London; the city of adventure, cobbled streets, angry cyclists and modern decadence. Whilst I've been in the capital a few times this autumn for business, I've yet to pop over for pleasure; thus the spontaneous bout of wanderlust was born.
To cut a long story short, I booked flights, a hotel room and on a whim wrote a romantic card, surprised Peter and summoned him to accompany me on a trip to one of our favourite cities.
Well, they say the early bird catches the worm, and that we certainly did. One speedy Aer Lingus flight later, we graced her majesty's playground with glee and quickly navigated our way to our home from home; the Corinthia.
Firstly, this hotel (here) is simply fabulous. I dislike saying that for fear I sound like an Ab Fab extra but no, it truly is in every single aspect. The service is superb, the interior is immaculate yet inviting and unlike so many other 5* hotels there's a sense of excitement in the hotel lobby as actors (the entire Star Wars cast), businessmen and travellers alike waltz through the marble clad space.
Side note: In fact, I love this hotel so much I will be dedicating an entire post to it. Yup.
With rumbling stomachs, our fast track mission to refuel was set in motion. London plays host to plenty of brunch spots, but a few are simply quintessentially 'London'.
Introducing The Wolseley (here), famed as an iconic brunch spot by the renown A.A. Gill it has won a place in our hearts, Instagram feeds and importantly; our stomachs.
It's grand, decadent yet seriously cool. The food is French but not too refined and the atmosphere is electric; the clanking of cutlery, the buzz of so many types of people from American tourists, businessmen holding conference calls, friends meeting to discuss the weekends events and finally to the eccentric types that make people watching oh so interesting. Basically, it's a must to see, experience and devour.
So, what's a gal or guy to do in London? Oh let me tell you with great pleasure..
1. Coffee, always coffee
Monmouth Gah, this place. Buzzing! We popped by at 1pm, noticeably a rookie error as soon as we clocked the size of the queue sprawling onto the street. The staff are friendly, the customers are genuinely excited at the thought of sipping that first drop of coffee and the coffee itself deserves every merit it's heralded for. Oh, and it's on a super cute street that's so close to Covent Garden. Check it out (here).
It's small, but cosy and the regulars love it this way. Your coffee is served in a clay cup (which makes it super hot) on a dinky tray to your comfortable seat of choice as you recline in their living room. Check it out (here).
2. Shop //noun// a building where goods are sold
For once I arrived in London without an agenda to solely shop, but of course I had to grace a few of my favourite spots. First up, the new Charlotte Tilbury boutique (here) in Covent Garden is genuinely one of a kind. Nestled on the street the tube station is found it's easily accessed and quickly shopped, well if you can say no to the hoards of amazing products that ACTUALLY work.
Wanna hear something amazing? I managed to buy nothing, for once. Yes, it's a Christmas miracle.
Tucked between dozens of London's classic tailors of Jermyn Street, you'll find this beautiful perfumery (here). The bottles are so picturesque and the scents themselves are unique. My favourite is the Fleur (here), if it weren't for my rapidly growing collection of Jo Malone I would have walked away with a large Floris bag. Sensible Sarah-Louise, very sensible.
Purveyors of luxury candles (here), these guys know what they're doing and boy do they do it well. You'll find the range taking up a cosy corner on Net-a-Porter (here) but nothing beats smelling them in real life - especially Ottoman (here), one of my favourites. Oh, and the packaging is to die for!
Don't get me wrong, we love Laduree but sometimes a change in macaron is good for the soul. You'll find an array of exotic flavour combinations such as foie gras and chocolate in Pierre Herme's luxury chocolate and macaron boutique (here). Delicious!
The Melbourne based brand Aesop (here) seems to have taken Pinterest by storm over the past few years, so odds are you'll recognise it if not know and love it already. Hailed as a must have by many bloggers, celebrities and Olivia Palermo herself; you have to stop by, wash your hands with their countless varieties of soaps and enjoy it for yourself.
3. Food, to delight the soul
The weather was crisp, clear and embodied everything you could ask for when eager to explore. After a day of trotting from one place to another mostly on foot we retreated to our room ready to relax. Side note; the Corinthia standard size rooms are notably spacious in comparison to other 5* hotels in London. Sheer bliss.
Peter kicked off his vans, lay back and flicked through one of his favourite magazines; Cereal (here). It featured the relatively new Portland restaurant which is hailed as a foodies heaven with the exquisite food of a renown restaurant but without the fuss; naturally, we had to sample it for ourselves. The verdict? Awesome service and food to match, but no lavish interior as it takes on a more Scandinavian approach to decor. Lovely.
Firstly, I'll keep it short but sweet. The prices for London are seriously fantastic. Secondly, the level of food and service that matches the low prices is equally fantastic. Thirdly, you need to go and savour every morsel of food.
I can assure you the food was nothing short of fantastic, and more. Now - you guys know I love a delicious bottle of wine and trust me when I say this restaurant offers nothing short of a wonderful capsule of boutique wines. I asked our lovely server to surprise me with a glass of white to accompany my starter, and a glass of red to accompany my main; delicious and utterly enjoyable is an understatement.
4. Nibble
Finally, this must be done. A nibblers paradise can be found in both the Selfridges and Harrods food halls. Do the rounds like a vulture, pick your victim(s) and load up your takeout tubs with whatever you'd like. Then, proceed to the nearest park, soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the goodness the locals are so lucky to frequent.
With full bellies, sad hearts and worked legs we joined the rush hour craze en route to Gatwick. One broken train, several hundred angry commuters, two long airport security queues and a lot of running later we finally slipped onto our flight.
London, you were awesome...as always. Ps. You'll find my travel partner & other half Peter on Instagram (here) or simply search peterkernohan
These are really popular places in the city for private events for corporations like us. It can be hard to find the right venues in NYC for big events. The right size, that is flexible fits well. Thanks to you.
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