In Condé Nast, we (would like to) trust

I'm going overseas from December-January for a combined holiday/elective placement. I'll be spending December in the homeland (Jordan) and January in the UK. Most of my time in the UK will be spent in Manchester where I will undertake a placement in emergency medicine at a BTH (this will be in addition to a placement in O&G in Jordan). I then plan on spending a week in London, for obvious reasons (can't go the UK and skip London, especially if you've never been there before!). So far, I've organised the placements; arranged accommodation in Manchester and Jordan (I'm really just going to be alternating between the hospital accommodation and my uncle's place on weekends for Manny; as for Jordan, well, it's the "homeland" with all that that entails :-P); I've booked my plane tickets and now just have to organise accommodation in London. Which brings me to the topic of this post.

I want to do London properly. Not on a shoestring. I've heard it's such a grand old city with lots to see and do; so even though I've only got a week there, I want to get the most out of it... and I want to do it in style. My backpacking days are over - I'm going to be earning a half-decent income in less than 18 months' time so I think the time has come to stop worrying about putting aside what meager income I'm making from my casual job + youth allowance for "a rainy day", and start spending some of it. In my quest, I've had to exchange my trusted Lonely Planet advisers to Condé Nast Traveller gurus. Oh to be a Condé Nast Traveller reporter! Forget Runway Magazine, this would surely be the job that a million girls (and guys) would die for! I've spent a bit of my free time over the last couple of days perusing the "Where to Stay in London" section on the website. Some of the places look so amazing, I honestly just wish that money wasn't a limiting factor and that I could stay wherever I liked. I'm determined to have a nice classy experience but cannot by any means justify (or afford) the $500+/night tariff on most of these places. So now I'm in a bit frumpy mood because I'm stuck in the middle - neither here nor there - annoyed with myself for trying to be pretentious beyond my financials means, but also at these hotels for being so ambitious in their room rates. Moments like these I really feel for people with Bipolar Disorder. Urgh! Anyway, will reach a happy medium soon I hope, and then update.