Travelodge London Central Elephant and Castle

You're after a central London base without the theatre-ticket price tag. This Travelodge sits in the Ceramic Building—a proper bit of SE1 character on Newington Causeway—putting you bang in the middle of Elephant and Castle's increasingly interesting regeneration. It's the kind of place where you're trading fancy extras for a clean bed and actual proximity to the Northern Line. The neighbourhood's got proper life now: Borough Market's a tube stop away, and you've got independent restaurants and bars sprouting up around you rather than chains.