The Best of London... part 1

Any guide book you find will probably give you roughly the same list of "Must See" sites. Some may even tell you what to do if you have 3 days vs. 5 or 7 or whatever. And I'm not going to argue with those lists. Except to say that if you find something really doesn't interest you, then don't waste your valuable time. If they do, then OF COURSE you want to see the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, etc. These are quintessential "London" and as I've said before, if you go to Paris and don't see the Eiffel Tower, in my book, you really haven't been. And the same is true for London. That said, some of the highlights are basically things you SEE. You don't have to actually climb, attend, or interact with them, and that makes it sort of easy. I've already made the point that you ought to personalize your trip with things that interest you, & I see that as being far more important than following someone else's proscribed list. I will however, tell you what I think make several of these sites special and also perhaps some insight into things that missed "THEIR" lists but made MINE!

What makes London so special overall is it's rich history and it's global impact. By London, here I should probably actually say England, but as the capital of that country and the hub for most of it's important influences (social, cultural, economic, etc.) you are often talking about one and the same. The British, especially in the Victorian age, were fond of saying that the sun never set on the British Empire, and at that time, it was the TRUTH. Where ever the sun was shining on any given day, somewhere basking in that light (perhaps not entirely happily but nonetheless) was a British Colony. You can't talk about the world and the history of civilization and not talk about England. You can argue that that statement would be true of any great country or civilization, but your conversation is pretty stunted if you try to skip by the British. So...back to London.

One of the things that I find very relevant to understanding and appreciating London is knowing it's personal history. What factors influenced the way it grew. What were those events, many of which are memorialized? (The British were GREAT about putting up memorials to important events and people. The Statue of Boudicea on the bank of the Thames across from Big Ben, Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross, the Monument to the Great Fire, etc.) Some of this may be of no interest to you, and if so, fair enough. See the things that you want to see and enjoy them for what they are and appear to be. No harm, no foul. If all this "biography" of the city does interest you however, then my strong recommendation to you is start your visit or very soon into it, go to the Museum of London.

The Museum of London tells and shows the history and influences that resulted in the great City it is today. I'm not really a fossils and arrow-head kind of person myself but if prehistoric and archeological type things are of interest to you, the museum begins with how London before there even was a London, came to be on the present location. If this is really not your thing, then suffice it to say that the most critical factor was the Thames River. There were several other rivers, now covered and or filled in over time, but the Thames was and remains probably the most important. Being deep and still tidal at this point, it allowed ships to make their way deep into the country and to this point where London now is. Where things got REALLY interesting from my point of view was when the Roman's invaded and "Londinium" was founded. From this point on, there remains here and there around the city actual remnants of this period. Roman Britain still exists in a minor way. In the museum the dioramas and artifacts from Roman London are amazing. Knowing of the Dark Ages that were to come when the Roman empire fell and the Saxons and Danes, to name just a few, invaded and took over, it's astounding at how much the Roman Britons knew but forgot and lost.

The Museum proceeds to cover the various ages, touching upon the royalty, the theological rifts, the scientific endeavors, the wars and colonizing, etc. All these things left their mark but one of the biggest, perhaps the single greatest impact after the Normans invaded, was the Great Fire of 1666. There is a whole section dedicated to it and it is exceedingly well done. You may not know it looking at the skyline, but it would not be the same city in many significant ways were it not for that fire. While it did not become the city it could have, and those reasons are also explained, much of what you see today, including St. Paul's Cathedral, are there because of what the fire did to the City of London.

When I was there in April 2008, the museum from that point in time on, was under reconstruction. It is free, at least as long as significant portions are closed, so while not complete or displaying all it will eventually cover, it still is well worth a visit. Once you've been there I think it's impossible not to appreciate some of the subtler points and influences and recognize as you tour the other sites some of the key points you would have otherwise missed. If you can spare even a couple of hours, I think the Museum of London is a MUST!

Here is the URL for the website: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/english

“And Now for Something Completely Different!”

So far, my blogs have been about important but not very “fun” things, and perhaps have even sounded cautionary and dissuading. That is NOT my intent. So, now I want to talk about how you can make your trip both something unique and different from anyone else’s trip, and perhaps make it sort of a once in a lifetime event for you. Your trip, especially your first trip, to any of the world’s major cities, which have so many highlights, can very easily become a process of checking things off a “list.” There is a reason why every guidebook in the world lists pretty much the same highlights on their “Top 10” list. The icons and hallmarks of every great city are what millions of people feel best represent that city and seeing them shows you the most "popular" & "famous" sites they have to offer. Don't let anyone talk you out of them and don't let anyone talk you into them either. I don't know how you "do" Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower & I would argue that London has a few of these "musts" as well. On the otherhand, if you really have NO interest in something that the majority feels essential, you should not waste time just so you can say you did it.

What I try to do, if I have any flexibility at all as to when I might visit, is to research lots of venues, especially in London itself, and potentially in any of the outskirt cities I might visit. I check what the travelling exhibits are at the major museums. I check what plays will be running in the theatres and who will be in them, assuming I'm not too researching too far in advance. I check what is already scheduled for concerts. What makes a trip really special is if you can find a way to personalize it with not just the same highlights that everyone else gets to experience but something that makes that trip at that time special. This really was brought to my attention on my second trip. I got to London and found out that the British Museum's special exhibit was all about Agatha Christie, her time and life in Egypt on the archelogical digs of her second husband, and the influence of that phase of her life on her books. As a HUGE fan of mysteries, of which Agatha Christie is a Grand Dame, this was an extemely fortuitous find for me. It was one of the two biggest highlights of that trip. The second was that I had choose between seeing Dame Judy Dench or Dame Diana Rigg in theatre productions. I really wanted to see them both but it couldn't be. I chose Judy Dench at the Haymarket in Royal Family. After that I was little more careful and tried to plan my visits better if I could. The next time, I saw Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Judy Dench in a two-woman play. I also had sort of a "stars aligned" experience when I actually saw Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles as their car was sped past my tour bus. Queen Elizabeth and I made momentary eye contact, and the rest of that trip had a bit of of a glow that hasn't since been duplicated. Those moments can't be planned, but with some pre-planning and just a little effort, you might still get to realize a dream for yourself.

On another visit I took a package tour to Oxford, and there was a Robert Hooke exhibit. He's a fascinating historical figure and I would have LOVED to have seen the exhibit but the tour didn't allow enough time. On my most recent trip, I didn't have any flexibility to my dates, and I missed the Chinese terracotta soldiers at the British Museum by about a week and seeing "Speed the Plow" with both Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldbloom at the Old Vic by about 2 weeks. A co-worker took her family to London this spring (08) & was able to see a James Bond exhibit that was a highlight for their trip. If you are a music fan, make sure you check out who will be in concert while you will be or could be there. Some of the legends of rock who rarely come to the US play London once in a while. Wouldn't it be phenonmenal to not only visit this great city but to get to see Clapton or Bowie, or some other rock legend or just one of your faves while you are there?!

So, think about what your interests and hobbies are. London has such a broad selection of things to do and see and a rich and multi-layered history. There truely is something for everyone and with a little luck and some good planning, you should be able to coincide your trip with something a little special. Explore those interests and how something to see or do in London might tie into those interests. Check the temporary exhibits at the major museums for limited timeframe opportunities. Take a walking tour of which there are hundreds, some of which have very narrow but popular focuses. See if one of your favorite actors or actresses of the large screen is "treading the boards" in the theatres while you are there.

Taking advantage of one of these special and temporary opportunities while you are there can make one of these trips not just memorable but unrepeatable!

Here are some websites that will help you explore. Most of the major museums have their own sites and show the current and upcoming exhibits.

http://www.visitlondon.com/
http://www.artfund.org/whatson/
http://www.londononline.co.uk/
http://www.timeout.com/london/

A Word of Caution about Online Booking & Packages

Here are a couple notes of caution about booking online or taking advantage of packages. First, online booking. I love what the internet has to offer by way of making your trip planning decisions easier and offering a plethora of options. There are lots of web sites for booking hotel rooms and some offer all kinds of information and photos, as wells a maps, proximity to sites, etc. I don't call overseas and make my reservations. I book online. That said, there are some issues that could arise as a result.

My word of caution here is that you want to keep things simple. You want to be organized when you book your hotel and know specifically what your plans are. If you plan to arrive in London, check into a hotel, complete your stay and check back out, then no problem. Where things get tricky is if you want to use London as a home-base but spend nights out of the city. I DO recommend doing this, but I've learned the hard way that for online booking services this can be confusing UNLESS you treat each segment of your stay as a separate entity.

I'll give you an example. On my last trip, I found an EXCELLENT (very affordable) room rate, at a 4 star hotel in Bloomsbury, about 3 blocks from the British Museum. It was almost 3 months before our trip so we knew where we wanted to go but hadn't finalized exactly when we were going to take our overnight trips to Bath, England and Paris, France. I knew I needed to jump on the hotel offering because we needed multiple rooms and this rate was spectacular. The site even had a 800# to call to speak someone in the US. So, I called and told the customer service agent what date we would arrive from the US and what date we would fly back to US. I explained that we wanted to stay at this hotel for all the nights we would be in London but that for two nights, yet to be determined, we would not be staying in London. I asked whether I could book this hotel for all the nights so as to be assured of having a room on any of the nights, but could I call back in a couple of weeks and cancel out the two nights we would be gone. She was very friendly and strongly recommended that I do because I would then guarantee this great rate, and be assured they wouldn't fill up for any of the nights we wanted to be in London. This was exactly what I hoped for and wanted.

We figured out our plans, we booked our travel and hotel rooms in Bath and Paris, and therefore, we were covered in those locations. I then called back to cancel out the second night of our stay so we could go to Bath, and the 6th night when we would be in Paris. I was immediately told by a different customer service person that this was impossible. They could cancel some night(s) off the front or back end but they could not cancel out two nights mid-stay. The hotel had since filled up on some of the nights we wanted to stay, so rebooking either the first night or the last two after our return from Paris wasn't possible because the "system" now showed them fully booked (even though two of those rooms were being held for my party.) If I cancelled my original reservation, someone else might be able to rebook into them before my replacement reservations were made. It was a catch-22. Also, the "excellent" room rate would not apply to the new reservations.

In the end, it turned out that the site I had gone to backed into Hotels.com and my reservation was actually managed by Expedia.com. I finally was able to work with a Customer Service Supervisor from Expedia. She ultimately worked it ALL out and what I had originally been assured could be done, WAS done. We checked in and out of the hotel 3 times. We got the original rate. I can't say anything bad EXCEPT that it was a tremendous hassle to get it worked out & for awhile it looked like we might have to spend considerably more for some of our nights than we had planned and even change our London hotel on one of the occasions.

The same principle applies to packages. As I mentioned in my last post about English hotels, one of the more cost efficient options is a package. An organized tour is a package but not what I'm speaking of here. In this case, I merely mean a deal where you get several elements of the trip for one price, usually the flight and hotel, usually representing a significant savings. I mentioned flight/hotel packages from the major airlines and travel sites. I recommend these wholeheartedly, provided what you are wanting falls strictly within the package guidelines. If booking online that means that your hotel reservation will exactly coincide with your flight arrival and departure dates. If you want to try to fly in early or late and go somewhere else on either end, you might be able to make these arrangements by calling their customer service department. If they tell you that it can be done, I would tell them you'll think about it and call again to make sure you get the same assurance from more than one agent. If you still get that answer, then go for it. But as a rule, either take it the way they offer, or just don't buy a package. Definitely don't try to break your trip into segments and expect them to work out all the details. It's not that they maybe CAN'T, but if they screw it up, you could really pay a lot more and the value of the package would be lost.

Lastly, if you do deal with live customer service people, make sure you take notes on what number you called & the URL for the site where you located the deal, get the name of customer service agent, get and take all the documentation with you on the trip, and lastly, get an international phone number to call them back if there are any issues. Outside the US, 800 #'s don't work, so the number you called from home, is not viable.

What you should know about English Hotels

First some basics about London hotels in comparison to what we have here in the U.S. Having accurate expectations will help avoid disappointments or unpleasant surprises when you arrive. Where as here in the U.S. large chains account for most of the hotels, in the UK, they are the minority. There are literally hundreds of independently owned, often family operated, hotels of various sizes in London. Many of these are "tourist" or budget hotels but there are small 4 or 5 star hotels as well. The primary differences involve bed/maximum person count, toilet and/or bath in the room (ensuite) or not, & complimentary breaksfast.

It’s almost de rigueur for hotels in the U.S. to come with two Queen-sized beds no matter the class of hotel and whether it’s a chain or not. Unquestionably, they all come with a full bath in the room as well. The same is not true in England and no assumptions should be made, even if dealing with a hotel chain that you are familiar with here in the U.S. In the U.S. it’s generally true that what you pay for is a “per room” rate, with a maximum number of people per room. Whether there is one of you or four, the room is probably the same. In the U.K. you are generally paying per person. Not that the room rate is calculated that way, but the room rate increases as the bed/person count increases. The more people in the room, if each is paying, helps to ammortize the cost, but the less people, the cheaper the room will be in general.

Not all hotels have rooms that can accommodate four people in the same room and even fewer that could do a family of five or more. Rooms are typically listed as Singles (One twin bed), Doubles (One full/queen bed), Twin (Two Twin beds), Triples (One double/1 Twin or Three twins), Quad or Family. The “Family” will usually list a number of people maximum. The Family may in fact be limited to 4 people. Each of these room selections, and the ensuite/shared bath option (see below,) will increase the room rate as more people are added. This is generally true of 2-4 Star Hotels. Families may want to consider getting short term apartment rentals. My co-worker stayed at The Goring Hotel when her family went this spring . Their site is (http://www.goringhotel.co.uk/). It was “expensive” but had a special so the room for the kids was free and they did offer complimentary breakfast so that helped to save a lot for a family of four (more on that below as well.)

For full bathrooms in the room, you want a room that is “ensuite” or “en suite”. These will cost more than the shared bath rooms. Many hotels only have shared baths or have a limited number of rooms with the bathroom/toilet "ensuite". The rooms will typically have a sink and mirror in the room, even in the small rooms, but the toilet and shower or bath tub will be on a central hallway and shared by multiple rooms. (These typically are not large communal rooms. It’s still one user at a time so privacy is assured while you are using them, but that could mean waiting to use it next, or searching for one that is available if someone got in there ahead of you.) Others may have a shower in the room, but the toilet will be shared. If you are adamant about having all services in the room, I would advise you check out the hotel’s webpage and even contact them via email to confirm that nothing is being shared. I did have a room that was “en suite” but it was only the shower and not the toilet that was in the room.


I think one place where Americans can get surprised, especially considering the amount of money rooms cost in these days of the weak dollar, is when they see what their money has gotten them and first see their room. You better understand right off the London hotel market is comparable to that of New York City. There is a rating system of no stars-5 stars that is often but not always used. Some class hotels as Budget, Tourist and Luxury. One issue is that one site may list a hotel as 3 stars, whereas another may classify it as 4 stars. Additionally, a U.S. travel service like Expedia may not have any stars but a London based hotel service may describe it as a 4 star hotel. It's a little complicated to know what you are getting so look around and comparison shop. Additionally, even some of the "mid-range" hotels of about the 3 star status still may have an "economy" look when compared to U.S. standards. In the U.K., hotels of the 3 Star Range are likely not one of the known chains. Many of these independent hotels are in century old Georgian mansions that were cut down to size. Most are retro-fitted with their facilities, heat, etc. They do not get a makeover every few years with all new color schemes, etc. If color coordinated curtains and linens, general esthetics, and luxury conveniences are important for you to enjoy your stay, then I recommend you look only at 4 or 5 star hotels. Considering the exchange rate, you should plan on paying several hundred dollars per night.

One nice thing about most of the hotels is that the room rate comes with a complimentary breakfast. Many will offer the "Full English Breakfast" as an option which is Eggs, Toast, Beans (like American baked beans), grilled or stewed tomatoes, and bacon (not the crispy American style but thick chewy slices kind of like "Canadian Bacon"). There is usually a buffet of cereals, sometimes rolls, slices of ham and cheese. Some hotels do charge more for the Full English Breakfast, and some actually charge for any of it, so pay attention when you are booking as to whether this is included or extra. This is really a valuable extra as all dining in London is fairly pricey. Getting a big hearty breakfast thrown in could save your $7-$15 per person each morning, depending on what constitutes breakfast to you. At this posting, the exchange rate is 2 to 1 (American Dollar to English Pound) so a coffee and bagel would be almost $10.

All of this is by way of saying that there are a lot of options, some of which will save you money or cost you extra, depending on your choice and perspective. On one of my trips I bought a package from Virgin Airlines that was a flight and hotel package. I had a very nice ensuite room in a wonderful hotel on the Strand. It was perfectly located and the price was definitely less than I would have paid if I’d booked the flight and room separate, even if I’d chosen a hotel that was not as nice, convenient, or expensive. Monitor package deals like this and take advantage if you can, especially from Virgin, British Airways and United. Also watch for packages from the online travel brokers like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. There are of course, many others. These tend to be a very good deal!

For me, my hotel room is where I store my luggage and crash for a few hours each night. I want a clean, convenient and reasonably priced but matching linens, and fine furnishings are irrelevant. Another advantage I've found in the smaller hotels is the more personalize and flexible services they can provide sometimes. At one hotel, the owner/manager offered me a free breakfast when I arrived off a red-eye. Technically, the breakfast being served was for the previous night's guests, but he thought he could get me checked in with the hour (which he did) by getting my room cleaned quickly, and gave me a breakfast "on the house" while I waited. Several other independent hotels were willing to check my large suitcase when I wanted to travel out of London for a night and travel light. The last small chain I stayed at would not overnight check any bags, and tried at first to tell me that they would not check them on the morning I arrived off the red-eye so I could go out for a few hours prior to the 2:00 p.m. check-in. Ultimately, they did but only after a bit of a stand-off.

I'm sure there is the possibility that you could have a poor customer service experience at an independent hotel and if so, there probably is very little recourse. However, my experiences with them so far have all been great. The staff have been very polite and personable. They've been happy to provide suggestions about local restaurants, give directions, and give you their opinion of various sites you might ask about. As I mentioned above, they can be pretty lenient or flexible about special requests like the luggage issue. I wouldn't hesitate to try one but I would email in advance any questions or "needs" you have before you book so you are clear about what they are willing to do.

Early Decisions- Organized Tour or Independent Travel?

Your two largest expenses related to going to London, or anywhere for that matter, are your transportation to get there and your lodging. Big surprise. The major decisions to be made about these are centered around some basic questions.

Do you want to arrange everything independently, looking for the right deal for each component yourself? Note I didn’t say cheapest, though that could be your driving force. Do you want to have the freedom to decide what you do and do not see, when you do it, how much time you spend, etc? Alternatively, do you want to forego most of the decisions & arrangements to be made, allowing them to be arranged by a professional, ensuring that you’ll see the major sites and have someone else handle some of the more mundane and/or stressful aspects of the trip?

There is no right or wrong answer to this. It’s about your priorities, your needs, your preferences.

Arranging the trip all yourself and traveling independently gives you the maximum flexibility. It will in most cases also be the cheapest as you can hunt down the most frugal opportunities, and you are not paying someone else to do any of it for you. You will make your travel arrangements, and will decide where to have every meal, and on what budget. If you like to be spontaneous or in some cases perhaps need to be, then being the independent traveler is the only way to go.

Alternatively, you can go with a tour package that will probably provide flight, hotel, local transportation, tour services, and perhaps some admission fees. Some meals may be included. I’ve been on one of these tours in Italy and they certainly have their advantages. They are not the cheapest way to go, but you get a lot for your money, you get a lot of ASSISTANCE, and they take a lot of the pressures and decisions on location out of your hands. With various levels of Tours from somewhat frugal to quite luxurious, they can still be cost effective. If you are traveling with someone who needs special assistance, for example an adult traveling with children, seniors who can’t do a lot of walking or be responsible for their own luggage, or you want to see a lot of towns in a relatively short time, then the tour might be the BEST idea since you will have someone assisting with transportation, luggage, etc. I will say that as far as traveling with children goes, London is one of the easiest and friendliest cities so unless the children are very young, and/or the adult is “out-numbered”, you definitely do NOT have to take a tour just because you want to take kids. I’ve never taken a group tour to London so I can’t speak to a large extent about them and this blog is not focused on that option. I still might have some tips to assist you in what free time you are given and I think the “Highlights vs. Personal Interest” subject may help you decide if a tour is right for you or not. Clearly, tours focus on the Highlights and offer only a small amount of time for Personal Interests. Stay tuned!

Why not blog about my favorite place, London?

"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." So said Samuel Johnson, and it doesn't just apply to men. It certainly applies to me as well. This spring as I was planning my almost-annual visit to London, I was asked by a couple of co-workers who were planning their own family vacations to London for tips and suggestions. Always happy to talk about London and offer advice, I sent off a multi-page email to them. In reply, one asked why I didn't blog about it. It hadn't previously occurred to me but it was an idea to which I kept returning. There aren’t many subjects that could inspire me to dedicate myself to a regular posting of my personal thoughts on a subject. But…this one has promise.

A quick word then about me. I'm a single woman who likes to travel and does so, on a moderate budget. I’m not jetting around for a weekend, throwing my cash around, unconcerned about what anything costs and expecting to be treated like a trust fund princess. I don’t stay in Five-Star hotels, take cabs everywhere I go, and only eat in restaurants with Chefs who have TV shows. Nor do I get to expense my trip and let my company pay for all the better amenities. I’m just me, visiting my favorite place, like average Joe American. Perhaps just like you.

So here goes. Some tips and suggestions especially for people who have never been and want to have a rewarding, interesting experience on what may be the one and only trip they plan to take to London and the environs. The exchange rate of British pounds to US dollars is deplorable so everything is at a premium and you want your money to go as far as you can get it to and still feel like you had a REALLY Great vacation! I’ll share names of specific places and where I’m able, websites that will help you plan your trip. No one is paying me anything. My advice is based on my personal experience, good or bad. In some cases I may step back from making recommendations and merely state what I do, so as to leave some important personal decision to you to make. My visits usually last about a week. I haven’t had to time to check back and confirm that things I experienced on my first trip are still the same 9 years later. So, some info could be outdated. If you know something is no longer accurate or available, please let me know! Additionally a lot of things about travel are based on personal preferences. I think that is what makes each trip unique and special. Making an International trip uniquely your own should be one of your goals. If you have a personal interest that in any way relates to the trip you are planning to take, try to tie something you do into that interest. Enrich your experience rather than just checking things off your list.