London (Part 1)

Trip made in Summer 2010 (5 days)

Introduction

I have been to London many times so each time I would do lots of research and find out new places I could explore. London is my favourite city and honestly there is so much you can do and they have things for everyone. 

I have included many new places as well as my all-time favourite in this 5-day itinerary. However, I must say the highlight of this trip is hiring a car for a day to Cotswolds. I wish I had more time as it would have been great to at least spend an overnight in the countryside.

Practical Information

From Airport to the City

Most people will opt for either the tube or Heathrow Express. We however took Heathrow Connect which was easy to find at the airport. Although the journey is 15 minutes longer than Heathrow Express, you only pay half as much and it’s less busy. At the time we took he train to the city (very early in the morning), there were literally just two of us in the whole carriage! Heathrow Express terminated at Paddington. One thing to note is for some reasons, the ticket counter for Heathrow Express at Paddington isn’t that visible.

Travel Around

At Paddington, purchase a 7-day tube pass (£25 + £3 for deposit). It was a really good deal as the minimum single tube fare is £4. The travel card is also valid for buses. Buses within Central London are frequent and it’s a better way to see the city. Bus map is available at any tube station.

Tipping

Many restaurants in London now add a ‘discretionary’ service charge to your bill, so you needn’t add a further tip. However in places that don’t, you are expected to leave a 10% to 15% tip unless the service was unsatisfactory. You never tip to have your pint pulled in a pub but staff at bars often return change in a little metal dish so expect to leave them.

VAT Refund – LEARN FROM MY EXPERIENCE!

Usually department stores and some high street stores offer a VAT (Value added tax) refund for a total purchase worth more than £50. This is London's sales tax at 17.5%. It's already added into the price tag so you only pay one price. After you pay for your purchases, ask the Merchant to fill in the VAT refund form for you. The form needs to be notarized and stamped by the store and to be attached with the sales receipt. The merchant will ask if you prefer cash or credit card refund. Make sure you choose cash refund as when refund is made to your credit card, you will be charged a large sum for service by the UK Tax Refund Office! It really is a rip-off. I got an expensive handbag at Harrods with my credit card, so naturally I thought it was a good idea to get the refund back on the same card as I didn’t want to spend the extra cash. Their customer service staff asked me for the refund methods but didn’t inform me that if I chose the credit card option, a service charge would be applied - it was something like a ridiculously 12%! I think she had an obligation to tell me about that. I unhappily found out about this when I was queuing up to process the refund at the airport, by then I couldn’t go back for cash refund as it was stamped by the merchant. So learn from my lesson.

Okay when you are at the airport, you will need to present both the documents and all of your purchases to the customs desk before you check-in. So, get to the airport early so you can handle this before you check your bag. Alternatively, there's another desk after security check. In this case, pack all the items to show in your carry-on. For cash refund, cash will be given to you on the spot, but credit card refunds will take a few weeks. If you choose this option, then you just have to drop the mailer in the mailbox located at the airport.

Accommodation

I have previously stayed in both Bed & Breakfasts and hotels in London but for this trip, we stayed at a friend’s place who lives near Southwark tube station in central London and it’s of walking distance to Tate and the Borough Market. It is really an excellent location. We managed to save a lot on accommodation but we sacrificed by staying in a small place and stayed in and be with our friend in the evenings. It was a good experience and I enjoyed our friend’s company but next time, I think I’d rather pay for the extra in order to have so privacy and having our own time.

B&Bs are great options in the UK. The highlight is of course the home-made English breakfast. Make sure you choose a central location near the tube station or a ‘cool’ neighbourhood as it will make a big difference for your holiday. My favourite neighbourhoods are Primrose Hill, Hampstead and Notting Hill.

When I used to be a backpacker long time ago, I always stayed in this B&B in Brixton owned by a guy called Nigel. It was a really popular place with Hongkies! Back then, there was no Tripadvisor and we relied on guide books only and Nigel’s B&B was listed on a popular local guide book hence all of the fellow lodgers were from Hong Kong. 

My English colleagues from Hong Kong used to tell me how brave I was for staying in Brixton. Brixton is now an upcoming trendy suburb but back then, apparently there were lots of crimes. I remember there were used to be lots of loonies and drunk hanging around the tube station but we nearly got any trouble. It may sound a bit ‘politically incorrect’ but I guess it was because we are Asians so we were fine.

Nigel was a nice guy even though he used to complain how much toilet paper we used! I remember his revolting toilet seat which was a ‘cushion’ lined with pink PVC. One evening, we spent in his dimmed living room watching a movie together. I noticed all of his windows were sealed with wooden floor boards. I didn’t think how doggy it looked. I thought they were just broken! No wonder his place was so cheap. Anyway, I stayed there twice for over a week each time and we survived! We used to come home on the night bus after clubbing in Heavens. It was totally fine so I am glad I wasn’t prejudiced as I have a good story to tell now!