London Trip Report: June 22 through July 2
 

Just back from London! Amazing experience and I fell completely in love with what little I saw of England. I was there with my 2 best friends for 10 days to celebrate our 30th birthdays. This is not really the tradition day by day trip report, instead I have grouped things by activity. I hope this format is easy to navigate and I hope my report can help someone since I have received so much help from this site! I am open to any and all questions!

Flight: Used MAXjet all business class from JFK-STN-JFK. Great experience and I highly recommend them. If you want to read more, click on my screen name to find a full review.

Travel within London: Purchased a 7 day tube pass and found this extremely useful. I was very pleased with the London tube and even with some delays and line closures we found our way around the city very easily. We used the tube everyday except for the first when we did the hop-on/hop-off bus tour.

Accomodations: We stayed in a flat that we rented through Farnum & Christ in Notting Hill. The flat far exceeded our expectations and the location could not have been more perfect. We were 2 minutes walk from Portobello Road and 5 minutes from the nearest tube stop. Notting Hill is a charming area!

Daytrips:
1.) Hampton Court Palace -- took the train on the only rainy day during our trip. I think the palace is probably best on a nice sunny day as the grounds and gardens are amazing, but I think the rain meant less crowds and we really got to enjoy the actual palace. It really is an amazing structure the audio tour is great. We did walk around the gardens a bit and tried out the hedge maze which was really fun in spite of the rain.

2.) Oxford & Cotswolds -- We did this daytrip with London Walks and our guide was Richard and he was great. We first went to the Cotswolds (Minster Lovell and Burford). Minster Lovell was perfectly charming and we even had 2 beautiful horses trot up to us and let us feed and pet them. We saw the remains of the Lovell manor house and Richard told us amazing stories about it's history. Oxford was really fun as well and anyone who has seen and enjoyed the Harry Potter movies will get a kick out of Oxford. We even got to see where Bill Clinton did not inhale! :)

3.)Cambridge -- We took an early train one morning and met some friends that are stationed at Lakenheath AFB. Cambridge is a very charming town, maybe a little more so than Oxford in my opinion. We walked through the town and checked out a few pubs and then punted on the river with some bottles of wine. I thought this was really fun and since we were there early there were very few people on the river and we were able to negotiate a pretty good price. Our punter was a really sweet college kid on break and he told us lots of interesting tidbits.

Favorite activities in London:
1.) Tower of London: We went early as everyone on this board recommended and it was a great tip! We didn't have a line at all to view the jewels and even got to go through a second time with no line! We did not join a beefeater tour simply because it was a mob of people. We purchased one audio tour and did it on our own. We really enjoyed it!

2.) Tea at the Lanesborough: We did this late afternoon before we went to the theatre. It was a very fun experience and although I am not a pro at this, I thought the service was exceptional and the food was wonderful.

3.) Mary Poppins: This play exceeded my expectations. The set was really amazing and I thought the acting and singing was great. We did our research on Theatre Monkey and were very pleased with our seats!

4.) Kensington Palace/Gardens and Diana Memorial fountain: Kensington Palace has a wonderful exhibit of Diana's photos and dresses as well as some other great exhibits. The park is also lovely and we particularly enjoyed the memorial fountain. It is a ring of cool bubbling water that you can put your tired feet in after a long day of walking. I highly recommend this on a sunny day.

5.) Pubwalks with London Walks: We did 2, Along the Thames and the Old Chelsea Village. We really enjoyed both. You visit 3 pubs and hear a bit of history in between. The guides were very fun and entertaining.

6.) Evensong at Westminster Abbey: A great way to see the church and very pleasant and memorable experience.

7.) London Eye: I know some people think it is expensive and overrated, but I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for first time visitors.

8.) Portobello Road Market: Very crowded and chaotic, but also fun and exciting! I recommend it just for the spectacle.

9.) Holland Park: really lovely shady park, very nice on a hot day.

Other activities:
1.) Tate Modern: This was not my favorite museum. I love that London has all these museums free to the public, but they really do get very crowded and it's hard to enjoy them.

2.) British Museum: This museum is pretty amazing. We went with London walks because we heard it was a good way to get an overview. The guide was really nice and knowledgable, but not quite as entertaining as the others. Of course to be fair I think this would be a very hard walk to guide. I definitely recommend this museum, but it can't all be appreciated in one day.

3.) Wimbledon: My 2 friends really wanted to check this out and I wanted to be a sport and compromise. We did not really plan it very well and it was really not all that fun. We showed up after 5 and purchased grounds passes. There was only one match left to play on the outer courts by the time we arrived. It was a doubles match and we had to stand to watch it. It was quite hot in London at this time so that made it a bit less enjoyable. Wimbledon is a really lovely area though and I think with better planning it could be really fun.

4.)Harrod's: I think this is the only thing that really dissapointed me. I guess I just don't really go in for the excess of places like that, kinda reminded me of Las Vegas. The food halls are quite pretty and I guess I would recommend popping in those when it isn't so crowded. The rest could be missed in my opinion.

Food: We ate in quite a bit. We did our shopping at Tesco and Marks and Spencer and cooked in our kitchen. There are a few chains that are good for people eating on a budget. First is Pret A Manger. They are everywhere and you can get a sandwich, chips and desert for take out for a reasonable price. Pizza Express is also in a lot of locations and has pretty good pizza and pasta. Last is a bar called All Bar One. They are also everywhere. They serve some pretty good tapas at a reasonable price. We also discovered Pimms and Lemonade in London on one of the pub walks. Very nice light summer drink and you can order them by the pitcher. I am a coffee addict and enjoyed the Coffee at Cafe Nero.

We also tried a few little local places mostly in the Notting Hill area. S&M cafe (stands for sausage and mash) serves a very good breakfast and is very atmospheric. Hummingbird bakery has amazing cupcakes! The Sun In Splendor Pub is completely non-smoking which seemed to be rare in London, but was very nice. We visited too many pubs to even mention, but there were a few which were particularly charming. I don't have the names off the top of my head, but I am happy to share if anyone is interested.

Shopping: I am not a huge shopper, but particularly enjoyed shopping in the Notting Hill area. The shops are very unique. As I said earlier I didn't really enjoy Harrod's. I did enjoy Whiteley's mall, it has a nice food court and is a pretty mall.

Overall impressions of London: There were many things that really surprised me for such a large city. The people are extremely friendly. Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful. Also, the city is quite green and the parks are a definite highlight. There are so many trees and the gardens are so pretty. London is expensive, but if you are prepared for it you can make your way around very affordably. This is the first vacation in which I have actually spent under my budget! London is very nice to walk around and the public transportation is also very nice. Avoiding crowds is a key to having fun in a lot of places. Getting started early really helps. Also the city and tube seems virtually empty on Sundays. It was a great time to get around and see things.

Thanks for reading!

Flagging for now, I'll look forward to reading this later from home. :-)

laustic, glad you had such fun in my home city. You were very lucky with the weather!

hi laustic:

thanks so much for posting your trip report. i thoroughly enjoyed it, and appreciate the way you organized it.

we will be in london from september 8 - 15, and will be staying at somerset baywater (an apartment hotel). we will also have a few meals there, as we'll have a kitchenette. we will be very close to whiteleys, so we'll check it out for sure.

we are not big museum and gallery people, but will probably do one or two. i was thinking about doing the tate modern, but as we will also be in paris, and will do the louvre for sure, maybe we'll go with the british museum. so many decisions!

i take it this was your first trip, and im glad you and your friends had a wonderful time celebrating your birthdays. it will also be our first time.

questions: can you recommend any restaurants (for dinner) within walking distance of whiteleys?

7-day tube pass: we will have 7 full days, but our first day will be spent doing the hop on and off bus tour. so that leaves 6 days. do you know if it makes sense to get the pass for only 6 days? sorry, i havent had a chance to look at the underground site.

tower of london and crown jewels: are you allowed to take photos of the jewels?

air conditioning: was it warm when you were there, and do the buildings have a/c?

thanks a million!

You obviously had a great time.
You'll have to return.
You could spend a lifetime in London and not exhaust it.
I agree about Harrods. It's just a shop when all's said and done. The London markets are far more fun.

xplors: happy to answer your questions! :)

dinner: Whiteleys actually has a very nice food court, not at all what we Americans think of a food court. They are actually proper restaurants and although we didn't try any they really looked very nice. There was Sushi, Mexican, Tapas, and Italian. Also, when I say Pizza Express I know a lot of people must picture something different than what it is in reality. It is a pretty nice chain-like sit down restaurant. If you see one while you are out and about I think it's a safe bet. Other than that we did most of our dinners at home or got some quick take away since it is a little cheaper to take food out than eat it in. The area around Whiteleys seemed very nice and I think you won't have a hard time finding a good place to eat.

7-day tube pass: I still would recommend the tube pass for your situation. You really get ripped off if you go day by day. We did day passes on our last 2 days. You will really like the bus on your first day, great way to get around and see major sites.

tower of london and crown jewels: I do not think you can take pictures of the jewels, but there are some very nice books and post cards available with pictures of them in the gift shops.

air conditioning: There was a "heat wave" during our last couple of days. I am from Texas so the term "heat wave" means something a little different to me. However, many buildings do not have a/c and it can get uncomfortable from time to time, but nothing that ruined my time. It does get quite hot on a crowded subway, but again nothing to be too worried about. On the flip side many shops and buildings do have a/c and that is nice too. We were never uncomfortable in our flat. We would just open the doors and windows and no problem.

I know you will have an amazing time and I can't wait to read your trip report as well!

What a great report. Seems like you tasted a bit of the many things that make so many of us love London. When are you going back?

This is a great trip report, laustic. I like the format - might adopt that myself for the next report. It sounds like all of your planning really paid off. I'm definitely taking notes for our short return trip in August.

xplors, the 7 day pass will be cost effective for anything over 5 days. Also, I'm pretty sure you cannot photograph the crown jewels, but there is a special gift shop nearby that specialized in jewel-y things, and has postcards, etc.

Hello laustic, I like the format of your report also. Quite easy to read and very informative for anyone going to London

What a beautiful way to celebrate all of your 30th birthdays!! Wishing you many more birthday trips.

OK, I found some time to read on the sly here at the office. Sounds like you had a great trip. I'm with you on Harrods. I had no interest in Harrods but I was out-voted by my traveling companions so I went. I liked the food halls, especially the candy, but didn't care for the rest.

I also loved Mary Poppins!! Of course, I've enjoyed every show I saw in London, but Mary Poppins was certainly one of the best. Great choice for theatre.

Welcome home. :-)

laustic, I enjoyed reading your report! We'll be in London in 6 days (not that I'm counting or anything, lol).

My son told us about MAXjet, but at the time didn't know enough about them to feel comfortable booking with them. We have family in Cambridge, so flying into STN would be more convenient. Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on this airline. Punting is fun -- we always do it ourselves rather than hire the punter. Always risky business, lol!

Glad you had a wonderful trip! :D

laustic - I laughed when I saw your reference to Sun in Splendour pub - I have a picture of that very pub sitting here on my desk. I also have several pictures on the beautiful home across the street with the wisteria growing all over it as well as the white townhomes around the bend. I loved Notting Hill and can't wait to go back.

I'm going back as soon as my husband will let me! I really and truly loved it! I know people might think I'm crazy, but I would actually like to try and go back in the winter when it might not be so crowded.

As for punting, I think I may give it a try myself next time. Hehe! It was pretty comical watching everyone else have a go at it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my report. I had so much help from this forum planning this trip and it wouldn't have gone nearly as smoothly with out all of the great advice I got here! I really love this site!

laustic, we had a super time in March, and it wasn't crowded at all. Some of the weather was actually good, and the rest was tolerable/expected.

hi again laustic, and thx for answering my questions. i guess the weather in september could be warm to cool, with rain, etc, so we'll be prepared with layers of clothing.

i'll have to send my sister a postcard with a pic of the crown jewels. she loves jewelry, and she refers to her "collection" as her jewels...hehe. and btw, if we cant take pics of the crown jewels, i guess trying them on is out of the question as well?! lol...sorry, couldnt resist!

did you use a laundromat in the area at all? our hotel has laundry facilities, but i read a few reviews that said the machines were out of order, so im just wondering. i want to pack as light as possible - and do laundry at some point - so we can bring back souvenirs and not be dinged for overweight luggage.

i may have more questions for you before long!

noe847:

thx for the info about the tube pass. we'll buy one as soon as we arrive. i heard its better to buy one in london than ahead of time, as the cost is the same (and if you pre-order it, you have to pay for postage or shipping/handling).

P_M:

too funny that you were reading on the sly at the office! lol

seetheworld:

nice screen name, and, what means punting? i was reading a novel that is set in london, and...i thought punting was something untoward! sorry if i missed an earlier reference.

xplors, here's a link that gives you a picture and some detail.

Essentially you are pushing a flat bottom wooden boat with a very long pole.

The hazzards of punting include getting your pole stuck in the mud, losing your pole, or not ducking your head in time when approaching the underside of a bridge. :D

It is always best to go punting prior to consuming ale at the local pub, lol. Although my BIL insists on visiting the pub first! :D

http://tinyurl.com/d6nqv

forgot the link!!

xplors: we had a washer and dryer at the flat. They did take a while to get used to as they are not at all like any that I have experienced. I was not familar with a condenser dryer in which you have to empty a water resevoir every so often that collects after you dry clothes, but I did figure it out eventually. So nice to unpack a suitcase full of clean clothes when you get home!

As for tube pass, you may as well just buy it when you get there. It's a pretty easy process at any of the self serve kiosks.

If we're talking about trying stuff on (hehe), I was particularly interested in Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gown which I believe was at Kensington Palace (correct me if I'm wrong someone -- I can't belive I'm already forgetting what I saw and where!) It was amazing and so tiny. I guess I never realized what a petite little person she is!

seetheworld:

thx for the explanation! think i'll leave punting up to the punting enthusiasts...hehe

p_m:

we're planning to see a show, and mary poppins is on our short list. i love the song "feed the birds". i take it they do it?

laustic:

i think museums and galleries should be more hands-on, but, whatever...lol

and, hmmm...ive never heard of a condenser dryer, either. maybe we'll look for a place where we can drop off our clothes and then pick them up when theyre clean! i dont really want to have to do laundry, but we probably will since its a two-week trip, and we dont want to take too much clothing. i hear you can really get dinged if your luggage is overweight.

x

Yes, they do "Feed the Birds" and most of the other familiar ones ("Step In Time" and "Supercalifragilistic" being my faves!) as well as a few new ones. I don't typically buy soundtracks, but I was so impressed with the show that I purchased it during intermission. The show doesn't follow the movie exactly and it was a nice surprise. I definitely recommend researching seating on Theatre Monkey. There are some seats with poor visibility in the theatre and I would hate for you to go all that way and not have nice seats.

As for museums, I hear the Natural History Museum is very nice and interactive, but we weren't able to make it. Maybe they let you pet Darwin's armadillo or something...hehe.