Going to London
 

We've decided to go to London for Easter school break. It was a tough choice with my daughter (14) casting her vote for the Caribbean and my husband casting his for England. I would be happy with either choice. After deciding that she would have to like sightseeing and that it would be the experience of a lifetime for her we decided on England.
We are going to stay in London for 6 days and nights. We will be arriving on the morning of the 17th and staying at the Montcalm Hotel Nikko by Marble Arch. Hotel and air were purchased through Go-Today and the rates seemed pretty good.
I would like to ask a few questions. Have the family travel cards on the tube been discontinued? What is the best guide book for London? Are there any good websites or books devoted to food? No vacation would be complete without a few restaurant splurges.
Thanks!

I like "Eyewitness Travel Guide to London," but I bet you get recomendations for several books from the folks here.

"Michelin London" has a lot of food coverage, but I didn't find it useful.

If you let them know what type of food you would like, and how much you are willing to pay, the folks here in this forum will beat any other site.

Keith

I don't know if Family travelcards are still available.You can however order travelcards in advance for either 3,or 7 days.A 7 day zone 1,2 travelcard for an adult is £22 ,3 days is £15,40.Your daughters travelcard would be £11.10 and
£7.70 respectively.
Also because the travelcards are valid on National Railways in the London area you can take advantage of the two for one offer for numerious attractions in London.This deal includes The Tower of London which will save you at least £14.

Travelcard link:
http://tinyurl.com/cppl8

2 for 1 deal:
http://tinyurl.com/asseb

Lovejoy- Thank you so much for the information about the 2 for 1. We will be in London the same time as hs26 with our two kids. I had just done research on the British Heritage Pass only to find out starting March 1, 2006 it will no longer include Tower of London, Kensington, Windsor or the Royal Mews. Without those it no longer made sense for us to get one. I was so happy to hear about the 2 for 1, so I can still save some money.

hs26 - I agree, that you will find some of the best restaurant advice on this forum.

Well if you don't mind my picking your brains on restaurants, here you go:
1)My husband and I are serious foodies, however, my daughter (14 but 15 at trip time) has a more limited range. She eats all meats and poultry but hates fish, probably would avoid highly spiced or ethnic cuisines, Italian is a must do at least once or twice, and fast food or chain food is not an option.
2) As far as price it seems London can be mind blowing! We would like to limit dinner to no more than 100gbp for the 3 of us most nights. We would like to try to go to 1 top restaurant -maybe Gordon Ramsey although there seems to be conflicting info out there it makes top 10 lists but a lot people also seem to feel it's overpriced.
Have found a site www.london_eating.co.uk. Seems to be a good site.
Any opinions?

jgg - Where did you learn that the Great British Heritage Pass no longer covered the Tower, Kensington, Windsor and Royal Mews? I'm planning a return visit to London in May and though I've been to all of those places, we had thought of returning to Kensington Palace & Windsor Castle on this trip, as well as visiting other historic places, and I'd like to verify that info. I'm having trouble finding an on line source that has the complete listing of current properties covered in the GBHP - the British Tourist Authority doesn't have one, and the source I've used to purchase the Pass in the past (British Travel International) only has a partial listing. (I know I'll get a current brochure when the passes are delivered but by then it will be too late if we determine it's not our best choice.) Now I'm starting to wonder if we should get a Pass this time or pay as we go.

There appears to be a full listing of properties for the GBHP listed here in the form of PDF files.

http://gbheritagepass.com/index.php/downloads

Thanks lovejoy, that will be a big help in researching and making my decision.
hs26 - Hope you have a great trip!

It may not be the best for food but your daughter might like going to the Hard Rock Cafe there.

hs26,

Here are some dining choices that run the gamut.

Wagamamma - nouveau oriental noodle dishes in a hip, bright communal setting. Good, cheap, fast. Several locations around London.

Belgo Centraal - good lunch or before or after theatre spot in a lively beer hall atmosphere. Dozens of Belgian beer choices. Pot of steamed clams and frites - awesome.

Cafe 7 - the top floor dinning spot in the Tate Modern. Spectacular views. Remarkably good wine list and creative menu. Moderately priced. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

North Sea Fish Co. - cozy neighborhood spot in Bloomsbury (Leigh St.) near the British Museum. Great fish & chips but better grilled fish.

Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea on Royal Hospital Rd.- the original location. Unassuming and understated exterior belies the world class faire served inside. Spectacular! My suggestion - go for lunch, late and spend the afternoon. Still expensive but worth it. You will have to make reservations exactly one month to the day at 9:00AM - which means the middle of the night in the States. One trick - fax your request the day before and they will honor it.

You must do high tea and the Ritz is the ultimate although there are several other good alternatives. Scones and clotted cream - yummy.

One last suggestion, the Borough Market has many food vendors and is a fun way to munch away the middle of the day.

Bad food options in London is a myth - Bon appetite!

JoeG

I'm digressing a bit from your question, but I took my 14-yeard-old son to London last year and he loved it! For food, go to the restaurants at Harrod's (there are pizza/Italian bars, and many others in there). Also, try the Italian restaurant across the street from Harrod's (side stree) called either Spaghetti House or Zia Teresa. ALso, go see a play;she'll love it. When you tour Tower of London, do so with a Beefeater giving the tour. And London Walks has great Jack the Ripper walks. A day trip to Oxford would take her into Harry Potter-type stuff. Enjoy!

$100 BP in London shounds like a lot..but you will likely get the equivalent of what $100 US purchases. Great curry places I findm are a bargain...jus prepare for sticker shock.

Family travel cards are available still, and are by far the cheapest option, check prices on the transport for london website (www.tfl.gov.uk).

You must go to a musical whilst here, some your daughter would adore include the Abba musical, Mamma Mia; The Lion King (no really, it is fantastic - brilliant dancing, songs etc); Les Miserables (my all time favourite); Guys and Dolls; Billy Elliot.... there are hundreds, which you can often buy tickets for e.g. from booths around Leicester Sq / Covent Garden. check www.londontheatre.co.uk and www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk

As for eating out, try: www.viewlondon.co.uk for good information.

Areas that will appeal to teenagers: Camden Lock Market (turn left at the bridge), Covent Garden (shopping)- especially heading towards Seven Dials, and down roads such as Earlham St for vintage shops...

Many good restaurants can be found in areas such as Islington, Farringdon, Crouch End.
I recommend - Banners in Crouch End: international food, nice atmoshpere; BoomBar (not a bar) in Crouch End - south african; any of the Giraffe restaurants, e.g. the one on South Bank. La Bota - tapas bar resto in Crouch End.

South Bank is a wonderful area to wander - down from the London Eye (worth it) to Gabriel's Wharf, with lots of curious boutiques, book markets, occasional e.g. Caribbean festivals, wooden statues, street performers...

Novel eating out idea: a restaurant opening in Clerkenwell (NE) in Feb: www.danslenoir.com Based on one in PAris, it is pitch black inside: you see nothing, yet you taste the food better, the waitors are blind... an experience.
China Town is worth a visit.
Check the TimeOut website for info on current events. Free museums: the (TINY!!) photographers gallery near Leicester Sq, the Tate Modern...
Enjoy!

Daisy- I believe the link that LoveItaly gave is the one I used. I downloaded the whole pdf file, and noticed the Tower of London was not listed. I am working with Budget Europe (BETS) for my Eurostar tickets and they can order the British Heritage Pass as well. When I spoke with them about it, they didn't know that it had changed either. However, when he printed out the brochure they found not only the Tower of London no longer incl. but the other ones I listed as well. This change does not take effect until 3/1/06, which is why many of the websites selling the Pass still include these. Plus, it does not appear that the British Heritage Pass is advertising these changes.

One more thing. It is my understanding that there is no longer a family travelcard for the tube.

I found the Zagat's guide for London very helpful in zeroing in on options in various neighborhoods, etc.

For Italian try Zilli in Soho, this restaurant has mixed reviews but I had a good meal, plus if you go to any restaurant and are on a budget, try the lunch time fixed menu and avoid the wine. Your daughter doesnt eat fist, but Zilli's fish restaurant in Soho is legendary.

http://www.london-eating.co.uk/43.htm

A must have is Time Out - a weekly listings magazine. I would also recommend their restaurant guide - as they cover areas where we londoners actually go out to eat rather than the tourist trap west end.

BTW £100 for three is perfectly possible in most places, but Gordon Ramsey will be more like £100 per head

Egon Ronay has recently published his Guide to the Best Restaurants and Gastropubs in the UK.

There are lots of London pubs in it.
I think that Joe means afternoon tea rather than high tea.

High tea is a much heavier meal, rather like supper.

Funny you should ask about a good guide book. Fodors is one of the best and the information right on this web site should keep your 6 days well filled.

You should realize that Easter
school Break is international and you can expect long queues at the most desired places. Should you decided on museums that require tickets for certain exhibits I would advise ordering them via email in advance. And the same for any restaurant splurges. (your hotel can help you on this .Just simply email them in advance.)