Kensington Gardens are effectively an extension of Hyde Park. Once the private gardens of Kensington Palace they were opened to the public by Queen Victoria who added the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial (in memory of her late husband)
Kensington Palace has more recently been linked ... Read review
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Kensington Gardens
Spanning more than a century from the late Victorian period - and the intimately drawn
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details of the life of J. M. Barrie - to the dawn of the new millennium - and the fractured life of an internationally acclaimed children's novelist, Peter Hook - Kensington Gardens weaves an intricate cat's cradle of narratives around the Lysergic-London of the Swinging Sixties and the boy who never grew up. Hook is a survivor and witness to a period littered with corpses and casualties. Growing up in a vast West London estate called Neverland, his childhood was shaped by the mysterious, premature death of his younger brother, his parent's rock 'n' roll lifestyle, and his father's performances in a seminal band of the time, The Beaten (a.k.a.) The Beaten Victorians (a.k.a.) The Victorians. Yet despite (or perhaps because of) such dysfunctional beginnings, Hook has become the most successful children's author of his generation as the author of the time-travelling Jim Yang books. In Kensington Gardens, Hook narrates his story (and that of Barrie, Peter Pan, and the Llewelyn Davies boys) to Keiko Kai, the Japanese actor cursed with the role of playing Jim Yang in the blockbuster movies. Over the course of one terrible night in Kensington Gardens, a fantastical and terrible story emerges; a story of shadow identities and suicide, lost boys and found orphans. Coloured with unique splashes of psychedelic Edwardiana, Kensington Gardens is an exploration of the charms and perils of children's literature, told in the torrential prose of a Latin American master.
Park and this London hotel is only a short taxi or tube ride away from the West End theatres and shops, and within walking distance of Bayswater with itsshops, bars and restaurants. This hotel has 175 bedrooms including 129 executive rooms. Facilities include a restaurant, lounge and bar which serve a wide selection of drinks, light refreshments and meals. The hotel has car parking available at an additional charge.
Hyde Park and this London hotel is only a short taxi or tube ride away from the West End theatres and shops, and within walking distance of Bayswater with its shops, bars and restaurants. This hotel has 175 bedrooms including 129 executive rooms. All bedrooms have Thistle Connect high speed internet access. Thistle Kensington Gardens has a restaurant, lounge and bar which serve a wide selection of drinks, light refreshments and meals. The hotel has car parking available at an additional charge.
Hyde Park and the Princess Diana Memorial Garden. All bedrooms have air-conditioning and trouser press, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, TV with satellite channels and internet access. The hotel also offers conference and banqueting facilities, a brasserie-style restaurant and 24-hour room service. Car parking is available on site at an additional charge.
Advantages: An oasis of calm in a chaotic city Disadvantages: Can get overcrowded with 'Diana' fans
Kensington Gardens are effectively an extension of Hyde Park. Once the private gardens of Kensington Palace they were opened to the public by Queen Victoria who added the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial (in memory of her late husband)
Kensington Palace has more recently been linked to Princess Diana, since it was here that she lived. A Peter Pan playground has recently been opened in her memory. The park is some 275 acres and has a Boating ...
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Advantages: Magical spot, not well known Disadvantages: No facilities, not always open
Kensington Roof Garden is magical. The roof of a dull office block has been made into a magical and secret garden. 99 Kensington High Street is just another unobtrusive grey building with no sign that there is anything special to it, and yet the roof is a beautifully maintained minature garden, flagstoned, running water, baby ducks in Spring, flamingoes (!) all year round. The air is clean up on the 14th floor, and the walls and ivy deny you any ... ...float in some extra place outside London entirely.
The place is hired out for functions to the rich and famous at ludicrous prices, but if there is nothing going on it is free to visit. Best to ring to check it's empty (020 7937 7994)then just sign in at reception and up you go. The place is usually empty, you aren't allowed to picnic there, or have sex in the temting bowers. But it's quiet up there... ...
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Advantages: Free entry Disadvantages: Poor service in restaurant
On the roof at 99 Kensington High Street is a real treat - an established rooftop garden which is free to view. It is so quiet and peaceful that it is hard to believe it is located in the heart of Kensington, next to the Barkers building. Graceful trees provide shade for the flamingos and the weary shopper!
The garden has a restaurant, although there is no requirement to eat or drink - indeed we wanted to and found it impossible to get served.
...
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Advantages: Excellent pricing for 3 michelin stars Disadvantages: Can't really think of any!
..."The Tenth Bar & Restaurant" @ Royal Garden Hotel London
2-24 Kensington High Street, London, W8 4PT
Tel: 0207 361 1910
Nearest Tube: Kensington High Street - Only a 5 minute walk to the hotel. Come out of the main exit onto Kensington High Street, rather than the side exit through Boots onto Wrights Lane. Once on Kensington High Street, turn right and head east ... as the road bends to the right, you will note the hotel is located on the opposite side of the road, as you approach the corner of Hyde Park.
* Opening Hours - Mon-Fri 12pm-2.30pm / Mon-Sat 5.30pm-11pm
* Cusine - Modern Eclectic European, with strong sea-food options on the menu
* Head Chef - Norman Farquharson (Has 9 years service)
* Signature Dish - Gently flavoured smoked haddock souffle.
* Michelin Stars - 3
* Price - Prices from £23.00 for 2 course...
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Advantages: You Get To See It All Disadvantages: You May Tire Easy
...receive a kids activity pack.
The main pick-up points are Baker Street (alongside the tube), Embankment (by the tube), Piccadilly Circus, Victoria and Grosvenor Gardens, Trafalgar Square and Marble Arch.
We chose Baker Street because that was the nearest to where we were staying.
As I said before the length varies depending on your route option, we had the longest which was approx 2 ½ hours, then the other two are 2 hours and 1 ½ hours.
Here a list of the main sights,
Westminster Abbey,
Houses Of Parliament,
Tower Bridge,
Tower Of London,
Big Ben,
Madame Tussauds,
Buckingham Palace,
Piccadilly Circus,
No.10 (Tony's)
The National Gallery
London Bridge
St Pauls Cathedral
Kensington Palace
Oxford Street
National History Museum
Victoria & Albert Museum
Princess Diana Memorial
Trafalgar Square
London Eye
Kensington...
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Advantages: Lovely Park. Beautifully Maintained. Good Facilities Disadvantages: Does get busy
...London has a marvellous selection of parks ranging from the likes of the hugely popular and internationally famous Hyde Park,nearby KensingtonGardens,serene Green Park, St James's Park,the oldest in London, liitle parks in various parts of Central London, Richmond park,Syon Park, and the lovely Regents Park.This wide expanse of parkland and gardens is quite remarkable for such a major urban area. It is ever so easy to forget that you are in the middle of a bustling city when you are at a place like Regents Park,which was once part of King HenryVIII's hunting forest in the 16 th century.
Regents Park is centrally located in a very attractive part of Central London and is close to a variety of other world class attractions such as London Zoo, Madame Tussauds,the Planetarium, and the Sherlock Holmes Museum. The nearest underground...
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The company I work for have a corporate account with the Hilton Hotel chain because we have a lot of people based off site and they often need a hotel near the office if people are visiting HQ (heaven forbid, there is nothing worse than going back to... more
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