No time for Scones, but plenty of Starbucks March 2007 UK Trip Report
Mar 19th, 2007, 12:44 PM
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No time for Scones, but plenty of Starbucks March 2007 UK Trip Report
We finally embarked on our first family vacation with Lara, age 16 months. It all started with a plan to visit our friends in Bridgend, Wales; which led to visiting husband�s extended family in Cardiff; which led to me wanting to spend some time in London, revisiting places which I had read further on since originally visiting.
I will post pictures link at the end of this trip report.
For those of you that don�t� know, the dollar these days is much weaker than the British Pound. Basically £1 (British Pound) equals $2.00. This exchange makes everything much more expensive. So when I list prices in the trip report, thing double for approximate US conversion rate.
Some background � I love the UK. I have a particular interested in Tudor times. I have been over 4 times and each time I leave, I want to go back. My husband has been to the UK a few times before, mostly to visit his extended family in Wales. I knew traveling with our toddler and handling the luggage would be challenging at times, so I tried to take advantage of every possible convenience.
Our trip plan was to arrive at London Heathrow, take the National Express Coach to Cardiff, Wales. Spend 2 nights. Have our friends pick us up and take us to Bridgend, Wales, which is about 20 minutes away. Spend 2 nights. Take the train to London Paddington Station. Spend 4 nights. Return to the US.
I had been planning this trip with great detail since last fall. My American Airlines AAdvantage account had enough miles to redeem for 3 economy class tickets. We decided to fly American Airlines Business Class. I was short miles, so I made it my mission to earn more AAdvantage miles every which way possible: opening credit cards for the mileage bonus, making every purchase no matter how small with those credit cards, dining out and shopping online to earn more miles! It all finally paid off. In October, I booked 2 Business Class tickets with 180,000 miles. Approximate ticket price for 2 tickets around this time would be $9,500. We decided since our toddler was under 2, we would take turns holding her since the seats were going to be wider. I had to pay $500 for a Business Class lap ticket for her. $500 to hold her in my lap!
Next step was to select a hotel. Since our train from Bridgend, Wales was going to take us right into Paddington Station in London, I decided to choose the Hilton London Paddington. This hotel is connected to the station. You literally get off the train, walk forward a few feet and take the escalator up and you are at the entrance of the hotel. Right next to a Starbucks, I must add! You do not even have to go outside!
As everyone knows, London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Their hotel rates certainly reflect this. Although, I must add, that if you look, you can find deals.
A standard room at the Hilton Paddington goes for at least £200+/night. I decided to use my Hilton HHonors points for as many nights as I could get. My husband does not like small hotel rooms, and London is infamous for smaller than what we Americans are used to. Back in October, I called up the in-house reservations at the Hilton Paddington and spoke with a very nice lady. I asked her how much it would cost for me to upgrade a standard award night room. She told me they charge £30/night, which would get me to an Executive Room adding about 100 square feet to the room. I conveyed to her a few times that I was extremely excited about coming to London and I really wanted a comfortable room. She told me to hold on and then came back and said that since I was booking in October and March was not a very busy time, she would give us a COMPLIMENTARY upgrade to an executive room. She said that since this was our first time at the hotel, she wanted to ensure we would have a comfortable stay. I was ecstatic!!
So we had 3 nights paid for with 120,000 Hilton HHonors points and our final night was paid for with an advance purchase non-refundable rate of £159.
So we finally make it to March 1st! Car service was picking us up at 4:30 PM to take us to the airport for our 8:00 PM flight. On the way to the airport, my father called and asked if I had checked the weather. The weather was fine in Indianapolis. He said that O�Hare had cancelled hundreds of flights due to bad weather visibility! I called American Airlines and to my surprise, found out that our flight to Chicago had been canceled and we had been rebooked for the next day departing at 4:20 PM. I was not happy about this. I did not feel like going all the way home and dealing with all the luggage again.
The American Airlines agent was very helpful, trying to get us on another flight to Chicago on a different airline. However, the lines were jammed so she advised us to go to the airport and they would help us.
We finally made it to the check-in desk, not knowing what was to happen. The check-in lady told us that there were no flights going to Chicago and we had two options: 1) Take our trip tomorrow; or 2) drive 3 hours to Chicago and make the 9:50 PM plane.
I was just about to get my phone out of my pocket and look for the car service number when husband said he was going to downstairs to check out what Hertz had. I was like whatever! Although it was 5:30 PM, I just couldn�t contemplate driving to Chicago and making the 9:50 PM flight on time.
Husband came back upstairs 10 minutes later saying he had hired a car and that we were driving to Chicago to make the flight! I couldn�t believe it. The American Airlines agent was able to put us back on our original flight and gave us our boarding passes so we did not have to waste time checking in at O�Hare. She also made us a backup reservation on a flight for the next morning just in case we missed the flight.
I went outside to find husband and the car. Imagine my jaw drop when he pulled up in an Infiniti M35. About $286 later (cost of premium car & one-way rental), we were on our way. As we were driving to Chicago, I was in shock. I just could not believe we were driving to Chicago. This was not in my schedule of events for the trip of which I had been planning for months!
Husband said we would drive along leisurely, and if we make it on time, we make it. Otherwise, we could spend the night in Chicago and take the morning flight which we were already booked on. Well thanks to Chicago being an hour behind us, we finally made it at 8:30 PM. Husband dropped me, toddler and the luggage off at the American Airlines check-in and he went to return the car to Hertz. O�Hare airport was a mess. The check-in lines were enormous due to it being later at night and there were so many people hanging around because of their cancelled flights. I was able to find a guy outside who took the luggage from the car and got me all checked in thanks to a buddy he had with American Airlines.
Husband finally showed up from returning the car. The security line was the longest I had ever stood in. We finally got through and made it to the plane! What an adventure and our trip had barely started!
Let me just say Business Class is the way to travel. Period. The seats are very comfortable. The service is outstanding. Shortly after taking our seats, we were offered a welcome beverage. The flight attendant passed out nice menus with the entire appetizer, entrée and dessert selections. There were 4 entrees to choose from. Then our order was taken for dinner. Husband ordered Cowboy Steak and I ordered Blackpepper Alfredo Lasagna. Presentation was very nice with a little black tablecloth for each tray. Real dishes, real glasses and real silverware. We were all able to doze off and we awoke to breakfast. The in-flight map showed us getting closer and closer to London. I was so excited!
We finally arrived at London Heathrow. A great Business Class perk also gave us �Fast Track� access to customs & immigration. No line. We got our luggage and then went off to the National Express Bus Station located in Heathrow Airport.
I had pre-purchased out tickets online. Two tickets from Heathrow to Cardiff was £70. Coach was typical touring bus you see in the US. Coming from business class, legroom was noticeably lacking, but tolerable.
We left London on a beautiful, sunny day and arrived in Cardiff on a rainy evening. That�s the weather for you!
It was nice spending time with husband�s family. Some of them I had met on my wedding day three years ago and some of them I was meeting for the first time. Husband�s aunt lives in a house built over 100 years ago in the main city of Cardiff. It�s all modernized inside. We all had a lovely time catching up, etc. Great hospitality and good home cooking.
The next day, I went to Cardiff Castle, which is walking distance from the house. We passed through a lovely garden with beautiful yellow daffodils, the official flower of Wales. Cardiff Castle is a Medieval Castle with a Victorian revival transformed from a Roman fort to the capital of Cardiff. Yeah, it goes way back to 1091 AD. Over 2,000 years of history.
http://www.cardiffcastle.com/castle.htm
On Sunday, our friends picked us up midday and took us to Bridgend, Wales. Located near the shore, population is about 40,000 people.
We checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Usual rate for this hotel at this time of year is £59.95. I was able to redeem 20,000 Priority Club points for 2 free nights.
Room was extremely clean. I wasn't quite sure what to expect since it is not a 4 star property, however, was quite pleased. The room totally met our needs for the 2 nights we were in the area. The mall, grocery store and Starbucks all next door.
We took a nice tour of Bridgend, drove along the shore of the Bristol Channel. There were beautiful houses along the shore. One in particular had huge windows. We went up into the mountains, stopped along the side of the road and our friend fed the sheep bread. We stopped at a local place called Wayne�s Place for traditional fish and chips.
Our tourist attraction for the day was St. Fagan�s Museum of Welsh Life. This is basically a walk around Wales from Celtic times to present day. St Fagans explores all aspects of how people in Wales have lived, worked and spent their leisure time.
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/en/stfagans
We stopped at the mall to go to Carphone Warehouse. We purchased two mobile phones for £30 each. This was in case husband and I split up in London, we would be able to get in touch with each other. We purchased pay-as-you-go SIM card and put on £10 pounds to start with.
Dinner was at an Indian restaurant called Mughal Emperor in Cowbridge, Wales. The décor of the restaurant was very modern done in reds. You could call it swank. This was not the typical Indian restaurant decor. I had ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (£7.50) with Pilou Rice (£2.20) and Raita (£1.50). Everything was ala carte. Food was good. Total bill for 4 adults and 2 children was £92 and we did not order dessert since we had purchased several dessert items to try from Sainsbury�s bakery earlier in the day.
The next day, it was time to check out of Wales and take the train to London! Very exciting. We had purchased first class tickets with more leg room for £28/person. The first class cabin was very comfortable, especially with the toddler. We had a nice big table for her to play on. With the first class ticket, the attendant came up and down our aisle with a trolley full of complimentary beverages and cakes, cookies, etc.
We finally arrived in London Paddington Station. We got off the train and headed towards the front of the station. The station was buzzing with weekday locals coming and going. Paddington Station had a Burger King, Yo Sushi, Boots drugstore, Sainsbury�s grocery store, Monsoon women�s� clothing boutique, Orange Mobile Phone store, a pub and most importantly, right next to the Hilton Paddington entrance, a Starbucks!
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...hotel/index.do
We entered the hotel and as the door closed behind us we were amazed at now beautiful the lobby was. The lobby was filled with business travelers chatting on mobile phones, using their laptops and having meetings. This was the quintessential �city� hotel. We proceeded to the check-in desk where a nice Indian man awaited us. I handed him our reservation paperwork and he told us our room was not ready, and that we could wait in the Executive Lounge. I then asked him if he would be able to give us an upgrade to another room if it was ready. He was checking his computer and said that since were on award night points, and had already been upgraded to an Executive room, he would have to charge us £30/night for an upgrade to a Jr. Suite. Before I could say anything, husband replied, �We�ll take it!� The guy was checking again on his computer and said that he would give us either a Jr. Suite or a Suite, depending on what came up first. We went to the Executive Lounge to wait for our room and also to see if our friends from American had arrived. Our friends had made a last minute decision to come along on the trip and were only able to come for the London portion. And there they were in the lounge having snacks. As we were catching up on our trips to London, the check-in guy came in and gave us both our room keys.
We then proceeded to our room. At this point, we did not know if we were getting a jr. suite or a suite. We arrived to our room number 444 and opened the door to a large 2 room suite! We had our own separate sitting room with its own bathroom and then a nice size bedroom. Plenty of room for toddler to run around and play.
After we settled into our rooms, we all went for a walk at Kensington Park. We saw the Italian Gardens where toddler met swans for the first time. We then walked over to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The playground is very unique. I don�t quite know how to explain it. It is definitely for bigger kids. There are teepees, a pirate�s ship and different play structures. Our toddler was too young to play here.
http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/k...playground.cfm
Dinner that night was at Levantine Lebanese restaurant. The décor is absolutely beautiful. It�s very dimly lit. We received a booth table in the back. There were flower petals sprinkled all over our table.
We had the £35 tasting menu. They were running a 2 for 1 special for £35. The food was okay. It was not as good as I had anticipated for a $70. The décor was outstanding so I was expecting more. Basically, I felt the food lacked seasoning. Well as for more, we got a show all right! A belly dancer came out and she danced around the room. She was very good and had a beautiful costume. Quite a night.
http://www.levant.co.uk/levantine/
The next day we took the Big Bus tour around London. This is a must for anyone who wants to see the city. We went from the east end to the west end. Saw all sorts of historic buildings, interesting signs and many car showrooms. There were quite a few designer boutiques that I recognized and many names I did not. The store displays were beautiful. It was so nice hearing the hustle bustle of London. We got some great pictures.
To be continued�.
I will post pictures link at the end of this trip report.
For those of you that don�t� know, the dollar these days is much weaker than the British Pound. Basically £1 (British Pound) equals $2.00. This exchange makes everything much more expensive. So when I list prices in the trip report, thing double for approximate US conversion rate.
Some background � I love the UK. I have a particular interested in Tudor times. I have been over 4 times and each time I leave, I want to go back. My husband has been to the UK a few times before, mostly to visit his extended family in Wales. I knew traveling with our toddler and handling the luggage would be challenging at times, so I tried to take advantage of every possible convenience.
Our trip plan was to arrive at London Heathrow, take the National Express Coach to Cardiff, Wales. Spend 2 nights. Have our friends pick us up and take us to Bridgend, Wales, which is about 20 minutes away. Spend 2 nights. Take the train to London Paddington Station. Spend 4 nights. Return to the US.
I had been planning this trip with great detail since last fall. My American Airlines AAdvantage account had enough miles to redeem for 3 economy class tickets. We decided to fly American Airlines Business Class. I was short miles, so I made it my mission to earn more AAdvantage miles every which way possible: opening credit cards for the mileage bonus, making every purchase no matter how small with those credit cards, dining out and shopping online to earn more miles! It all finally paid off. In October, I booked 2 Business Class tickets with 180,000 miles. Approximate ticket price for 2 tickets around this time would be $9,500. We decided since our toddler was under 2, we would take turns holding her since the seats were going to be wider. I had to pay $500 for a Business Class lap ticket for her. $500 to hold her in my lap!
Next step was to select a hotel. Since our train from Bridgend, Wales was going to take us right into Paddington Station in London, I decided to choose the Hilton London Paddington. This hotel is connected to the station. You literally get off the train, walk forward a few feet and take the escalator up and you are at the entrance of the hotel. Right next to a Starbucks, I must add! You do not even have to go outside!
As everyone knows, London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Their hotel rates certainly reflect this. Although, I must add, that if you look, you can find deals.
A standard room at the Hilton Paddington goes for at least £200+/night. I decided to use my Hilton HHonors points for as many nights as I could get. My husband does not like small hotel rooms, and London is infamous for smaller than what we Americans are used to. Back in October, I called up the in-house reservations at the Hilton Paddington and spoke with a very nice lady. I asked her how much it would cost for me to upgrade a standard award night room. She told me they charge £30/night, which would get me to an Executive Room adding about 100 square feet to the room. I conveyed to her a few times that I was extremely excited about coming to London and I really wanted a comfortable room. She told me to hold on and then came back and said that since I was booking in October and March was not a very busy time, she would give us a COMPLIMENTARY upgrade to an executive room. She said that since this was our first time at the hotel, she wanted to ensure we would have a comfortable stay. I was ecstatic!!
So we had 3 nights paid for with 120,000 Hilton HHonors points and our final night was paid for with an advance purchase non-refundable rate of £159.
So we finally make it to March 1st! Car service was picking us up at 4:30 PM to take us to the airport for our 8:00 PM flight. On the way to the airport, my father called and asked if I had checked the weather. The weather was fine in Indianapolis. He said that O�Hare had cancelled hundreds of flights due to bad weather visibility! I called American Airlines and to my surprise, found out that our flight to Chicago had been canceled and we had been rebooked for the next day departing at 4:20 PM. I was not happy about this. I did not feel like going all the way home and dealing with all the luggage again.
The American Airlines agent was very helpful, trying to get us on another flight to Chicago on a different airline. However, the lines were jammed so she advised us to go to the airport and they would help us.
We finally made it to the check-in desk, not knowing what was to happen. The check-in lady told us that there were no flights going to Chicago and we had two options: 1) Take our trip tomorrow; or 2) drive 3 hours to Chicago and make the 9:50 PM plane.
I was just about to get my phone out of my pocket and look for the car service number when husband said he was going to downstairs to check out what Hertz had. I was like whatever! Although it was 5:30 PM, I just couldn�t contemplate driving to Chicago and making the 9:50 PM flight on time.
Husband came back upstairs 10 minutes later saying he had hired a car and that we were driving to Chicago to make the flight! I couldn�t believe it. The American Airlines agent was able to put us back on our original flight and gave us our boarding passes so we did not have to waste time checking in at O�Hare. She also made us a backup reservation on a flight for the next morning just in case we missed the flight.
I went outside to find husband and the car. Imagine my jaw drop when he pulled up in an Infiniti M35. About $286 later (cost of premium car & one-way rental), we were on our way. As we were driving to Chicago, I was in shock. I just could not believe we were driving to Chicago. This was not in my schedule of events for the trip of which I had been planning for months!
Husband said we would drive along leisurely, and if we make it on time, we make it. Otherwise, we could spend the night in Chicago and take the morning flight which we were already booked on. Well thanks to Chicago being an hour behind us, we finally made it at 8:30 PM. Husband dropped me, toddler and the luggage off at the American Airlines check-in and he went to return the car to Hertz. O�Hare airport was a mess. The check-in lines were enormous due to it being later at night and there were so many people hanging around because of their cancelled flights. I was able to find a guy outside who took the luggage from the car and got me all checked in thanks to a buddy he had with American Airlines.
Husband finally showed up from returning the car. The security line was the longest I had ever stood in. We finally got through and made it to the plane! What an adventure and our trip had barely started!
Let me just say Business Class is the way to travel. Period. The seats are very comfortable. The service is outstanding. Shortly after taking our seats, we were offered a welcome beverage. The flight attendant passed out nice menus with the entire appetizer, entrée and dessert selections. There were 4 entrees to choose from. Then our order was taken for dinner. Husband ordered Cowboy Steak and I ordered Blackpepper Alfredo Lasagna. Presentation was very nice with a little black tablecloth for each tray. Real dishes, real glasses and real silverware. We were all able to doze off and we awoke to breakfast. The in-flight map showed us getting closer and closer to London. I was so excited!
We finally arrived at London Heathrow. A great Business Class perk also gave us �Fast Track� access to customs & immigration. No line. We got our luggage and then went off to the National Express Bus Station located in Heathrow Airport.
I had pre-purchased out tickets online. Two tickets from Heathrow to Cardiff was £70. Coach was typical touring bus you see in the US. Coming from business class, legroom was noticeably lacking, but tolerable.
We left London on a beautiful, sunny day and arrived in Cardiff on a rainy evening. That�s the weather for you!
It was nice spending time with husband�s family. Some of them I had met on my wedding day three years ago and some of them I was meeting for the first time. Husband�s aunt lives in a house built over 100 years ago in the main city of Cardiff. It�s all modernized inside. We all had a lovely time catching up, etc. Great hospitality and good home cooking.
The next day, I went to Cardiff Castle, which is walking distance from the house. We passed through a lovely garden with beautiful yellow daffodils, the official flower of Wales. Cardiff Castle is a Medieval Castle with a Victorian revival transformed from a Roman fort to the capital of Cardiff. Yeah, it goes way back to 1091 AD. Over 2,000 years of history.
http://www.cardiffcastle.com/castle.htm
On Sunday, our friends picked us up midday and took us to Bridgend, Wales. Located near the shore, population is about 40,000 people.
We checked into the Holiday Inn Express. Usual rate for this hotel at this time of year is £59.95. I was able to redeem 20,000 Priority Club points for 2 free nights.
Room was extremely clean. I wasn't quite sure what to expect since it is not a 4 star property, however, was quite pleased. The room totally met our needs for the 2 nights we were in the area. The mall, grocery store and Starbucks all next door.
We took a nice tour of Bridgend, drove along the shore of the Bristol Channel. There were beautiful houses along the shore. One in particular had huge windows. We went up into the mountains, stopped along the side of the road and our friend fed the sheep bread. We stopped at a local place called Wayne�s Place for traditional fish and chips.
Our tourist attraction for the day was St. Fagan�s Museum of Welsh Life. This is basically a walk around Wales from Celtic times to present day. St Fagans explores all aspects of how people in Wales have lived, worked and spent their leisure time.
http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/en/stfagans
We stopped at the mall to go to Carphone Warehouse. We purchased two mobile phones for £30 each. This was in case husband and I split up in London, we would be able to get in touch with each other. We purchased pay-as-you-go SIM card and put on £10 pounds to start with.
Dinner was at an Indian restaurant called Mughal Emperor in Cowbridge, Wales. The décor of the restaurant was very modern done in reds. You could call it swank. This was not the typical Indian restaurant decor. I had ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (£7.50) with Pilou Rice (£2.20) and Raita (£1.50). Everything was ala carte. Food was good. Total bill for 4 adults and 2 children was £92 and we did not order dessert since we had purchased several dessert items to try from Sainsbury�s bakery earlier in the day.
The next day, it was time to check out of Wales and take the train to London! Very exciting. We had purchased first class tickets with more leg room for £28/person. The first class cabin was very comfortable, especially with the toddler. We had a nice big table for her to play on. With the first class ticket, the attendant came up and down our aisle with a trolley full of complimentary beverages and cakes, cookies, etc.
We finally arrived in London Paddington Station. We got off the train and headed towards the front of the station. The station was buzzing with weekday locals coming and going. Paddington Station had a Burger King, Yo Sushi, Boots drugstore, Sainsbury�s grocery store, Monsoon women�s� clothing boutique, Orange Mobile Phone store, a pub and most importantly, right next to the Hilton Paddington entrance, a Starbucks!
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hote...hotel/index.do
We entered the hotel and as the door closed behind us we were amazed at now beautiful the lobby was. The lobby was filled with business travelers chatting on mobile phones, using their laptops and having meetings. This was the quintessential �city� hotel. We proceeded to the check-in desk where a nice Indian man awaited us. I handed him our reservation paperwork and he told us our room was not ready, and that we could wait in the Executive Lounge. I then asked him if he would be able to give us an upgrade to another room if it was ready. He was checking his computer and said that since were on award night points, and had already been upgraded to an Executive room, he would have to charge us £30/night for an upgrade to a Jr. Suite. Before I could say anything, husband replied, �We�ll take it!� The guy was checking again on his computer and said that he would give us either a Jr. Suite or a Suite, depending on what came up first. We went to the Executive Lounge to wait for our room and also to see if our friends from American had arrived. Our friends had made a last minute decision to come along on the trip and were only able to come for the London portion. And there they were in the lounge having snacks. As we were catching up on our trips to London, the check-in guy came in and gave us both our room keys.
We then proceeded to our room. At this point, we did not know if we were getting a jr. suite or a suite. We arrived to our room number 444 and opened the door to a large 2 room suite! We had our own separate sitting room with its own bathroom and then a nice size bedroom. Plenty of room for toddler to run around and play.
After we settled into our rooms, we all went for a walk at Kensington Park. We saw the Italian Gardens where toddler met swans for the first time. We then walked over to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The playground is very unique. I don�t quite know how to explain it. It is definitely for bigger kids. There are teepees, a pirate�s ship and different play structures. Our toddler was too young to play here.
http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/parks/k...playground.cfm
Dinner that night was at Levantine Lebanese restaurant. The décor is absolutely beautiful. It�s very dimly lit. We received a booth table in the back. There were flower petals sprinkled all over our table.
We had the £35 tasting menu. They were running a 2 for 1 special for £35. The food was okay. It was not as good as I had anticipated for a $70. The décor was outstanding so I was expecting more. Basically, I felt the food lacked seasoning. Well as for more, we got a show all right! A belly dancer came out and she danced around the room. She was very good and had a beautiful costume. Quite a night.
http://www.levant.co.uk/levantine/
The next day we took the Big Bus tour around London. This is a must for anyone who wants to see the city. We went from the east end to the west end. Saw all sorts of historic buildings, interesting signs and many car showrooms. There were quite a few designer boutiques that I recognized and many names I did not. The store displays were beautiful. It was so nice hearing the hustle bustle of London. We got some great pictures.
To be continued�.
Mar 19th, 2007, 03:05 PM
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Husband and toddler came down with flu. They decided to stay in the hotel room and recuperate. The weather was in the low 50s/high 40s, but it still was a bit nippy for someone under the weather.
I ended up getting gyros from an Arab takeaway shop across from our hotel for a late lunch.
Our friends from the US are Mr. and Mrs. B. Mr. B wanted to rest in the hotel room due to jetlag, so Mrs. B and I took a taxi to Harrods. I checked out the purses, jewelry and accessories. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Just whatever caught my eye. There were a lot of nice things, but nothing I really felt I wanted. I wanted to buy something that I didn’t see in our stores back in the US. We wandered through the food halls and saw the fresh fish and meat for sale as well. It was very interesting. I had no idea Harrods sold fresh meat.
We eventually ended up in the lotions and fragrance hall. All the Harrods employees were busy trying to get people to stop and look at their product line. After much browsing, I came across the Temple Spa line. A very nice lady went over different products with us. Something was familiar about the font on the bottles. I finally realized that there was a Temple Spa moisturizer and lip balm in the toiletry kit passed out on our American Airlines flight. I remember using the products on the plane and thinking they were of great quality. I ended up purchasing a Home Spa Collection of various Temple Spa products, Mediterranean Body Scrub and eye cream. Total price - £73. The sales rep gave me a mini-facial and makeup refresher. If I decided I wanted to continue using the products after I finished, they are also available at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC.
We then went to the confectionary hall and ended up purchasing a few pieces of candy sold by the pound. There are just cases and cases of beautiful pieces. You almost don’t want to eat them!
We got back to the hotel around 5:00 PM and reunited with the husbands. Still full from lunch, we decided to get Starbucks and browse for snacks in Paddington train station. We ended up in the Krispy Kremes! We planned to buy one or two donuts each. After we chose 6, the employees were quite suggestive in choosing 6 more for “only an additional £1.20.” They said they lasted 3 days. So it was 12 donuts for £6.95. We ended up choosing an additional 6 and thought we could always snack on them in the room. Well I ended up eating about 4 additional over the course of the next couple days.
The next day, we got back on the Big Bus tour to head over to the Tower of London. We purchased the tickets from the Big Bus tour guy to avoid standing in the lines. £16/person.
http://hrp.org.uk/tower
The Tower of London is a historic monument dating back over 1,000 years. Its primary function was a fortress, a royal palace and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the future Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Anne Boleyn and the young princes. The Tower is also the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
I really wanted to attend a Beefeater’s tour, however, there was not one scheduled for at least half an hour. With a toddler, you must make the most of every second you have, so I did not want to waste time waiting around.
We got the headphones for an additional £2/person. They held onto my driver’s license until I returned the headphones. The headphones’ tour was very good. It was very easy to understand and literally told you which direction to look, stand and start walking. The tour took us inside all the different towers and had interesting tidbits of who stayed in the Tower and functions of different parts of the Tower.
It was fascinating to see actual carvings on the wall by prisoners from hundreds of years ago. There were several “Jane” carvings in one of the Towers in reference to Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for a mere 9 days.
The Crown Jewels were quite extravagant. The set up of the building holding the jewels is such that you walk through different halls watching video footage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II at their coronation ceremonies. You eventually are led further on where there are glass cases with so many different things. Just to name a few - Queen Victoria’s diamond crown, the Imperial crown of India, scepters, swords and different golden dish pieces. There were dishes dating back to Queen Elizabeth I. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had used them personally!
After spending a couple hours at the Tower, we went back to Harrods because Mr. B wanted to see it and browsed around some more. We ended up on the top floor checking out the contemporary furniture styles. We eventually ended up in a Waterstones book store inside Harrods. I quickly browsed the latest HELLO magazine showing the wedding pictures of Elizabeth Hurley and her Indian man, Arun Nayar.
Ultimately, we spent a great bulk of time trying out massage chairs. The massage chairs were out of this world. Much better than the ones at Sharper Image. They were priced at £2,700+.
We finally got back to the hotel via Taxi.
Husband and toddler were a bit under the weather from being out, so I went out for dinner with Mr. and Mrs. B. On my previous trips to London, I dined at Mela Indian restaurant and wanted to go back! I love this restaurant because of the tasty cooking. Spice level is always just right.
http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/
I ordered from the 3 course fixed price menu for £10.95. I had bhajia which are fried shredded potatoes and spinach, chicken tikka masala, and chocolate ice cream (wasn’t into their Indian option of falooda). My food came with a side of rice. I also ordered potato kabobs and a side order of cumin potatoes. Coke was £2.25/glass with no free refills.
After a delicious meal, we strolled the sidewalks until we got to Leicester Square. It was interesting to see the changes and new business as I had not been here since 2003. We browsed a few souvenir shops and went back to the hotel by 10:00 PM.
The next morning, we decided to go to Hampton Court Palace. We took a taxi to Waterloo Station and then took the train out to Hampton Court.
http://hrp.org.uk/hampton
Hampton Court Palace is a magnificent palace where many people have lived, most notably King Henry VIII. This place is huge. There is a gate within a gate within a gate. Highly guarded. We arrived in time to receive a partially guided tour. We saw many fine pieces of the remaining collection of Queen Mary dating back to 1700s. The Tudor kitchens are amazing. Also, the gardens are brilliant, as they say. Windows from the palace gave many awesome views. We spent a couple hours there. I would have loved to stay longer, but it was getting a bit chilly and sick husband and toddler needed to get back to the hotel.
For our final dinner, husband, toddler and Mr. B. decided to rest. Mrs. B and I dined at Maroush Gardens on Edgeware Road. This is another Lebanese restaurant. The concierge gave me confident recommendations that I would love this place. Well, they were right.
http://www.maroush.com/
I started out with a Lebanese salad. Very tasty. There were so many different seasonings in this salad! For my entrée, I ordered a kabob plate with minced lamb rice. Juicy, well-seasoned kabobs and very plump rice. We were so full from dinner that we could not even look at the dessert menu. This was a great dinner. I would highly recommend this place. Dinner for 2 came to £47.
Finally, our departure day came. We took one last walk to Kensington Gardens and let the toddler play on different playground we found. After about an hour or so, we went back to the hotel. We said goodbye to our hotel friends and took the Heathrow Express to Terminal 3 for our flight. With our business class tickets, we were able to hang out in the Admirals Club. A very nice place. Away from all the chaos outside. There are various snacks and beverages to snack on.
Our flight back home was a bit difficult. Toddler was not in the mood to sit strapped in the seat, so we did have to walk around quite a bit with her. The flight attendants were very nice and everyone seemed understanding. We will reconsider before taking a long flight again until toddler is a bit older. We finally arrived in Chicago about 7:30 PM.
Comments on Hilton Paddington London – After reading several reviews on Tripadvisor.com, I wasn't quite sure what to expect since there were some valid customer service complaints on this website.
We chose this hotel due to the location of Paddington Station. Easy access to trains and the Heathrow Express.
I cannot stress how great the customer service of this hotel was from the moment we approached the check-in desk. The suite upgrade for 30 GBP/night was greatly appreciated.
Throughout the whole stay, almost every employee we ran into in the lobby addressed us by name. In such a huge hotel, how do they remember??
The Executive Lounge is decorated in modern themes. Ample cold breakfast and evening appetizers. This is where husband and toddler ate their dinner each evening they stayed in. Big selection of beverages available throughout the day. There is a desktop computer with free internet service for people to use in the lounge, which was very helpful. Lounge employees were so nice to get us milk for toddler's bottle.
Concierge was extremely helpful with ideas, arrangements and arranging help with luggage. In fact, even the concierge guy saw me with a baby bottle and asked if I needed milk!
After we checked out on our last day, it took less than one hour to get to Heathrow via HEX, check-in and get to departure lounge.
General Comments – With the dollar/pound exchange rate, things are quite expensive. Starbucks drink were basically double whatever was listed on the price board. We chose to take taxis all over London to avoid hassles with toddler’s stroller. Traveling with toddler was not that bad. I didn’t get to do every single thing I wanted to do, but I did see a lot. Of course, as I left I told myself, I’m must come back again! I would aim for September for nicer weather.
I ended up getting gyros from an Arab takeaway shop across from our hotel for a late lunch.
Our friends from the US are Mr. and Mrs. B. Mr. B wanted to rest in the hotel room due to jetlag, so Mrs. B and I took a taxi to Harrods. I checked out the purses, jewelry and accessories. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Just whatever caught my eye. There were a lot of nice things, but nothing I really felt I wanted. I wanted to buy something that I didn’t see in our stores back in the US. We wandered through the food halls and saw the fresh fish and meat for sale as well. It was very interesting. I had no idea Harrods sold fresh meat.
We eventually ended up in the lotions and fragrance hall. All the Harrods employees were busy trying to get people to stop and look at their product line. After much browsing, I came across the Temple Spa line. A very nice lady went over different products with us. Something was familiar about the font on the bottles. I finally realized that there was a Temple Spa moisturizer and lip balm in the toiletry kit passed out on our American Airlines flight. I remember using the products on the plane and thinking they were of great quality. I ended up purchasing a Home Spa Collection of various Temple Spa products, Mediterranean Body Scrub and eye cream. Total price - £73. The sales rep gave me a mini-facial and makeup refresher. If I decided I wanted to continue using the products after I finished, they are also available at Bergdorf Goodman in NYC.
We then went to the confectionary hall and ended up purchasing a few pieces of candy sold by the pound. There are just cases and cases of beautiful pieces. You almost don’t want to eat them!
We got back to the hotel around 5:00 PM and reunited with the husbands. Still full from lunch, we decided to get Starbucks and browse for snacks in Paddington train station. We ended up in the Krispy Kremes! We planned to buy one or two donuts each. After we chose 6, the employees were quite suggestive in choosing 6 more for “only an additional £1.20.” They said they lasted 3 days. So it was 12 donuts for £6.95. We ended up choosing an additional 6 and thought we could always snack on them in the room. Well I ended up eating about 4 additional over the course of the next couple days.
The next day, we got back on the Big Bus tour to head over to the Tower of London. We purchased the tickets from the Big Bus tour guy to avoid standing in the lines. £16/person.
http://hrp.org.uk/tower
The Tower of London is a historic monument dating back over 1,000 years. Its primary function was a fortress, a royal palace and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the future Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Anne Boleyn and the young princes. The Tower is also the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
I really wanted to attend a Beefeater’s tour, however, there was not one scheduled for at least half an hour. With a toddler, you must make the most of every second you have, so I did not want to waste time waiting around.
We got the headphones for an additional £2/person. They held onto my driver’s license until I returned the headphones. The headphones’ tour was very good. It was very easy to understand and literally told you which direction to look, stand and start walking. The tour took us inside all the different towers and had interesting tidbits of who stayed in the Tower and functions of different parts of the Tower.
It was fascinating to see actual carvings on the wall by prisoners from hundreds of years ago. There were several “Jane” carvings in one of the Towers in reference to Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for a mere 9 days.
The Crown Jewels were quite extravagant. The set up of the building holding the jewels is such that you walk through different halls watching video footage of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II at their coronation ceremonies. You eventually are led further on where there are glass cases with so many different things. Just to name a few - Queen Victoria’s diamond crown, the Imperial crown of India, scepters, swords and different golden dish pieces. There were dishes dating back to Queen Elizabeth I. I couldn’t help but wonder if she had used them personally!
After spending a couple hours at the Tower, we went back to Harrods because Mr. B wanted to see it and browsed around some more. We ended up on the top floor checking out the contemporary furniture styles. We eventually ended up in a Waterstones book store inside Harrods. I quickly browsed the latest HELLO magazine showing the wedding pictures of Elizabeth Hurley and her Indian man, Arun Nayar.
Ultimately, we spent a great bulk of time trying out massage chairs. The massage chairs were out of this world. Much better than the ones at Sharper Image. They were priced at £2,700+.
We finally got back to the hotel via Taxi.
Husband and toddler were a bit under the weather from being out, so I went out for dinner with Mr. and Mrs. B. On my previous trips to London, I dined at Mela Indian restaurant and wanted to go back! I love this restaurant because of the tasty cooking. Spice level is always just right.
http://www.melarestaurant.co.uk/
I ordered from the 3 course fixed price menu for £10.95. I had bhajia which are fried shredded potatoes and spinach, chicken tikka masala, and chocolate ice cream (wasn’t into their Indian option of falooda). My food came with a side of rice. I also ordered potato kabobs and a side order of cumin potatoes. Coke was £2.25/glass with no free refills.
After a delicious meal, we strolled the sidewalks until we got to Leicester Square. It was interesting to see the changes and new business as I had not been here since 2003. We browsed a few souvenir shops and went back to the hotel by 10:00 PM.
The next morning, we decided to go to Hampton Court Palace. We took a taxi to Waterloo Station and then took the train out to Hampton Court.
http://hrp.org.uk/hampton
Hampton Court Palace is a magnificent palace where many people have lived, most notably King Henry VIII. This place is huge. There is a gate within a gate within a gate. Highly guarded. We arrived in time to receive a partially guided tour. We saw many fine pieces of the remaining collection of Queen Mary dating back to 1700s. The Tudor kitchens are amazing. Also, the gardens are brilliant, as they say. Windows from the palace gave many awesome views. We spent a couple hours there. I would have loved to stay longer, but it was getting a bit chilly and sick husband and toddler needed to get back to the hotel.
For our final dinner, husband, toddler and Mr. B. decided to rest. Mrs. B and I dined at Maroush Gardens on Edgeware Road. This is another Lebanese restaurant. The concierge gave me confident recommendations that I would love this place. Well, they were right.
http://www.maroush.com/
I started out with a Lebanese salad. Very tasty. There were so many different seasonings in this salad! For my entrée, I ordered a kabob plate with minced lamb rice. Juicy, well-seasoned kabobs and very plump rice. We were so full from dinner that we could not even look at the dessert menu. This was a great dinner. I would highly recommend this place. Dinner for 2 came to £47.
Finally, our departure day came. We took one last walk to Kensington Gardens and let the toddler play on different playground we found. After about an hour or so, we went back to the hotel. We said goodbye to our hotel friends and took the Heathrow Express to Terminal 3 for our flight. With our business class tickets, we were able to hang out in the Admirals Club. A very nice place. Away from all the chaos outside. There are various snacks and beverages to snack on.
Our flight back home was a bit difficult. Toddler was not in the mood to sit strapped in the seat, so we did have to walk around quite a bit with her. The flight attendants were very nice and everyone seemed understanding. We will reconsider before taking a long flight again until toddler is a bit older. We finally arrived in Chicago about 7:30 PM.
Comments on Hilton Paddington London – After reading several reviews on Tripadvisor.com, I wasn't quite sure what to expect since there were some valid customer service complaints on this website.
We chose this hotel due to the location of Paddington Station. Easy access to trains and the Heathrow Express.
I cannot stress how great the customer service of this hotel was from the moment we approached the check-in desk. The suite upgrade for 30 GBP/night was greatly appreciated.
Throughout the whole stay, almost every employee we ran into in the lobby addressed us by name. In such a huge hotel, how do they remember??
The Executive Lounge is decorated in modern themes. Ample cold breakfast and evening appetizers. This is where husband and toddler ate their dinner each evening they stayed in. Big selection of beverages available throughout the day. There is a desktop computer with free internet service for people to use in the lounge, which was very helpful. Lounge employees were so nice to get us milk for toddler's bottle.
Concierge was extremely helpful with ideas, arrangements and arranging help with luggage. In fact, even the concierge guy saw me with a baby bottle and asked if I needed milk!
After we checked out on our last day, it took less than one hour to get to Heathrow via HEX, check-in and get to departure lounge.
General Comments – With the dollar/pound exchange rate, things are quite expensive. Starbucks drink were basically double whatever was listed on the price board. We chose to take taxis all over London to avoid hassles with toddler’s stroller. Traveling with toddler was not that bad. I didn’t get to do every single thing I wanted to do, but I did see a lot. Of course, as I left I told myself, I’m must come back again! I would aim for September for nicer weather.
Apr 14th, 2007, 06:43 AM
#7
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I had read your trip report, but haven't told you how good it is. You are brave to take such a long trip with your toddler. Sorry about all the illness you experienced, but it sounds like you made it all work.
I was in London and Cardiff the week following your trip. After several trips to the UK, this was my first taste of Wales. Now I want more!
Thanks for posting.
I was in London and Cardiff the week following your trip. After several trips to the UK, this was my first taste of Wales. Now I want more!
Thanks for posting.
Apr 14th, 2007, 07:44 AM
#8
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Enjoyed your trip report and really appreciate your husband's attitude towards travel problems. He never panicked or got upset just realized that you had invested considerable time,emotion and money in this trip and you'd do whatever was necessary to make it a great one. And, apparently you did.
It's good to get some new restaurant tips and the information about the Paddington Hilton is helpful.
It's good to get some new restaurant tips and the information about the Paddington Hilton is helpful.
Apr 14th, 2007, 07:54 AM
#9
Join Date: Apr 2006
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Oh, dear, I hate to be po-faced but your husband and child did not have flu.
Flu is a very serious illness with high temperatures and utter prostration.
The serious point is that many vulnerable people do not bother to be vaccinated because they think that it is a trivial complaint
Flu is a very serious illness with high temperatures and utter prostration.
The serious point is that many vulnerable people do not bother to be vaccinated because they think that it is a trivial complaint
