Many London hotels can offer you luxurious surroundings and excellent on-site facilities, giving you great value for money, even if one of the most expensive cities in the world is rather lacking in budget options. However, when many people visit London, they'd much rather have a place to 'live', not simply just to sleep. Hotel atmospheres can often feel very sterile, even when finding the complimentary mint on your pillow: with every room a carbon copy of the next, there is little ambience and even opulent suites serve as little more than a glorified bedroom with ensuite.

Even for single night stays, short term apartments in London offer a far more homely atmosphere. Not only do you get the benefit of all that extra space, as well as a fitted kitchen and washer/dryer on hand, but also you gain the opportunity to have a taste of living in an exclusive area, even if it is only for a short while. London apartments vary in price, according to area and overall quality of the accommodation.

Collingham apartments in South Kensington, for example, gives you a sample of living in one of London's most classy boroughs, in a quiet residential area yet within walking distance of three of London's biggest museums, as well as Earl's Court and the Royal Albert Hall.

Serviced apartments in Paddington and Bayswater are also much-vaunted properties, most of them being situated close to Oxford Street - London's shopping district of choice. Fraser Place apartments in Canary Wharf give you stylish Thames-side lodgings that are perfect for both businessmen and pleasureseekers alike.