The UK and Ireland

[snow25]

Hi mga sis, worth it ba puntahan ang legoland resort?  Di pa din ako nakakahanap ng accommodation.  May nakapagtry na ba ng travelodge?  Ano yung pinaka-okay na location na Travelodge?  Dito kasi sa Melbourne, okay ang mga Travelodge so far yung mga na-try namin.  thanks!

[shegie_285]

^ I've tried Travelodge in 2011, it was fine, the rooms were clean and the bed was comfy din.  We stayed at Travelodge Covent Garden.  We booked it because it was cheaper than other Travelodge hotels and close to West end. I remember we also walked one time to Buckingham. Its close to a tube station too.

[miksha]

Is it really that expensive in London? Sa London lang ba expensive? so say I will stay in another city instead of exploring London would that be cheaper? If we plan to visit LEGOLAND would it be better if we stay in Windsor instead of London? What else is there to see in Windsor aside from LEGOLAND?

[shegie_285]

I find the hotels in London mahal and the tube kung single entry and I think they have peak hours,ang mahal. But if you have the oyster card okay naman. Athough I find westend ticket prices are cheaper than Broadway.

Other cities in England, especially Northern England, are a lot cheaper but then nasa London naman lahat ng makikita.

You could go to Windsor Castle.

[iloveshoes88]

Hi girls!

Question lang since I might be able to visit UK on September, how much money should there be in my bank statement? Pwede bang around 50k lang or dapat 6 digits talaga? Thanks!

[glacy_rein]

depends on how long you'd stay.. dapat yung laman ng account magreflect na you can pay for all your expenses.

[WandaWits]

Hi sisses! How do I apply for a UK tourist visa & how about if I'm bringing my 2 kids ( 6 and 9 years old) with me? Should I submit a separate application for them?

[glacy_rein]

^please ask here http://www.femalenetwork.com/girltalk/index.php/topic,230359.360/topicseen.html

[meimei]

@miksha, yes mahal sa London (syempre relatively-speaking). pero it doesn't make sense naman if you won't explore London dahil "mahal" kung pupunta ka na rin ng England. i mean, gagastos ka na rin lang sa airfare.

and i don't think Legoland must be on the top of your list when going to England. Legoland can be found in other countries, pero yung London...

if you want to cut costs kahit papano, spend time researching cheaper accommodations like:

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/may/06/top-10-budget-hotels-london

http://www.visitlondon.com/tag/cheap-hotels

transpo can be pricey pero ayun nga ang magagawa mo lang is choose the cheaper alternative. take the tube instead of a cab (ako mostly cab, tamad kasi, haha).

ang meal cost ko nun was about P700/meal pero ayun nga may kaartehan kasi ako, iniisip ko minsan lang naman ako makakarating dun so gora na sa expenses. pero if you want to cut costs on food, then choose the cheaper alternative: Mcdo, et al.

[stormy]

Ito ang binabasa ko ngayon para sa alis namin sa September. Binabasa ko yung budget nyo at more travel tips pa mga sis

[clueless_bride]

Yes pricey sa London. ang hirap maghanap ng hotels na mura.
My friend and I went in 2012 right after the Olympics so we were expecting bababa na yung hotel rates. We were able to book a studio apartment with a reasonable price. Ang ganda pa ng location kasi one block lang from Bayswater station kaya madali samin mag move around. The hotels in that area times 2 ang presyo.

I moved to a hotel na when my friend left for Ireland, at ayoko maiwan mag isa sa apartment. I was able to book a hotel close to Paddington station for a practical price. single room lang siya kasi alone lang ako. nkakaloka ang size ng room... as in walang mapwestuhan ang luggage ko. kulang na lang itabi ko sakin sa kama haha... pros lang ng mga accommodation na napili namin was the location. very accessible since you are so close to Paddington.

[gj1206]

Yikes -- I looked at Guardian's 'cheap hotels' suggestion and £79 a night for a room? Ang mahal nga! And apparently, a bed at a decent hostel where you're probably sharing with 12/16 other people would cost £25. Josko lang.

But like everyone has said, London is London. It's the capital of the UK for a reason, so if you came here and headed to say, Birmingham or Manchester para maka-tipid...punta ka na lang ng Edinburgh. Scotland is (I think) cheaper, but very beautiful and has history too. Edinburgh Castle looks more 'wow' than Buckingham in my opinion!

Tipid tips I can think of:

- Get an Oyster card instead of using tickets. I vaguely remember a visiting friend buying a return ticket that cost her around £7 while me with my Oyster just spent around £5.50. An Oyster card lets you use the bus and the tube.

- If you want to cab it talaga, use Uber! If used within zone 1 and 2 (maybe 3 na rin), it's so cheap. I've never spent more than £10 so far!

- Try and find accommodation near a tube station, because travelling via the tube is cheap and quick. So even if you find a place that isn't at the centre of the city (where it's expensive!), it's not that hard to go to the sights.

- Sandeman's Walking Tours -- there's a free walking tour about 'Royal London' and while it takes 2.5 hours, it's more because they tell you stories. I've done this myself when I had nothing to do one day, and I assure you hindi malayo ang lakaran. (Sorry, I'm a Sandeman fan so I promote! hehe)

- If I eat out, I usually shell out an equivalent to Php1000-2000 a meal (around £15-20) and that's the average spend now, I think. You can definitely keep it to £10 and lower though! But please please PLEASE LANG don't eat at Angus Steakhouses! They're not representative of English cuisine (although what is English cuisine), and it's terrible food for the price.

The popular 'fish and chips' cost less than £10 and can be found at any pub. And there's Five Guys and Shake Shack if you wanted a good ol' burger with fries. Medyo questionable ang lasa ng McDo nila dito. BK okay pa naman. Forget KFC, ang gravy nila is not like home!

- Oh, another app recommendation: download CityMapper if you don't have it yet, and it's so helpful for communiting around London. You can even use it in other cities! I'm pretty sure they have it in NY, Paris, Berlin, Tokyo...it will tell you which tube lines to take, and how long it'll take you to get there. So you can find out if malayo ang accommodation niyo from town!

[juana_antonia]

Generally England, London specifically, is expensive. Hotels that are worth 80 pounds a night are below average to average looking.

[switblububbles]

Hi girls...Hubby is going to UK in July. Anong magandang pasalubong na ipabili? Yung hindi masyadong expensive. Mga food ganon.

[bonzaigirl]

Hi girls...Hubby is going to UK in July. Anong magandang pasalubong na ipabili? Yung hindi masyadong expensive. Mga food ganon.

The UK doesn't really have like known foods na. We've got great tea and shortbread and fudge. hehe.  But if you're okay with sweets, cheap ang cadbury. If he buys it in the local Asda or Morrisons most of the time they are on sale.  Like a £1 each.  You can also request for Jaffa cakes.    or bourneville dark choco hope makaabot pa, since it's late July already

[bzbee]

Hi! Please advise on our London itinerary for our honeymoon in February.

Day 1
- arrive in London @ 3pm
- check-in at hotel (suggestions for $100-$150 budget?)
- dinner at Gordon Ramsay (huge fans)

Day 2
- Sandeman's Walking Tours (2.5 hours)
this free tour includes Buckingham Palace, Churchill’s War Cabinet Bunker, The Houses of Parliament, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Nelson's Column, St. James’s Park, 10 Downing St., Horseguards, Big Ben

Day 3
- Stonehenge, Bath, Windsor Tour via viator

Day 4
- Harry Potter Studios Tour

Day 5
- ride Eurostar to Paris

based on our itinerary, when can we do the following:
* hop on/hop off tour bus
* London Eye
* Abbey Road & Baker Street
* we also want to see a West End musical or play, but not sure which one

Any other must see places that we've missed? TIA!

[glacy_rein]

^We are also looking forward for a Gordon Ramsey restaurant experience, but a course meal is expensive. Goes up to £100+ per person! Like 10k! haha! Especially the famous Beef Wellington!!! but upon research they do have Lunch Menu's which are cheaper but ofcourse Lunch Menu differs from Dinner Menu so if you have money to splurge then choose your options from the website + Tripadvisor reviews

Day 1 - pwede ipasok dito ang West End Play since 7:30 madalas ang show - depende nalang kung malapit or malayo ang tutuluyan niyo kasi nakakapagod ang byahe. We have fellow Filipino in Miss Saigon (Tanya Manalang) and Les Miserables (Rachel Ann Go) hindi lang ako sure kung available pa yan by that date and ofcourse THERE'S A LOT TO CHOOSE FROM

ok naman schedule mo - to allot a day for HP and Stonehenge tour.

Day 2 obviously is meant for the whole London experience ok din. Baker Street ba is for the Sherlock? Old one? dito din pwede pumasok London Eye mo since maigsi lang time niyo talaga. OR pwede din after HP Tour sa gabi.

When you go to Paris dun niyo puntahan yung Platform 9 3/4 sa St. Pancras

if food lover/cook din nakakatuwa to go to Borough Market! minsan may mga hollywood actor/actress daw dun. hehe!

[gj1206]

We did Restaurant Gordon Ramsey recently (ish) -- the food isn't that expensive, in my opinion; it's comparable to the usual amount we shell out for a 'special' dinner. What makes it expensive is the wine! Wine is definitely good (plus they have a proper sommelier) but you also pay for the water. Over here tap water is potable (so if nagtitipid sometimes we just ask for tap haha) but there it's only still or sparkling bottled water option. At the end when we saw the bill, the drinks ended up being more expensive than the food!

bzbee
I've done that Sandeman Walking Tour (wala kaseng magawa one day haha). You only go past the Churchill War Cabinet Museum, you don't go inside (that costs £30 I think?). You can possibly squeeze all the other stuff you wanted to do on this day.

Abbey Road is just a road -- should take you 15 mins tops, as it's a working road and buses and cars pass down that pedestrian crossing the Beatles famously used. So depende if you really want to get a photo of yourself crossing because while the motorists are polite, medyo nakakahiya if you see a pile up (and quite a few people keep crossing back and forth!). I find it boring to be honest; I'd stay max of 10 mins there.

That Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street has a long arse queue. Never been, just pass by it and parang pila sa MRT lang! Can't say if it's worth what you see inside though.

London Eye -- whuuuuuutttt. But it's too expensive! It was almost £30 when I did it, but that was in its early days, I don't know if there's new prices. But there's always a long queue. Also, I don't know if they have an audioguide or whatever, but there was none when I went, so if you don't know the London landmarks anyway, it's a bit boring. It was quite cool the first few minutes, then got a bit meh after a while, as it is 30 minutes of you being up there with just the same view. If you don't mind paying to see views, just go up to the Shard (tallest building in London), or go up to St. Paul's Cathedral. If you want a panoramic view of London for free and the weather is nice, go up to Primrose Hill in north London, not very far at all from Abbey Road if you are heading that way anyway.

Food markets (or just markets in general) -- check out Borough Market like sis glacy_rein said, Southbank Food Market, or Brixton Market.

You can do your West End play any of the evenings on those days you mentioned, maybe except for the Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor day.

[glacy_rein]

^which Gordon restaurant yan sis? Restaurant Gordon Ramsay yung sinasabi ko na steep ang price. A la carte Menu £110 Lunch £65 Menu Prestige £145. The Savoy Grill serves the Beef Wellington at £78 for two. If converted to PH price mahal na talaga for one. But he still has other restaurants that are cheaper especially if Lunch.

I've seen free London tours which says "pay what you want" mixed reviews naman.

London Eye is better to be booked online that paying on the day itself. Right now may promo sila na London Eye + River Cruise at £28.80. There's this Samsung Ipad's (yata) which is the map. Your choice if aakyat or hindi.

[gj1206]

glacy_rein It is the Restaurant Gordon Ramsay sis. The price is competitive in terms of everywhere else in London, especially since it's a 2-star Michelin restaurant! I'll be paying almost the same, say dining at the Shard, where food isn't even good at all (you're just paying for the views). Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is tucked in a street na almost residential, so no views, but the service is topnotch, no complaints about food, and they let you in through the kitchen to meet the chef and see how they work. I highly recommend it if you can spare the £££ hehe. Usually if mahal may sablay kahit papaan, this one I can't think of any! Oh, the only sablay is out of the way siya. Yun lang! Hehe