looking at one or two nights in London at the end of the month

as usual I’m skint

Any recommendations for cheap hotels and cafes, restaurants, food places?

AirBnb for the best deals for accomodation.
Food – there are plenty of good cheap places, especially Chinese, went to a great one in ChinaTown last week, Cafe TPT.

IME airb&B don’t like short notice or short stays especially in London.

Travelodge do weekend deals from 65 quid a night in central london or you could just get a B and B somewhere like Wimbledon which is on the tube but further out for around 45 quid.

As for food you can eat well all over london for less than 15 quid. I really like Culture Grub in Waterloo which is a chinese cafe the service is very much eat and f off but the food is great. Tooting Broadway for Indian food is always a good bet too.

I usually get a travelodge in Battersea, the cheapest of which is cheap because its not handy for the tube. That suits me perfectly as I prefer walking to tube travel. So I walk into the city from there.

If you’ve driven to get there the on street parking is free there too.

yeah take bikes too (unless theyre valuable) by far the best way to get about and see stuff. Boris bikes are alright but far more freedom on yer own.

try the mixed everything at camden market

I stayed here on my last visit to London: http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Pride-of-Paddington/London/48393 was nice enough, cheap and seems to be run by the pub.

Look to the City at the weekend as it’s deserted, which makes it cheaper. You’d need to walk a bit to get to the pubs but the price saving is worth it

You can eat very well in London if you go to some of the brilliant takeaways which also have seating. Look for a Tortilla – a great filling burrito and a sit down for £6 and it tastes amazing, for example.

You can eat very well in London if you go to some of the brilliant takeaways which also have seating. Look for a Tortilla – a great filling burrito and a sit down for £6 and it tastes amazing, for example.

Even better if you can claim it on expenses.

How skint is skint? YHA youth hostels are good. Ever been in the forces? If so, Union Jack Club if you can get in. If it’s outside of term time, some of the Universities let their rooms in the holidays.

Best for your money is to stay in a Travel lodge or Holiday Inn in outer central London and take the Underground to get into London for the evenings

Novotel Docklands

Travel Lodge Docklands

Ibis Hotel Docklands

Take your own food. Shortages appear to be pushing prices up in London.

Look for a Tortilla – a great filling burrito and a sit down for £6 and it tastes amazing, for example.

Oh come on, you can do much better than that! Although you can also do worse.

The best burritos and tacos in London – 55 burritos, 83 tacos, 59 eateries, one verdict

Loads of markets with all kinds of brilliant food for far less than eating in restaurants. Not exhaustive but this isn’t a bad place to start.

Don’t bother with getting an oystercard, you can use a contactless credit or debit card now if you do need to get the tube. Or just walk, maybe with a cycle hire (£2 for as many 30-minute hires as you like in 24 hours), it’s cheaper. Don’t bother taking your own bike, finding somewhere to lock it up is a hassle and it’ll probably get nicked anyway.

If you go to Camden market as its shutting on a weeknight ythey sell off the food for a quid a portion after 7 or 8, !

Tune Hotels are better than Travelodge and often cheaper in London. The one at Liverpool St is in a good spot.

http://www.tunehotels.com/gb/en/

And for your tastebuds, this is my go-to list:

http://www.timeout.com/london/food-drink/londons-best-cheap-eats

There used to be a food kitchen on Embankment behind the Savoy, Connections at St Martins might put you up.

Loads of markets with all kinds of brilliant food for far less than eating in restaurants.

Are they open late though? Lots of takeaway types are, unless you are in The City though it seems.

beigel bakery, Brick Lane 24 hr, smoked salmon & crean cheese baeigel 3 quid max. Apple pie 2, love the atmosphere in there but packed on a sunday when the market is on.

Food for thought veggie restaurant Neale st, Covnt Garden. Takeaway 2 courses for 10 ma, sit in the gardens behind.

Harry Krishner curry café between Soho sq & Oxford st. Good curry for 8 tops & they won’t try to recruit you, in fact you would never know its run by them. Govinders its called.

Brick Lane, sunday, the food hall in the Truman brewery, burritos, massive & cheap. Lovely food.

Borugh Mkt, Boston burger or their breakfast bun, 5 quid, best burger I have had.

The Chinese mentioned above is cheap but the service appalling, its worth it just to witness…

Good luck

As mentioned up there ^ the Tune hotels are decent & pretty cheap – stayed in the one at Liverpool St. & Kings Cross – Liverpool St. one has a great location.

For food – as above + loads of restaurants take the Taste Card, you can usually get a free month trial on their website which gets 50% off food in many places.

j

Last year I booked into a hotel just north of Hyde Park for £55 B&B for one night, so there are places in the centre to be had.

Don’t bother with getting an oystercard, you can use a contactless credit or debit card now

Fine if you actually have one; I don’t know anyone who has. I have an Oyster Card for my occasional London trips, very convenient and cheaper than a ticket, if you set up automatic top-up then any time you go to London it’ll top up without needing to worry about having to queue at the machines.

travelodge fulham on a sunday night, book in advance, very cheap. also all day/night sunday until mon 8am you can park in the side roads for free. fulham broadway tube is a 2min walk.