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Post by poster J on Sept 4, 2018 6:16:02 GMT
Usually Travelodge here (but they can be depressing). Has anyone here used hostels ? See numerous previous posts in this thread. YHA hostels are fine, I would never stay in a St Christopher's Inn again.
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Post by mistressjojo on Sept 4, 2018 6:21:25 GMT
Has anyone here used hostels ? Yes many times, usually the YHA ones ( some of the private hostels have an upper age limit and are more concerned with partying than sleeping) Although sometimes the price for a single room is not much cheaper than a b & b or smaller hotel. London St Pauls YHA- clean & quite except for the bells. Handy to buses and tube, and convenient for the Globe. Edinburgh Central YHA- about a 10 minute walk downhill from Waverley Station ( but remember you have to go back up!) and about the same from the bus station. Clean rooms, singles with en-suite. Rooms overlooking the street can be noisey due to traffic but not excessive. *Single rooms here can cost more than the Premier Inn Hub in Rose Street, so shop around. Bristol YHA - lovely old building on the waterfront near the Arnolfini. Good cafe. Clean rooms. Short walk to Theatre Royal. Manchester YHA - on the canal at Potato Wharf. Purpose built hostel so good layout. Can be noisey with school groups but otherwise clean & good cafe in foyer. Short walk to G-Mex transport or buses around the corner. Lots of others but they're not really relevant to theatre breaks.
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Post by rockinrobin on Sept 4, 2018 14:32:15 GMT
Yup, Generator is ok if your budget is tight - good location, decent breakfast, nice bar, the rooms are clean. That said, it's not a quiet place. And, um, couples (or strangers) having sex in shared bathrooms are not an unusual sight on weekend nights. Although maybe that's just my luck!
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Post by maggiem on Sept 4, 2018 17:01:30 GMT
I've said this on a previous thread, but I offer it again if you're interested. I always book the County Hotel on Upper Woburn Place. It's about a 5 min walk from Euston Station, and one of the cheapest but safest places I know. I have managed to get 3 nights B&B for £113.50 booking it through Superbreak for a November weekend theatre break. I always try Superbreak first, but if their allocation of rooms has gone, I book direct through Imperial London Hotels, although the same no. of nights will cost about £156. The rooms are basic, but clean, and you won't get one in the basement! Bathrooms are shared (4 to each floor) and well maintained. English breakfast is self-serve in the basement dining room, and your booking will enable you to a visit to one of the posher hotels in the group for fancier meals if you wish. All the group hotels are along that road, running past Tavistock Square up to Russell Square. www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/
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Post by jek on Sept 6, 2018 6:00:20 GMT
Having just spent two nights there I can second what mistressjojo says about Edinburgh Central YHA. It was fine but we were in a room facing the busy main road in to Edinburgh (Leith Walk) and had a window that couldn't be shut. It was quite nostalgic for me though as we lived in Edinburgh for four years and I remember being in a car in the middle of the night racing down that section of Leith Walk as I was in labour with my second child. My daughter and I had a twin room that was £68 per night and the continental breakfast (a bit of bun fight as the hostel was packed with hungry teenagers) was £5.50.
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Post by basi1faw1ty on Sept 6, 2018 10:30:52 GMT
Usually Travelodge here (but they can be depressing). Has anyone here used hostels ? Stayed in hostels twice now, once in a shared room, the other I got a private ensuite. I will stay on a hostel again but only if there's a private room. Sharing a room with strangers, for me at least, was awful. There were only 6 of us all together, but the issue was 5 of them were all part of the same group, and I was this Billy No Mates who'd just invaded their space. I felt so alone, and it was rather embarrassing. I had little to no privacy. I always pay extra for my own space now.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2018 10:43:53 GMT
I stayed in hostels a couple of times in NY back in the day (ie about a decade ago when I was young enough for that sh*t) And perhaps it's the only child in me but I value my own space too much! and as single rooms in hostels are about the same as a Travelodge/Cheap BnB etc I'd rather pay the extra.
I will do the shared bathroom thing if staying in Halls of Residence. Another bonus of Halls of Residence is a kitchen- even if just to use a microwave/kettle/fridge if staying more than overnight has been really useful.
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Post by grannyjx6 on Sept 6, 2018 21:46:06 GMT
I've said this on a previous thread, but I offer it again if you're interested. I always book the County Hotel on Upper Woburn Place. It's about a 5 min walk from Euston Station, and one of the cheapest but safest places I know. I have managed to get 3 nights B&B for £113.50 booking it through Superbreak for a November weekend theatre break. I always try Superbreak first, but if their allocation of rooms has gone, I book direct through Imperial London Hotels, although the same no. of nights will cost about £156. The rooms are basic, but clean, and you won't get one in the basement! Bathrooms are shared (4 to each floor) and well maintained. English breakfast is self-serve in the basement dining room, and your booking will enable you to a visit to one of the posher hotels in the group for fancier meals if you wish. All the group hotels are along that road, running past Tavistock Square up to Russell Square. www.imperialhotels.co.uk/en/
Thank you for your recommendation. I've just booked this for November also, but a mid week break for us. I looked at the trip advisor reviews which varied from people complaining that it wasn't (surprisingly) the Ritz to others raving about it and all things in between. Three nights for me and my husband for £207 which is incredible. The lack of an en suite was a bit of a problem but it would have been at least another £50/£60 for something of similar standard and not in as good a location, so we decided to risk it. I just need to get some bargain tickets for a few shows now.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 7, 2018 6:32:07 GMT
No shared bathrooms for me, thank you. The thought of going in and finding ‘evidence‘ of another human is . It’s probably an age thing but the days when I was prepared to go away and put up with substandard accommodations because “you’re only sleeping there” were over a long time ago. There used to be a place in Earls Court called The Philbeach. Goodness, the stuff that went on in those bathrooms! In fact not just in the bathrooms, if you weren’t careful you’d have blokes in their underpants walking into your room 🙂 These days I need a minimum level of facilities or I’d really rather stay at home, and Premier Inn pretty much meets that minimum. Travelodge, just no. Gloomy, depressing, electrical sockets on the other side of the room, dim bathrooms, thin towels... Never again (although I understand they’re going through a programme of upgrading their rooms). One thing really annoys me about PI though. The soap and shower gel. Surely it’s the same product in that dispenser and how tight are they not to fill the damned thing up properly? It’s like “we don’t trust you not to waste our cheap gel so we’re rationing it”. So much for the hospitality industry.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2018 8:16:49 GMT
I agree on the soap dispensers!
Also if anyone is curious the whole 'good night guarantee' thing in Premier Inn isn't a lie! we once raised an issue of a noisy heater/air conditioner unit with reception, just so they could get it fixed because I don't know I'm that person. And immediately they offered the free night thing. Clearly some people might take the piss but it's nice to know it's actually real.
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Post by meso77 on Sept 7, 2018 10:16:00 GMT
I'm definitely in the Travelodge only bracket as I'm someone who won't pay more than £50 a night for my theatre trips.
My trick is to look if they are opening any new hotels and then book as soon as they put them on sale, they are usually really cheap. This year I've mostly been in the new one at Acton and only payed on average £30 a night. Decent hotel as well, and only 20 minutes on the central line into London. The new rooms even have USB chargers next to the bed. Unfortunately it looks like the prices are rising here as everybody catches on to the value.
My other target Travelodges that are usually cheap are Raynes Park and Wembley High Road.
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Post by showgirl on Sept 7, 2018 14:05:10 GMT
OH & I once had to claim this but we'd have preferred - wouldn't anyone - a decent night's sleep. No difficulty with the refund as the staff had asked the offenders to be quiet, but in vain. Taught me a painful lesson though: now I always ring ahead with a room request; quite general so easy to meet but it ensures a quieter room location.
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Post by wickedgrin on Sept 7, 2018 22:12:39 GMT
Premier Inns for me too whenever I stay over in a city on a theatre trip. I like to know exactly what I am getting. No "boutique" B&B's for me! The beds are super comfy!
For a quiet nights sleep though it is always better to be at the far end of the corridor away from the stairs and lift so you have few people passing the door. A longer walk to the room but worth it I've found.
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Post by cheesy116 on Sept 7, 2018 23:12:52 GMT
I used the MegaBus Gold from Glasgow to London several times for abou 3/4 years until it got discontinued last January. I'm now a user of the Caledonian Sleeper and the usual Virgin west coast trains.
If I stay over, I stay at the EasyHotel in Victoria. The most basic of hotel rooms and probably the smallest room in the whole of London but I've managed to get it for as little as £25 a night if you book at the right time and off peak. I've also stayed at a few Travelodges such as Kings Cross and Covent Garden.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2018 8:17:04 GMT
This is kinda off-topic, but for me no theatre break is complete without a full English breakfast.
Where do they serve the best one in your opinion?
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Post by anniel on Sept 8, 2018 8:40:28 GMT
I would always recommend the Balham Travelodge. It's about 20 paces from the tube and is clean and spacious. I have never had a problem with noise or any unpleasantness! Weekends are expensive but during the week it's pretty reasonable.
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Post by poster J on Sept 8, 2018 8:59:17 GMT
This is kinda off-topic, but for me no theatre break is complete without a full English breakfast. Where do they serve the best one in your opinion? In Northern Ireland - the English version pales in comparison.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Sept 8, 2018 11:01:40 GMT
This is kinda off-topic, but for me no theatre break is complete without a full English breakfast. Where do they serve the best one in your opinion? At risk of sounding like I’ve got shares in Whitbread but Premier Inn again. £9.99 for all you can eat. Ok it’s not organic bacon from a pig with a CV but there’s a great range, the eggs are cooked regularly so they’re fresh, includes HASH BROWNS, pastries, the lot. You can’t half fill your boots, to the point where if you have it late at about 11am you don’t really need anything much more until after your evening show. Not ot that I do that of course. I just have a raspberry yoghurt 😑
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2018 13:04:11 GMT
This is kinda off-topic, but for me no theatre break is complete without a full English breakfast. Where do they serve the best one in your opinion? At risk of sounding like I’ve got shares in Whitbread but Premier Inn again. £9.99 for all you can eat. Ok it’s not organic bacon from a pig with a CV but there’s a great range, the eggs are cooked regularly so they’re fresh, includes HASH BROWNS, pastries, the lot. You can’t half fill your boots, to the point where if you have it late at about 11am you don’t really need anything much more until after your evening show. Not ot that I do that of course. I just have a raspberry yoghurt 😑 I’m with you. Again sounding like I’ve got shares. But I love their breakfast and having it means (as the Bear above says) I generally don’t need lunch. So £10 works out great value. Also Hash Browns lads.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2018 0:06:42 GMT
I booked the Olympia Hotel for my next trip, as I found a great price (202 pounds for 4 nights) and I like the Earl's Court area. But after reading Tripadvisor I'm worried, so might cancel and book somewhere else. I do love PI but their prices just get higher and higher. I've finally decided to cancel this reservation cause the reviews kept getting worse and worse, and their customer service is non-existent (totally ignored my e-mails, they just don't give a f*ck). Booked the Belgrave House at Victoria for a very similar price via Lastminute. They have some bad reviews but lots of good ones too. And I sent an e-mail and they replied in like 15 minutes, so at least I know they do care.
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Post by hal9000 on Feb 1, 2019 5:06:10 GMT
Please ad your recommendations for reasonable places any city, any country (a theatre break in Budapest? Why the hell not!) that have a minibar fridge or a communal kitchan where I can store mah perishable bits and bobs.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Feb 1, 2019 14:15:42 GMT
I stayed in a Jury's Inn recently and was v impressed with their buffet. They had little individual smoothies in mini milk bottles, and vats of watermelon water. Watermelon water! Bit posh for Milton Keynes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2019 14:28:03 GMT
Recently stayed at the Bloomsbury Holiday Inn and I would say that it is a pretty good spot! Right around the corner from Russell Square tube station, and only 4ish stops from the Leicester Square/Covent Garden/Piccadilly Circus theatre area. It’s even walking distance from some theatres, such as the Shaftesbury.
My only complaints would be that the room was very hot (you can’t open the window) and the breakfast is very expensive (£17 per person) but we found a cafe across the street (Marquis Cornwallis) which offered Full English breakfasts for £8.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2019 14:36:21 GMT
Starting to use AirBnB more and more so as hotels prices have risen in recent years, especially as I'm usually a last minute booker. That said I've had good deals with L'Accor hotels (Ibis), 5% discount if you sign up and never had issues like you do with many of the 'independent' hotels across cities.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 1, 2019 15:01:47 GMT
Lord, i've stayed in countless London hotels.
The Hub Covent Garden (St Martins Lane) is a decent one, i was too put in a basement room once but i kind of also didn't feel it was any different to the others because you can hardly see out of the windows anyway.
Noise is a big issue for me. I do not want to be kept awake by road noise, nightclubs or people shouting on the street and given London is literally all those things it's hard to achieve. The Hub i have always found to be soundproof but have on occasion been bothered by strange noises from the AC in the room itself.
I've often found the hotels around Victoria go fairly cheap and i've stayed in the Park Plaza, DoubleTree and Nadler around there, The Nadler is excellent if you just want a room and not all the trimmings like a bar or restaurant. There is a kitchen in the room with microwave, crockery and and everything and it's just very nice with everything you could want.
Thing is, i like to be very near to the theatre i'm attending that night, so i usually go for those options no matter what (within price limitations obv). Though i'm not long back from a trip to London to see Come From Away and i stayed at the Radisson in Seven Dials, and i wish i'd have just walked the extra 5 or 10 minutes to something cheaper like a Z or Hub because let's just say it was the price of more than one top price Hamilton ticket and it really wasn't that worth it.
I'm back in a few weeks for Waitress and i shall probably go for The Strand Palace,which has been good value previously and they just refurbed the rooms. Though The Amba Charing Cross up the road is beautiful.
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Post by ensembleswings on Feb 1, 2019 15:16:25 GMT
Anyone have any recommendations for hotels in Edinburgh?? Going up the end of next month and need somewhere cheap to stay. Preferably within walking distance to the castle?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2019 15:19:23 GMT
Anyone have any recommendations for hotels in Edinburgh?? Going up the end of next month and need somewhere cheap to stay. Preferably within walking distance to the castle? The Hub by Premier Inn on Rose Street Holiday Inn Express Edinburgh City Centre (opposite Edinburgh Playhouse) In Edinburgh basically everywhere is walking distance from the castle. It’s not a large city at all really.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2019 11:52:25 GMT
Does anyone have one of those discount codes for Booking.com? If so, PM me please.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2019 12:36:21 GMT
Why not just google "discount codes, bookings.com" - that's what I do shopping online, and it brings up tonnes of site codes. Yeah, I know, but what Booking.com normally does, is recommendation codes, meaning you share your code with someone else, and you both get money back. Those are harder to find. And if I'm taking advantage of this, and the other person is also getting something in return, I'd rather do this with a fellow Theatre Boarder than with a total stranger hahah.
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Post by HereForTheatre on Feb 2, 2019 14:51:39 GMT
I don't know about Booking.com but usually expedia and hotels.com have a lot of 10% off codes about. Usually though they are for only selected hotels and not the big chains.
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