Stack Overflow

By Vicky Anscombeon Oct 29, 2014 in Accommodation, Attractions, Bars, Europe, Food and Drink, Going Out, Hotels, Leisure Travel, Regions, Restaurants, Road Travel, Spas & Pampering, Speciality Travel, Travel Miscellany, United Kingdom, Western Europe- Read 14104 times

Ah, London. One of the world�s most exciting, cosmopolitan, culture-rich and diverse cities. If you�ve never been, this sprawling mass of fun, fashion, food and high living should definitely be on your bucket list. But what to do when you arrive? Well, luckily for you, there are plenty of luxurious experiences to immerse yourself in. Here�s our pick of the finest…

1. Shopping at Harrods

Based in the heart of Knightsbridge and oozing class, the world�s most famous (and largest) department store has a wealth to offer well-heeled shoppers. Here�s where you can stock up on lush designer clothes, hard-to-find perfumes and high-end cosmetics – and don�t forget to visit the Food Hall. If you could spend all day grazing at deli counters, be prepared to part with a small fortune here. Founded in 1834, the store has stood the test of time, and up to 300,000 people visit during peak shopping times. There are 330 departments to peruse and a number of haute services on offer, including a to-die-for personal shopping service called �By Appointment�, a tailor, a wine steward and a watch repair service. You can even buy gold bars off the shelf at Harrods Bank. Don�t worry if you regret your purchase, though � you can always sell your bar back to Harrods at a later date.

2. Picnic in Hyde Park

We�re not talking about a rug laid on the ground and a hastily-assembled selection of sandwiches bought from a supermarket. Oh, no. To picnic in style, indulge in a Fortnum & Mason hamper and feast in style. The Belgravia Hamper will set you back a cool �500, but when it includes foods like wild Scottish smoked salmon, venison salami, organic Stilton, and a suitably outsized tin of Chocolossus Biscuits, not to mention vintage Champagne, how can you argue? If money�s no object and you fancy delighting someone you love during the festive season, for a cool �1,000 you can get your hands on The Windsor Hamper. It includes triple-smoked ham, salmon, preserves, a magnum of vintage Champagne, rich Christmas puddings and whiskies. We�d recommend picking a day when it�s fairly dry and wrapping up warmly if you�re going to enjoy a winter picnic, but they�re just as romantic as summer ones, if not more so.

3. Stay at Claridge�s

This hotel is, quite simply, the best place to stay in London. Frequented by the creme de la creme of London society, referenced in American Psycho and the hotel of choice for honeymooning A-listers, this is the place where your every whim will be catered for. Expect unparalleled service and the softest bed you�ve ever encountered. If you�re feeling lazy, you don�t even have to leave the hotel to be entertained � there�s a state-of-the-art gym to enjoy, and there�s even a spa. If you fancy really pushing the boat out, book the Deluxe King room; it�s 50 sq. m of unrivalled decadence. There�s a king sized bed, a marble en-suite bathroom and flatscreen TVs in each room. Fera, the hotel�s new restaurant, is run by Michelin-starred chef Simon Rogan, who offers a �creative and natural take on modern British cuisine�.

4. See opera at the Royal Opera House

From Madame Butterfly to La Boh�me, the Royal Opera House is the only place to watch world-renowned performances. The best bit? It�s located in the heart of Covent Garden, so you�ll be in the heart of the West End when the performance is over. Current performances include Don Quixote, Tristan und Isolde, and Swan Lake. A seat in the orchestera stalls will set you back around �115. Don�t forget to watch out for the �phantom� that supposedly stalks the building � in 1999, workmen on the site reported being hit by flying objects.

5. Enjoy a tipple at Kettner�s

This Soho restaurant boasts a Champagne bar that can obliterate any hangover in the blink of an eye. This stylish 1920s-themed bar will transport you back to a bygone age when glamour ruled, so make sure you dress appropriately. Don�t be fooled into thinking Kettner�s is a one-trick pony; their traditional Sunday roast is spectacular (the saddle of Welsh lamb is especially good) and their afternoon tea is a wonderful post-shopping treat. Traditional finger sandwiches, homemade scones and a mouthwatering selection of sweet treats, including lemon meringue pie and coconut parfait, are on offer.

6. Make time for a spa

The Agua Spa at Sanderson, tucked away in the heart of Fitzrovia, is the last word in decadent relaxation � and provides �pampering, spiritual relief, and tranquility to all who enter�. Sounds good to us. This 10,000 square-foot idyll has 14 all-white treatment rooms, a chill-out zone and meditation beds. Their specialities are their facials and massages – bliss. A 75-minute hot stone massage will set you back �135, and the Eve Lom Signature Facial, which lasts two hours, costs �270.

7. Enjoy Dinner with Heston Blumenthal

Dinner is Heston�s London offering, and while the Fat Duck celebrates flamboyant, hi-tech dishes, the meals on offer here are historic dishes with a professional twist. Crowd-pleasing favourites include roast marrowbone, cod in cider and Hereford ribeye steak – and don�t miss the brown bread ice cream. If you�re looking to impress, book a seat at the Chef�s Table, where you and up to five of your dining companions can observe Dinner�s �inner sanctum� and watch the chefs at work. They�ll even explain to you the methods they�re using and how each dish is created, so if you�re looking to improve your culinary flair, pay close attention.

8. Leave the Tube for everyone else

Public transport can be a nightmare in London, and taxis nearly always have the aroma of boozy businessmen. Splash out and book yourself a chauffeur-driven car for the length of your stay – and don�t forget to order some Champagne for the drive. Hic.

9. Shop till someone else drops

If your retail therapy is taking it out of you, you can hire personal shoppers to do the hard work for you. Harvey Nichols and Selfridges both offer this service – as do Westfield – so if you�re looking for that perfect outfit for the opera, someone is sure to be able to help you. If you�d like the man in your life to smarten up his act, Daniel Johnson, who has worked with Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Gerard Butler, works exclusively with men. Expect your other half to arrive back at the hotel looking totally transformed.

10. Get a sugar high on the London Eye

If you�d like to indulge your love of fine chocolates, delight someone special and enjoy a few glasses of fizz, you can hire one of the London Eye�s pods for a chocolate-tasting tour. You�ll even be given a luxury goody bag to take home. If you�re after something a little more intimate, book the Cupid�s Capsule. For �350, you can enjoy priority boarding, a 30-minute trip on the London Eye, a bottle of Pommery Brut Royal Champagne and a luxury box of Hotel Chocolat Pink Champagne Truffles.

Vicky Anscombe is Editor-in-Chief at� Columbus Direct.

If you would like to be a guest blogger on� A Luxury Travel Blog�in order to raise your profile, please� contact us.

Russell Brand is among the supporters of the New Era tenants’ campaign. Photograph: Jules Annan/Barcroft Media

The New Era estate in Hoxton, a 1930s square of flats in a fast-gentrifying part of east London, which had until now provided affordable rents to local people, was bought this year by Westbrook Partners, a US-based private property investment group that has been targeted by officials in New York over lack of repairs and overcharging.

Westbrook passed management of the homes to the Benyon Estate, co-owned by the Conservative MP Richard Benyon and run by his brother, which bought a small stake. However, on Friday, following a wave of negative reports about their plans for the estate, the Benyons announced they were pulling outas residents had “made it clear that they do not welcome our involvement”.

As residents celebrated an apparent victory in a campaign that has attracted support from Russell Brandamong others, on Saturday four Hackney councillors hand-delivered letters warning of Westbrook’s new plans.

The councillors, including Philip Glanville, Hackney’s cabinet member for housing, said they had previously urged Benyon and Westbrook not to increase rents on the estate to market values, which in some cases would lead to a rise from about £600 a month to nearer £2,400, calling such a move unacceptable.

The letter said they had secured an agreement not to increase rents again until 2016. However, it added: “Since this week’s departure of the Benyon Estate we understand the council have now been informed that Westbrook no longer plan to honour that plan, and have been told that their plan is to refurbish the current estate in its entirety and then rent all the properties without secure tenancies at market rent levels, with no affordable housing.”

Lyndsey Garratt, 35, an NHS care coordinator who has been one of the leaders of the New Era campaign, said the councillors had told her that Westbrook’s intention appeared to be to remove existing families as fast as it could before renovating the estate and renting the flats at market rates to new tenants.

Of the 93 New Era flats, she said, all but seven or eight were rented on contracts with two-week break clauses, meaning families could be evicted before Christmas. The earlier promises about no new rent rises had never been formalised, she added.

Garratt said: “According to Hackney council the evictions could be asap. They’re in the process of organising a meeting between us and Westbrook, even though I can’t really see them coming down here.”

Residents would resist, she said: “The bottom line is that the support for us has been incredible. The momentum is growing on a daily basis. The idea that they’re going to evict all these families in the next few months – it’s just nuts. It’s not going to happen. I think it shows signs of weakness by Westbrook that they’re acting in such a desperate way.”

Garratt said she had seen no support from the local Labour MP, Meg Hillier, or the mayor of London, Boris Johnson. “Boris seems happy for people to come into London, start buying up property and kick people out,” she said. “So he’s going to be getting targeted by us, unless he steps up and does something about it.”

The estate – three separate four-storey buildings – was constructed in the mid-1930s as affordable family homes and remained in the same ownership until this year. Details of the sale to the Westbrook-led consortium are unclear.

While much of the initial focus was on Benyon Estate, the MP’s company has argued it was unfairly maligned and became involved mainly to help temper Westbrook’s actions. In a statement to the Guardian, the firm – which has owned properties in the area for more than 150 yearsafter the brothers’ great-great-great uncle first developed the area known as De Beauvoir Town – said: “We accepted the invitation to become involved, and to take this comparatively small stake, because we thought we could play a positive role that would benefit our partners, our tenants and the local community. But it’s impossible to play that kind of role when the tenants don’t want you there.”

Attention has now shifted to Westbrook, a multinational company whose London portfolio of properties also includes Dolphin Square, a block of 1930s apartments in central London long popular with MPs.

In April, Westbrook was labelled a “predatory landlord”by tenants in Three Borough Pool, a group of 44 buildings in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.

After protests outside New York city hall, the US attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, forced Westbrook and the three other owners of Three Borough Pool to make repairs to the 1,592 properties, resolve thousands of building violations and provide tenants with more than $1m in rebates for illegal fees and overcharges.

Staff who answered the phone at Westbrook’s London office last week said they did not know who was able to speak to the press and were unwilling to ask colleagues. The London operation is headed by a British national, Mark Donnor, a 40-year-old chartered surveyor with an interest in racing classic cars. He could not be reached for comment.

In a statement on Sunday the owners of the estate said they had appointed property services firm Knight Frank to take over the management of the estate in place of Benyon. The company would work with Knight Frank “to assess its plans for the future of the estate”, it said, adding that as yet no rents had risen beyond 10%.

The statement was issued on behalf of Hoxton Regeneration Ltd, which is officially separate from Westbrook but has senior Westbrook staff as its only directors.