London Feature | Visiting London?

London is a very big and very popular city, that hundreds of thousands of people visit every single year. But if you are planning a trip to London, whether it's a family holiday or an educational trip, I've compiled a list of things you should probably know before you do come. 
Things that I wish somebody had told me before coming here, and mainly ways to stop you from being shouted at by people on their way to work!

- Beware of pick pockets. 
They are everywhere! And they know a tourist when they see it, if you are in central London especially. Ways to avoid them include, not keeping belongings in pockets, but always in a bag preferably with a zip that you keep an eye on at all times! Don't leave things unattended ever! You will not get it back, I promise you! Always carry cards rather than cash, and try to limit the amount of possessions you do take out with you if you can. Don't let them ruin your trip!

- Do you research
In London there are thousands of food places, tourist shops, tourist attractions. Some great, some bad. 
When it comes to eating out in London, I'd advise downloading the Tripadvisor app beforehand. It's a very quick way of seeing what other people have said about the place before eating there. There are some very bad place in London and they are tourist traps. They are sometimes cheap for a reason. Tourist shops are the same, there are thousands of them selling that same 'I Love London' jumper, have a look around before buying things, you may save some money. 

- Never buy tickets for anything on the street
If you're planning a trip to the theatre whilst in London, nine times out of ten you will probably see people trying to sell you tickets at amazing prices dotted around Leicester Square. Never buy from them! It's worth paying a little bit more to assure the tickets are legit!

- Always keep left in tube stations
A simple rule that Londoners live by and get very annoyed at tourists for not doing. You will save yourself many sighs and angry looks by doing this. However, keep in mind that it is the right on escalators. Confusing I know! 

- Beware of 'homeless' people
I'm not by any means saying that all of the 'homeless' people are not homeless. But I can assure you that not all of them are. If you are prone to feeling guilty everytime you see a homeless person, then be prepared. They are everywhere in London, and if you give money to every single one you see, then prepare to be penniless by the end of your day.

-  Never leave baggage unattended
I briefly touched on this, but especially in Central London I cant express how important this is. Tube stations can sometimes have emergency evacuations because of this! 

- Check the weather
Kind of an obvious one I know. But London weather can be completely unpredictable. I know it's known to be cold, but it is also prone to completely changing throughout the day, one minute rain, the next minute sunny! Always carry an umbrella and take a coat just in case. 

And lastly, enjoy! It's a great city with a lot of history, it's crazy busy and tiring, but as long as you don't mind crowds and take some of these tips with you, you'll love it. 

London Feature | Favourite Restaurants

So if there's one thing I love to do, it's eat out. I do it probably on average once a week, I love trying out new places as well as sticking to the places I know and love. London is known for it's diversity with food and restaurants, and I love trying out new cuisines.

 I've tried to narrow my favourite restaurants down to my top 10 so that if you do visit London you will have a small guide of a few places that I love.

(In no particular order)

1. Hache - Chelsea

As a burger lover, when I first moved to London I remember how overwhelmed I was by the amount of burger restaurants, it's safe to say I've tried my fare share of them and the one that stands out amongst all of the ones I have tried is Hache. I had one of my birthdays here a couple of years ago and all of my friends loved it too! The burgers are beautiful and they have a great range of sides, also their milkshakes are amazing! 

2. Benihana - Kings Road

Another chain restaurant but a good one. More on the pricey side but well worth the money and I'm pretty sure they have lunch menus. For me this place is great, it's a lot more than just the food, it's more of an experience, every table gets their own personal chef who is very talented when it comes to preparing and serving your food. Probably not ideal if you want something romantic as you may have to share your table with others, but for Japanese food and fun, this is the place.

3. Monsieur K - Earls Court

A new addition to my favourite restaurants as I've only been twice (both this month), but I can already tell that I'm going to be spending a lot of time here. 

A very well priced French restaurant with exceptional service. 

A lovely wine list, frogs legs, snails... they have it all.

They also do breakfast too!

4. Big Easy - Kings Road

I've been eating at Big Easy since before I moved here, and now they have such a good lunch deal on where you can get two courses and a Margarita for £9.95, it has became a regular eating place. There are a few set backs with this restaurant that I feel I have to warn you about...

It gets very busy, booking may be required, and tables are very close together. 

Service can be hit and miss.

They do have a happy hour on throughout most of the late afternoon, but nobody will tell you this and you have to order at the bar.

However, the food is great! And you will probably be full after the starter.

5. FM Mangal - Camberwell

From one side of London to the other, do not judge this place by the exterior. 

This restaurant is such a hidden gem! Turkish is never a cuisine that I think about, but after hearing a couple of friends rave about this place me and my boyfriend tried it out a couple of years ago, and we fell in love. 

The food is delicious! (In particular the complimentary bread in a red wine and onion sauce they give to you once you order)

I have been here with a few different people and everybody loves it!

6. Chutney Mary - Chelsea

So I'll start with a disclaimer that I have only been to this restaurant once. The reason why is because a family member took me, and it is quite (very) expensive.

However, it has always stood out to me, and I definitely plan on going back there very soon just because I loved it that much!

Chutney Mary is an Indian Restaurant that I'm pretty sure has won awards for being the best.

Everything from the decor, to the service, to the food and wine was truly amazing!

7. Haagan Dazs - Leicester Square

So I obviously couldn't do a list of my favourite places to eat without adding a dessert place could I?

Again, I'm sorry for adding a lot of chain restaurants, these are all just my personal preference!

But Haagan Dazs is perfect!

I've been here multiple times, and one my favourites of theirs is the hot chocolate fondue!

I've made midnight trips here and can tell you, it is definitely worth it!

8. Hong Kong City - Peckham

I've chose this place mainly for the dimsum. My boyfriends family have eaten here for years and still travel across London just for the dimsum! 

It can get quite hectic, but if you are in the area, it's a great place with friendly staff and cheap prices!

9. Balans - High Street Kensington

Writing this list has made me realise that I need to try out more independent restaurants!

I had to choose Balans though as they have one of the best Full English Breakfasts ever!

Also their A La Carte menu and cocktail list is great!

Been visiting Balans for years, and I love it!

10. El Pirata - Mayfair

Another quite recent edition to my favourites, but again, it was love at first bite.

The decor of this place is great, there was a group of us when I last visited to we got our own little cave style nook. The tapas was delicious as was the wine! 

Worth every penny!

London Feature | Nightlife

I debated whether or not to write this post, as I'm not a huge night life kind of person.

However, since living in London I have definitely been to a few clubs, bars and pubs and wanted to share with you a few of my favourite night spots if you are into that.

Ministry of Sound | Elephant and Castle

One club I did always want to go to when I came to London was Ministry of Sound, and since living here I think I've been around 4 times. If you go on a night with a good DJ you are in for a treat! It has a great atmosphere and is big enough to not be completely crammed in with lots of sweaty people. Drinks aren't as expensive as you'd think either.

Egg | Kings Cross

A similar club to Ministry of Sound in terms of music and atmosphere, Egg is a good open late club, I think sometimes they open till like 2pm the next day! (I'm not hardcore enough for that), however my first job here meant finishing work at 4am, so this was a great place to go after work. The atmosphere is great as is the music, there's even a huge outdoor area which serves breakfast. Perfect.

Cafe De Paris | Leicester Square

This is one of those clubs that you go to if you want to get really dressed up and dance all night. I've been quite a few times, I'm not sure if it used to be a theatre if that is just the look they are going for, but the interior is beautiful! It's a great club for central London that isn't full of students on the pull! 

Adventure Bar | Covent Garden 

I know there are a few of these dotted around London, and if you do come across one, I would definitely recommend. Adventure Bar is a cocktail bar with delicious and alcoholic cocktails, they also do food and have a happy hour! If there's a group of you, I suggest getting Pandora's Box (I think that's what it's called)! 

Cantina Vinopolis | London Bridge

If you are a wine lover like myself then this is the place for you. Probably one of the biggest wine bars in London, not only do they do wine tasting, they also do great cocktails and food! Perfect!

London Feature | Dos & Donts

Planning a trip to somewhere you've never been can be difficult if you don't know how the city works. I've already touched on a few tips and tricks to keep in mind for your visit to London, but I always wanted to give you a little bit of advice to keep in mind of what to do and what not to do.

Enjoy!

DO

- Look for deals!

Use sites such as Groupon, Wowcher, LivingSocial, VoucherCloud, to look for deals, everything from restaurant deals to 2 for 1 attractions, you can always find cheaper alternatives if you take the time to do your research.

- Pack light

Even if you don't want to, you probably will shop whilst in London. It's impossible not to, even if you're here on more of an educational visit, you will come home with memorabilia, so make sure you save yourself some suitcase space. 

- Book in advance

This may seem like an obvious one, but even I mess up with this sometimes.

Sometimes its easy to underestimate how busy central London will be, and if you on a whim decide that your family of 5 fancies eating at a certain restaurant you may be faced with waiting an hour for a table. It's always worth it to book before the hunger pangs kick in!

- Carry change
This comes as a shock to many people that visit London, but if you're in a train/tube station or even sometimes just in public, you have to pay to use the toilet. It only costs around 30p but you're better safe than sorry to carry just a small amount of change with you.

DONT

- Travel during rush hour!

If you can avoid it, then do.

Don't travel between 8-9am and 6-7pm, not only will you massively regret it, but it will probably take double the amount of time to get to wherever you're going.

- Look for hotels in Central London

I know that the idea of staying in a hotel overlooking Oxford Street may be sound perfect, but trust me, it will be a bad idea. Not only will you pay probably 10x more, but travelling through heaps of people with luggage will not be worth it.

Do your research, look for hotels a little bit further out but still with easy access to tourist attractions. Not only will you save money, but only after you've witnessed a busy Oxford Street, will you know the pain!

- Be roped in by sales people

They are everywhere, whether they want to sell you cheap theatre tickets, sign you up to a charity or force you into their restaurant with a 10% voucher. 

Take the time to plan your day, where you will eat, what you will do, book everything in advance and you will be fine and not risk being scammed or being pressured to eat something you don't really fancy. 

London Feature | My Favourite Places

So I don't know about you, but I'm definitely a creature of habit, if I like a place I will visit it constantly and not really venture away from there. I try to explore as much as I can and have a few favourite places in London (not as many as I'd like, but I'm working on it!).

These places are more eating and drinking destinations rather than attractions, so I'm hoping that if you are coming here for a trip, moving here, or already living here, you might find this post interesting. 

Evans and Peel Detective Agency

Visit the website or get directions here.

One of the very few speakeasy's in London. This place is great for cocktails and food, very well hidden and very discreet. I wont give too much away about it, but if you are looking for something completely different than the usual bar, then I would highly recommend this place!

Kensington Roof Gardens

Visit the website and get directions here

Another great find if you're looking for a cocktail and snack, a quite secluded place in London that is absolutely beautiful in the Summer, with flamingos walking around freely, and a lovely view over Kensington. If you are looking to escape the craziness of London, this is a great place to do it.

Galvin at Windows

Visit the website and get directions here

My boyfriend took me here on our first Valentines day together and it took my breathe away, it's a cocktail bar and restaurant on the top floor of the Park Lane Hilton Hotel, with panorama views of London. It's honestly breathtaking, and also saves queuing time for the London Eye. 

London Feature | Tips for the Tube

The tube. Probably every London residents nemesis. 

The tube can be a horrible place 90% of the time, but if I've tried to make a small list of tips and tricks to make it slightly more bearable for you if you are planning a trip to the city any time soon. 

- Always have your oyster/ticket ready

There is nothing worse than if a tourist (or sometimes not a tourist) has got to the front of the queue for the tube and are having to rustle through their bag for their ticket. The amount of death stares and sighs you will receive from the queue behind you will not be worth it, I promise. If you know you're about to enter a tube station always have your oyster or travelcard in your hand ready for the barriers!

- Always carry sanitiser and tissue

If you ever did your research about how many people use the tube and how many germs there are on the tube, you probably wouldn't use it.

So just to rest your mind, always carry sanitiser, tissue is also a good one to keep in your bag, just in case!

- Don't use the tube map to judge distance

Something I had to learn early on, the tube map can be quite overwhelming, and tube stations that are next to eachother on the map, may well be half an hour apart. It can be a couple of minutes walk, but unless you know London quite well and know where you're going, I wouldn't advise walking between stations.

- Always have water

Quite soon after I first moved here, I almost passed out in the heat of the tube, there is very little ventilation and so many people crammed in to such a small place, that it can definitely take its toll. A shop might be 4 sets of escalators away, so be sure to have one in your bag at all time, just to be safe. 

- Never try to get on a tube if the doors are closing

Something everybody I know hates is when a person will try to run and jump on the tube as the doors are closing, not only is it highly dangerous, but it also delays everybody elses journey. The tubes run every few minutes so you're better off waiting for the next one.

- Be aware of other people

You may only be going one stop but always try to conscious of other passengers, don't play music outloud, don't let your children run around crazily, stand up if you see somebody less able to stand needing a seat. It may be common sense but I witness some of these things everyday and it just makes every bodies lives easier. 

- Check TFL

TFL stands for Transport for London, and it will be your best friend if you are travelling anywhere in London. It's a website and app that will plan your journey for you, using the quickest routes, and also tell you if any of the tubes are not running or are delayed. It will save you so much time, trust me.

The London Feature | Introduction

Hello lovelies.

So this has been a long time coming and I can only apologise for it taking me so long to get around to, but I've been trying to put together a sort of 'guide' to London. 

I've been living in this city for almost 3 and a half years and before that I spent a lot of my summers here, so I feel I know it fairly well.

So here's what I have planned. Every day this week I will be doing a different post on London, it's going to be a complete range of things, so hopefully if you're planning a trip to London soon or moving here in the future, you have a little more insight into this great city.

It's going to range from tips and tricks for the tube, to hidden gems. Hopefully I can cram it all in to 7 posts to help whoever I can.

Enjoy.