Located in Surrey, Hampton Court is one of the easiest and most memorable day trips from London.



Take the train from Waterloo in London to Hampton Court. The journey takes around 30 minutes and once you arrive, it's about a 5 minute walk to the palace from the station.

On a nice day (and assuming you have plenty of time), you might want to consider taking the boat from Westminster Pier. The journey takes around 4 hours.

Plan on spending at least three hours at Hampton Court. I had no idea it was so huge. When you purchase your ticket, you have access to the interior rooms of the palace plus all of the gardens.

The Tudor Kitchens, which are set up today just as there were to prepare a feast for 500+ people in the 1500s.



The Chapel Royal - beautiful chapel where Henry VIII married his sixth wife

The King's Apartments

The Queen's Apartments

The Gardens - Absolutely Stunning







What to Skip

Royal Tennis Court - It's pretty impressive that it was built in the 1600s and is still used today. We were even able to see some tennis in action, but it as far as tennis courts go, it's a little tricky to get in and out of the area and not all that impressive.

Over one of the past bank holiday weekends, my husband and I decided to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon punting along the River Cam in Cambridge. We wanted to relax, have a glass of wine and feel like we were enjoying a little touch of Venice in Cambridge.

Relaxing is not a word I would use to describe punting. No, I believe difficult and frustrating are the first two words that come to mind. Do the people in this picture make punting look easy? No, as you can see their boats are going in every direction.

I admit that I tried punting but I had to quit after a short time and let me husband take over because it was too difficult for me.



1. The boat is really hard to steer and although everyone told me that I would get the hang of it, I never did.

2. The pole is really heavy and it was really difficult to keep lifting out of the water.

3. Stand on the back of your boat. Some people stood in the boat because I guess they thought they were going to fall out but I think this only makes it more difficult.

4. Punting is a surprisingly good workout for your legs as well as your arms.

5. Sometimes the pole gets stuck in the mud in the bottom of the river and when you pull your pole out, you feel like you are going to fall over.

6. I don't care what anyone says, there IS a strong current in the River Cam.

Despite my complaints, it was actually a pretty fun day out but the next time I feel the urge to go punting in Cambridge, I will be sure to hire a chauffeured guide.

On Saturday, we headed down the Sussex Coast to Brighton, which is located about 50 miles south of London. My husband's family live in the area so Brighton is kind of a regular trip for us but it's also a popular weekend destination and popular seaside town.

For first time visitors, here's my list of thing to do:


1. Tour the Royal Pavilion

2. Vist the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. I love art deco and this museum has a great collection of art deco furniture.


3. Shop along North Laine (pictured above) and The Lanes, a series of very narrow streets lined with small shops and boutiques, which get very crowded at the weekend.

You'll find lots of antique stores, clothing boutiques, jewelry stores and at least a half dozen organic food shops.

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4. Visit Brighton Pier and walk along the sea front. Great for people watching.


5. If you're hungry, I highly recommend Due South. Located on the beach with the best view of the sea in Brighton, Due South prides itself on serving seasonal, organic and local produce. It's always a treat but make reservations or get there early because it's very popular.

Thank you to those of you who made trip suggestions for our bank holiday weekend. We ended up doing three seperate day trips, which I will post about shortly.

Our first trip was to Sissinghurst Castle Garden which is located about 50 miles southwest of London and about 7 miles from the nearest town Staplehurst. It's a really easy journey from London either by car or by train. If you travel by train to Staplehurst, then you'll just need to catch a bus or take a taxi to the garden entrance.


On the grounds, there is a large Elizabethan manor home that is surrounded by a moat and about 6 acres of beautiful English gardens.


Sissinghurst Castle Garden is affectionately known as the 'Garden of England'. The original owner Vita Sackville-West and her husband designed the garden to feel like a number of outdoor rooms, which is pretty cool because you don't know what you'll find next until you step into the next 'room'.

Sissinghurst is a perfect half day trip from London especially when the weather is nice. I probably wouldn't go when it was raining because there isn't much to do inside.

You can climb the tower and look out over the grounds, visit the library and also Vita's writing room and on site is a nice cafe that serves light meals and snacks. Sissinghurst Castle Garden offers the opportunity to see one of the world's most celebrated garden within easy reach of London.

Sissinghurst Castle Garden
Sissinghurst, nr Cranbrook TN17 2AB
Tel: 01580 710701

Last Friday, my husband and I hired a car and took a two hour trip to the Cotswolds. I've been hearing so much about this beautiful area and I really wanted to visit and see for myself. Let me tell you, it is lovely...really lovely. It's just so beautiful and peaceful. It's definitely the kind of place that make people escape to the country.

We stayed at the Lords of the Manor Country Hotel. Our room was really lovely and after we settled in we decided to walk around the grounds. There really is gorgeous scenery everywhere you look and it's the kind of place that makes you feel instantly relaxed.

We made reservations to eat in the hotel's Michelin starred restaurant that eveing. It was a beautifully presented meal, but I don't think either of us enjoyed it as much as we could have because we weren't feeling very well and I had quite a sensitive stomach.

The hotel is located in Upper Slaughter, which looks like something straight out of a postcard.












As we were driving througth the Cotswolds, I couldn't get over all the beautifully trimmed hedges and thatched roofs.

The Cotswolds really are a magical place and I would love to visit again in the spring when everything is in bloom.

Today we are escaping the city for two days to the Lords of the Manor Hotel in the Cotswolds.

Everyone keeps telling me about how beautiful the Cotswolds are but now I shall see for myself. I'll post a full review when I return.

Bath is a great day trip destination from London. It's about a 90 minute train journey from London and a city that is really walkable. Our day started with the beautiful Bath Abbey .

Factoid: This was the site of the cornation of the first English King Edward in 973. Admission to Bath Abbey is free, but donations are appreciated.












Following the Bath Abbey, we headed to the Roman Baths Museum and Pump House to tour the bath complex. Part of the bath complex exists just as the Roman left it.

There is a self audio guided tour which takes you around the complex and explains how all of the different rooms were used. Following the tour, we sampled some of the water and stopped for a quick bite to eat in the Pump Room. Admission is £9.50






Following the Roman Baths, we walked around the city admiring all of the quaint little shops around Pulteney Bridge. We then went to the Assembly Rooms, elegant rooms that were the centre of social life in the days of Jane Austen and the Museum of Costume.

The Museum of Costume has one of the world's leading collections of fashion and it seriously made me want to go out of buy a new pair of shoes. I loved looking at all of the historic fashions created by Armani, Versace, Manolo Blahnik, etc. Admission to the museum is £6.25 and the Assembly Rooms are free.

The Royal Crescent is a semi-circle of elegant homes designed by John Wood. We also had a chance to go to the Jane Austen Centre and sit down for a great lunch before heading off to the Thermae Bath Spa.

The Thermae Bath Spa is a brand new facility, which has natural thermal baths with mineral-rich waters. There are three different levels including roof top pool, which reminded me a little bit of being in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland and also a fabulous steam room with four different steam treatments. There are a number of different spa packages available from two hour to a full day. I highly recommend this experience. It was a great way to end a busy day in Bath.

Chewton Glen is becoming a little bit of an annual tradition for us. We went last year and enjoyed it so much that we decided to go back again this year. Chewton Glen is located in New Milton about two hours by train from Waterloo station. It is really a pretty journey and I highly recommend asking one of the train staff for the £5 first class weekend upgrade. Not many people know about this and it's such an easy and affordable thing to do.

Our reservations for lunch were at 13:30 but we arrived at about 12:00 so we would have a little bit longer to explore the grounds.

Last year, it was very cold on the day that we visited and it was really damp outside. This year we were a little bit smarter and not only dressed warmer, but also borrowed a pair of Wellingtons from the hotel so we could easily walk around the grounds.



The grounds surroudning Chewton Glen are not far from the Dorset coast and we had a little bit of time before lunch so we took at walk down to the sea.



























The food at Chewton Glen is fabulous, but the cheese board is the reason my husband loves this place.

Can you believe that he wanted to have a photo taken in front of the cheese board with one of the waiters? We had a really delicious lunch with wine and some fabulous champagne cocktails.

Chewton Glen might just be one of England's best kept secrets. Last December, I was searching for a fabulous getaway that would put me in the holiday spirit and Chewton Glen is definitely it. My husband and I took the train to New Milton in Hampshire and the hotel arranged for a car to meet us at the station.

I was in awe from the moment we entered the grounds. It's hard not to be impressed when you drive through the gates and arrive at this grand manor home. I made reservations for a Sunday Holiday lunch and we arrived about two hours before our reservation to relax and enjoy the grounds. Chewton Glen is located on about a 100 acre property on the edge of the New Forest. We spent the first hour of our visit walking around the gorgeous grounds and then we headed into the bar to enjoy a view cocktails before eating.

The bartender brought over a few bar snacks and we ordered a few drinks. One of the servers from the restaurants then came over and took our order for lunch. I have to say I love ordering before sitting down at the table because that way I can relax and talk to my husband without being distracted by the menu.

The food, well this is a Michelin rated restaurant for a good reason. I ordered the pea soup as a starter and it was so good I was practically licking my bowl. Yes, I absolutely loved the pea soup and I have made several failed attempts to recreate it since. My husband and I both had the turkey with all the traditional trimmings for the main course and as good as it was I think my husband will rave more about the cheese board that he had for dessert. The cheese board, with at least 15 varieties was impressive and of course, my husband orders all of the smelly varieties.

After our lunch, we retreated to one of the sitting rooms to relax and enjoy all of the beautiful holiday decorations. I felt more relaxed in the four or five hours I spent here than I did after 4 days at a beach resort in Spain. I highly recommend this place.

I am just beginning to finalise our Chewton Glen plans for this holiday season and let me tell you, I am extending our stay. I think we're going to go horse back riding in the New Forest and check out a couple of treatments in their incredible spa. I can't wait!

Chewton Glen, Hotel, Health & Country Club
New Milton, Hampshire BH25 QS
Tel: 0142 527 5341