Vacations Blog

Whether you managed to grab Olympic tickets or not, it is hard to escape the excitement as London 2012 approaches. The stadiums may not be finished or the athletes warmed up, but London itself is already busy preparing. So make you sure book one of the remaining London hotels to be part of the fun and excitement too.

The 70-day Torch Relay kicks off on May 18^th when the famous Olympic Flame lands in the UK from its current residency of Greece. Before arriving at the Olympic Stadium on 27^th July, the flame will make an 8,000 mile cross country trip starting off at Land’s End, Cornwall. As well as the flame, 66 local events have been planned across the country to allow as many people as possible to join in the fun and, well, games. Book one of the cheap hotels nearby so you don’t miss out.

No international event would be complete without a great soundtrack and London 2012 will be no different, thanks to BBC Radio 1. As part of the UK-wide London 2012 Festival, Radio 1 will host its biggest ever, free ticketed live music event on Hackney Marshes between 23-24 June 2012. Incorporating six stages, the two-day event will welcome 100,000 people to witness acts such as Leona Lewis and Plan B. Acts from all over the globe and UK will perform, with over 80 different artists expected to be seen on stage. Make the most of the two-day event by booking one of the fantastic hotel deals in the area. 

You can also discover how the Games started. Visit ‘The Olympic Journey: The Story of the Games’ exhibition at the Royal Opera House from Friday July 27 2012 and you’ll be treated to an array of artifacts from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. On display for the first time in London, the selection of graphics, film and historic exhibits chart the Olympics history from ancient to modern times.

Are you sick of leaving gigs early in order to catch the last train home? Are you fed up of missing all the best acts because they don’t come to your home town? London hotels are a great option for those who don’t want to trek it back home, why didn’t you think of this before? You can really soak in the performance without worrying what time your last train leaves the station.

Offering their latest album ‘Night Work’, as well as hits from their previous two albums, the Scissor Sisters will be performing at the O2. This New York pop duo always puts on an unforgettable show and they are known for their explosive production values. 19 year-old chart-topping sensation Pixie Lott will be playing the Hammersmith Apollo (December 7). After a meteoric rise to fame, the singer-songwriter is fulfilling all expectations with tracks from her debut album ‘Turn It Up’.

Recently reformed Britpop group Suede are heading to The O2 (December 7) following a recent comeback concert at the Royal Albert Hall which was universally praised by critics. Book now for a chance to see Brett Anderson and co. playing at “full throttle” as if “the world’s about to cave in”. The Modfather himself, former front man of The Jam, Paul Weller is set to play Wembley (December 10). Secure your place to see the award winning legend of British rock play songs from this timeless catalogue. Spend a memorable night witnessing the rock gods in action before chilling out at any of the competitively priced London hotels a short distance away.

Heavy Metal fans should catch Helmet perform at the Scala in King’s Cross (December 15). Performing their funky blend of elastic pop at The Garage are Ian Dury’s erstwhile backing band, The Blockheads (December 4th). The line-up still includes Norman Watt-Roy. Fans of the left-wing folk singer and activist Billy Bragg can watch him performing at The Troxy (December 15). These are just a few of the great shows happening in the capital in the run up to Christmas. Stay in one of the close London hotels and start you Christmas holiday early. You won’t be disappointed by what the city has to offer.

There is so much architecture in London, that it may be difficult to know where to begin. You can book architectural tours at some London hotels too as something interesting to do on your break. Run by professional architects and historians, Open House Architecture, on every Saturday, is a great way to learn about the buildings of London.

The Tower of London, Westminister Abbey, and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre are all hundreds of years old however, and due to extensive renovation are still standing firm to this day.  London is not characterised by any one construction style; it is a layered city, and therefore any one area can be exemplary of several eras at once. Even the famous London hotels have a chequered history worthy of London’s most famous buidings.

The 1666 Great Fire Of London burned down most of the city. Notable structures since that time include:

• The 51 churches and historical sites Christopher Wren built following the Great Fire.  These include St Paul’s Cathedral and Kensington Palace.
• The financial district’s Royal Exchange and Bank of England are exemplary of 18th and 19th century stone architecture. The most famous London hotels were also built during this time.
• The Old Bailey – first built in the 15th century, this court has been rebuilt several times.
• The Barbican Estate, built in the 1960s, is an architectural achievement of scale.
• Recent buildings of note include the exosceletal Lloyds building, and the “Gherkhin”, built by Norman Foster in 2004, and now an icon of the city.

There are also many interesting and sometimes unknown facts about London architecture. A classic example is that many buildings around St Paul’s Cathedral were designed not to exceed the height of the dome, leading to some oddly shaped buildings on the Square Mile. The new ‘Shard of Glass Skyscraper is under construction next to St Paul’s though and is set to become Europe’s largest building at 309m high. Times have definitely changed.

The low-rise nature of London makes its few skyscrapers noticeable from a considerable distance. For example, Canary Wharf can be seen from Battersea, eight miles away. With so many skyscrapers under construction though, this looks likely to change.

London is considered one of the world’s shopping capitals thanks to its variety of shops, markets, department stores and boutiques. But there is more on offer as the bars, restaurants and cafes, plus London hotels, are all for making your weekend one that you will never ever forget.

Camden Market is a great place to visit to start your trip. For alternative fashion, music, crafts and more head to this famous market and feast your eyes. Camden is a vibrant area where you can embrace the hustle and bustle and enjoy the live street art in one of the quirky cafes.

Harrods, the luxurious department store, sitated amongst upmarket brasseries and chic designer stores on Brompton Road, is your next stop. Packed full of treasures, Harrods features an extensive food hall, beauty hall and jewellery department. It’s also close to some of the city’s top tourist attractions include the Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum and Science Museum. Choose from a range of London hotels in this exclusive area, including the Rembrandt Hotel just a stone’s throw away.

For more affordable fashion, head to Oxford Street in London’s West End. The ideal stomping ground for visitors to the city is Oxford Street, close to Theatreland and Covent Garden too, and home to some of Europe’s biggest household brands and fashion stores. The West End is the perfect base for your shopping weekend and there are a great deal of London hotels there.

In the historic East End of the city you will find one of London’s hippest markets, Spitalfields. This Sunday market is known for its rare and unique finds, uniquely designed clothing and up and coming designers. Take a stroll down neighbouring Brick Lane for a look at individual art galleries, vintage shops and street markets.

If you still haven’t discovered the perfect buy you can stop at Westfield London as your final destination. London’s newest and most stylish shopping centre boasts over 275 stores, along with an extensive range of bars, restaurants and cafes. Westfield London, reported as being the city’s largest shopping centre, has something to offer even the most discernable shopper.

In summertime the holidaymaker’s fancy turns to beaches. White sand, blue ocean and revelling with your fellow beach combers; what is more relaxing after all? Only taking that siesta afterwards. Beach breaks in summer are the surest thing to chase away the dreaded office blahs. This summer, the two most glamorous beach break destinations are the isle of Menorca (or Minorca) off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean and the Greek island of Crete, farther south in the Mediterranean. Crete and Menorca hotels are wonderful here, as are the refreshing showers available to wash off the sand afterwards.

Menorca Beaches 

With more than 50 beaches in Menorca even the most langourous sun worshipper to the most adventourous hiker will find something to keep them happy. It doesn’t matter how long you intend to stay for, whether it be a day or a week – Menorca hotels are priced to fit every budget, are clean and comfortable and the accommodations are never a problem.

• Cala Galdana: A bar of golden sand curving the length of a picture-postcard-beautiful bay, Cala Galdana beach is adjacent to a very popular resort with Menorca hotels, restaurants, cafes and a lively nightlife. Water sports like jet skiing, snorkelling and windsurfing are popular. 

• Son Bou – San Jaime: In reality, Son Bou, just south of Alaior, is three separate beaches connected by a quaint wooden boardwalk. The beach faces west which makes for perfect sunset gazing. Water sports are popular. Caution: the surf has strong currents, so only swim when there’s a lifeguard present.

Crete Beaches

Though nude sunbathing is not officially allowed in Greece, a number of Crete beaches have developed reputations as naturist sanctuaries so plan accordingly. While Crete’s beaches – as dramatic and varied as the island’s own landscapes — are not developed, you will still find Crete hotels and other facilities as good as anything you’ll find in mainland Greece. 

• Preveli: The most photographed beach in all of Crete, due to it’s sandy cove in a dramatic setting at the foot of a steep river gorge, is Preveli. You will have to climb the ancient stone steps past the now-abandoned monastery of Saint John the Theologian to reach the beach, but the trek is worth it for the view alone.

• Erimoupoli: close to the itanos archaelogical site, overlooking the Carpathian Sea is a white sand beach called Erimoupoli. It is completely undeveloped and can get quite windy at times. Nevertheless it is one of the most fascinating of all Crete’s beaches because as the tide goes out, you can catch glimpses of an ancient sunken city, just beyond the water line.

I was invited to London by my supplier with whom I have done business for 10 years. I have already visited Holland and also france to complete similar deals. I wanted to visit London to see some of the landmarks I have read about and seen picture of at school. I made my hotel reservation to stay in one of the hotels in Russell square for one week and also another reservation to stay in London Victoria for another week as I wanted to visit all the Landmarks I have heard of in these areas.

The journey from the Airport was a long one. I took a taxi after I have come out of the immigration checks. Hotels in the Russell Square area of Central london are of good standard.

Regardless of the fact that it was my first day in the area, I just fell in love with it. I just rushed to town the very day i arrived through the help of my street map. To say that I was pleased with what I saw in London is an understatement because it was the same as I read about. In Bloomsbury there is the British Library and the British Museum. I toured both places on the first day. Next on my list was to go and see for myself the street performers at covent garden.

For the rest of the week at Tavistock hotel London, I visited the West end area. During my exploration of the west End, I went to Marble Arch and also Oxford Circus. The Leicester Square is an area in London which has a conentration of theatres. I saw a lot of them when I went there. Another place I visited was Piccadilly Circus and found the place to be very busy with many tourists. I paid a visit to the shopping streets in the West End area on my 5^th day and was surprised to see that the place was so dense with shoppers and other tourists. There were three shopping streets which were very busy, the Oxford strret, the Regent Street and the Bond street. As the Soho and China Town were nearby, I grabbed the opportunity to vist the place and it was very exciting.

I went to stay in Victoria area in my second week as booked through Cheap London hotels agency. I have read a lot about the tourist attractions in the area and wanted to stay and explore. I made my way to The Buckingham Palace to wait to witness the changing of the guard. My first Landmark I wanted to see in the area was the Big Ben because I have only seen pictures of it. If you have in front of the Big Ben, then you have seen the Houses of Parliament. I also grabbed the opportunity to visit the Westminster Abbey. Finally, I went to have a look at the London Eye. It is an amazing design which every on should see. I will always sing praises to the person whose work it is. The London Eye is just fabulous. I enjoyed my stay in Central London and I would like to stay in the cheap hotels in Russell square as they have good accommodation standard but lower rates.