rjbriskin

My husband and I will be traveling to London in March/April to visit our daughter as she is studying abroad there. My husband and I travel extensively but I have never been to England, although my husband has. We plan on staying for a week and wanted to go to another location other than London. I would love some suggestions as to where to stay and eat in London. We generally frequent higher end places and would love suggestions as to where we should travel to for a few days from London.

Mimar

So you will just have one week total? That's not very much.

Do you want to go elsewhere in England (or Britain) or to another country? Paris is an easy train ride under the Channel, just 2.5 hours city center to city center. You could fly into London and home from Paris.

If you want to see more in England, it depends on your interests. Likely places are York, Bath, Oxford. If you willing to drive, then you can rent a car and see something of the beautiful English countryside.

What is your budget per night for hotels? London is quite an expensive city. 5-star hotels would start around L350/night; that's about $550 in US dollars.

jamikins

I was also going to suggest Bath, York or Oxford as well.

Or you could stay in London and see these places as day trips.

Gundy

You might have a look at the London Walks website, they have some great day trips.

Or, if you want to get out into the countryside for a couple of days I would go to the Cotswolds.

If you are interested in Paris, that would be my first suggestion as I love Paris, and it is an easy trip.

Try Hotwire or Priceline for good deals on London hotels.

rjbriskin

Thanks for those recommendations. We will probably try to squeeze 10 days rather than 1 week. We like to stay in really nice hotels and while I don't want to throw away money we really don't have a budget. We have been to Paris several times so I would want to go somewhere that we haven't been. I will look into York, Bath and Oxford as we have not been there and I don't know much about them. I will also look into the London Walks site as well. Hopefully I will find something there. Any other recommendations as far as hotels and restaurants would be greatly appreciated.

nytraveler

If you are looking for true 5* hotels in London expect to pay at least $700 to $800 per night - unless you can get on Priceline (and I don't know what they offer). Staying as close to the center as possible is vital - since the city is spread out with sights in all directions.

If it were me I would combine with either Edinburgh or Dublin.

jent103

I was thinking Edinburgh as well. It's too far for a day trip (about 4.5 hours on the train), but 6-7 days in London plus 2-3 in Edinburgh would give you enough to explore a lot of London, or do a day trip, and also check out Edinburgh.

dutyfree

There is a great book that I have used called Daytrips from London by Steinbecker(sp?). It shows you a city with a map,how to get there and whats to see and do. Its a great quick 2-4 page introduction if you are based in London and want to do daytrips.
Personally, I think that you would love York or Edinburgh for an alternate city to see.There is so much to see and do in both cities.

rjbriskin

I just looked Edinburgh up and it looks great. I will definately buy the book because not only could we use it but our daughter I am sure will be traveling quite a bit so it will be helpful to her as well. Thanks for the recommendations.

mjs

I am not sure how much time you actually have on the ground. Does the ten days include travel to/from the UK? There is so much to do in London that I am not sure you need to venture too far out. Day trips to Bath or Oxford or Cambridge or Brighton etc would be nice. Renting a car and driving through the countryside would also be good if the weather is favorable.
Lodgings are a personal issue. Location may be an issue for you. We visited our daughter who was studying in London last year and choose to rent an apartment near her University. Five star hotels are very expensive in London and we prefer more space. We did stay at the Sofitel a few years ago and would recommend it, especially for it's location for tourists. I should add however that we know London quite well as we are frequent visitors and I studied outside London many years ago and generally lived somewhere in London in between terms.

albionbythesea

Since you have not been to London before, I always like to state that it is perfectly possible to spend a month in London and not see everything in Central London, let alone the more rural parts of Greater London - since you are there for only 1 week, and are visiting your daughter, the minute you choose to travel outside the city you are trading travel time for experiences. If there is a must-see like a Oxford or Cambridge, or Bath, or Leeds Castle, then consider making it a day trip. There are plenty of close in experiences that can consume your time - like trips to Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, Eltham Palace, Windsor etc... - and still let you feel like you 'escaped' central London.
As to places to eat - since you like 'higher end places' we speak a similar language. Many visitors want to do a Gordon Ramsay establishment, but I like places like Pont de la Tour http://www.lepontdelatour.co.uk (where Blair and Bush ate - by Tower Bridge), Quaglinos (great after theatre dinner place) http://www.quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk , Bentley's (since 1916 - famous for oysters) http://www.bentleys.org/ and Bibendum http://wp.me/p2r6no-4X - a great blend of unique architecture / history and food. Hope these give you a few ideas.

HadleyH

Two London hotels that I consider quite nice are The Chesterfield Mayfair on Charles Street, tucked away in the heart of Mayfair, and Montague on the Gardens, Montague Street in Bloomsbury. Both are what I consider mid size hotels, 4 star category I believe. As for London 5 star properties, if my pocketbook allowed, I'd consider either The Goring or The Stafford. I think either would be a delightful oasis.

Combining London and the Cotswolds is a dream vacation I think. So many wonderful small villages and houses and gardens in the Cotswolds. A car is required to really enjoy the area. I was a chicken about driving on the left, so hired a driver. He was absolutely wonderful, but it is quite expensive. Now I'm lucky enough to travel to England with someone who likes driving there. The countryside is all very beautiful! If that interests you, you might look at Karen Brown's book and see places she suggests in the Cotswolds for accommodation.

I have many ideas for various areas of England, touring the National Trust properties offers never ending delights for me.

Have fun choosing.

johnnyomalley

Roka - Japanese Robata restaurant - The Charlotte St. location.
I think it's Sunday maybe, that the chef makes ramen noodles, so good.
http://www.rokarestaurant.com

Arbutus
http://www.arbutusrestaurant.co.uk/

Moti Mahal - the most amazing Dal Makhani
http://www.motimahal-uk.com/home

Chutney Mary is recommended by a friend, but I haven't tried it.
http://www.chutneymary.com/

Barrica, Spanish tapas on Goodge Street at the Cleveland Street end.
http://www.barrica.co.uk/

rjbriskin

Thank you all so much for your recommendations. Now I have my work cut out for me.
HadlelyH- Do you have the name and contact information of your driver? We prefer having a driver when we travel and if we stay in England as had been recommended I think a driver would be great.

HadleyH

Rjbriskin .. Give me an email address and I'll be glad to send you the contact information.

latedaytraveler

Rjbriskin, you will get so many excellent suggestions on this site. I will just offer three:

CITY VISIT OUTSIDE OF LONDON – Bath because the entire city is a museum, beautifully preserved with flashbacks to Jane Austin

MUSEUM – the Wallace Collection, fabulous treasures of 18th century French paintings, porcelain, furniture, bibelots, medieval and Renaissance works, and armor (not far from Marble Arch)Free.

RESTAURANT – Rules, oldest restaurant in London, with Dickensonian charm not far from Trafalgar Square

NomadLass

Outside London we also enjoyed Stratford-upon-Avon and nearby Warwick Castle. Friends have also recommended visiting Stonehenge and Avebury.

Inside London we really enjoyed the "Ceremony of the Keys" at the Tower of London, a 35 minute ceremony that has been conducted every evening for the past 700 years, attendance is limited, it's quite a magical setting inside the Tower at night. Tickets are free but must be requested at least 2 months in advance (3 months in the summer.)
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/...emonyofthekeys