I don't know about you but when I visit a popular city or destination I try and discover what really makes the place tick, where the locals go to eat, drink etc while attempting to avoid any touristy traps and if you follow the blog most of you will already know that either for work, family, friends or one reason or another we are lucky enough to visit London a few times a year, usually with the little man in tow, which is always an adventure.
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| Mr A enjoying the outdoors in Regents Park |
We often find ourself asking why we don't live there but as much as we enjoy all the buzz of the city in small doses we very much enjoy the quiet of the welsh countryside and having the chance to do a bit of both is something we are very grateful for. When we are in the city for one night only we often opt for a budget friendly hotel but if we are staying any longer and have Mr A with us we tend to go for self-catering and with so much choice it can often be overwhelming. At the end of the day you want to have a "locals" experience and by staying self-catering you also save yourself a lot of money in terms of eating in as well as being able to explore the area at your lesiure and with children it really is the best option.
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| We love the Wild Food Cafe hidden away Covent Garden |
There are so many dimensions to London and with numerous boroughs to stay in from the ever so cool Shoreditch and Hackney to up market Mayfair, Kensington and Knightsbridge or the busy "city never sleeps" centre of Soho and Covent Garden, you want to plan what is important for you in terms of what to see and where to go. Online guides such as
HouseTrip's "where to stay in London" offers some great insights and tips into the different areas and is a great place to start when looking to visit the English Capital. The great thing about House Trip is that once you have gone through the guide and have decided on what area you would like to stay in, it then provides you with stylish and chic self-catering options from a single person to a large family and have options to suit every budget - here are a few of their properties
Like we said we are very much an outdoor family who love the countryside but do also love the city as it has so much to offer and you can never get to see all of it so it's lovely to go back when we can and Mr A really loves the hustle and bustle and with places like London Zoo and the National History Museum (Free!) and an array of outdoor spaces we are never left without educational and fun options to take him to. So if you are planning a trip to the big smoke do check out
HouseTrip "where to stay" guides as they are really useful.
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| John and Mr A in London Zoo |
This post is in association with House Trip, words and opinions 100% our own
Thank you for the virtual tour of places in London through your eyes. It's a beautiful city. When I first arrived here 25 years ago, I was staggered by the incredible buildings and monuments. So ancient compared to Australia. Visiting from UK Bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThat wild food cafe looks fun! What kind of food do they sell?
ReplyDeleteI'm dying over those properties! I love to stay at homes rather than hotels when I'll be staying a few days, but I had never heard of House Trips before. I usually use Flipkey for my vacations and I'll have to add House Trips to the mix.
ReplyDeleteI always research the area before I go, I love seeing blog posts about different places to eat and drink - not a frequent london visitor but these snapshots of the city look great, I love the Regents park photo!
ReplyDeleteWould much prefer to stay in a home, don't have to worry about things like hair dryers and you can cook your own meals instead of buying out for all of them. Such a money saver
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