London over winter vacation!!

[Guest]

We just made plans to go to London over winter vacation. DD has been hinting for the last 1 1/2 years that all she wanted for Channukah was a trip to London. Well, she got her wish and a few extras. We have been cruising Orbitz on a daily basis and yesterday a decent fare popped up, so here we go.

We have been to London in the summer, but never in the winter. We arrive on Christmas Day and return on Jan. 3. This satisfies my vow of last year to never spend another New Year's Eve at home. We always seem to have some sort of melt down, so I think a change of venue would be good.

I have searched through the old posts about London and am now seeking additional ideas about things to do, places to eat and wonder if everything is closed on Dec 26, Boxing Day. I would love to find out about good neighborhood restaurants and fun places to wander. Walking around and exploring is one of our favorite things to do.

Miranda

[KValley]

Miranda-

What a wonderful Channukah gift! I was in London just before Thanksgiving last year and loved seeing the Christmas displays and lights- the pubs and cafes were so warm and cozy- it gets dark around 4 in the afternoon, but it's as much fun to walk around at night peering in shop windows.

Next to Paris, London is my favorite city to simply walk around in- you never know what Norman church or Victorian building you will run into around the next corner.


Since there are way too many amazing places to eat and see, about the best advice I can give is to check on Time Out London on-line http://www.timeout.com/london/index.html This will have all of the current goings-on for restaurants, theater, music, museums and you can book tickets in advance if you'd like.

THere are some really hot shows on at the West End: Dames Maggie Smith and Judi Dench appearing together (I'd give anything to see this!!) in "Breath of Life", Glenn Close in "Streetcar Named Desire", hottie Sean Bean in "Macbeth"

Do you know what area you will be in (i.e. Kensington, Covent Garden, Marylebone?) Do you like flea markets, antiquing? I could come up with some good ideas for you in this area, thanks to my boss who drags me to flea markets everywhere!!

Have a wonderful time, and pack light so you have room to bring home your treasures!!

Julie

[Jessica]

If you like Indian food, try Cafe Spice Namaste in the City. This is different from your standard Indian restaurants--lots of food from the Goa region. Not too pricey, either.

[jrichards]

Miranda -

You'll be able to hit the January sales at Harrods. People are serious about them, and even start queuing up for entry the night before. I guess they're that fantastic!

Like Julie said, it gets dark early. When I lived in London, I moved over in December. I felt like a vampire my first month there! We would go out every night, and stay out late clubbing, then sleep through the day. I felt like I never saw light! This was all prior to my job starting obviously.

You'll have an amazing time. Enjoy!

Jennifer

[Hoodone]

We went to London the February before last. It was great. Less touristy then. I loved the Lion King. Got tickets on-line. We also got a tube pass beforehand on-line. What did we do before the internet?

If you like to walk, we did some great guided walking tours of London. There is a website, but I can't remember what it is called. I think if you do a search of London walking tours it will come up. We did the "haunted London" walk and it was great. This one was at night, but they have daytime ones, too.

I also have to make a pilgrimage to Fortnum & Mason every time I go to London. I call this the Holy Shrine of Tea. Have a great trip!

[SweetTooth]

My 2 cents for what it is worth, take PLENTY of warm clothes. We have been to the UK several times, at many different times of year, and I always find that I can never have too many layers. We were just there (north of London about 2 hours at our friends house) 3 weeks ago, and I realized why they are always asking as soon as you walk in the door "would you like a cup of tea?". You need something to get you warmed up from the damp weather outside.

Hope you have a great time, we have spent time in London and you have a great time!!

[AnnaSue]

Originally posted by MWS
wonder if everything is closed on Dec 26, Boxing Day.

I don't know about London, but DH and I went to Bath, England on Boxing Day one year, which is normally a very touristy area from what I understand.. and the place was absolutely deserted. I think we only found one or two shops open all day, and couldn't find any good restaurants open either. It was still nice to see the area and walk around, but I'd like to go back another time when there is more going on. I would ask around if you plan to shop that day, because I do remember almost everything being closed.

[emily]

I have no advice to offer, but just wanted to share in your excitement. I'm going to Paris on Christmas Day; we'll be there for 4 days and then we're heading to Amsterdam for New Years!

Your DD is so lucky to have such "cool" parents. I'm lucky in that my mom hasn't been giving me to hard of a time about "my first Christmas away from home." I told her she could come with me...

Anway, have a great trip!!!

Emily

[badunnin]

Everything will be closed on Boxing Day. I was there a couple years ago over the Christmas holiday when I was living in Germany. Sorry, but have a blast anyways!

[Guest]

I am finally catching up on this thread and wanted to thank you for the information. The trip is shaping up nicely. So far we have tickets to see two classical music concerts at the Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields and to see The Talking Cure with Ralph Fiennes. Just our luck, last Sunday's New York Times travel section had a bunch of articles about London. One of them was about walking tours, which is something we love to do, so now we have a lot of walks on our schedule. They have some on Boxing Day, so that will fill up part of the day. We are planning on seeing the exhibit on Madame de Pompadour at the National Gallery.

Julie, we are staying in Mayfair, very close to Selfridges. I would love information about flea markets and antiquing. DD wants to go back to the Portobello Market and would like to see other markets of that type.

My big job now is to book some restaurants. We usually end up scrambling at the last minute, so this time, I want to be more organized.

Emily, have a wonderful time in Paris and Amsterdam. Paris is a beautiful city, especially at this time of year.

Part of the reason we are taking this trip, is that DH wants to take advantage of the opportunity while DD is still at home. She is 16 and he is worried that when she goes off to college, she won't have the time or desire to travel with us. I hope that isn't the case. For many years, DH never took vacation. He had accumulated almost 6 months of unused vacation days. I think he was one of the reasons his company changed the policy regarding vacation days. Now it is use it or loose it. DD and I would take trips over the summer, but he never joined us. A few years ago, we took a family vacation and now we try to get away once a year. DH is incredibly busy at work for the foreseeable future, but he is ready for a break and is looking forward to London. We all are.

[KValley]

Originally posted by MWS
Julie, we are staying in Mayfair, very close to Selfridges. I would love information about flea markets and antiquing. DD wants to go back to the Portobello Market and would like to see other markets of that type.

Miranda, this is just in from my boss. He travels to London 6-7x a year for work, but his passion is antiquing. He sells antiques through a couple of shops in D.C., where he lives- most of his finds are made in Paris, and at the following London flea/antique markets I've been with him to the Camden Passage market and found an awesome Degas-like rather bawdy sketch in a gorgeous frame- hanging now in our bedroom. We ate at Cafe Flo that he mentions- a great little place for a late breakfast. I'm not much into flea markets- I know nothing about antiques and I hate to bargain- but it was an absolute lark to talk with the vendors, who were such characters, almost caricatures from some modern-day Dickens tale. I'd never heard a REAL Cockney accent until that day!:

Markets galore in London.

Monday: There is a good market in Covent Garden. Go early...about 7 a.m. and be sure to go to go as far back as possible.

Tuesday: No market of which I'm aware.

Wednesday: Good market at Camden Passage...that Camden Passage not Camden Lock. Tube stop: Angel on the Northern Line. About 9 a.m. is a good time and look out especially for the vendors displaying their wares on blankets. Best buys here.

Thursday: No market of which I'm aware.

Friday: The Bermondsey Market, as early as 6 a.m. and be sure to carry a flashlight. The best bet is to take the tube to London Bridge and catch a taxi from there. Returning, I just take a taxi all the way back, expensive (about 15 pounds) but worth the money since I am usually carrying a lot of junk.

Saturday: Two options. The famous Portobello Road (but I am no fan of this market for many, many reasons. The second option is again Camden Passage, and it many different vendors on Saturday. Again, 9 a.m. is good. And a great place to catch a bite to eat is Cafe Flo nearby. You can also go in the back entrance of this restaurant (and go upstairs) to use the bathroom.

Sunday: There might be a special market, but probably not. Ask around. There are usually hotel shows but these are quite expensive. Two possibilities: A HUGE show at the Alexandra Palace (North London)or maybe a show at the Royal Horticultural Hall (Chelsea)

There are also shops and a collective (Alfie's) on Church Street. Closed Sunday and Monday. Nearest tube stop is Edgware Road.

Hope this helps.

Will

Have a wonderful time!! We expect a full report upon your return!

Julie

[Shirley Ekstein]

Just wanted to add that on 26th December (our Boxing Day) the whole country will be closed - bit like France on a Monday only a thousand times worse. But you could have a super time walking in London cos it'll be empty - get yourself a good guide book and wander. (And suggest you take a packed lunch, bottles of water and flasks of coffee!)

[sbp59]

Looks like we may be going to London in February? Can anyone offer up good places (there will be 4 of us - 2 adults/2 children) to stay? Thanks!

[Guest]

sbp59,

I'm no expert on London accomodations, but wanted to throw out some ideas - Do you want to stay at a hotel or rent a flat? We have only stayed at hotels, but a friend is renting a flat for a short stay which gives you the comforts of home. I could find out the name of the agency she used if you are interested. When we were planning our first trip, we used a travel agent who helped us find a hotel. We stayed there twice, but this time we are trying a new place that is in the same area. We are staying in Mayfair, which has very good transit links and there is a lot to do that is within walking distance.

Good luck planning your trip.

[sbp59]

We'd prefer a timeshare, however, that would be hard to get this late notice as we already ran an initial check with RCI. I keep hearing that the rates are suppose to be good in February - but whenever I price it out - the rates don't seem to be much different in February or the summer. We have never had much luck with travel agents in the past. We usually book everything ourselves.

We probably would prefer a flat, but if it was sky high than probably not. I've been researching Frommers and Fodor and probably will just have to check out all those hotels and websites they suggest but if you know of any to check out, that would be great.

Thanks for your help.

[Kjente2]

Oh Miranda this is WONDERFUL! I can't imagine a finer winter holiday than being a family going on an adventure together. I'm so happy for you!