Christmas party London, London Christmas lights and the most Christmassy experiences in the capital

Christmas party London, London Christmas lights and the most Christmassy experiences in the capital

by | Oct 29, 2019 | Autumn and winter in Europe, Cool hotels, Foodie London, Travel blogger destinations, United Kingdom

London is simply sublime at Christmastime. It’s Christmas party London-style season, November through December. There’s London Christmas lights and many Christmassy experiences. Here’s a few things you shouldn’t miss:

Christmas party London

You can go to hotels, clubs, bars, markets – just about anywhere for a Christmas party London experience.

We were lucky enough to be invited over to Camden for the launch of FEST’s Christmas party London events. Take a look:

 

More places to relish in London’s Christmas spirit: 

Harrods Christmas Grotto

Knightsbridge tube
A Christmas escape for Children, that leaves parents free to also escape… to do some shopping! It’s festive, magical and very Harrods. Various events happening throughout December. More at: harrods.com

 

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Santa Land

Marble Arch tube
This gorgeous, annual one-stop Christmas spectacular includes rides, circus-like attractions, markets that sell sweets, Christmas treats and traditional German crafts and of course an ice rink. More at: hydeparkwinterwonderland.com

 

Westfield ice skating and grotto

Shepherd’s Bush tube / Stratford tube
There’s nothing that feels more like Christmas than spending a day in the warmth, shopping at Westfield London or Stratford City. Santa’s in store too, and there’s an ice skating rink – makes for a wonderfully spirited day out.

 

Southbank Centre Christmas Market and Winter Festival

Waterloo tube
A traditional German-style wooden hut market along the river – so charming! Toys, gifts, food, drinks – internationally inspired. Also features the Designers Makers Christmas Market, with over 50 British designers selling jewellery, ceramics, textiles, homewares and prints. More at: southbankcentre.co.uk

 

 

A Covent Garden Christmas

Covent Garden tube
The historic market piazza plays host to innovative digital installations, a super-sized LEGO snow globe, entertainers, festive lights and displays. More at: coventgardenlondonuk.com

 

Christmas Arcade at Somerset House

Temple or Covent Garden tube
The divine Somerset House‘s West Wing overlooks a lavish ice skating rink, and the setting features a Narniaesque corridor bedecked in lights and foliage. Dozens of airy rooms are occupied by pop-up-shops with an emphasis on British-made wares, so you’ll find the likes of Brora cashmere, Murdock grooming products, BoBelle London bags and leather goods.

 

 

Harry Potter Walking Tour

Indulge in a magical Hogwarts Christmas with a guided walking tour (also includes a boat ride) that takes you through Leadenhall Market and other Potter filming locations.

 

Christmas at Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace

Richmond tube
Christmas at Kew Gardens is family friendly in a magical woodland setting, includes a Victorian carousel and vintage rides, Santa’s grotto, boutique Christmas market and live music. Over at Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s favourite ‘haunt’, not to mention a fabulous place to visit, there’s a divine ice skating rink in the front courtyard.

 

Christmas lights in London

Christmas lights by night

Famous throughout the world, each year there is a different theme throughout the city’s festive streets. Brave the chill and jump on an open bus sightseeing tour during the evening, taking in all the classic sights including Harrods, Oxford Street, Piccadilly and the Tower of London all dressed up in their Christmas finery.

 

Where to stay: The Wellesley, for a little Christmas luxury

 

The Wellesley is set within prestigious Knightsbridge, and provides easy access to all the Christmas experiences listed above, and much more. It is not yet a year old following extensive renovations which transformed the property from musical venue to luxe townhouse hotel. Gatsbyesque glamour sets the tone, and this boutique property is worth the dollar outlay if you’re seeking luxury alongside unparalleled service while in London.

The Roaring Twenties carry on at The Wellesley through cleverly considered interiors like crystal chandeliers, original artwork, mirrored panelling and lavish cream and gold colour scheme. It’s also a romantic building for anyone keen on being immersed in history − indeed it used to be the site of the original Hyde Park Corner tube station in the 1920s, and telling architectural signs are evident upon the exterior of the property and from within.

The Wellesley attracts a high calibre of clientèle, but is accessible for anyone seeking a night or more of pure indulgence. The hotel is conveniently situated for shopping, up-market bars and a wander around Hyde Park. Beautifully restored in Art Deco style with a contemporary twist, The Wellesley is a feast for the senses, offering the discerning traveller copious luxury surprises and outstanding personalised service.

What we loved!

  • Live jazz that was in the hotel’s divine Jazz Lounge which boasts brilliant acoustics thanks to the venue’s musical roots.
  • The delicious cocktails on offer in the Crystal Bar.
  • The beds!
  • Marble bathrooms and Hermès toiletries.
  • Courtesy Rolls Royce chauffeur service.
  • Fast, free WiFi and dozens of free movies available on-demand.

Dining and recreation

The Wellesley features several spaces for indulging, including the enthralling Jazz Lounge with its grand piano centrepiece; the award-winning Crystal Bar which boasts a large selection of fine cognac, champagnes and whisky, and the opulent Oval Restaurant where a delectable Italian-inspired menu is on offer.

Best room

The spacious 4-bedroom penthouse set across levels six and seven, with scenic views of Hyde Park, and featuring heated marble floors, heavenly bathrooms, balconies and a fire place.

The Wellesley, 11 Knightsbridge, London
Hyde Park Corner tube
thewellesley.co.uk

Do you have a Christmas experience tip for visitors to lovely London? Let us know in the comments

 

More Christmas

One of our favourite Christmas experiences was at the Cologne Christmas markets in Germany. Take a look around for yourself 

Nomad lifestyle: 7 tips for an effective work/life travel routine

Nomad lifestyle: 7 tips for an effective work/life travel routine

by | Oct 6, 2019 | Being a digital nomad and working abroad, House sitting, Travel blogger destinations, Travel for health and wellbeing

‘Digital nomad lifestyle’, for most of us who resonate with the term, means travelling + working. It sounds fun, and yeah, it is. But it’s easy to fall into ‘holiday mode’, which means no income! Cooper and I have discovered that a routine is critical when trying to maintain a healthy nomad lifestyle. Falling out of a routine means you can quite easily become demotivated. Hence, ‘holiday mode’, doesn’t pay for this way of life consistently.

A few weeks back we realised our routine (or lack thereof) was letting us down. Over the past few months, we’ve been refining a digital nomad routine that fits with our lifestyle, so we re-implemented the plan.

this content has been updated in 2022 and published on our podcast Freedom and Four Paws. Listen here

Maybe some of these tips will resonate with you too.

 

Nomad lifestyle: 7 tips for an effective work/life travel routine

Plan daily, keep a diary

When you’re travelling and working on the road you need to be super organised. Use a diary! We plan our days in advance and share a Google calendar which tracks the work Cooper and I do together as well as individual workloads. We plan it all in, can see when it’s coming up, and try to stick to the times we’ve set. Quite often we will also plan time in for daily exercise or getting out and about.

Depending on where you are, your daily routines can fluctuate. A group of full time digital nomads have shared insight into how they manage their routine, on the Becoming a Digital Nomad blog.

Project plan within your week

We don’t just plan our days in advance, but our weeks too. Blocks of time are planned into our diary for project work. For example, we might have a three hour period marked as ‘website development’. We break that down into sections, so within that time frame we might want to achieve finding a new theme for the website and editing the copy on the home page. If we get those tasks completed in that time frame, we’ve achieved our goal for that day.

It’s very easy to plan a chunk of time for ‘a project’ but get distracted and overwhelmed on where to start, then not to anything of any real substance! But, if you plan smaller tasks into a larger section of time, you’re more likely to complete the priorities you’ve set for yourself.

Cooper and I catch up each morning to see where we’re up to and to reschedule anything that didn’t get done the day before. There’s obviously the need to be flexible if something more urgent needs to be prioritised.

 

 

Nomad lifestyle requires planning around disruption

Travelling between house sits or new locations means we lose work time. That’s totally fine, but we have come to accept that we need to give time to cleaning, packing, moving.

We used to plan work into our travel time (e.g. work on the train or plane), but it never gets done between being tired or having no space/internet/power. We now look ahead at what’s coming up and don’t schedule real chunks of work into that time.

Consequently, if Wednesday becomes our Saturday for the week, or we need to work on the weekend because we had some ‘days off’ during the week, so be it. But it’s in our diary. See points one and two.

Be accountable to someone else

We’ve made a deal to keep each other accountable. Diary alerts, alarms, nagging each other works. I’m pretty good at organising things, but Cooper’s better and making us stick to time. So, we work as a team to make our routine work to time.

If you don’t have a partner to do this, find other ways. You can appoint an accountability buddy who also runs their own business or freelances; connect on social media to prompt and encourage each other. Find meetups with other intrepid solo travellers, work at a coworking space or visit coworking cafes so there’s others with the same mindset around you.

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day

To stay out of holiday mode, stick to a sleep routine too. Science says that it’s far better for our health and wellbeing to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, even if it’s your ‘day off’.

Find out more in this piece I wrote for Get it Magazine in October 2019.

Take breaks and make time for play

It’s important to step away from work. Maintain your work/life balance. We hear about this in the corporate world, but it’s just as important when you’re working for yourself. And don’t mistake ‘travel’ for ‘holidays’.

There is a huge difference between being on a holiday, and travelling while we’re working.

Don’t get me wrong – we love that our office landscape changes frequently, and that we can explore new cultures and make new friends along the way. That’s fantastic! But we are trying to run a business and as anyone who works for themselves knows, that’s a seven days a week gig, and rarely 9am to 5pm.

It’s for this reason we do have to make sure we exercise, do Yoga, meditation. House and pet sitting keeps us in check though, because there’s always a dog who needs attention, walks, ball time and love.

Keep in mind too, that if your body is telling you to take a break – re-prioritise – and do so! You’ve got the control over your time. The Morning Maryjolaine blog makes some nice points on this. See FOMO vs. JOMO.

Switch off each night

For your mental health and wellbeing – switch your devices off at least an hour before bed. No social, no emails – step away from the machine, my digital nomad friends!

 

Got any other tips or questions? Let us know in the comments.

 

In home pet boarding: sitter’s guide to dog care

In home pet boarding: sitter’s guide to dog care

by | Oct 4, 2019 | Dog friendly, House sitting, Pet care and travel, Travel blogger destinations

Give your dog the best life when you go on a holiday – in home pet boarding is so easy! Following is a guide to how a sitter will take care of all of your dog’s needs, and how you can make this happen in time for your next travel trip.

In home pet boarding – what is it?

Cooper and I are currently on a ‘slow travel’ trip around the UK and Europe. We started house and dog sitting in London. Those city sits were short sits, and now we’re on a journey of a series of long sits that started in Northampton, have taken us to Ireland and soon France and Malta. You’ll see from our content that we are big dog people. The same goes for most of those signed up to a reputable in home pet boarding service like TrustedHousesitters.

If you can’t travel with your pooch to a pet hotel or utilise any other pet care travel options, a house sitting service may be for you.

In home pet boarding means that your pets can stay in their own environment while you’re away. Research shows this is far better for their wellbeing and state of mind. And, there’s no shortage of ‘animal people’ who are happy to visit your place, stay and take care of the fur babies.

It’s cheaper than you might think too. Most sites charge a fee per year which allows for background checks on home owners and sitters, and for the running of a site that helps us find good matches.

 

Special needs? No worries

Over the past few months we’ve learnt a LOT about different dogs and their needs. We’ll admit, we have been a bit surprised by the range of personalities we’ve met.

 

 

It’s been such a great experience to meet home owners and facilitate in home pet boarding for gorgeous dogs. We’ve got some insights to share, to show how seriously pet sitters take our jobs.

The range of needs taken care of by us as house and pet sit includes:

Anxiety

Many poor little dogs have anxiety. This may present through persistent barking (no, they’re not necessarily just being naughty!), fearful behaviours like retreating or tail between the legs.

We’ve experienced a range of dog anxiety, and it’s important that pet owners and sitters communicate any known needs or concerns. As our experience grows, we understand it’s really important to nurture dogs like kids. Reward them for good behaviour, and don’t write off defensive behaviour (like barking at another dog) automatically as a dog misbehaving. Sometimes it’s a protection mechanism. We take treats on walks with us and do whatever we can to ensure our dogs feel loved and safe.

 

Diets

Cooper and I understand it’s very important to respect the requests of pet owners, especially when it comes to their diet. Many pups are on a diet for their own health reasons. This may mean eating certain foods at a particular time of the day. We always abide by this, for the wellbeing of our fur babies.

Again, communication is critical. As a pet owner, write instructions down but discuss face to face if possible.

 

Medication

Another really important one. A fave pup of ours in the Cotswolds has been through a hip operation and has a heart murmur. He’s on specific medication three times a day. His mum was very helpful and thorough, sorting his medication into pill containers and also leaving us instructions and talking us through it.

As a sitter, we should be prepared to administer medication. We are experienced with dogs including our own, and know the drill, so we get on with it. You should be able to rely on your sitter to take good care of your pets, even if medication is required. We have a duty of care to them. (and it’s all totally fine by us)

 

Age (and associated abilities or health care requirements)

Cooper and I have had one instance where we looked after an old gentleman who suffered severe separation anxiety. This is normal for older dogs, although it was distressing to see him so upset.

Our strategy involved giving him ample time to himself, making sure he was eating and sleeping, and taking him out for walks when he got used to us. We did actually call the TrustedHousesitters advice line to ensure we were doing all the right things, which we were. Sometimes there’s no way around a dog being apprehensive. But, we know to give him/her space and still be around so they’re not alone. Of course, if sickness, trembling, no sleep or no eating kicks in, it’s time to contact the vet or emergency details left by the home owner.

In this instance, our little man’s parents were aware of his anxiety and had already taken him to the vet about it. They had also warned us he might struggle. We stayed in constant contact with them to keep them updated, and after a few days he did settle with us.

As far as other age-related issues go, always discuss how far a dog can or wants to walk each day, and what their overall abilities are like – how is their hearing or sight, for example?

 

 

Exercise and rehab

The same little man we took care of who needs his meds three times a day also needs rehab for his hip. This was a really rewarding experience for Cooper and I. The doggie’s mum went through five sets of exercises we needed to do with him, including a circuit in his back yard, leg lifts (like shaking his paw), and balancing activities.

This dog was so good and so diligent and we happily obliged.

 

Routine

They say routine is just as important for dogs as it is kids, and we’d agree (especially Cooper, a teacher by trade). Leave thorough instructions for your sitter as to what your pet’s routine is. If possible, chat through in person. Usually the dogs tell us when it’s time for their walk or dinner! But, it’s good to know what their usual day looks like, so it can be continued while their family is away.

 

Sight or hearing loss

Ok, so some pups have ‘selective’ hearing loss, we know that well! But others, particularly ageing dogs, start to lose some of their sight and hearing. This can lead to anxiety, or fright if they don’t know we’re around.

We have learnt to make sure we make noise or vibrations on the floor so as not to startle a pooch whose hearing is going. Similarly, we will ensure they see us properly. It can be hard enough with their parents gone – we make every effort to help them through and accommodate any special needs.

 

‘Personality differences’ between dogs

This is a classic that you’re likely to see on the street. Some dogs, like people, just don’t get along. Always make sure that any personality quirks are discussed between sitters and pet owners. One of our pup’s parent’s gave us a heads-up that their cute dog wouldn’t be behind the door at getting into a bit of an argument with others. They were right But we knew, and managed it. Again, communication and being up front about your dog’s personality is key, for their own wellbeing and bespoke care a sitter can offer.

 

As a home owner or pet sitter, do you have questions or tips to add? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.