Jaunted - Tag: London

London: Shopping in London: Kensington High Street

juliana — 2008-04-04T15:30:01-05:00

We confess. When we booked our hotel stay at the Baglioni Hotel across from Hyde Park, we didn't do any research on the surrounding area. We know, sacrilege!

But in our defense, the hotel had a killer deal--three nights for the price of two over a weekend--and when visiting London, money-saving is not just important it's mandatory.

But when we did check-in and start to explore the area, we realized how lucky we got. The hotel is situated on Kensington Road just across from the Western corner of Hyde Park, and it's just a few blocks down from all the major stores we care about in London.

Missed Connections: Romancing The Cougar in London

egw — 2007-07-13T10:31:47-05:00

Don't take the Tube alone! The singles scene in London has improved a lot since the days of the Roman fort (and not just in the woman-to-man ratio). Visit one of these sweet spots and find someone to smooch at the top of the London Eye. (We know, it's touristy, but what's not to love about a city-sponsored Ferris wheel?)

Nordic -- Humorist and author Toby Young (How to Lose Friends and Alienate People) attributes the young crowd at this restaurant and bar to the crush of guys wanting to meet Scandinavian girls. As part-Scandinavians, we can only approve! 25 Newman St.

Nags Head -- The trendy Belgravia neighborhood (you might have seen it in 2005's "Match Point," a great movie with some truly bad dating advice) hosts this bar frequented by hot yuppies who come for the beer list and stay for the belly dancers. 53 Kinnerton St.

Cougar Pinks -- We'd be remiss if we didn't mention at least one of London's dance clubs, a major part of the British scene. Oh, and the name? Cougar pinks? C'mon. Big enough to host up to eight DJs at once, the Cougar is packed with people on the same wavelength according to one online reviewer. 4 Great Queen St.

Related Stories:
· London Hotels [HotelChatter]
· London Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cougar Pinks Insert By Kwame Bruce]

London: Make Your Car a Pin-Up Model at Heathrow

amandak — 2007-06-04T09:22:38-05:00

If you decide that train problems are a good enough reason to drive your own car to London's Heathrow Airport, you might be interested to know more about the new Q-Park secure car park that's just opened up, offering secure long term parking with a shuttle bus to all Heathrow terminals.

They're proud of it being a car park that returns your car just as you left it:

Upon arrival passengers' cars are photographed from multiple angles before being valet parked.

We'd like to get a nice poster-size print of our beautiful car included with the parking fees (which, like everything in London, are pretty expensive, but get cheaper the longer you leave your car there).

Related Stories:
· Heads Up on Heading to Heathrow [Jaunted]
· Hotels in London [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Tim Caynes]

London: Walk Around London If Your Eurostar Is Late

amandak — 2007-05-21T10:13:16-05:00

When the Eurostar moves its London-end terminal to St Pancras in November, we hope it'll keep up its recent marvelous punctuality record. But if you are stuck at St Pancras station, just follow some tips from the UK Times to take yourself on a tour of some of the architectural highlights of the new station and its surrounds.

Or if you're really keen on swotting up on some London architecture, especially the newer stuff, sign up for a walking tour with local architect Tim Bruce-Dick. He takes people on a weekly Wednesday evening walk throughout the summer, starting at a different tube station each week. Now you just need to know when your train will be late and you can book a tour to pass the time.

[Photo: StartAgain]

Related Stories:
· Newsflash: Trains Arrive On Time! [Jaunted]
· The Revival of St Pancras [Times UK]
· London Walks with Tim Bruce-Dick [Official Site]

SeatPorn of the Day: Jet Airways' New First Class

djk — 2007-04-26T15:18:18-05:00

Indian carrier Jet Airways recently unveiled its new first class seats. The private suites (a la Emirates' cabins) will debut on Jet's 777-300ERs from Heathrow beginning in early May. Seats recline into "the world's longest" flatbeds, while additional amenities include extensive AVOD and 23-inch TV screens on which you can enjoy all that entertainment.

Our sources recently returned from India tell us that Jet Airways' domestic service is impeccable, and a quick Airline Quality scan suggests that even its long-haul economy product is unusually excellent and satisfying. As for those gorgeous private first class cabins, we're surprised Singapore Airlines didn't take the same route for their new seats, which are stylish but not private. Looks like someone's preparing to steal their thunder.

[Photo: This Is London]

Related Stories:
· Airline offers travellers private cabin to India - for less than a BA first class seat [This Is London]
· Jet Airways [Official Site]

London: Spinal Tap Reunion: This Concert Goes To 11

egw — 2007-04-25T09:05:22-05:00

This summer's "Live Earth" concert series, founded by Al Gore, Global Warming Superman, promised to be another star-studded charity "awareness" event we would probably miss... until we read about one of the London performers in the July 7 show. We nearly choked on someone else's vomit when we heard Spinal Tap would be reuniting for a 15-minute set live from London's Wembley Stadium.

The group immortalized in Christopher Guest's 1984 mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" may not understand what global warming is, but they want to help, says Rob Reiner, who played the filmmaker: "They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Reiner. "Nigel [Tufnel, lead guitarist] thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing -- that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler." Sounds worth a trip -- and the fabulous new Haymarket Hotel will be open by then.

[Photo: dmason]

Surrey: Henry VIII Never Looked This Good

egw — 2007-03-20T09:25:02-05:00

Who's excited about Showtime's new series "The Tudors?" Sure, they may have picked a strange subject for their sexed-up take on British history -- most people know King Henry VIII for being enormously fat and getting the English church to co-sponsor his womanizing ways. (He also had syphilis. Score!) But this series focuses on a younger, hotter Henry VIII -- Jonathan Rhys Meyers hot, in fact.

You can watch "The Tudors" free on this Showtime site, but to really see some Tudor madness you'd have to travel to one of Henry's 50-plus palaces, including one of the more famous, Hampton Court Palace, better known as the site where James I would later commission the King James Bible. The famous maze which adjoins the main house wasn't there in its current form when ol' Hank brought his women there, but it's a great place to get lost for a day and still be close to London (just 35 minutes by train from Waterloo station).

Related Stories:
· Hampton Court Palace [Official Site]
· The Tudors on Showtime [Official Site]