LONDON TRAVEL GUIDE / PART 2

hi there! this is my second part to the london travel guides with british airways, check out my first guide right here! ok, so let’s just jump right into it…

we found out on our second day that we were going to be reviewing two different partner hotels of british airways which was a fun switch up. we took an uber to soho and checked into the london edition hotel. you walk in and the overwhelmingly good scent takes over and you realize you are somewhere fancy and amazing. look up! those ceilings! look left, those velvet green couches! swoon.

a very impressive lobby/dining area, that’s for sure. the rooms have a really cozy vibe with warm wood walls, fuzzy throws, soft lighting, a big shower with white robes, and excellent room service. more on the “punch room” at the bottom of the post!

CLICK THROUGH TO SEE THE FULL GUIDE!

after we checked in, we pushed through our shoreditch hangovers and met up with my friend charlotte from betty magazine. we stopped in the sanderson hotel and it was so cute! it had an alice and wonderland vibe with funky furniture, a magical garden, a lips couch and galaxy elevators.

we stopped in golden union for mushy peas (sounds gross, but so good), fish and chips, and a chip buttie (which is esentially french fries on a buttered roll?) ha. yuuuuum! the best tarter sauce. and check out beyond retro vintage shop around the corner! there are two locations by the way, i like the smaller one. less overwhelming.

we went to bed early that night because we were exhausted from roaming around so much and we knew we had to wake up super early to get to columbia road flower market before the crowds rolled in. one of my favorite places!! it just makes for the most lovely sunday morning. but i would suggest getting there at 9am or before.

a REAL treat for your senses.

it was a perfect morning of flowers, and mulled cider while walking through the alleyways with little thrift stands set up. we also popped in lili vanilli bakery which is super cute. around the corner you can find a line of houses, some with brightly colored doors, which obviously made me happy…

for lunch we walked to dishoom for a bacon and egg naan. WOW, so delicious. and that restaurant is adorable, you gotta check it out.

across the street is albion, which also looks worth checking out. i always wish i could eat at 8 places a day when traveling!

ps for those looking to stay in shoreditch: check out the boundary hotel, the shoreditch house, and the hoxton.

after dishoom, you gotta walk along redchurch street. so much charm. it feels like new york in a way too. peek in a bunch of cool stores and just wander around. on the weekend you can walk around the brick lane market which was really fascinating. vintage stores, food stands, people watching. i enjoyed it!

serving coffee out of the sun roof! how cute.

vintage shopping!

and then an afternoon snack and cocktail at blixen (also walking distance) in their gorgeous garden! yet another very cool restaurant. i had the broccoli soup and charlotte had the eggs benedict and they were both amazing.

we had a liiiiiittle energy left in us, so we headed to the newport street gallery (damien hirst’s collection) and went into their pharmacy2 bar…which is exactly that, it has a pharmacy theme. with my doctor phobias, i wouldn’t say it was for me (ha!) but the pill bar stools were pretty fun! under the glass in the bar they had syringes, gauze, pills etc..wild.

and then of course a two hour nap. traveling really takes it out of ya!

our last night we decided to go to a fancy dinner at the wolseley and enjoy our last evening in this pretty city. what an art deco dream! you walk in and it feels like you are transported to another era. we had a seat in the middle of all the action. we ordered the lobster and french onion soup and i recommend it! i hear they have a great afternoon tea here as well.

our nightcap was in our hotel, the london edition. they have a punch room that feels a cozy den or library that plays vintage soul music and serves the best punch cocktails i’ve had. we ordered the milk punch (yum!!) and our glasses came with edible flowers and the extra punch in a silver ornate bowl. we sat there a few hours, laughing and talking before we headed to bed…a great end to our trip!

so there you have it. hopefully you go to london and check out some of these spots and don’t forget this list too!! i have a whole new love for this city!!

(photos by designlovefest. this post is in partnership with British Airways. thank you for supporting the sponsors that help designlovefest create daily content!)