30.7.09



:: St John Hotel & Restaurant : 1 Leicester St, WC2H 7BL : +44 (0)20 3301 8020 : bustling location in the between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus : take the Long Room for a 3 bedreem space perfect for families : email

:: Montagu Place Hotel : Marylebone : 2 Montagu Place London W1 : T 020 7467 2777 : fr. £200 : divine village atmosphere, wander Marylebone High Street's gorgeous stores like Brissi, Paul Bakery, Conran, La Fromagerie, the farmers' markets on Sundays: walking distance of Madame Tussauds, Regents Park, Hyde Park and Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regents Street for shopping and easy access to the City of London, West End theatres : 5 mins by cab to Paddington station for direct access to the airport on the Heathrow Express





:: The If an apartment would better suit you, check out the lovely options at B&B Belgravia
Not on a budget? For more divine places to stay - just drop us an e-mail


:: The Shop at Bluebird : 350 King Road Chelsea SW3 : T 0207 351 3873 : books, food market, furniture, mens womens fashion, home and beauty : Mon-Tues + Fri-Sat: 10am-7pm, Wed-Thurs: 9am-7pm, Sun: 12pm-6pm


:: Top Shop : Oxford Circus : 36 Great Castle St (just off Oxford Street) W1 : Mon-Sat 9am-8pm and Sun 12pm-6pm : the ultimate shopping experience, levels of womens and mens clothing including lingerie, vintage, swimwear, shoes, make up...it even had its own radio station. There are smaller TopShops all around London including in awesome department store Selfridges (Bond Street).


:: Dover Street Market : Classy quirk in a fabulous area : 17-18 Dover Street W1 : 11am-6pm Monday to Wednesday : 11am-7pm Thursday to Saturday : pop up to Rose Bakery on Level 4 for lunch or a coffee and wander down the street to Sketch (see below) for the most amazing high tea (don't forget to visit their amazing bathrooms)


:: Portobello Markets : follow the crowds from Notting Hill Gate tube : two beautiful shopping streets on the way are Westbourne Grove and Ledbury Rd : continue to Portobello Road : Tea and Coffee Plant has the best latte in London : do a loop of the best side streets from Elgin Cres : Grocer on Elgin for brunch : Kensington Church Street for Coco Ribbon : Blenheim Cres for The Travel Bookshop (of Notting Hill fame) and Books for Cooks: then back on to Portobello and if you walk all the way to Golborne Rd you will come to much loved vintage store Rellik



:: Burrough : Farmers' Market (where Jamie Oliver shops) : on Thu-Sat : London Bridge tube : Lunch at Roast : voted London's Best Breakfast : The Floral Hall, Stoney Street SE1 : T 020 7940 1300 : breakfast + dinner Mon-Sat : lunch Mon-Sun :: 10 mins away is Anchor & Hope : voted London's Best Gastropub (no bookings) : 36 The Cut SE1 : T 020 7928 9836 : open Tue-Sun



:: Columbia Road : Flower markets on Sunday 8am-2pm : get the tube to Bethnal Green : grab a builders tea and cupcake from Treacle : 110 - 112 Columbia Rd E2 : T 020 7729 5657 : Sun 9.30 - 3.30:: Old Spitalfields : Artisan market : 105a Commercial Street E1 : the best day is Sun 9am-5pm + Brick Lane for vintage : early Sunday morning-2pm : gorgeous design stores at nearby Cheshire Street : if you want to stay in the trendy East Town Hall Hotel is amazing



Art/Museums:
:: The Tate Modern : Bankside London SE1 : Sun-Thur 10am-6pm (Last admission into exhibitions 5.15pm) : Fri-Sat 10am-10pm (Last admission into exhibitions 9.15) : Getting there : Free Admission



:: V&A Museum : Cromwell Road SW7 : T 020 7942 2000 : 10am-5.45pm daily and 10am-10pm Fridays : Free Admission

Tourist attractions
:: Big Ben :: Houses of Parliament :: Buckingham Palace - changing of the guard daily 11am (all in Westminster) :: St Paul's Cathedral (there's a great restaurant underneath for lunch or high tea) : you have to see at least once



:: 202 : 202-204 Westbourne Grove W11 : shop Nicole Fahri and and sip in style : T 020 7792 6888 : Sun 10am-5pm, Mon: 10am-6pm, Tue-Sat: 8:30am-10:30pm : breakfast until 12pm & brunch until 4pm

:: Flat White : 17 Berwick St (Soho) W1 : T 020 7734 0370 : Mon-Fri 8am-7pm : Sat-Sun 9am-6pm

::
The Wolseley : 160 Piccadilly W1 : T 020 7499 6996 : Open breakfast, lunch & dinner 7 days Mon-Fri fr. 7am : Sat & Sun fr. 8am : Grand European café : email
Anytime :: Best coffee on the run : PRET or Caffe Nero



:: Petersham Nurseries : Richmond: Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond Surrey, TW10 7AG : : Lunch only Wed-Sun : book exactly one month ahead to secure a reservation in the cafe : T 0208 605 3627 : email

::
Ottolenghi : 287 Upper Street N1 : 020 7288 1454 : fabulous breakfast, lunch & dinner : Mon-Sat 8am-11pm : Sun 9am-7pm : outlets in Notting Hill, Kensington & Belgravia also



:: La Fromagerie : 2-6 Moxon Street W1 : Open Mon-Sun for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea & pre-theatre supper : gorgeous cheeseroom and tasting cafe with communal table



:: Club Gascon – Lunch Mon-Fri (go to Cellar Gascon) and dinner Mon-Sat : 57 West Smithfield EC1A : 020 7796 0600 : check out SoS nearby for a bev beforehand



:: Hakkasan : 8 Hanway Place. London W1 : T 020 7927 7000 : Ling Ling bar pre & post : Lunch Mon-Sun : Dinner Mon-Sat



:: River Cafe : Thames Wharf Rainville Rd, W6 T 0207 386 4200 : Lunch 7 days : Dinner Mon-Sat : Order the fig pasta + chocolate nemesisMore of a bar hopper than a dinner go-er? Let us built the hotspots into your itinerary.



A-Z: Get yourself a London A to Z, its a handheld street directory and will get you from A to B with ease. Buy a day pass at the tube station as its valid for 24 hours on the tube and buses : cars avaiable for £5/hr @ My Street Car, but do you really need the hassle of parking? or even better hire a bike, rides under 30 mins are free, cycle maps here.



Walk & Shop: Tube stations are very close together, it doesn't take long to walk between tube stations in the city. Hop off at Baker Street (to shop in Marylebone), Islington, Notting Hill Gate, Sloane Square (to shop in Chelsea), St James' Park (to shop around Mayfair), Oxford Circus or Picadilly Circus to shop in Liberty on Great Marlborough Street and Carnaby Street : refuel w/ designer dim sum @ Ping Pong : 45 Great Marlborough Street W1 : T 020 7851 6969 : Mon-Sun from 12pm or at Cha Cha Moon : 15-21 Ganton Street W1 : T 020 7297 9500 : breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 days, Knightsbridge to shop in Harrods and Harvey Nichols and Bond Street tube to shop in Oxford Street and Selfridges - just wander and you are guaranteed a fabulous day
High Tea: An absolute must-do is Sketch : 9 Conduit Street W1 : T 0870 777 4488 : Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm.



London's Top High Tea's here




:: convert currency, just forget about the exchange rate and have fun, its too painful otherwise
:: don't forget to see a show in the West End (email us for what's on and where to dine nearby) or at least catch a flick at Electric

:: don't leave without having a fab pub meal, I love the Ladbroke Arms : 54 Ladbroke Road W11 : T 0871 258 9632: Holland Park tube. Drink red wine by an open fire in winter and Pimms and lemonade in summer
:: Fat Duck : Bray : one of the best restauarnts in the world, a meal here is every foodies dream



:: Babington House : 2 hrs from London and 12 miles south of Bath : Babington near Frome Somerset BA11 3RW : T 01373 812266 : private memebrs club and house in Somerset : fr. £195



:: Paris : just 2hrs 15 mins away on the Eurostar : dine at the champagne and oyster bar at St Pancras while you wait for departure


Colour Code:

:: Knightsbridge & Belgravia (SW1)
:: Kensington (SW7)
:: Chelsea (SW3)
:: Soho + Mayfair + Marylebone (W1)
:: Notting Hill (W11)
:: City (EC)
:: East London (E1 & E2)
:: Islington (N1)
:: London Bridge (SE1)
images top row R-L: Dover Street Market; Ottolenghi; Petersham Nurseries
bottom row L-R: Petersham Nurseries; Kate Moss for Top Shop; La Fomagerie



Let us customise an itinerary for you. We'll make all the bookings and provide you with any maps and information you require. We'll let you know the best tim to visit, festivals and shows on when you're there and arrange transport and transfer tickets and bookings. Whether you're into antiques, art, car boot sales, food & wine, vintage finds, design or architecture - we can design your days around where you are based and send you to places we know you will love.

1 comment:

  1. This is awesome. I don't plan on going to London anytime soon, but if I were, I would probably print this out and follow it. Traveling is a big dream of mine.

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