In August 2013 we took a cruise tour of the Easter Mediterranean and
stayed in three of the major cities in Europe,
Rome,
Paris, and London.
Leaving Paris from the train station Gare du Nord, we took the
“Chunnel” which was a very fast 135 min to get to London. If you intend to take
this route, please ignore all of the recommendations to be at the station 30
min before the train leaves. You need a minimum of 90 minutes or you will be
running for the train. To clear British customs at the train station, be
prepared to show your passport, confirmation of the hotel where you are
staying, and the tickets for when you plan to leave the UK. This speeds up the
process considerably so you will only need the 90 minutes from the time you
enter the train station to the time you are in your reserved seat on the train.
I cannot say
that this is the very best hotel in all of London because I have not stayed at
them all, but it is not in the top five I would be very surprised.
The Crown Plaza St. James is located two blocks
from Buckingham Palace and a short walk to famous attractions including the
British House of Parliament, Big Ben, Winchester Cathedral and Trafalgar
Square. While we paid a little over $CAN200/night, the ambiance, room size and
condition, staff attendance and amenities felt like we had only paid half price
for this five star property.
Our first clue was “Iain”, the impeccably
dressed, overly polite and ever-so-helpful doorman of the hotel that made us
feel like royalty. If you judge by first impressions, Iain is just the tip of
the iceberg.
The lobby and reception area is spacious and
well decorated with seating for over 50 people comfortably without going into
the bar area. Our room was large, clean and well maintained
with a fully stocked mini-bar. Room service was much faster than they had
initially indicated, and the food was tasty and served at an appropriate
temperature.
The Bistro 51 restaurant where we had breakfast
was a pleasure to attend, and the food was to a high British standard. Although that sounds a bit like a
slam on British restaurant food, we found that with very rare exceptions,
British chefs tend to shy away from spices in their meals, far from the norm
found in other parts of the world to which we have travelled (North, South and
Central America, South Pacific, Caribbean, Asia and mainland Europe).
The Chef at Bistro 51 breaks with tradition and
added flavour to his/her meals which was a very pleasant surprise. The only
thing I found strange, coming from Canada but seems to be the norm for Europe
as a whole, was the constant need to ask for coffee. It seems that in Europe, a
1/2 cup of coffee should suffice for any meal. Once I explained to the server
that I was Canadian, who inhaled black coffee (therefore appreciated a full cup
with no need for cream room), it was a little better but refills were still a
rarity. Small things make a difference,
such as cloth napkins, well dressed servers and bus-boys who took the time to
fold napkins with duplicate accuracy at each table. Breakfast was a little
pricey at £37 for two, but worth the cost for the extras.
We did not
spend enough time in London (only three days) to appreciate the city, therefore
we will need to return, and when we do, the Crown Plaza St. James will be
seeing us again.
Since it was
only a block from our hotel - and came recommended by the staff, we decided to
try The Albert, a great little pub with excellent food and a variety of beer from
which to choose.
Being in England I wanted to support the British
economy so I asked for a "British Beer" and the (new) server brought
me a Fosters. Not a bad AUSTRALIAN brew, but not what I wanted. The barman
provided me with a free taster of "London Pride" which is made 20
minutes away from London, and a couple of litres later we were both satisfied
with the choice.
The first time we went, we both had fish &
chips (I know - the ultimate cliché, but we were in a British Pub), and it was
very good. Next time we had "bangers and mash" with a spicy gravy
that was also very good as was the chicken & mushroom pie (perfect match to
the London Pride).
I
f you are
ever in London, the London Eye is a 'must see' attraction! We stood in line for
~ 45 minutes and it took another ~45 minutes for the gondola to make the full
circuit, but it was well worth the 90 minutes for the view and the photo
opportunity. If you have very
limited time, spend the additional £10 each ($CAN17 each) to purchase the fast
track tickets to cut out most of the queue, but as it was, there were buskers
along the way, so the line did seemed to move faster.
We had a clear sunny day and could see for
several km from the top of the wheel. Next time we are in London we will do it
again, in the evening so see the lights of London from above.
We were a little concerned that it might swing
like a Ferris Wheel, but quite to the contrary, we could move about to take
pictures from every angle.
Just off the
London Eye, another pub was recommended but we could not find it so we chose
"All Bar One". Food was average for London (bland by North American
standards), but they had as a condiment a chutney that made up for the lack of
spices used in their meals. If you are there, ask for the chutney that comes with
the Chicken Quesadilla to add to just about anything on the menu. Well worth
it!
If you or any
member of your family is a fan of the Harry Potter movies, you owe yourself to
a visit to the Warner Brothers Studios (J & K) to enter the movie magic of
Hogwarts. The sets are preserved as are the costumes, and with only two
exceptions, you are invited to take as many pictures as you want without a
flash.
Visit the Great Hall and see how they filmed
Quiddich matches before having yourself filmed riding a broom. Have some Butter
Beer (very sweet, but delicious) as you cross the Hogwarts Bridge and visit
Privet Lane. See a not-so-small scale model of the School and stroll down
Diagon Alley as a guide tells you about wand-craft, from a special effects
point of view. If you saw it in
the movie, you can buy a copy in the gift store – everything from Mad-Eye
Moody’s staff, to edible chocolate wands, to Hogwarts school uniforms in all
four houses (complete with ties), wizard gowns, books, movies, key chains, and
Nimbus 200 brooms.
This attraction is suitable for all members of
the family and at £29 per adult and £21.50 for children, with discounted family
rates it is well worth the cost to any fan. NB:
Tickets CAN NOT be bought at the studio – you need to pre-purchase them on line
either on their website or through a tour company.
There are
very few places we have visited to which we would return, but London is in the
top five, if nothing else so we can see what we missed in the brief time we
were there, but also for the ambiance, the architecture and mostly the people
(but not for the food).
For now, back
to Canada until next year when we head to the South Pacific for an 18 day
cruise.
