TRAVELSCAPES  06.26

London & Windsor

By Diana Addison Lyle

Consider spending spring in London + Windsor. There’s an instant comfort about being in England with the ease of language and a culture that celebrates kindness to animals. There are happy people walking with their equally happy dogs everywhere, and the greenery of this well-watered part of the world makes English gardens some of the most beautiful in the world, particularly at spring.

Club Quarters St. Paul’s Square

We stayed in central London at Club Quarters St.Paul’s Square – situated on Ludgate Hill. It is very well positioned in front of the iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral, and you will find it conveniently close to everything worth seeing in London. Originally a post-war office hub, it’s been transformed into an elegant, warm, wood-accented hotel, fusing nods to the city’s rich history with all the modern comforts you need to enjoy your stay. We also discovered that if you have friends living in London, this is a perfect location that everyone knows about, and friends had no problems catching the St. Paul’s train to visit with us. We highly recommend an Italian restaurant within walking distance called ‘Terra Rossa’.

London Eye

The London Eye is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel that offers iconic, slow-moving panoramic views of the Thames, Big Ben, and the city.

Buckingham Palace

Try to time your Buckingham Palace visit with the Changing of the Guards. Nothing is quite like British pageantry showcasing soldiers in iconic red tunics and bearskin hats working on horseback with military precision during the formal handover of duty. Beyond this impressive display, Buckingham Palace is steeped in valuable history.

Little Venice West London

Little Venice in West London is definitely worth visiting for a peaceful, scenic break from the city, offering canal boat trips, waterside cafes, and charming houseboats.

Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens and Kew Gardens

Both centrally located, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are adjacent to one another. Hyde Park is renowned for its 350-acre space featuring the Serpentine Lake, the free-speech forum Speakers’ Corner, and major annual events like Winter Wonderland and British Summer Time (BST) concerts, which are epic.

Kensington Gardens is a special 265-acre Royal Park distinguished by its blend of royal history, formal landscape design, and tranquil, traffic-free green spaces. It houses Kensington Palace, the Serpentine Galleries, the Peter Pan Statue, and the Italian Water Gardens, offering a quieter, more cultivated atmosphere than neighboring Hyde Park.

Kew Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers the world’s largest and most diverse botanical collections, featuring over 50,000 living plants and 7 million preserved specimens. Established in 1759, it is renowned for historic Victorian glasshouses, groundbreaking scientific research, and a 326-acre landscape featuring a treetop walkway and the 10-story Great Pagoda.

St. Paul’s Cathedral + Westminster Abbey

The British Royal family are regularly seen at St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, both of which are iconic London landmarks representing different facets of British history and architecture. Westminster Abbey is the historic home of coronations, royal weddings, and the graves of notable historical figures, while St. Paul’s Cathedral is celebrated for its massive Baroque dome, panoramic city views, and role as a national beacon during WWII. Both are awe-inspiring and well worth visiting.

Windsor

We highly recommend that you consider spending one or two nights at beautiful Windsor, just outside London. Windsor Castle, with its extensive green grounds wherein you can walk to your heart’s content, is so worth seeing. It is the focal point of this charming little town away from the hustle and bustle of London.

We stayed at The Castle Hotel Windsor – a very comfortable hotel on the main street – right across the road from Windsor Castle – and found the pride with which everything was served to us (including our delicious scones with tea) truly outstanding. In the evenings we dined out at The Ivy Windsor and found the food excellent.

In the mornings, we visited the quaint local coffee shops while being serenaded by the bag pipes at Windsor Castle. Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, live at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park – another reason to love this special town outside of London.

Monkey Island Estate

Close to Windsor, you might like to treat yourself to a stay at Monkey Island Estate, a private and exclusive 5-star hotel in the delightful village of Bray – set across seven lush green acres. The Estate features a number of elegant and relaxing spaces including the famous Monkey Room, The Monkey Bar, The Whisky Snug, and picturesque terraces and thoughtfully designed grounds.

There have been significant changes in London and Windsor in the last ten years including a very noticeable improvement in the cuisine. So many new and interesting restaurants have called London home in the last decade and gone are the bad old days of the predominance of fried and starchy pub food. We found an array of restaurants that served healthy choices and a variety of authentic continental cuisine.

An important final point: The Heathrow Airport Business Class Lounge is truly one of the best in the world. For wary travelers, there is nothing better than waiting for your flight at this top-notch lounge where you truly feel pampered.