London honeymoon

[lorelairoryemily]

Not an aibu, posting here for traffic. Thinking of going to London in September on our honeymoon. Looking for suggestions for a fancy pants hotel(central if possible) and some ideas for places to go, things to see etc..

gallic it is like a little deli but with a few tables in it. It is in the west end opposite the lion king theatre. They have since opened two more in London aswell. It is truly amazing. The champagne is really nice. We get the cheapest bottle which is still £50 but the food isn't expensive. A cheese board and a board of cured meats, some choc fondant with blue cheese for dessert. They do snails and other French stuff but we just stick to the cured meats, cheese and booze. We go every time we are in London.

www.champagneplusfromage.co.uk

The Ampersand in South Ken is close to all the museums and does the best afternoon tea ever (also themed ones). It's also a hotel but I've never stayed there.

I don't rate the Wolsley for afternoon tea but their breakfasts are excellent.

Sketch is also good for afternoon tea but needs to be booked in advance. Don't go in the evening as it gets a bit... odd.

Also stop in at Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly - gorgeous window displays and lovely shop.

I work in tourism and always tell my clients you can't get much more in terms of central location and luxury than Hotel Cafe Royal www.hotelcaferoyal.com/home
It is on Regent Street next to the corner of Piccadilly Circus. They do a very good afternoon tea too.

Always lovely for dinners and lunches are
Sketch
OXO Tower
Bob bob Ricard
Petersham Nurseries for lunch (go with it, honestly it is lovely and they do fun classes which make for much honeymoon hilarity - clients of ours did wreath making their over Christmas whilst on honeymoon and told us how they doubted the idea at first but how it was their favourite memory)

Fun places Mr Fogg's
Gin Tasting at
The ice bar
Sky Lounge
American Bar at The Savoy
Barbican Conservatory (my favourite London spot)
Lunch at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel which has lovely views of a serene harbour and you can stroll back along the Kings Road for a spot of shopping.
Whiskey tasting at Cadenheads on Chiltern St

May typos, do apologise. Holding screaming 2 year old.

Renaissance Hotel St Pancras in their Chambers rooms

if you can afford get yourself into a blue badge driven black cab
www.bluebadgetaxitours.com/

or just hire a blue badge guide for a day or few hours

Yy to bob bob Ricard.
There's a champagne plus fromage in Greenwich so of you go over for a day you could go there.

The Zetter hotel www.thezetter.com/ in the Clerkenwell/Farringdon area. It's not central, central, but it's easy to get around from there. Take a look at their rooftop rooms. Or have a look at their sister hotel, the Zetter Townhouse www.thezettertownhouse.com/clerkenwell, just round the corner, which is rather quirky!

A fabulous restaurant, Le Colombier www.le-colombier-restaurant.co.uk/home.shtml in Chelsea.

If you like gardens, visit the Chelsea Physic Garden chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/

If you like 'foodie' pubs The Surprise in Chelsea www.thesurprisechelsea.co.uk/

If you take a boat trip to Greenwich, a couple of nice pubs - both overlooking the river - the Trafalgar www.trafalgartavern.co.uk/ and the Cutty Sark www.cuttysarkse10.co.uk/

If you like Chinese food served with a difference, Hunan www.hunanlondon.com/ in Pimlico. Their concept is to serve a succession of tapas sized portions - of many varieties!

A PP, upthread, mentioned Chez Bruce and the need to start thinking about booking now! Evenings get booked up some months ahead, but weekday lunchtimes usually have good availability. And if it's a nice day you can take a stroll around Wandsworth Common afterwards (or beforehand)!

If you're planning on having a look round some shops, you shouldn't miss Liberty Of London www.libertylondon.com/uk/home!

And just round the corner from Liberty is a nice wine bar/restaurant called Shampers www.shampers.net/

I live in Australia, but over the years have spent a fair bit of time in London as a tourist. Except for the British Museum which I shouldn't think is high on anyone's honeymoon agenda, and away from the obvious tourist attractions, one of the things I remember most fondly are afternoon teas at The Ritz and Savoy.

I won't be visiting Europe again, but those afternoon teas started a love affair with calorie laden mid afternoon indulgences that lives to this day.

Sorry to jump on, but someone please tell me that the restaurant at Aqua Shard is decent because I have booked it this weekend for my partners birthday! We've both stayed there and had drinks at the top bar but never eaten there and the reviews are a bit up and down!

Note to OP, book far far in advance. Made the mistake of booking close to the date and nothing is available 😬

We are planning our honeymoon in london too and especially love the mini car tour someone recommended and its now on the list so thank you.

Don't go to Honey & Co, massively overrated imo. And expensive, pretentious, ordinary food etc etc. I had a very tough steak in Hawksmoor 7 Dials. Just sayin'

Hawksmoor is laughable.

I had a lovely steak in Kensington Hawksmoor; maybe they're a bit hit & miss? We did think the atmosphere wasn't the best but would try another one.

Also recommending Gaucho for a good steak if that's what you like :)

Number Sixteen hotel in South Ken is lovely.
Also Sheraton Shard (can't remember actual name) obviously has excellent views and the rooms come with binoculars for easy nosying.
Didn't really rate Sea Containers (Mondrian) - a bit cold and clinical for my liking. Decent service and a nice breakfast though.

Shoryu and Abeno do nice Japanese food - ramen and okonomyaki respectively. Good lunch choices.
Princi in Soho is always packed but another good quick lunch spot for decent Italian food.
Hutong in the Shard do a very nice dinner with a view.
I don't rate the Ritz at all, a bit of stuffiness can be entertaining but I've found it to just be a bit too much.

Old Operating Theatre is an interesting small museum near to the Shard. A Saturday lunch wandering Borough Market is a must.
Nearby, 3Bis ice cream shop do lovely handmade gelato and their own take on magnums. Wonderful.
Sheekeys do excellent seafood. Zuma is a great experience if you like Japanese food. Chiltern Firehouse brunch followed by a wander down Marylebone High St is a nice way to spend a morning.

I moved abroad a couple of months ago and am now planning my holiday to London with glee. It truly is a wonderful city. Not perfect but wonderful.

More restaurants :

Boisdale www.boisdale.co.uk/ - a choice of four locations.

Mon Plaisir www.monplaisir.co.uk/ in the Seven Dials area close to Covent Garden

I loved the shangrila at the shard to stay or clarages

We went on a Hidden City treasure hunt type thing a couple of Saturdays ago. It was the Lost Souls one - started in Smithfield and we had to follow clues. Took us a good couple of hours - was really interesting, and we went to parts of London that we'd never explored before. Really recommend - kept DS (23!!) and I occupied very happily - lots of walking.

Also you might like to try and get a table at Dans le Noir - we've not been but it's supposed to be an amazing experience - eating your meal in pitch black!

www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/charlotte-street-hotel

"Not an aibu posting here for traffic"

What a shambles this site is!

But, bibbity, if the OP had posted in Chat then her thread would have been long gone by the time she comes to London in September, when she might want to refer back to some recommendations. I guess she chose AIBU as a topic where she knew her thread would remain?

Admittedly, she could have chosen the London topic www.mumsnet.com/Talk/london, but, realistically, how many people actually know about the London topic? Very few, I suspect.

I agree that some threads in AIBU shouldn't be there - so, yes, it's all a bit shambolic at times. But it's not the end of the world really.

Definitely depends on the budget, but second all PPs various cool suggestions.
Bob Bob Ricard is gorgeous and has a champagne button, but it's pricey The Landmark restaurant is beautiful, and Sketch afternoon tea is beautiful and romantic! Tell us what floats your boat OP! A big indulgence of mine when they have their special Lates evenings, is to nip into the Nationa Portrait gallery for a glass of wine on the way out somewhere. So atmospheric and London-y. To me, anyway. What's your ideal meal/cuisine? Assuming you don't mind that this has pretty much turned into a food thread! How much time will you have?