Family-friendly places to stay in London

51 Buckingham Gate. Copyright Gretta Schifano

[February 2016: I’ve written a completely new post about family-friendly places to stay in London, including reviews by other trusted family travel bloggers. You can read it here.]

If you’re visiting London with children and need a place to stay you’ll be wanting somewhere that’s family-friendly. Here are some places which welcome families with children.

Luxury

51 Buckingham Gate offers gorgeous five-star serviced apartment suites just minutes away from Buckingham Palace. The suites range from one to nine bedrooms and all have their own luxurious kitchens, bathrooms and living rooms. With details such as children’s robes, slippers and toiletries in the bathrooms, toys in the bedrooms and a separate children’s dining menu this is somewhere to make children feel really special. There are some fabulous activities on offer for kids such as cooking classes and VIP trips to Hamleys, the famous London toy store.

The five-star Royal Horseguards Hotel sits just across the river Thames from the London Eye – the best rooms face this way. The beautiful Grade 1 listed building is in the style of a French chateau. Inside the decor is sumptuous and elegant but children are very welcome. The hotel offers luxurious family rooms and provides toys and treats for its young guests.

View from Royal Horseguards Hotel. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Mid-range

The Landmark Trust preserves historic properties, rents them out for holidays and welcomes families. An example is a Georgian house which was one of the few houses in the city to survive the Great Fire of London in 1666 and is just around the corner from Smithfield Market.

Holiday rental online booking site HouseTrip.com has hundreds of child-friendly apartments and houses in London to choose from, such as a house in Kensington which sleeps twelve people.

Premier Inn has around twenty hotels in London offering family rooms. The rooms are simple but clean and decently equipped and are fine to use as a base. The breakfasts are great and under-16’s eat free with a paying adult.

Premier Inn, London Heathrow. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Budget

The Youth Hostel Association offers family rooms in both the St Pauls and the St Pancras London hostels.

If you’re into camping, the Crystal Palace Caravan Club Site is open all year round and welcomes tents and caravans.

Home exchange holidays offer you the chance to stay in someone else’s home while they stay in yours. This is brilliant for families as your houses are set up for children and you all benefit from each other’s local knowledge. Knok has a range of London homes available for exchange.