Any ateneans currently based in London? Will be heading there for work in a couple of weeks.
Any advice/leads in apartments/shared housing will be appreciated. Looking at getting housing within an hour's (or less) commute to and from Central London.
Need your help guys. Thanks.

I don't live in London although I have lived there before and I'm still a regular visitor. My family owns a house near Oxford, which is about an hour away from London via the express train from Paddington Station.

Don't worry about the commute in Central London. The "tube" is very efficient and just about anything in London is accessible from anywhere in London, even from the remote outskirts.

In terms of residence, you may want to try a month-to-month rent type of apartment (even a bed and breakfast) before signing an annual lease. Some parts of London are more expensive than others. The most expensive ones are in the South Kensington area (this is where I stay whenever I visit; I live in the building across from Princess Gate in Hyde Park, near Ennismore Gardens and just behind the Church of St. Neri and the Victoria and Albert Museum) )or Holland Park area, near the embassy row. You can find more reasonable places near Paddington and Gloucester Place. There's a whole row of Victorian houses/apartments along Gloucester Terrace that rent on a weekly and monthly basis. Try to find a place that's walking distance to a tube station (actually, just about any place is near a tube station).

If you have a map of London, look at the route of the Circle and Central Lines tube; most of the places along these lines are within easy access to and from anywhere in London.

Anyway, to summarize, just stay in a temporary "short term" place before deciding where to settle down. Go around London, see for yourself and find a place that you really like that's within your budget and where the commute is to your liking. Bottom line, commuting is not a problem in London. It's heaven compared to the hell in Manila.

You may also want to contact the Philippine Embassy in London and ask for their advice. They are very friendly and approachable. That I can guarantee. The former consul there is a relative of mine.

There are also many Filipino nurses in London and they tend to live in the same communities. If you want to be around fellow Filipinos, you may want to visit a hospital (eg St. Mary's Hospital near Paddington and I'm sure you will spot a Filipino nurse. They can advise you on where to live. I think most of them live not too far from St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Avoid touristy areas like Picadilly, Charring Cross, and Leiceister Square. Definitely avoid SOHO.

Good luck and enjoy London!

It's my third favorite city, after Paris and San Francisco.

[ July 03, 2003: Message edited by: BerdengEbak ]

Look for a W1 or an SW1 postal code address and you will be fine. Can't go wrong here.