal which was lit up at night and really lovely. The area round the campus is a bit um............ downmarket but there are some good restaurants close by and Mile End tube station is only a few minutes walk away.

I haven't tried any of the other student accommodation but there is a lot available, LSE and UCL halls are also available.

One obvious drawback is that these facilities are only available during university holidays but if the dates are suitable they are a very good value option to hotels.

My visits were in 2007 and I paid about £20 per person for bed and breakfast which I thought was really good value.

Summary: Worth a try if you are looking for holiday accommodation in London