LONDON
I have been to London three times in the last few years. I fell in love with the city that gave us Harry Potter, Bridget Jones and James Bond. The sights, the shopping and the people were amazing. Check out my guide to the city that has my heart.
Where to stay: The Rosewood
The Rosewood in London was truly amazing. Pulling up to the gates of the hotel made you feel as if you were staying at someone's private mansion. Besides being impeccably dressed, the staff at the Rosewood couldn't be nicer. The hotel looks as if it came out of a spread in Travel & Leisure. The rooms were equally as beautiful making it very hard for us to leave and go explore the city. Breakfasts at Holborn were a daily must. I can't wait to return to Rosewood.
Where to shop: Harrods (amazing shoe floor "shoe heaven" must check out), Harvey Nichols (the Barney's of London if you get hungry eat at Burger & Lobster), Liberty (amazing fabrics inside), Selfridges (every department store in the U.S.A combined).
How to travel: During the day we purchased an oyster card (metro card) unlimited for the week. The price changes but definitely worth it, since we hopped onto the metro every second. Even nicer is that you don't even need to take the card out, you can place your wallet onto the scanner or even your coat pocket (if the card is inside like my sister did). The oyster card also gave you access onto the buses. At night we took cabs and uber, The cabs are amazing in London because every driver has to know every street to pass the test. I recommend the taxi's if you are traveling in a group. Almost all of the cabs can fit 5 people comfortably.
Places to see: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Tate Modern, Covent Garden, Victoria Albert Museum, National Portrait Gallery, The Sky Garden, Tower of London, Notting Hill and every other inch of England you want to explore!
Where to eat: *make sure to make reservations ahead of time
Berners Tavern at the London Edition, Chiltern Firehouse (celebrity sightings here)
Gymkhana-first experience with Indian food and loved it
The Ivy-old school with a modern art twist. Place for steak and fish.
The Ivy Chelsea- perfect for lunch and be sure to request the outside garden
Sexy Fish- pretty popular new restaurant that had amazing food. The restaurant is gorgeous and transports you
34- Steak, Burger and Fish (similar to The Palm) They had the most amazing burger that we had to go back twice to on the same trip. Every dish was amazing. They have the best neon signs on the stairwells.
Harry's Dolce Vita- Italian food. The restaurant is near Harrods so be sure to check out Harrods all lit up at night. Don't forget to order Harry's Toadstool (check out picture below of the mushroom).
What to pack: You never know what you are going to get with London weather. This time around London was experiencing a head wave and it was pretty hot to walk anywhere. Another time I had gone to London in August it was freezing and we did not pack accordingly. Easy items to pack and layer for London are: blazer, rain jacket & sweater. Best item we didn't pack was umbrella's because The Rosewood has literally the best silver umbrellas with yellow inside that complimented every outfit.
Planning your next trip to England....BRILLIANT!
