Expert: David Stewart White - 4/5/2005

Question
Hi David...we are a family of our.  My two children are 17 and 11.  We are planning to stay in london either 4 or 5 nights and are trying to stay in an apartment hotel as most hotels do not accomodate a family of four.  I have located three apartments that would fit our budget and wondering if you could offer an opinion on their location and of course any information you might have about each of them.  The first is 2 hyde park apartments (located near marble arch), the second is citadines Holborn Covent Garden apartments (Holborn tube) and finally the soho square apartments which are one block off oxford street and supposedly in a nice garden area.  I would like to know if my 17 year old daughter can go out and about on her own in any of these areas located nearby the apartments.

One last thing...do you think that five nights is too long in London...we are then headed up north?  

Thank you in advance for any info you can provide.

Answer
Hi Joy,

Full disclosure:  I have not stayed at or inspected any of the apartment/hotels that you have listed.  Have you looked at the reviews posted for the first two on Tripadvisor.com?  I did, and they seem quite positive.  There was no review of the Soho Square apartments, however.

Given what I do know--which is a bit about the locations of each--I'd say that the Hyde Park Square apartments are in the best area in terms of being fairly central, in a residential area, etc.  The Holborn locale comes in second--it is not far from the British Museum (but not that close to Covent Garden).  

I have mixed feelings about Soho--although Soho Square is a pleasant spot, Soho itself is, well, "quirky" probably describes it best.  There are lots of restaurants, pubs, bars, nightclubs, adult-oriented businesses, etc.  It can be a bit  noisy, bordering on rowdy, in the evening.  

And to address your other question about letting your 17 year old daughter go out on her own...well, I guess that question answers itself in Soho!  But in general, London is a very safe city and a city-aware 17 year old could probably enjoy wandering around a bit on her own.  One key would be here ability to navigate through London, especially using the Underground/Tube, on her own.  

Finally, no, I do not think 5 nights is too long in London.  That amount of time will allow you to see many of the major sights in the city, without a mad rush.

Hope this is helpful.

David White
mail@KidsToLondon.com