I just booked a quick trip to London to make sure I would qualify for Executive Platinum again next year.

I have just over one day - we land 10:35 on Saturday night, and leave again at 4:30 pm Monday.

We'd like to do some Christmas shopping at Harrods - and get a fabulous tea somewhere. What else do you recommend?

If you just want to saee the outside of the major sites these people are good.

http://www.londontaxitour.com/london-taxi-tour.htm

They drive you around to get a feel for the city and see Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey etc in a few hours.

Brown's Hotel in Mayfair has tea; I expect the Ritz on Piccadilly not far from Brown's does, too.

I think you can do better than shop at Harrod's - Liberty, Dickins & Jones, Fortnum and Mason, Harvey Nichols - and good old Marks & Spencer.

Definitely see a London play. You can book tickets online. Just do a London theater tickets search.

Thanks, Harvey Nichols was on our list, but definitely the intent was a lot of shopping. My husband will love to go to a play - and I'm going to try to book tea.

We are thinking of staying at the Park Tower in Knightsbridge, I have free Starwood points there and it looks nice. Hopefully that will be a good location?

Afternoon tea at Brown's -- or the Ritz or Claridges or the Savoy or any one of the big hotels, is running around $50 last time I checked. So don't be shocked. More if you go for the champagne -- which I recommend if you've got to pack all the fun you can into one day.

But I can guarantee you won't have any desire to eat dinner afterward. So I wouldn't book yourself for dinner anywhere. You just won't do it justice.

A lot of stuff in London is still closed on Sunday, or it opens at noon. Major shopping areas are open -- Knightsbridge, King's Road, Oxford St. etc., but if there's a particular shop you want to go to, I'd check its holiday hours ahead of time. Museums are good for Sunday morning. Pick one based on your interests.

I'd definitely pick up some holiday treats and Christmas crackers at Fortnum & Mason. It's a nice stroll after tea at Brown's or the Ritz. Then up Regent St. to Liberty.

I'm personally not a theater fan, and for you to spend, when all's said and done, about 4 hours of your short weekend there unless it's something you REALLY want to see, I think there are more interesting and London-y things to do. Like going to one of the outdoor skating rinks (remember the one in Love Actually? there are more now), going to a choral service at one of the major churches, a night ride on the Eye, going to the pub etc.
Or see a Panto, as others on this board have suggested. Are theaters dark on Sunday? I know they generally are on Monday. As I said, I'm not a big theatergoer. Check it ahead of time.

Knightsbridge is a great location. There's plenty to do and see right outside your door, and the Piccadilly Line station is near your hotel (if it's the one I'm thinking of).

Have a wonderful time!

London theatres are, virtually 100%, closed on Sundays. (It's almost unheard of, BTW, for a London theatre to close on a Monday)

There's a pretty healthy smattering of concerts on Sunday night (see Time Out or Ben Haines' recent music posting on this board). Among the few theatres open on Sunday evenings is the Music Hall at the Hackney Empire, which is close-ish to the sense of a panto.

I think with landing at 10:35 <b>PM</b> on Saturday night you obviously will not be seeing any plays or attending any concerts since you obviously aren't going to be in your hotel, unless it is at the airport, until about midnight.

And how you will do any sort of afternoon tea and still be at the airport at least two hours before your 4:30 PM take-off the next day, much less the thee hours recommended I'm not sure.

Sorry, but I'm sure for that Platinum status it must be 'worth it' to you.

If serious shopping is your goal, I'd suggest heading for the gift shop at the Victoria and Albert Sunday morning, then off to Harrod's. If you expect to do serious shopping, visit the international visitors bureau downstairs befoe you start. You can arrange to have all your purchases shipped back to the US. You don't even have to carry them through the store. What you save on the VAT just about pays for the shipping. It takes 7 to 10 days for your bundles to arrive at home.
Check the websites for Brown's and The Ritz for tea hours on Sundays; you can make a Ritz reservation on line. Or you might be able to take tea at Harrod's; not quite as elegant but not quite as pricey either. There may not be much in the theater on Sunday night, but you should be able to find a concert somewhere.
Monday, head for Fortnum and Mason -- if only to see their windows -- and finish your shopping in the duty free shops.
Enjoy.

Thanks Flanneruk. At least my bad advice on theater closings led to good advice from you!

Intrepid, ginabee arrives Saturday night and leaves Monday afternoon, so the afternoon tea and evening activities would be on Sunday.

It's not clear whether it's Sunday 11th or 18th. But in either case, there are a number of Sunday afternoon Christmassy church services.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/auusj. Page 1 has all England's Anglican cathedrals: Page 3 most of London's Christian churches with a strong choral tradition. There seems to be developing a belief you'll be in the Knightsbridge area: the nearest seriously choral churches are Holy Trinity Brompton, St Mary Abbots Kensington (both high Anglican) and Brompton Oratory (even higher - incense, birettas and Latin - RC). All have their own web sites: from my experience both the Oratory and St Mary Abbots do wonderful evensong/vespers. But just about every church on the list I've referred you to shows how church music really is what England does best.

St Mary's has a candelight Messaiah on Sunday 11. Well worth passing on the Hackney Empire for.

We're going Ice Skating on Christmas Eve at the natural history museum outdoor rink and also taking in the christmad fair thats on their with loads of stuff to buy.