I’m planning to stay in London for about a month in August-September, to coincide with an industry workshop that’s happening there at the beginning of September, and would really love to find a spot in or near the Brick Lane/Whitechapel/Bethnal Green area. AirBnB seems pricy, but I’m unsure of how easy it is to get a place via SpareRoom.
Factors/Questions
- Budget: hoping to stay under £700, willing to go up to £800 for a perfect place right near Brick Lane
- Looking for a furnished private room in a flatshare; I’m pretty okay with a closet with a bed, so long as it’s a clean, cozy closet.
- Solo lady, so nowhere too dodgy. (My tolerance is about “New York at night in the hipster areas”-level. Mexico City in the historical district at night was a bit much for me.)
- Anyone know how easy it is to get a space in SpareRoom without actually being in the city? Or am I better served getting a hostel for a few days and accommodation-hunting then? I worry about not finding a space if I put it off until I’m there, as evidenced by my thinking about this six months beforehand.
- On that note, is that a time around when it might be harder to find accommodation, like university term starting or something?
- Is it easy enough to find a place from mid-month to mid-month, or is it mostly going to be whole months? (I guess this wouldn’t be as much of a concern if it’s a week-to-week.)
- Is it easy to get a space without a local bank account? DNing and all. Cash wouldn’t be an issue.
- How is the cafe-working culture in London? Is free decent wifi and outlets a common thing in coffee shops? I’m not super-thrilled with the idea of coworking spaces; the prices feel a bit high for me, and I actually kinda like working with a bustle around me, so long as there’s power and internet. I’ll probably look into it if it turns out there aren’t really a lot of cafes equipped to do that sort of thing though.
- … are there any questions I should be asking or issues I should be considering?
I realize it’s a lot of questions, but anything helps! Thanks!