London Calling! Our Whirlwind 5 Day Trip to The UK.

It was back in May when I realized that my British Gramps was turning 91 on July 19. It was also a stark realization that he isn’t ever coming back to Canada  (just too old to travel).  

With that in mind, I decided that I would go and visit him this summer. It has been 20 years since I've been to London for more than a stopover. I talked to my mom about it (My Grandpa is her Dad) and asked if she would come along with me and my oldest daughter Kennedy who is 6. I decided to leave Tripp ( 5months) and Lilly (3 years) at home with Bob just because of the length of the flights and how fast this trip was going to be.

Luckily, my mom said yes and our 3 generation trip started to be planned ! Because my husband Bobby works out of town; this had to be on his week off back home so we had 5 days for it ( haha I wasn’t joking when I said it would be quick!).

We are by no means experts when it comes to London, but I feel like we packed a lot into this short five day trip ! Here’s a little insight into our adventure to London and all the things we loved ( and some things I would skip!).

GETTING THERE

First, you need to decide if you are flying into London Heathrow or London Gatwick. Both are huge airports, and have a good access to the city . Because my grandfather lives in Petersfield, it was easier access for us through Gatwick airport. Both have trains right to the city from the airport.

We flew on WestJet on their Dreamliner and it was just that - a dream ! We booked the bulkhead Row 25 and had so much room. Kennedy was able to literally sleep on the floor right in front of us. As long as the seatbelt sign was turned off, they allowed her to be there. She slept about 3/4 of the way both ways.

It’s a direct flight from Calgary so in just eight hours we were on the other side of the world !

WHERE WE STAYED

I really wanted to stay at a hotel that had a pool for Kennedy, which is pretty hard to come by in London . I settled on the Park Plaza London River Bank because they had a pool & had pretty decent reviews. They were also in a good location for getting to all of the tourist sites.

They did prove to be really kid friendly. They even had a separate children’s check-in area and movies for the kids every afternoon.

However, that’s where my positive impression stops. Our rooms left something to be desired. The bathrooms had lime scale all over and the service was lacking. It was just not great for the price we were paying. I don’t want to drag them through the dirt, but as someone who has stayed at quite a few hotels, this is one I cannot recommend. I was really disappointed.

WHAT WE DID

The number one thing I can recommend that we booked was a “Hop On Hop Off” Bus Tour. For 48 hours, we could hop on one bus and discover parts of the city, and then hop on another and keep going on the same tour. It was hands-down, the best way to see all the big attractions of London. We went with Big Bus Tours and I was very impressed with them! Make sure you do the Thames River part of the tour. We almost didn’t and decided last minute to take it in. It was awesome to see the city from the River.

Everything from Big Ben to Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace to the red telephone booths; you can easily see it all in a limited amount of time .

BROADWAY

Something else I would highly recommend if you can make it work is to go to a Broadway play . Tickets are expensive, but it’s worth it in my opinion. For reference our 3 Disney Frozen tix were about $500 Cdn for GREAT seats. I can’t get over how amazing the performance of Frozen was. There are tons of shows going on in London at any time and if you’re seeing one of the big ones like the Lion King, Mamma Mia or Frozen you will not be disappointed. The talent is unmatched. This was by far one of my favourite memories of this trip.

PRO TIP: Bring an Elsa / Anna dress from home and dress up for the performance!

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Every day at 11am ( 10 AM on Sundays) Buckingham Palace has the changing of the guards which is a huge ceremony with tons of guards, and it is a sight to see! We were actually running very late and didn’t get there just after 11 AM and we ended up at the side of the gates. If you’re looking straight on at Buckingham Palace, it would be to the left hand side. Most people try and gather, right front and centre at Buckingham Palace . To the left of the palace (spur road area) This ended up being an incredible spot as the guards came back and forth and passed us so close. We were really lucky.

SUBWAY / GETTING AROUND

The subway system can be very daunting. In fact, the entire city can be overwhelming.  Before you go, try and figure out the nearest subway stop to where you are staying and that will help a little bit. I did find everyone very helpful at every station if you ever have any questions. I found the subway kinda expensive but buses were pretty cheap! Also important to note - card payment accepted only. I brought cash ( pounds) not smart haha. With their transportation system, you can literally get anywhere. Taxis are abundant as well.

WHERE WE ATE

We didn’t really plan any big meals out just because we didn’t know how Kennedy would deal with jet leg and we didn’t want to overload are already busy trip .

We were lucky enough to find a few gems along the way particularly a restaurant named Bills . It was a casual restaurant that has pretty great prices and really good food. They’re known for their pancake special for the kids. The kids get to make their own pancake dish and Kennedy loved it.

SHOPPING

Again, it was a quick trip so we didn’t do too much shopping but we did hit up Regent Street and Carnaby.  Most notably Hamleys on Regent. If you have a kid you have to go there it’s like FAO Schwartz’s on steroids.  

AND LASTLY; MY GRANDPA

The whole reason we came to England was to see my Grandpa aka British Gramps. He’s been on the radio with us having fun giving commentary on the Royals over the years and I just hold such special spot in my heart for him. He is 91 and quite frail but still witty as ever. He has such a sweet heart and I loved the time that we all got to spend together. Kennedy and him were thick as thieves; goofing off together at dinner and breakfast and exchanging funny looks. The few days we spent with him were by far my fav.

So that, in a nutshell, was our quick trip to England! I really would love to go back with our entire family in a few years but for now - I think I will revel in the slow pace at home for a while haha. This was A LOT of travel in a short time but a trip I will never ever forget (or regret!)! xoxo Jacks

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