As previously mentioned we took our weekend in London at the Intercontinental Park Lane and were pleasantly surprised by it.
Firstly as usual I emailed ahead confirming my bookings. I booked a room at the least expensive rate as well as a room for my In Laws on points.
We arrived early and the car was valet parked. We were upgraded to a one bed room suite with large lounge, dinning area, guest cloak room, and work area. We were informed that club access for Royal Ambassadors could be bought for half price that is £40.00 $65.00. And we were invited to view the club. It has a great view over the Royal Parks of London with glimpses or Westminsterand beyond. Breakfast is always grand in Intercontinentals and the London Hotel is no exception. We used our Ambassador free night certificate so the weekend cost including the points room breakfasts, two rooms four people £332, ($540) Free use of the mini bar, fruit and water complimentary.
Up West is a phrase used by Londoners who will travel to the west End of London for the best shopping , hotels and entertainment it is the west end of London but also the City of Westminster. In Park Lane there are a number of 5 star hotels as well as the IC so a stroll up the lane can be rewarded by sightings of the rich and famous. Pak Lane is the Eastern boundary of Hyde Park a large open space with gardens and a lake called the Serpentine. There are a large number of aquatic birds. You can, if feeling energetic go boating on the water.
As this was purely a leisure week end we became tourists which included a Visit to Harrods world famous department store which is aboit half a mile away.
The weather was clement and we took a cruise on the River Thames from Westminster pier to Greenwich. Greenwichis 0.00.00 Latitude and hence the centre of Time. The Museum has the Harrison clocks from which were developed accurate time pieces that could be taken on ships to enable accurate positioning to be calculated and so much safer voyages could be undertaken.
We found this cruise more than satisfactory.
http://www.citycruises.com/route.htm
Greenwich has more restaurants than any other London borough by size according to the guide on the boat and certainly some good traditional Pub Grub food was had To get to the observatory you take a walk through Greenwich Park going past the Royal Navel Academy and the Maritime Museum then a rather steep but short clime to the top. Museum access is free as are a lot of London Museums and Galleries.
From the Intercontinental, if you are lucky, you can see the Queens’ horse guards returning to barracks by the hotel at about 10.45. AM.
London is generally regarded as a safe city, just take normal precautions keep a firm hand on your handbags ladies, and keep wallets in inside pockets.
London Police are very approachable and most have good tourist knowledge of London and are usually quite helpful to tourists.
London Restaurants have a very big variation in pricing as do the wines in them. It is quite possible to pay; I know not why, over £10,000 a bottle. Even some rare whiskies can be this price as well. However there are many good chains that offer good steaks at reasonable prices such as Angus Steak Houses and Scotch Steak houses.
London has in the West End some 30 Theatres with a broad variety of productions from mainstream Plays and comedies to completely unfathomable productions. Of course there are the Ballets and operas. The Royal opera House and the Festival Hall have a lot of this type of production. The London Sunday Times has most of these listed in the Cultural supplements.
I would recommend a good pair of walking shoes to best see London, always look at buildings as you may see a blue plaque with some historical information on it.
The West End sounds like my style! Did you purchase anything at Harrods?
Amanda Kehoe