Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$ Gatwick Airport Central Premier Inn rents cheap rooms 350 yards from the airport
(Db-£45-90,breakfast-£5-8,£2.50shuttlebusfromairport—mustreserveinadvance,Long-
bridge Way, North Terminal, tel. 0871-527-8406, frustrating phone tree,
www.premierinn.com ) . Five more Premier Inns are within a five-mile radius of the airport.
$GatwickAirportTravelodge hasbudgetroomsabouttwomilesfromtheairport(Db-
£30-60, breakfast extra, pay Wi-Fi, Church Road, Lowfield Heath, Crawley, £3.20 shuttle
bus to/from airport, tel. 0871-984-6031, www.travelodge.co.uk ).
Eating in London
With “modern English” cuisine on the rise, you could try a different cuisine for each meal
in London and never eat “local” English food, even during a lengthy stay. The sheer vari-
ety of foods—from every corner of its former empire and beyond—is astonishing. You'll be
amazed at the number of hopping, happening new restaurants of all kinds.
If you want to dine (as opposed to eat), drop by a London newsstand to get a weekly
entertainment guide or an annual restaurant guide (both have extensive restaurant listings).
Visit www.london-eating.co.uk or www.squaremeal.co.uk for more options.
Thethoughtofa£50mealinBritaingenerallyruinsmyappetite,somyLondondiningis
limited mostly to easygoing, fun, moderately priced alternatives. I've listed places by neigh-
borhood—handy to your sightseeing or hotel. Considering how expensive London can be,
if there's any good place to cut corners to stretch your budget, it's by eating cheaply. Pub
grub (at one of London's 7,000 pubs) and ethnic restaurants (especially Indian and Chinese)
are goodlow-cost options. Ofcourse, picnicking isthe fastest andcheapest waytogo.Good
grocerystoresandsandwichshops,fineparkbenches,andpolitepigeonsaboundinBritain's
most expensive city.
London (and all of Britain) is smoke-free. Expect restaurants and pubs that sell food to
benon-smokingindoors,withsmokersoccupyingpatiosanddoorwaysoutside.Whenready
to pay, Brits generally ask for the “bill” rather than the “check.”
Central London
I've arranged these options by neighborhood, but they're all within about a 15-minute walk
of each other. Survey your options before settling on a place.
Near Soho and Chinatown
London has a trendy scene that most Beefeater-seekers miss entirely. Foodies who want to
eatwellskipthemorestaidandtouristyzonesnearPiccadillyandTrafalgarSquare,andhead
to Soho instead. Make it a point to dine in Soho at least once, to feel the pulse of London's
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