London is the coolest city on earth, according to a big crowd of fans of the city, and there is quite some truth in that. The city on the Thames has an amazing lot of things to do. One can spend several weeks in the city alone, doing something different every day.
Cheap London hotels do not have to be dive hotels in seedy areas. All too often travelers think that if they are seeking cheap London hotels that they will need to sacrifice quality and safety for price. The reality is, however, that if you have the right travel professionals assisting you, you will find cheap London hotels that are clean, safe and enjoyable.
You can either stay at cheap London hotels that will turn a great day into a nightmare in a hurry, or you can stay at moderate London hotels at cheap London hotels rates in order to keep your day on the same great tone. The choice is fairly obvious.
London has great sites to see for the entire family, as well as many things to enjoy. Shopping is legendary in London so staying at cheap London hotels can help you save some pounds for a shopping spree before you leave. You will also find that there are great restaurants with many different cuisines ranging from Indian food, Italian food and British food. By staying in cheap London hotels you are able to do more, see more and enjoy more.
Most of the hotel accommodation in this bracket is termed 'bed and breakfast' hotels. This can be misleading to the unaware. No it?s not a cozy family owned guest house with personal attentive hosts, traditional English breakfasts and home-made offerings, commonly available outside London. The vast majority are small hotels with 20-50 rooms, staffed by immigrants on very low salaries with very simple rooms, seldom lifts and 'continental breakfasts'. That is not to say that these establishments should be avoided, but there are an awful lot of poor quality ones.
The main cheap hotel districts in London are Bayswater, Victoria and Kings Cross. Here you will see lots of these bed and breakfast hotels together in clusters. An ensuite double or twin room with breakfast in these areas is around 70-100$US.
Kings Cross has a poor reputation, it used to be notorious for drugs, crime and prostitution. That is all largely behind it now and it?s a district on the up, the whole area is being rejuvenated and Eurostar Trains will terminate at Kings Cross station in 2007. The bed and breakfast hotels are all around a garden square immediately opposite Kings Cross Station.
Kings Cross is no more than a mile from the West End, the central entertainment area of London, and there is lots of public transport on your doorstep. Bayswater is on the northern border of Hyde Park, London's biggest, and within a mile are Oxford Street, Kensington Palace and Paddington Station, (terminus for the Heathrow Express airport link. Bayswater is a traditional budget area and a great place to stay for the cost conscious traveler.
Victoria is very central, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye are all within walking distance. The cheap hotels are south of the railway station, stretching from the coach stations to Pimlico Underground. The area is pleasant and safe.
Some of the better bed and breakfasts include the Montana Excel and Howard Winchester Hotels in Kings Cross, the Central Hotel in Victoria and the Blakemore and Annur Hotels in Bayswater. Some of these may be advertised as three star hotels - beware in small print you may notice the words 'self rated'.
About The Author: London has a reputation for expensive hotel accommodation with very little cheap budget hotels.This article is a guide to finding a cheap hotel in London.Focusing on bed and breakfast accommodation and the main districts of London you will find them. http://www.london-cheap-hotels-search.com
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While Monaco is a well known European tax haven, Andorra has remained little known outside of the financial community - despite enjoying the same tax advantages and arguably more private banking than her better known rival.
In contrast to the similar financial benefits both Monaco and Andorra residents enjoy, the two small countries have quite different climates.
Monaco has good all year round weather and is located next to the French Riveria, while Andorra is in the Pyrenees and between early December and late April attracts nearly ten million tourists for ski holidays. Monaco has year round tourists, peaking twice a year in May for the Grand Prix, and September for the Yacht Show.
Neither Andorra or Monaco have their own airports – Nice airport has a helicopter link, a ten minute ride direct to Monaco, Andorra is not so fortunate and the nearest airport is Barcelona, a three hour drive away from the principality.
Both countries have opted to stay out of the EU, preserving their ability to maintain a no income tax policy.
The biggest difference is the entry price for becoming a resident – which entails buying or renting a house or apartment.
One bedroom apartments in Monaco start at 800,000 Euros, but in Andorra the same size apartment starts at less than a third of the price at 250,000 Euros. And while a house in Monaco is a rarity, there is a good choice of houses for sale in Andorra, with prices starting at under a million Euros.
Rising Prices
Given Andorra’s property price advantage for would-be residents choosing between Europe’s primary tax havens, it has come as a surprise to many that the closing costs for buying a property in Andorra has not only been less than half that of Monaco, but also less than buying a property in many other mainland European countries at around four and a half per cent.
But Andorra has just raised property closing costs by introducing a three and a half per cent sale of goods and services tax on property purchases from January 1, 2006 -bringing the tax haven more in line with neighbouring France and Spain.
Demand for property in Andorra and Monaco is unlikely to be affected by the recent increases though, according to European tax haven specialists Tribune Properties.
‘Andorra and Monaco have historically seen an increase in property activity and residency applications when taxes are increasing elsewhere. The new German government has recently increased the top rate of income tax and the United Kingdom has seen an increase in the number of indirect taxes, making the zero per cent personal income tax both Andorra and Monaco offer an attractive preposition to high income earners.
Andorra’s property inflation has been over ten per cent annually for the last three years, and when the 2005 figures are released we would expect it to be four years in a row, with no sign of a levelling off of demand for the year ahead.
With Andorra and Monaco’s high speed cable and broadband internet access more and more company owners are moving their residence to low and no tax countries and running their companies from a distance geographically, while being able to share information with their head office in real time’.
As well as buying a property in Andorra or Monaco, both countries require residency applicants to establish a local bank account and deposit around 50,000 Euros (Andorra) or 100,000 Euros (Monaco), take out private health insurance, and to live there for six months of the year.
For an on-line guide to Monaco and Monte Carlo including a map, the Monaco Grand Prix, weather, flights and Nice Airport information visit http://www.yourmonaco.com
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