Aerial shot at of Shard at dusk
Credit: petewebb. com / London and Partners
HOT HOTELS
For the ultimate elegant London living experience, there’ s nothing quite like checking into the award-winning and newly renovated fivestar Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, located in Knightsbridge just steps from the park and a few blocks from Buckingham Palace. Always chic and beautiful, the hotel’ s new facelift created by interior designer Joyce Wang is full of soothing tones of gray with pops of color and Asian motifs; book a room with a view and you might not want to ever leave. Another world-class choice is the also-award-winning five-star mansion known as the Milestone Hotel in Kensington, where every room and suite has a different old-world look( it was built in 1689) and the amenities are legendary, including personal butlers and free cell phone rentals. Expect to pay over £ 500(~$ 675 USD) per night at these spectacular hotels.
For a less pricey choice, the New Road Hotel has just opened in Whitechapel, with a very modern take on travel living. The boutique hotel built on the site of an old textile factory is for visitors who don’ t plan to spend much time in their room, with small-to-medium-sized lodgings designed to make use of every inch of allotted space. At prices starting well under £ 200(~$ 270 USD) for rooms that include an ensuite bath, 49” TV, large beds and original factory windows, this cool-vibe East End spot is an easy walk to galleries, markets and even the Tower of London. Over in Paddington, The Pilgrm( with no“ i”) is another new mod hotel, offering everything from tiny bunk-bed rooms to small, medium and large living spaces. No butlers here, you even check in online, and rooms begin at around £ 100(~$ 135 USD) per night.
JUST FOR FUN
If you’ re willing to believe, there’ s plenty of fictional fun to be had in London, starting— naturally!— with a visit to 221B Baker Street, where the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes once lived. Well, not really lived, but it is where author Arthur Conan Doyle said he lived back in 1887 when he invented the master sleuth. It’ s a real building nowadays, which houses a museum devoted to that genius of deduction and a terrific place for fans to explore.
J. K. Rowling invented Harry Potter in London, too, which means lovers of the boy wizard can head over to Warner Bros. Studios London to tour the places there where the eight movies based on her novels were created. Or get even more adventurous and head out to see some of the actual London spots where Harry, Hermione and Ron had many of their magical experiences, by taking one of the numerous Potter-themed guided walking tours offered in town.
Potter lovers can also head to the West End Theatre District, where Rowling and collaborators John Tiffany and Jack Thorne teamed up to create“ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” a two-part play. Be sure to book tickets for both parts; each run nearly three hours, so plan on two nights at the theater or a marathon day of both( presented on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday).
FLYWASHINGTON. COM 34 SPRING 2018