London travel advice please

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You will not do better in terms of food, surroundings and countryside! No Saturdays until 10th October, but other days available in September

Northcote Manor
Looks fabulous. If only I could persuade my wife that the date she thought was her birthday is wrong!
 
Looks fabulous. If only I could persuade my wife that the date she thought was her birthday is wrong!

Faint heart ne'er won fair lady!
 
Oh gawd ... now I’m starting to wonder if I should cancel this trip. :dk:

Is it essential? No.

Was I looking for a way to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday knowing that we can’t have a party with friends and family? Yes.

Would a weekend in London be unnecessary hassle and some inconvenience at this time? Yes.

Have I already ordered a special watch for her that I know she wants? Yes.

Did I want to make the occasion a special memory for her? Yes.

Will she be upset if we don’t make a big thing of her birthday? She won’t show it.

Will a bottle of decent Champagne shared at home with our nominated other household be a reasonable alternative? That could work.

Ultimately it’s your call.

We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last month with a day off work and yummy fish n chips brought home from Gretna sat at the table with flowers and a glass of plonk. We’ll celebrate more elaborately next year when there’s more freedom and less risk. It’s just another day our our book.

However, we’re all different so do whatever suits you and your girls.

Whatever you decide. Enjoy. 🥳
 
Well we went. I decided to drive down on Saturday and parked by St Katherine Dock (just outside the congestion zone) for the bargain price of £4.50 for the weekend! The car park with its nice wide spaces was just a 20 minute walk from the Shard.

Or at least it would have been without a 5-year old in tow who understandably wanted to stop and look at everything on the way! But it still didn’t take anywhere near as long as it took to drive to the car park from the M11. Everyone and their dogs were on the road at the same time! Finding somewhere to stop for a pee in a jam-packed East End turned out to be a challenge.

But the journey was worth it. Everything in the Shangri-la hotel was well organised in order to maintain social distancing as much as possible. It’s just a shame that a few visitors struggled to grasp the concept. Again worth it because our room on the 50th floor (note the coincidence) was magnificent. The views across the city were stunning, and made even better when the sun broke through the clouds over Wembley to light up the stadium.

Dinner down on the 35th floor was good, if not exceptional. Our window table offered alternative views of London to those from our room. Service was excellent, especially from the sommelier who poured some excellent wines to accompany each of our five courses.

A relaxed Thames-side walk on Sunday morning helped to shed some of the considerable breakfast calories before we set off back home - a much easier journey than the one on the way there.
 
Glad you all had a pleasant weekend & that the driving was at least tolerable....The parking seems a bargain...I will make a note of that in case of use to me in the future.
 
Well we went. I decided to drive down on Saturday and parked by St Katherine Dock (just outside the congestion zone) for the bargain price of £4.50 for the weekend! The car park with its nice wide spaces was just a 20 minute walk from the Shard.

Or at least it would have been without a 5-year old in tow who understandably wanted to stop and look at everything on the way! But it still didn’t take anywhere near as long as it took to drive to the car park from the M11. Everyone and their dogs were on the road at the same time! Finding somewhere to stop for a pee in a jam-packed East End turned out to be a challenge.

But the journey was worth it. Everything in the Shangri-la hotel was well organised in order to maintain social distancing as much as possible. It’s just a shame that a few visitors struggled to grasp the concept. Again worth it because our room on the 50th floor (note the coincidence) was magnificent. The views across the city were stunning, and made even better when the sun broke through the clouds over Wembley to light up the stadium.

Dinner down on the 35th floor was good, if not exceptional. Our window table offered alternative views of London to those from our room. Service was excellent, especially from the sommelier who poured some excellent wines to accompany each of our five courses.

A relaxed Thames-side walk on Sunday morning helped to shed some of the considerable breakfast calories before we set off back home - a much easier journey than the one on the way there.
I was thinking about your weekend today. Glad it went well.
 

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