London trip report
 

Hello everyone! We got back Sunday night from a great first-time trip to London. Thanks again for all the wonderful advice.

We loved London! There is so much to do and see that our days were packed! My plan for picking main points of interest and then wandering from one to the next worked really well. We were also quite flexible about changing dates for day-trips and other schedule modifications. And now, here's the report:

Saturday
We landed on a Saturday morning at Heathrow, made a beeline for the nearest ATM and got some cash. Using the tube to get to Russell Square was a breeze, we bought two 7-day travel cards and two supplements for 43.90 pounds. The ride was long but easy. Walked from Russell Sq. tube stop to Morgan Hotel, where we were told that our room was actually available! Hooray! We schlepped up to room #10 on the 2nd floor and crashed on the bed?thankful that we didn?t have to be wandering around London only half-awake. The hotel was fabulous and homey! Location can?t be beat?we walked to EVERYWHERE (Covent Garden, Soho, Picadilly, the Strand, Westminster) from this hotel. Also close to Tottenham tube which was great for accessing other parts of town. The only drawback was the English breakfast which was too heavy for us to eat every day for 8 days?so we just skipped every other breakfast and ate out on some mornings?lots of good cafes and eateries around.

After a short nap, we headed out to find lunch. Since we?re big dim sum fans, we decided to check out London?s Chinatown and get some dim sum. We ate a the Royal Garden on Gerrard St. Food was okay but they didn?t have the pushcarts?which for me is key to good dim sum! The bill came to about 30 pounds?which is a bit high for mediocre dim sum in my opinion. But on with show! Excited to be London, we decide to just roam about since the sun was out and so were all the Londoners! We strolled down to Covent Garden, stopping in various shops along the way. I stocked up at the Lush in Covent Garden!

At this point, we began to deviate from ?THE PLAN?! (Just the first of many GREAT deviations!) Rather than return to our hotel, we decided to keep going and headed to the river bank where we had our first view of the Thames! It?s wider than I had imagined! But alas, the sun gave way to some clouds and we broke out the umbrellas?which never left our side for the whole trip. The weather is so unpredictable! After a few drops, the sun came out again! We strolled along the river bank and stopped at the Somerset House to see the Russian rooms?unfortunately they were closed. So we moved on and ended up at the Temple which was so serene. The Temple Church is stunning (though small) and we were the only ones in there! The surrounding buildings and courtyards were so serene! I would love to work there!

With the sun still out and day still young, but legs tired, we hopped on a bus to go to Harrod?s! Riding the double decker buses are definitely the way to see London! Buses are very easy to use, just show your pass and hop on! Harrod?s is the Disneyland of department stores! And the bathrooms are so splendid! I stocked up on tea and we ogled at the food displays, wishing we could smuggle some cheese back to Boston?

Exhausted, we reluctantly returned to the hotel and rested. The rest of the evening consisted of dinner at Sri Thai Soho and sleep! The bill came to about 40 pounds for two starters and two entrees?again, a bit pricey. Later during our stay, we would discover that better food could be had for less?more on that later.

Here's part two:

Sunday
We woke early in the morning and enjoyed breakfast at the Morgan Hotel. Then it was off to the Tower of London! We wanted to buy a combo ticket for the Tower, Kensington Palace, and Hampton Court, so we had to wait in the ticket line (fyi, you can?t buy combo tickets at a tube stop), but it went quickly since it was still early in the day. Two combo passes for all three castles/palaces came to 49.90 pounds. We ended up spending about 3 hours at the Tower and really enjoyed it more than we thought we would?loved the yeoman tours! I?m very interested in English lit. and history so to see where so many famous prisoners were held was very interesting. Crown jewels were great?but the people movers were hilarious!

After the Tower, we tried to use our tube passes to take a bus ride up the Thames to Westminster but were told that the passes were not valid to use on the boats?guess I had gotten confused somewhere, but thought I?d mention it here in case anyone has any info on this. Anyhow, since the weather was so lovely, we took the tube/bus to Harvey Nichols to pick up sandwiches and snacks for an impromptu picnic in Hyde Park. Hyde Park is great! Lots of Londoners picnicking and playing various sports. And the sandwiches from HN were great! Refreshed, we walked through Hyde Park and continued into Mayfair where we strolled through Shepherd?s Market and then headed north to Selfridges! Along the way, we stopped at the US Embassy-ugh, what an ugly building! Of all the beautiful buildings in London, this was the one they chose for the US Embassy?? It was also sad to see how much of the neighborhood was being disturbed by the extra security precautions around the Embassy? At Selfridges, we did some window shopping and then walked along Oxford St. back to the hotel.

With aching feet, we crashed on our bed and began planning the rest of our evening. Based on some many recommendations from this board for London Walk?s Jack the Ripper tour, we decide to check it out and headed to the Tower tube stop. Well, we were surprised by the crowd waiting for the tour! There was more than 100 people and more kept showing up. London Walks must be making a killing! The group was split in two, but the majority stayed with Dan?about 100 people! We were, literally, a walking target for London motorists! I enjoyed Dan?s commentary and he really is knowledgeable on the subject, but I got a bigger kick out of watching our group dynamics as we flooded crosswalks, negotiated dark alleys, etc. At the end of the walk, we headed to Soho and ate dinner at Bay of Bengal?inexpensive and good.

Monday
Skipped hotel breakfast and grapped some crepes and cappuccinos instead. Took the bus from Leicester Sq. to Trafalgar Sq. (didn?t realize they were so close or we would?ve walked) and strolled down Whitehall pass the Horseguards (saw them change) and Downing St. The first attraction for the day was the Cabinet War Rooms. Absolutely fascinating! As a history buff, it?s always interesting to see how people lived/functioned during critical historical events. Gave us a new appreciation for the hardships of WWII. Reminded me of visits to the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam?but I digress? We highly recommend a visit here.

After the Cabinet War Rooms we strolled across St. James Park, by Buckingham Palace (took pictures but decided not to go in), and ended up at Fortnum and Mason on Piccadilly. We had planned to have tea at the more casual restaurant at F&M, but were told that tea was only being served in the restaurant up stairs. We thought we weren?t appropriately dressed but were assured that we were. Had a very nice tea with all the fixins?! Yum, love that clotted cream! Traditional tea for two was approx. 42 pounds. Then we headed downstairs to stock up on preserves and more tea for Christmas presents?I felt like a kid in a candy store! Laden with so many goodies, we crossed the street and went into the Royal Academy of Arts. Unfortunately, we weren?t interested in the special exhibit they had and there is no permanent collection. So we sat in the lovely courtyard to rest our aching feet.

From the Royal Academy, we decided to stroll back to our hotel via Soho?stopping at shops along the way. We finally reached our hotel just in time to drop off our purchases and head off to another London walk?Westminster by gas light. This group was MUCH smaller than the previous one-with about 15-20 people. I can?t remember the guide?s name, but she was great. The walk took about 2.5 hours with a stop at the Red Lion for a drink. At the end, we were given the opportunity to visit Parliament (free). We visited only the House of Commons, but boy was that a hoot! Since it was only the first or second day they were in session, there were not a lot of PMs in attendance?about 35 or so. They were very animatedly discussing a bill to floridate Britains water?the irony was just too much. I couldn?t believe that there were some PMs who were against the fluoridation! After all, the British are known for their bad teeth, right? Well, both sides were very determined?though I can?t imagine that this was one of the more important bills that have been or will be discussed in that grand hall!

We ended the evening with dinner at Wagamama in Bloomsbury. Delicious and only 23 pounds for both of us.

Part three...

Tuesday
Had breakfast at the hotel and then headed to the TKTS booth in Leicester Sq. we were able to score tickets to Bombay Dreams for the evening. We then quickly headed to Waterloo Station to board a train for Hampton Court. Spent about 4 hours at Hampton Court and used the audio guides exclusively. I loved the Kitchen tour! Being a foodie, it was great to see how big and multi-functional these old kitchens are! Also liked hearing all the stories about Henry VIII. We joked that out trip was beginning to take on a Henry the VIII theme?the Westminster tour had also mentioned Henry a lot regarding changes to Whitehall Palace, tennis courts, etc. OF course, the gardens and grounds were magnificent. I just wished we had more time to take them in at a slower pace. We watched a game of ?tennis? being played, got lost in the maze and took lots of pictures!

On the way out of HCP, we grabbed some sandwiches and ate them on the train back to Waterloo. A bit tired from all the touring we?d done since arriving, we decided to take an afternoon nap before having an early dinner and going to see Bombay Dreams. Dinner was at the Museum Tavern around the corner from the Morgan Hotel. Beer was good, but food was so-so. In general, I think I?m going to stick to just having beer at pubs?there?s a reason why it?s called pub ?grub?! Food was okay and cost about 18 pounds for two (including beers).

Bombay Dreams was very entertaining. It was so interesting to see a cast that was about 90% South Asian! The music, singing and dancing were great, but the storyline was a bit simplistic. However, I really did enjoy it and we had great seats! I would recommend it, but I don?t think it?ll become a classic?

Wednesday
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed to King?s Cross to pick up our tickets for Bath (for Friday) and to purchase tickets for Cambridge. Two day-returns for Cambridge cost about 31.2 pounds and the ride takes a little less than an hour.

Once in Cambridge, we went to the Tourist office to purchase a good map of the city. Then we just wandered about and visited anything that struck our fancy. We lunched at Pret a Manger, which became my husband?s favorite place in London. Then we toured Trinity College ( 2 pounds/person) and wandered around the Backs and the Cambridge streets some more. All the architecture was truly amazing, but I can?t imagine being a student there. It would feel incredibly surreal, like being in some sort of time warp! I am saying this because my husband is considering applying for graduate studies in Cambridge?

Around late-afternoon, we took the train back to London in time for dinner at Yo Sushi and then Edward the II at the Globe. Yo Sushi was about 35 pounds for two, but wasn?t stellar. The sushi was sufficient fresh and prices were reasonable. I?ve had better sushi elsewhere. But dinner was quick and gave us plenty of time to find our way to the Globe. We greatly enjoyed the Globe?s production of Marlow?s Edward II. It was the first time I?d ever seen an all-male cast and having a strapping black man play Queen Isabella was a delightful treat! The performance was great and the Globe itself is amazing. I could imagine how it must?ve been during the Bard! We were glad to have splurged to get seated tickets?those standing in the yard looked so uncomfortable!

Splendid: please come again

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Great reports kathyl! Looking forward to the rest of your instalments.

Great report! I can't believe you saw a play at the Globe--so exciting! I hope to do that one of these days. London really is amazing.

Really enjoying your report , Kathy.

I'd have him jump at a chance at Cambridge!

Thank you for all the great feedback! I've learned so much from this board and hope to give some back. If anyone has any questions, i'd be more than happy to try to answer!

Lee4--The play at the Globe was GREAT. I hope that you will get a chance to go some day.

Jody- Cambridge is still a possibility....

And now, here's part four:
Thursday
We had a lovely breakfast at Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton St. in Soho?great café and bakery! I had a pain au chocolate, fruit salad (very fresh) and pot of tea, and my husband had pancakes with crème fraiche and strawberries, and a cappuccino. Bill came to about 13 pounds for two. Excellent place?I believe they have several locations throughout London.

We were originally planning on visiting Windsor and Eaton, but decided to spend an extra day in London instead. Day trips can be tiring and there was so much more to see in London. So, our first stop was Westminster Abbey?which has got to be the abbey to beat all abbeys! As soon as we set foot in the door, visual sensory was immediately overloaded! The architectural details, the tombs, the history, the great spaces?I loved it all! There is just so much in this one abbey! Everywhere I turned there was something amazing to behold. Needless to say, we spent more time there than we had originally planned?nearly 3 hours.

From one sensory treat to another?our next stop was the National Gallery. LOVED IT! We knew that we couldn?t see everything, so split up and decided on the North and East galleries. I loved the Flemish rooms as well as the impressionist and expressionist rooms. I only wish I had more time? oh well, next time!

As a break, we had lunch at? Pret! Quick salad, sandwich, soup, and some coffee and we were off to the National Portrait Gallery. I had one mission there: to see the Jane Austen portrait. I had seen it reprinted many times before but being an Austenite, it wouldn?t seem right to be in London and not pay her a visit! J After that was done, we marveled at the huge group portraits of MPs and other famous names!

Thoroughly overdosed on artistic imagery, we returned to Harrod?s via bus to buy some Longchamp bags as gifts for the moms (and me!). After Harrods, it was back to Wagamama (my favorite) for a quick dinner followed by a movie (Belle Ville Rendez-vous) at the Odeon on Shraftsbury St. Tickets were 8 pounds apiece! Highway robbery! That?s $13! High-end theaters in Boston only charge $10 and I thought that was ridiculous! Belle Ville is an animated French film noir, if you will. It was excellent. Very well animated and hilarious! It consisted entirely of a ridiculous storyline full of over-the-top caricatures! I won?t give any more away in case anyone else wants to see it! I do highly recommend it.


Friday
We couldn?t really believe it was already Friday! Only 2 and half days till we have to leave London!

Friday was spent entirely in Bath. We took a 9:30 train from Paddington Station to Bath Spa, which took about 1.5 hours. Once in Bath, we decided to grab a quick snack at Sally Lunn?s?the guidebooks had suggested this. Well, I highly recommend AGAINST it! I?m not sure what I was expecting, the Sally Lunn buns weren?t much more than sweetbread with preserves on top, etc. Not worth the money or the time. And the kitchen museum, though free, was just two rooms to peer into.

Our next stops were, thankfully, a lot more interesting and worthwhile. We got combo tickets for the Roman Baths and the Costume Museum. The Roman Baths are really interesting, culturally, historically, and architecturally. And the audio-guided tours are exceptional. We spent about 2.3 hours touring the baths and exhibits and both thought that everything was VERY COOL. Kind of reminded me of walking about the ruins at the Forum in Rome. Wish we could?ve taken a dip ourselves! Then it was onto the Bath Abbey across the square. Unlike Westminster Abbey, the Bath Abbey is quite serene and graceful in a simple way. We sat there for a few moments in quiet thought about all those who have passed through this abbey and the history behind it.

We then strolled through Bath, which is a lovely walkable city. I loved how you could see the gentle rolling hills rise so close to the center of town?very picturesque and serene. Our walk took us by the Circus, then Jane Austen Center (didn?t enter), and the Royal Crescent. The views and vistas were great. We ended up at the Costume Museum, which was interesting, but skip-able if you?re not really interested in fashion. My husband found it a bit tiresome!

Our last stop in Bath was for dinner at La Tasca, a Spanish tapas restaurant. This was the BEST meal of our trip! We chose it because the menu looked reasonable, but it turned out to be excellent! We order five dishes and beer and the total barely came to 23 pounds, including tip! That?s cheaper than tapas restaurants in Boston! And the food was so delicious?especially the shrimp in olive oil and garlic. We dipped every last piece of bread into the yummy olive oils! Yum! Full and content, we walked to the train station to catch a late train back to London.

Note: I completely forgot to check how much fares to Bath would be if we had not pre-purchased! Some one on the board had requested that info and I dropped the ball. Sorry!

kathyl--
Reading your report is prompting me to think about plans for our next trip to London. Here's hoping it's not too far in the future!

I have stayed at the Morgan Hotel several times in the past and I understand that it was recently renovated. Could you comment on the renovation and on the current rates. please?

Thanks!

k_marie-Since this was my first time at the Morgan Hotel, I don't have a anything pre-renovation for comparison, but here's my two cents anyway. We stayed in a double room (#10) which was small, but not so ridiculous that you couldn't walk around the bed--though only one person could walk around the bed at a time. My rough estimate would put the room at about 10'x10'. The bed was actually two twins pushed together and was fine. There was one double-paned window overlooking Bloomsbury St. which kept the room very quiet at night--only high-putched sirens could be heard. Short, lined drapes cover the windors. There is not much room for luggage. Behind the door there are some cubby style shelves, hanging space with hangers, two drawers, and a safe (which is a must in my opinion). There are also two arm chairs in the room as well as a fold out luggage rack. The room's furnishings are simple, dark-colored, striped bed cover. The "headboard" is attached to the wall and has two small side shelves--in place of bed-side tables. And the carpet is a dark red. All furnishings are in good condition though no longer brand new.

The bathroom is small but functional. A sliding door (which takes up less room when open) leads to the bathroom which has a toilet, sink and shower--all look new. There is ample counter/shelve space with two shelves under the sink and a narrow one along the wall above the toilet. The shower looks very new and is a real shower--not the plastic-contraption-in-the-corner things. The shower space probably measures about 2'x2'. Never had a problem with hot water.

In general, the common areas are nice and clean--though there are not many common areas. I would actually recommend that the hotel owners add some sort of common sitting area... The carpet in the hallways are in good condition, though the floors sometime have odd-sloping sections--did not have this problem in the rooms.

As for the rates, we paid 95 pounds per night per room, which also included breakfast and VAT. The inclusion of VAT was a big plus in my opinion--hate the extra charges on a bill! We meant to visit one of the apartments but the timing was never convenient. I believe the rate for the apartments is 170 pounds, but am not sure. I thought our rate was good, but not great. However, for first-timers, it was a great location and we were very pleased. I would definitely recommend the double rooms, though the rate for the apartments seem high to me and I hadn't been able to see if they were worth it.

Hope that helps!

Kathy,

I am delighted to hear that you had such a fantastic time in London. It was especially good to hear that you discovered the delights of Wagamama's. A friend introduced me to the restaurant a number of years ago (there were just 2 then) and I have been a staunch advocate ever since. Although they have expanded quite dramatically they have stuck to their ethos of great value, fantastically tasty and healthy food. I am a huge Chilli Beef Ramen and Chicken Katsu Curry fan myself, what was your favourite?

Everyone else, if you are visiting London you should try to eat at Wagamama's at least once!

Jase-I liked the more traditional noodle soups, like the seafood ramen or Wagamama ramen. I a huge Japanese udon fan, so the more traditional ones are most fulfilling. I totally loved Wagamama. Now if only they'd open a Boston location.... Not so far-fetched since they now also have locations in Australia!

And now for the final part of my trip report:

Saturday
We spent most of Saturday on the West side of Hyde Park. Our morning started out with a stroll through Portobello Market, which was fun but incredibly crowded?even at 9:30 in the morning! We had skipped breakfast at the hotel to sleep in a bit, so we searched around and found a very chic café, whose name I can?t seem to recall. The café also had a chic clothing/home apparel store at the front, with a bar and table towards the back. It turned out to be an expensive breakfast at 25 pounds, but it was very good. I had pancakes with blueberry preserves and a pot of tea. And my husband had French toast with strawberries and a cappuccino.

After eating, we walked back through Notting Hill, through Holland Park and ended up at Kensington Palace. This walk took us almost 2 hours as we stopped many times to sit on a bench and just relax. We then spent about 1.5 hours touring Kensington (not as interesting as HCP or the Tower), but still worthwhile. We tried to got the Orangery for tea, but since it was not yet 3pm, they were not ready to serve tea. So we walked around Kensington more and did some window shopping. The streets and shops were packed! It was nice day so everyone was out and about. There were so many moms with their baby buggies! We finally returned at 3pm for tea and enjoyed it very much at the Orangery. The setting is perfect though I do like lounging on settees!

Before leaving for London, I had heard that there would be a river festival along the Thames Sept. 13-14, so we headed over to the river to see what the activities were. Well, the daytime festivities that we found were limited to food stalls along the south side of the Thames. A bit tired from our morning adventures, we decided to skip the festival and headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

Dinner was at Mr. Kong?s on Lisle St. in Chinatown, which was very good, though not on the cheap side. We spent about 50 pounds for four dishes. We had steamed fish, jelly fish, stir fried pea tendrils, and a beef stir-fry. It may sound like a lot, but the dishes themselves were not that big and we were starving! Mr. Kong looked pretty packed with tourists and regulars and I wouldn?t hesitate to recommend it for some good Chinese.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Plough on Museum St. for a beer to celebrate our last night in London?

Sunday
Check out at the hotel is 10 am. We left our luggage at the hotel and went next door to the British Museum. Although the hotel was right next to the BM, we still hadn?t been inside. We spent the next two hours there marveling at the Egyptian and Greek exhibits. I must confess, however, that the whole experience was a bit disturbing. I couldn?t help wondering why all these Eyptian and Greek treasures were in LONDON?! Now, I really know why they?re there, but that?s the point. Great as it was for me and others to have the opportunity to see these rare objects, I was sad that they weren?t in their own lands. But I guess they?re also there as a reminder of a colonial past and I can understand that.

With only a few hours before we had to leave for Heathrow, we lunched a Wagamama and then strolled around Bloomsbury. Then it was off to the airport and good bye to London!

Excellent trip report...fun to read. I don't think it is possible to have a better stay in London than you had. Thanks for sharing.

kathyl--

Thanks for the up-date on the Morgan Hotel. We love the location, of course, and there is a coziness there that I do not find in a big, anonymous hotel.

I, too, enjoy having a Wagamama (and, yes, so many other things) so close to the hotel. Not a 'destination' retaurant, but a great place for a meal when you are on your way to something else. Tasty nood;les and more, and the price is right!

Great report, kathyl! So happy your first-time trip to London was such a success!

Kathy, I am pleased to hear that you had a wonderful time in London.

There is a Thai restaurant (Busabong eathai) owned by Wagamama chain in Wardour Street pretty much the same layout as Wagamama which serves good Thai food at a fraction of Sri Siam of Old Compton street you dined.

The good dim sum restaurants in London do not generally do the trolley thing. Royal China in Baywater is probably the best dim sum restaurant in London. But my favourites are London Jade Garden and Imperial China. Imperial China is more expensive but with better service and decor. Mr. Kong is one of my favourite Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. I find their menu is more adventurous than other Chinese restaurants in that area. I am glad that you had a good meal there.

I saw Edward II at the Globe theatre on Saturday but found the all male cast a bit distracting to begin with. A very good production nevertheless.

Kathy, come back soon. We love ethusiatic visitor like you.

Hi, Kathyl!

I, too, would jump at a chance to study at Cambridge as a full-time student. I was just there for 6 weeks, and it was amazing.

I don't know if you guys are noodle fans, as well as dim sung fans, but there's a great noodle restaurant near the river (near the Anchor pub and the boat launches - kind of close to Peterhouse). It's called Dojo, and it's down a little alley. Hope it's still there next time y'all go!

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing!

Linds

Hello from DC! I have been away on a business trip and just finally found some time to check on fodors.

Thanks to everyone for your warm reception of my trip report. I know trip reports for London have been done many times before, but I felt it was my duty to post one in recognition of all the great advice I received from this board. We did have an excellent trip and have many of you to thank.

Of course this trip to London just makes me want to quit my job and travel more. There is sooo much to see and do out there! But I guess that wouldn't be terribly responsible of me...

Naturaltan and Linds--Thanks for the restaurant recommendations! I am already trying to see when we can return to London and will definitely try the places you mentioned! We really big noodle fans and had a blast in Japan, so Wagamama was a true delight and treat.