HOW TO PLAN THE PERF TRIP TO LONDON

I’m still in AWE of how magical and historical London is. It’s impossible to fit London’s history into one, 7 day trip (trust me, we tried…); we had a VERY dense week. After landing at 8AM and double fisting a couple iced coffees, we jumped STRAIGHT into tours.

Doing the absolute most, per usual.

HOT TIP: Don’t engage with jet lagged hails on day 1 (unless you’re giving her iced coffee)

I teased through our itinerary and created a list of our fave sights, activities, and restaurants throughout the trip.

Oh, BTW – you can find most of these spots in the LONDON VLOG

♡

Where to Stay:

*ROSEWOOD LONDON HOTEL
- This hotel is for the boujee gal who enjoys a mean espresso martini
- Fave memory…
  - Singing with the piano man ( who was playing Piano Man ) at the bar and getting the rest of the people in the bar to sing! The staff is so much fun.
  - My parents danced to one of his songs – cheetah Santa hat and all – and I cried. It was the sweetest thing ever! 😭
- Second fave memory…
  - But first, a little background: My dad, brothers, and I are very particular about our iced coffee. Bob has a custom “Sparky’s Trenta” reusable cup he brings to Starbucks every morning so he can enjoy his iced coffee sustainably.
  - Every morning, the jet lagged Gorskis would order iced coffee with breakfast at the hotel. Like, 2 per person, 3 if you’re trenta bob. Iced coffee wasn’t on the menu, but they accommodated for us iced coffee addicts. In anticipation of our arrival, they prepared iced coffee for us every morning before we got to the table. I FELT LIKE AN ICE(D COFFEE) KWEEN.
- Take a peek inside on the vlog:
  - At 1:23…. Outside + Inside view of this GORGE hotel
  - At 2:38… Christmas dinner followed by my fam & me dancing off beat to All I Want for Christmas in the hotel lobby
  - At 3:17… The Gorski fam singing Piano Man at the bar

Sights:

FYI: Not all of these are in London, some are a 1-2 hours away

*WINDSOR CASTLE
- Changing of the guard – Gotta check it off your bucket list
- I was shook at how much we could access – the grounds, the rooms within the castle, and the art
- The architectural details and craftsmanship were spectacular – I wish they let us take more photos :/
- If you have time, walk around Windsor and enjoy some fish and chips! It’s such a charming town.
*THE ROMAN BATHS
- T’WAS INCREDIBLE. The Roman architecture surrounding the water steaming in the pool was surreal. #SpaGoals
- I drank some of the hot water… Not particularly tasty, but as they say, “When in Rome” – er… Bath…
STONEHENGE
- The stones are a true marvel of human engineering… They were built in 6 stages b/w 3000 and 1520 BCE during the transition from the New Stone Age to the Bronze Age and are STILL STANDING TODAY… ?!!
- This is one of those moments where you feel as if you stepped into a textbook
*TOWER OF LONDON
- This one is for the girl who is obsessed with the podcast, My Favorite Murder…
  - Tower of London is infamous for torture, execution, & imprisonment
  - Visit The Bloody Tower – where 2 young princes mysteriously disappeared
*WESTMINSTER ABBEY
- A royal church where 17 British monarchs (including King Henry V and all the Tudors except for Henry VIII) and other notable figures like Isaac Newton, Edward the Confessor, and Charles Dickens were buried
- SPECTACULAR architecture. I def followed the ruled and didn’t take any photos or videos during our tour… 🤷🏼‍♀️

Activities:

LONDON EYE
- Worth checking out… It was a bit too touristy for my liking; I felt like I was at Navy Pier. Our capsule was filled with kids and I was a little uneasy with the height ( the loud kids didn’t help :’) ), BUT the skyline was surreal and I’m glad that I was able to experience it!
***EMIRATES STADIUM
- No experience that will compare to a football match in England. The fans are the most dedicated sports fans I’ve ever seen. Literal – die hard fans…
- Pre-match: There are pubs for home fans and there are pubs for away fans for safety’s sake. We manages to weasel our way into an Arsenal pub, but the bouncer was VERY skeptical about letting us in. PINKY SWEAR, I’M ROOTING FOR ARSENAL!!!
- ALSO – be careful about what colors you wear – football is like a religion to these fans and if you wear the wrong color in your section… Welp. Good luck!

Drinks + Dining:

Where to go for the atmosphere & a drink… or two… and a cheese board

*SKETCH
- This place’s aesthetic is on FLEEK. Every square inch of this restaurant is IG-worthy. If you’re coming for the gram, go during an off hour
- We enjoyed cocktails and a cheese board in the The Glade room and took photos in The Gallery (the super pink room) and the bathroom.
- Our concierge recommended going for drinks instead of tea…
- Check out every room – even if it’s packed. Def worth a look

Where to get delish food

MARGOT
- Start with an espresso martini and a Rucola e Parmigiano or Burrata Pugliese salad. I ordered the Rucola e Parmigiano salad and can honestly say that it was the BEST salad I’ve ever had. Their olive oil and tomatoes are BEYOND. These salads were simple, but delectable.
- I ordered the Capesante alla piastra ( pan fried scallops with cauliflower puree, black truffle and Nduja crust ) and it was FAB. Can it get any better than pan fried scallops, cauli puree, and black truffle?? It was a lighter dish so I wouldn’t recommend ordering it as your entree if your starving!
- Ditch the dessert for a cheeseboard. This was the trip for espresso martinis and cheese boards and I’ve NO REGRETS.

Where to eat for the experience

PARK CHINOIS
- High end Chinese food + live music + beautiful interior + delish food = AHTK approved dining
- The downstairs bar is DOPE! It wasn’t open when we dined there (Sunday) but I’d highly recommend going if you can!

Where to get Indian food

KANISHKA
- Did you know that the UK is known for Indian food?? It is among the most popular cuisines in the UK. There are more Indian restaurants than fast food establishments in England! #mindf*cked!!
- AHTK TIPS:
  - Order wine instead of cocktails; the vodka sodas and martinis we ordered significantly weaker than what we would get elsewhere
  - Split your dishes so you can try a bit of everything!
- What to order:
  - Octopus appetizer – if you are cool with eating tentacles 😉
  - Chicken curry – dear lord I could drink this curry from the bowl… i’ve no regrets.
  - Monk fish with eggplant – *drools*
  - BREAD!! – LOTS and lots of bread. VERY worthy of being mindful indulgence 😉

♡

If you can, I’d recommend hiring a guide! There’s rich history in square inch of London and it’s easy to miss it!

London, I’ll be back ASAP!!

What are your fave London spots?

xx hails

*Hailey’s top 7 spots

***Emirates stadium is a requirement while in London. 😉