London offers an exhaustive selection of properties from luxury hotels, through the mid-price chains, to the burgeoning boutique style hotel offering privacy and personal attention. The bad news is that bargains are hard to find, and prices tend to be high even when compared to other European capitals.

Your first decision should concern the area you wish to stay in as it goes a long way to determining how much you'll pay for your accommodation. The West End - comprising Soho, Covent Garden, St James's, Mayfair and Marylebone, and the western suburbs of Knightsbridge and Kensington - is dominated by expensive, upmarket hotels.

A little further out of the centre but still within easy reach of attractions and located just north of the prestigious area of Kensington is the smart K West. This cool, contemporary hotel is well-placed for areas such as Notting Hill, currently the favoured haunt of numerous celebrity movie stars and musicians. Even closer to Notting Hill is the Bayswater Inn, a more traditional hotel housed in a terraced townhouse on a quiet square in the district.

Alternatively to the West End, around Bloomsbury and Russell Square you'll find plenty of Edwardian-style hotels that are extremely handy for the main northern stations of Euston and Kings Cross, and tourist attractions such as the British Museum and British Library. The Grange Holborn is a good example of a five-star hotel located in this vicinity - one of the most fashionable areas in London.

If on a budget be warned, near to King's Cross hotels may be conveniently situated for train travel and appear good value, but quality can be poor and the area isn't always the most pleasant. Still, very good mid-range hotels are available throughout the rest of the city, and often represent excellent value. If you're really looking for something more affordable the main train terminals of Victoria and Paddington, and the Earl's Court area have an abundance of cheaper hotels that don't have quite the same edge on them as their King's Cross equivalents. The Crown near to Paddington is well situated for those arriving in the city from the west, or for those planning to head out to explore England's West Country.