Ric

Just returned from London and had a wonderful time. Thank you everyone for your advice.<BR><BR>We arrived in the morning on a surprisingly beautiful sunny day in the lower 50's. We stayed at the Thistle Kensington Palace, right across from Hyde Park. The hotel was sufficient for our needs, we got a great rate from a friend (50 STG per night!), so I can't complain...we were only there to sleep. I would say it was comparable to a Holiday Inn. They also did include a very nice breakfast also. <BR><BR>After checking in, we went straight to the London Eye, since it was a sunny day. The lines were very short and we bought our tickets and got right on! Afterwards we walked around a bit and went to dinner near our hotel to an Indian Restaurant, called Memories of India...I believe. Food was excellent. This area of Kensington is also a beautiful neighborhood (near the Gloucester tube stop).<BR><BR>Friday morning we headed straight to the Tower of London. Arrived at 9am in the rain and went straight to the crown jewels. No line so it was quite enjoyable. Unfortunately when it is raining, they do not do the Yeoman Warder tours, so we were left to explore around ourselves. So if it is raining and you really want the tour, go a different day. The tower is a must see, just like everyone said.<BR><BR>By the time we finished, of course the sun came out! oh well. We grabbed a sandwich and coffee at Starbucks of all places. It is sort our thing to have Starbucks coffee in every city we visit. We sat in the window and people watched. After lunch we walked the Millenium Bridge (great views) and crossed and went to Shakespeare's Globe theatre for a tour. It was also right next to the Tate Modern, which we also went into for about an hour.<BR><BR>Don't want to make a huge post here...so I will post more later...

k

Ric, please do post more - I am going to London in January and can't wait - and I love to hear about other people's experiences!

Keith

K,<BR><BR>Two recommendations regarding the Tower of London:<BR><BR>Get your tickets in advance. The line to buy them can be a block long.<BR><BR>For something cool that few people see (and it is free!), apply to the Tower of London now for tickets to see the Changing of the Keys. The ceremony is inside the tower at about 10PM and has been done the same way every night for about 700 years. Very special.<BR><BR> Keith<BR>

k

Hi Keith,<BR><BR>Thanks! I actually just sent away for Ceremony of the Keys tickets earlier this week. And thanks for tip about getting tickets in advance. Can you get them somewhere besides just at the Tower, do you know?

Keith

I purchased my Tower ticket at Victoria Train Station in the office where I redeamed my London Visitor Travelcard. <BR><BR>I figure I saved about 40 minutes time at the Tower.<BR><BR>Have fun! I had a great time this March. Next March I am visiting France.<BR><BR> Keith<BR><BR> Keith

xxx

What is an &quot;STG&quot; as in 50 STG per night?

andrew

I guess STG is sterling as in pounds sterling. The &pound; simple doesn't always work so I like to use GBP for GB pounds

Ric

Yes, I should of used GBP instead to be clear. Very good points about the Tower. I guess maybe since it was early, raining and it is now off-season, we had a very short line at the Tower to buy our tickets. I think if you get there at 8:45 or so, the line will be short. By 10 or 11am it starts getting crowded.<BR><BR>I wanted to also mention we flew into Gatwick and the Gatwick Express was very easy to take to Victoria Station. On the train they have an area in front to leave your luggage, so there is no having to lift it overhead or anything. Also, it was a little confusing trying to find the ATM machines at Gatwick, but I believe they were on the first level (shopping level).<BR><BR>Saturday morning we decided to go to Camden Market rather than Portobello as friends of ours had already been. Camden was huge, lots of smaller markets making up the area. It was also interesting to see the Camden Locks on the waterway. This could of easily been a full day but we had to meet some people for lunch and had to leave. <BR><BR>I also wanted to mention that buying the tube day passes for zones 1 &amp; 2 was the best value at 4.10 GBP which is what we did most of the time. You can either use the machines to buy them (they take credit cards too) or if the line is short enough you can ask a real person at the ticket window.<BR><BR>We had lunch at what was termed by a Londoner as the &quot;best dim-sum&quot; in London. The name of the place was Royal China and was in Queensway. I never had dim sum before but it was excellent. I am now a convert. Dim-Sum seems much more popular in London than here in the States. I am going to need to search out a place near where I live because here in the U.S. because it was really good. There was a fun looking ten-pin bowling place next to the restaurant but decided we needed to run around and see some more of London. <BR><BR>We did spend the rest of the day shopping on Oxford street and explored Soho and Piccadilly Circus for the evening. We ate dinner at a nice Thai Restaurant, &quot;Thai Pavillion&quot; right off Piccadilly Circus. There were so many tourists around this area at night, it was truly amazing. <BR><BR>Being an ex-New Yorker, I must say I felt really safe everywhere in London I went...there were tourists everywhere and I found Londoners to be helpful and very pleasant towards tourists. I also thought the transportation system was better than New York. Granted I've been out of NY awhile, the tube in London was great, especially the electronic signs overhead that tell you exactly how many minutes until the next train arrives. Extremely helpful. Also, there are directional signs all over the city directing you towards sites and places you are looking for...London is a very tourist friendly city!<BR><BR>Sunday morning brought more rain and we walked about 5 minutes from our hotel to Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived. Kensington Palace is on Hyde Park, an absolutely beautiful place that is a must see (you must take a walk in this park). The Palace itself was enjoyable..they had a bunch of Princess Diana's dresses on display and a lot of the wedding dresses from all the queens. You also get to see where they held &quot;court&quot; (royal parties) and tour the Kings and Queens private quarters. They give you an audio guide that explains everything. This was not on my itinerary, but I found it to be very worthwhile and am glad we went. I really wanted to have tea at the adjoining Orangery, but unfortunately we did not have enough time because we attended a Wedding for the rest of the day.....<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Ric

I forgot to mention we also got over to Buckingham Palace on Saturday after lunch. Changing of the guard is every other day and it just did not fit our schedule. However, we did get to see some of the guards marching behind the gate and took some nice pictures with the friendly policeman guarding one of the gates. Buckingham Palace was a great photo opp and I couldn't come back from London without pictures and saying I went there! <BR><BR>I did want to see inside Westminster Abbey but we just never had time.<BR><BR>Monday we got off to a late start due to a post wedding breakfast. We were going to go to the Victoria &amp; Albert but decided to head to Harrods instead. We also had afternoon tea at the Fortnum &amp; Mason department store which I found quite enjoyable. It was 18 GBP which was a bargain compared to other places. We also saw Trafalgar Square and spent some time at the National Gallery.<BR><BR>Tuesday, we rented a car and drove to Avebury and Bath. It was a lot of fun, driving on the other side of the road is challenging. We saw the stone circles at Avebury which you can walk right up to (as opposed to Stonehenge which I heard you cannot). We got to Bath about 1pm and spent a few hours...toured the Roman Baths, Abbey and took a bus tour of the city. Bath could of easily been a whole day but with our limited time it was a nice taste. It is a beautiful city. Our next trip to England, we will spend more time in the countryside....<BR><BR>Well, if I think of anymore stuff, I'll post it and if anyone has any questions, please ask...you were all so helpful to me....

Ric

Forgot to mention I bought 1/2 price tickets in Leicester Square for Stones in His Pockets (18 GBP each). The play was not exactly what I expected...it was sort of a comedy, but I think we would have enjoyed a musical better but we had seen My Fair Lady and Fame so we decided to try something different. Stuff like Mama Mia was not available.

bettyk

For anyone else planning to visit at least two or more of the &quot;royal residences&quot; (Hampton Court, Kensington Palace, Tower of London and Kew Palace), you can buy a joint or combination ticket at any of the ticket booths and save money. We bought tickets for both the Tower and Hampton Court Palace when we visited the Tower and saved several pounds per person.

k

Betty - thanks for that tip!<BR><BR>Ric - where did you rent the car from? I will be doing something similar, and am leaning toward picking up the car at the airport just to avoid having to drive it out of London, even though that will mean an extra train ride out to the airport.

Ric

K-There is a National/Alamo Car Rental over near the Marble Arch...it was really convenient and much easier than going back out to the airport!!<BR><BR>Betty-Excellent point about the joint tickets. I would of bought the joint ticket for the Tower and Kensington if I had planned on doing bothe. Kensington Palace was one of those last minute impulse decisions....

Sandy

Must those joint tickets (say for the Tower and Hampton Court) be for the same day? Or are they usable within certain time limits? Or are they good any time?<BR><BR>Thanks,

Beavis

Ric,<BR>Can you provide some more info on your hotel rate? Was it ensuite? Where did you find the rate of only L50? Was that per person or for the room? Do you know if that rate is still available? I'll be in London in March and am looking for deals...<BR>Thanks

bettyk

Sandy - No, you don't have to visit both places on the same day. As I remember, they were good for at least a month or so. And there are no restrictions as to days or times they can be used. We went to the Tower one day and to Hampton Court 2 days later.

Sandy

Thank you so much, Betty.

suze

Ric, thanks for sharing your holiday experiences.

b

Ric,<BR><BR>When you were in Bath, was the new Bath Spa open yet? I just got a brochure about Bath and it mentioned the new spa - thermal baths and the like. Just curious.<BR><BR>Did you feel rushed doing Bath and Avebury in one day and heading back to London the same day? Were you able to return the car the same day or did you have to wait until the morning?

Mel P

Ric, many Thistles in London have good specials sometimes. Best rates for them are on Thistle's own website, http://www.thistlehotels.co.uk (might be .com) Could also have a look at londontown.com which often picks up the same rates without having to go through each Thistle. Some of them, including the Kensington Palace were offering doubles for &pound;45 when I looked. Actually had a reservation for the end of November for a single at the Thistle Kensington Park for only &pound;36 incl. taxes and breakfast! Am canceling that only because I got the best deal of all...my friend's sofabed for free. &lt;g&gt;