Homestay Accommodation in London

If you dislike being treated as a room number, then bed and breakfast in a London home could be for you. Welcoming hosts happy to share their knowledge of London, plus a friendly homely atmosphere, make home stay a great alternative. You can either book with the host direct, or pay a little more for the benefits of an agency.

Uptown Reservations

In the best areas of Central and West London, from Belgravia to Parsons Green, Uptown Reservations have a portfolio of up-market B&Bs in family homes. They are not cheap, but you can expect high standards. The agency also goes to great lengths to try to match guests with suitable hosts.

London Bed & Breakfast Agency Ltd

A helpful, multi-lingual team runs the London Bed & Breakfast Agency, with 30 years' experience of finding B&Bs for London's visitors. The homes are split between the centre and suburbs: some in the "villages" of Hampstead and Wimbledon. The company is happy to take last-minute bookings and has a helpful page on its website specifically for singles. 

At Home in London

Maggie Dobson founded At Home in London in 1986 to provide comfortable, convenient and affordable accommodation in London. She now has more than 90 B&Bs on her books. All are attractive, carefully selected homes in Hammersmith, Chiswick and Kew; as well as some in more central locations.

37 Trevor Square

A calm oasis off Brompton Road, 37 Trevor Square is in an excellent location. It's a comfortable and stylish B&B, professionally run by a friendly and knowledgeable hostess, Margaret Palmer. She rents out two third-floor rooms, which share a bathroom. Perks include a complimentary minibar, daily newspaper and luxurious breakfast.

8 Macaulay Road

With croquet on the lawn and breakfast in the conservatory, Susie and Jeremy Priestly's delightful B&B feels as though it might be in the country. It's actually located in a tree-lined Clapham street, a short bus-ride from Sloane Square. Freshly decorated in classic English style, 8 Macaulay Road has a double room with a large bay window, armchairs and books. 

79 Greencroft Gardens

79 Greencroft Gardens is a large Edwardian, South Hampstead house. Furnished with oil paintings and antiques, it has a deliciously relaxed atmosphere, which is all down to its owner, Penelope Lyndon-Stanford. She'll welcome you with tea and biscuits and quickly put you at ease. The house has two bedrooms – one double, one single – and a sunny walled garden.

30 King Henry's Road

Guests keep returning to Carole Cox's welcoming B&B in quaint Primrose Hill. 30 King Henry's Road is an airy house with high ceilings, stripped floorboards and plenty of character. An unfailingly attentive hostess, Carole lets out one cosy bedroom, with brass beds, and provides a healthy breakfast of fruit salad and yoghurt in her friendly Aga-warmed kitchen.

113 Pepys Road

If the bustle of the city centre isn't for you, Tim and Anne Marten's elegant semi-detached Victorian house at 113 Pepys Road might be just the ticket. The house overlooks Telegraph Hill Park in New Cross, where roses, camellias and magnolias thrive in the glorious garden. Inside, the three beautifully turned-out bedrooms are filled with eclectic objects gathered on the Martens' travels.