Billy & Britny If you asked us five years ago what our favorite city was we probably would have never thought of London, but London is a must stop for us today. London is more than British accents, towers or nice buildings. Its full of fun and warm people that are willing to show you what their city is all about.
London is a large city made up over 8 million people and is approximately 600 square miles where the people speak up to 300 languages. Of course, the primary language spoken is English which makes it the perfect first stop in Europe. Using London as the first stop in any European trip allows us to get our minds in the right state of mind while enjoying the ability to communicate with the locals.
Over the last several years we have stayed at the Park Lane Intercontinental every visit. We use our IHG credit card and points to get special privileges while at the hotel. We love the Intercontinental due to the fact the credit card points are great and they have always given us room upgrades with views of Hyde Park. Hint, they will almost always fulfil any request you ask for in advance like champagne, views or food waiting for you.
After spending your first night at the Intercontinental walk across the street to one of the best parks in the world, Hyde Park. The park is full of great paths for morning runs, a 40 acre lake, hidden sculptures and best of all, the Kensington Palace. Kensington Palace is located in the Kensington Garden and is one of the most beautiful places to find in London. Exploring Hyde park has become one of our must do’s every morning of our London adventure.
When we begin our London adventure we like to ensure we have our outfits ready. This usually consists of our beloved Vessel bags and nicer clothing such as a dress or blazer for my husband. The city allows us to dress up a bit and blend in with fashionable European travelers. We also love making plans well in advance to have tea and brunch at special locations.
We highly recommend putting on some nice clothing and going to The Ritz London. We have had tea at many locations within the city, but always find ourselves coming back to the Ritz. This place is amazing and makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. The tea, small sandwiches, and scones are some of the best you can find.
After having some great tea hop in a cab and go to Big Ben. Fun fact, Big Ben is the name of the bell within “The Clock Tower”. We highly recommend going to this area of the city after tea because you are all dressed up, so why not take some amazing photos around the beautiful parliament buildings.
We used our beloved Flytographer to schedule some great professional photos at some great prices. We met our photographer and explained what we wanted and she totally guided us to some memorable photos.
To end our London trip, we always ensure we go to a new pub every time before continuing our European trip. This is probably one on my husband’s favorite parts of the trip. Here is a list of our favorite pubs so far:
The Churchill Arms–This amazing pub is by far one of the best and most photo friendly pubs in the entire city. The outside of the pub is covered in flowers and great colors. It was built in 1750 and was frequented by the Churchill family after WW2. Step inside and you will discover amazing Churchill memorabilia.
The Wilton Arms–The Wilton Arms oozes charm, character and the friendly feel of a country local – despite some of London’s biggest attractions being on the doorstep.
A stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament, The Wilton also counts numerous political embassies and designer stores among its neighbors, but the pub provides peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle, tucked away down a quiet side street.
Cahoots Speakeasy– Ok, this isn’t a pub, but it is by far one of the coolest places you can visit in Soho and to be honest all of London. Cahoots is a great speakeasy hidden deep beneath the streets in an old train tunnel. As you walk down into the speakeasy you are taken back to the 1940s. The staff is great and the everyone is in character to match the atmosphere. Oh, before going you need to get a reservation where they will give you a secret password to get in.
Enjoy London and everything it offers you. This city is one of the best places to explore so make the best of it. Oh, and tag us on your social media so we can experience your trip.
