Hi Seabuds,
I thought some of you might enjoy reading about my recent London vacation with my family. I hadn't been abroad in several years so there was a lot to learn. Hopefully some of this may help you if you are heading over.
I was traveling with 4 other family members. My niece Laura 22, (enrolled friend) and her boyfriend Connor 23, as her 'companion'. My sister Patti (age n/a), and niece Sara 25, as my 'companions'. We flew on different days so as not to compete with each other! None of the 'kids' had been to Europe prior so this was a huge deal for everyone. (especially for me as the travel agent ~ LOL).
Hopefully you know this by now - we (employees) don't pay for checked baggage. Nice eh?
No problem getting to LHR, but trouble returning. Flights were full, full, full. LHR agents were brilliant and compassionate and helpful beyond words. There is currently an embargo on companions traveling solo to and from LHR, but they were allowing companions to split up just to get SA's out of there. (Keep that quiet) 3 of us spent one extra night in LHR at the Sheraton Heathrow for a rate of $219.10 total. That included $30 for an extra single bed in our dbl. room but it was comfy and roomy. We stored our bags at the airport for £8 per 24 hrs. It was so worth it. (The bags, not the hotel.) There is a £4 charge each way for the hotel car. This seems to be standard charge these days.
I had not been to LHR in a very long time and was so happy to see UA in Terminal One. (We were invited to use Business Class check-in - right on!). Shops and cafes are wonderful. However, the walk from the counter to your gate is long. We saw many elderly people struggling. As much as we wanted our Mom to be with us, there was no way she could have handled the airport. Especially having to reclaim our bags, hit customs & immigration again, store the bags, get to & from the hotel and back to get the bags to re-check them. YUCK. Pack light!
I have since discovered that Enrolled Friends, along with their companions, can travel on ZED fares on our Star Alliance partners. So if you must travel to LHR this summer, get yourself a back up ticket. Also, a friend mentioned this to me. If you are stuck in LHR, check the flights from BRU to the U.S. You can take a train to BRU for about $100. You would pay at least that in LHR departure tax. Just another option....
By the way, all 5 of us, on all segments, traveled Economy Plus. (Not by choice) These seats do have extra leg room and you get a free wine split with dinner. I was disappointed that my companions were not able to experience first or business class. But at least we got to sit together and that made the time go by quickly.
We used the Heathrow Express to get into central London and that is just amazing after all the long, sweaty, hot, broken down tube rides we used to take to and from the airport. It's a bit pricey but worth every £. It takes only 15 minutes from the airport to the city!
One expense that really added up was cab rides. If you don't mind stairs, escalators, hot temps, and crowds, then use the Tube. Get a day pass. You can come and go as you please - on busses too.
If you're looking for a really great place to eat try one of the Sofra restaurants. They are Turkish and fabulous. The owner, Huseyin, is a friend of mine. Tell him I sent you and all kinds of good things will happen. Check out his web site - his is an amazing story. www.ozer.co.uk
Another friend in London turned us on to the BEST theatre I have ever experienced. You must see War Horse. It's heading to Broadway next year and Spielberg is turning it into a film. I think my friend who is a theatre buff has seen it 9 times! I will definitely see it when it comes to Broadway.
I was able to visit my former church ~ St James's Piccadilly. It is in danger of being closed and they are desperate to gain funds to keep it going. The garden in the back is naked with none of the wonderful flowers and plants that I used to sit and gaze at. It's a Christopher Wren designed church and if you have the time, stop in and take a look. It's a very special place and who knows how long it will continue standing.
We had dinner at one of my favorite places - D'Marcos on Gloucester Rd. The casual atmosphere is wonderful and the food still terrific! Have the spinach pizza with the egg on top! There's a great pub across the street too.
One night, late, I took our group to Ronnie Scott's. It's a premier jazz club with 2 floors. I've always sat downstairs where it is very quiet and you come to listen. I thought it would be more fun for the 'kids' in our group to head upstairs ~ £5 at the door. It was a great time - a jam session with really hot jazz. We had a blast and my gorgeous niece Sara hooked up with a sax player (ohmygod - shades of Aunt Carolyn). So she stayed behind, much to my sister ~ her mother's, dismay! But she had a great time with some of the musicians who took her to Chinatown for Peking Duck. They drove her back to our B&B about 0300. 
By this time I was ready to kill my sister. She kept jumping out of bed whenever a car approached. I was a bit nervous too but she had us both nuts. Sara is 25 and able to handle herself but still.....luckily it all worked out beautifully, even though we got very little sleep.
Regarding hotels in central London - expensive! But more importantly, none available! A few of us stayed with an acquaintance but my niece and her boyfriend needed a hotel. It was down to the wire before they found one and it was way too much money. Start your search early!
On our return we had to spend a night in IAD - at the Hilton. What a great hotel and good price for a room. It's been refurbished recently and I highly recommend it. Under $100.
We traveled British Rail to Cornwall for a family wedding. I booked first class because I am cranky in crowded seats and Connor is a
HUGE dude. It was really wonderful to have the room and a table to lay out our picnic. It's about a 5 hour train ride and you see some beautiful countryside. I highly recommend it.
If you ever have the desire to see Cornwall (and you should!) you may consider my cousin's place to rent. It is a self-catered one bedroom flat attached to their home, and if you mention my name they would treat you like family. Their web site is www.ivorycottage.co.uk. You can take drives from their place to the most magical places ~ St. Ives, Truro, Newquay etc. My cousin and his wife will help guide you.
By the way, I had heard horror stories about airport security but we had no problem anywhere we went. Leaving LHR was a non event. We saw people walking through with their shoes & jackets on. I had a too large container of lens solution but they didn't even mention it. My niece forgot to pull her plastic bag out of her carry-on - no one noticed. Lines were short and TSA courteous.
So if you are traveling to LHR this summer - good luck, go with the flow and send me a postcard!
Love ya,
Carolyn George
