We decided that on the way to mainland Europe we would stop in London. This would allow for our son to have a shorter flight between the US and Europe and less jet lag for us all.

I checked Airbnb and found expensive fees with it and decided against it. I can’t recommend it for London, but your experience might be different from mine when you do your searches.

I put in limitations in my search for hotels. I used Googlemaps to help pinpoint hotels near the city center of London. I was hoping to find hotels on the north bank of London between the Tower of London and Big Ben, this area has most of the tourist sites. What I found in a quick search was either cheap or expensive hotels. I checked through reviews on Tripadvisor to gain insight into issues of noise, size of beds and rooms, since we would be there for a few days.

I first held a reservation for an American chain hotel, which included breakfast. It is near Waterloo Station, a major train station that would allow for easy access for about anywhere in London and beyond. It was across the river from the major sites, but still near everything.

I did more searching and came across a local London hotel chain. It was in the same price range and a little cheaper then the American chain hotel. It was also closer to Big Ben. We could possibly walk across the Westminster Bridge to see the sites if we didn’t want to use public transportation. This seemed to be a better option. So I booked this hotel based on cost, location and the added benefit of real English breakfast, a little more British for the money.

How about you, how have you found hotels in Europe? Any suggestions for foreign hotel searches? Feel free to leave advice in the comments section.