Home & Away with Robert Walshe
Weekend Hotspot Hyatt Regency London The Churchill
World famous for its architecture, history and traditions, London is a city that never rests. One can walk the streets taking in the history of centuries. Various shopping districts and street markets offer everything from designer labels to bargains, while it is also well worth stopping by one of the most popular department stores Harrods, Knightsbridge. This eightstorey building is an ideal place for shoppers as well as a popular
Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill
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tourist attraction. Fantastic for window shopping, the food hall alone is worth seeing. My favourite “Selfridges” on Oxford Street have everything from designer clothes to high street brands, books, furniture and more. “King’s Road” a short tube or taxi ride away is by far one of the cities smartest fashion streets, having evolved from the cutting-edge of bohemia and innovative fashion in the 60s to a more genteel place to indulge in retail therapy, albeit with a notable presence of trendy young Londoners (including many so called Sloane Rangers). It is a very attractive street that retains the
atmosphere of a small town whilst being in the heart of the city.If you want to bag a few bargains, then be sure you pay a visit to one of London’s bustling markets. Portobello Road already famous for antiques since the 1950s. Now there are numerous stalls offering everything from fruit and bread to of course antique! They sell everything from food to flowers, modern art to antiques, and clothes to curios. With such a large range of goods on offer, expect something for everyone. The London Eye, the world’s largest “Ferris Wheel” offers breathtaking views of the city. The best thing about the ride is that all the activity lies beneath you as you take in the panorama. The National Gallery dominates Trafalgar Square where the finest examples of European art, ranging from 1260 to 1900, are included among the 2,300 paintings filling its halls and rooms. Works on display include those of
Harrods - Knightsbridge London
Botticelli, Monet, Van Gogh & Rembrandt. www.nationalgallery.org. uk With so many places to stay I decided on Hyatt Regency London - The Churchill , a luxury hotel on Portman Square in the West End, two blocks from Selfridge’s and an equal distance from the Marble Arch underground stop at Hyde Park. Although The Churchill has a modern exterior built in 1970, its interior decor is in a traditional British style not unlike that of a townhouse. Since the mid-1990s, the hotel’s management has invested more than £17 million in new guest facilities, air conditioning, and other renovations. The Regency Club on the eighth and ninth floors is a worthwhile upgrade from The Churchill’s business and deluxe rooms. Its attractively decorated double rooms and suites are augmented by a comfortable reception
and check-in lobby, a small private meeting room, and a spacious lounge that’s open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The lounge provides an English and American breakfast buffet, afternoon tea, canapés during the cocktail hour, drinks or snacks from an all-day bar, newspapers, and a CD and video library at no extra charge. There’s also a free Internet terminal in the “Club” reception area, and guests can borrow cellular phones while staying at the hotel. For rates www.london. churchill.hyatt.com Aer Lingus operates daily flights from Dublin and Belfast City airports to London Heathrow. For best fares see www. aerlingus.com Robert Walshe is a travel broadcaster with Q Radio in Northern Ireland and Travel Editor for River Newspaper titles across the island of Ireland. www.robertwalshe.com