The UK and Ireland

[glacy_rein]

Just got back from UK-Paris-Vatican-Rome.. it was all sunny weather parang twice lang kame inulan through the whole 3weeks from different places.

Sarado na yata ang Buckingham Palace for viewing ngayong October.. We went there and so amazed pero bawal ang photos, kainis!

Sis unwanted mukhang jam-packed yang sched niyo unless puro photo ops lang sa labas ang target niyo.. we did Tower of London and Tower Bridge in one day lang.. well considering we have to go home by 7pm din naman kasi. hehe.

But as sis gj1206 said doable yung list nya as photo ops pero the hop on hop off takes time (check their site on this) St. Pauls Cathedral takes time too lalo if aakyat kayo sa Dome and London Eye din kapag mahaba ang pila.. Prepare your jackets na din at ang lamig na ngayon sa gabi.. sabe nga sa GOT. Winter is coming!

Gonna prepare mine as well as it is predicted to be more colder this December. I'll be back on Dec 22 for the holidays.

[bonzaigirl]

^I read somewhere that this coming winter would be the coldest. But then they also said that last winter, and of all my 6 winters in the UK, last year was the most mellow, and it hasn't snowed in the last 2 years (in London only).  Glad you enjoyed your holiday sis.

[glacy_rein]

^yes sis yan din sabe ng MIL and hubby ko sakin. Thanks sis! kainis lang delay ng flight!

[mrs. sweet]

Thanks for the replies sisses bonzai, catterpilar and shegie, very much appreciated!

Going on June 2016 pa naman, we were able to score a great deal from PAL when they had 60% off ata yun. My girls are 14 and 12yo. It's a surprise school break vacation for them, since, they always wanted to go to London and Ireland ('coz of One Direction LOL).

[bonzaigirl]

^ June 2016 good luck and enjoy your holiday 😊😊 malalaki na pala kids mo, mag eenjoy na sila ng bongga. If they are Harry Potter Fans, maybe you can avail of the Harry Potter Studio. May coach coming from Victoria Coach Station.  And of course the The Platform 9 3/4 sa may King's Cross Station.

The weather will hopefully cooperate, but never tempt it, kaya bring a foldable umbrella always. Minsan ang init init, then biglang bubuhus yung ulan for 10-15 mins, then after mainit and maaraw na uli. Enjoy

[mrs. sweet]

^Yes, very unpredictable ata weather ng London. When we were there September of 2014, most of the time malamig, may konti ambon sandali then may times din na mainit init.

[gj1206]

sis unwantedP haha i've been there regularly lately trying to find *the* foundation that suits Philippine weather! I've tested some that lasts the whole day without touching up with powder and minimal shine, but siyempre iba naman ang humidity sa Pilipinas...

glad you enjoyed your holiday sis glacy_rein! it's been sunny nga lately which is lovely; at least hindi masyadong depressing na malamig na hehe. I always say bakit hindi pwedeng spring-summer-autumn na lang hahaha

[glacy_rein]

^nako kada umuulan laging "Welcome to the British Weather!" hahaha!

Sis Unwanted if may time kayo dine-in kayo sa Madisson near St. Paul's Cathedral you'll get its dome view while having lunch and it is a really good restaurant din!

I envy the Christmas special in Harry Potter Studios this year kaso Dec 3 lang. Sayang!

[bonzaigirl]

^ In all honesty, even though The UK's weather is quite gloomy, 4 seasons in one day, I really love it and I miss the vibrancy, quaintess and London's multicultural vibe. I find that I swear a lot at LA's hot and hotter weather. hehe. I find myself homesick all the time, and often go to the BBC channel hehe. I just moved to LA a couple of months ago kasi after calling London home for 6 years hehe.

^^ Another good restaurant to try is [textspeak!] Tong. The Peking Duck is great there, melts in your mouth   bit pricey though but you'll also be paying for the view. 360 view of London from the 34th floor of The Shard. Since you'll be going in June, the view will be so much better. If you book at 8 in the evening, you'll get to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine, and if you're  lucky, you may be able to have an earlier sunset then you may get to enjoy the London lights as well. 😄😄

[unwantedP]

^^thank you sis, naka-note na sakin si Madisson   also sa mga weather tips, maginaw na pala. Yung afternoon river cruise kaya, ok lang?

we booked Holiday Inn Stratford na lang para malapit sa Westfield mall.

Here's our revised itinerary:

Oct 19. 6:30am arrival
10am - 2pm Stratford Westfield mall, Lunch
2pm check-in, rest
5pm - 8pm Stratford Westfield mall, Dinner

Oct 20.
9am - 10am Spitalfields Market/Brick Lane (nabasa ko lang na nice place to check-out)
Lunch in Covent Garden
Trafalgar Square
British Museum
Check Harrods

Oct 21.
Stratford Westfield mall

Oct 22. Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour (will not enter attractions)
09:30 - 10:30 Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
11:00 - 11:45 WALK 800m to Downing Street/Horse Guards Parade
12:00 - 14:30 BUS TO to St. Paul's Cathedral, Lunch @ Madisson
14:45 - 15:15 BUS TO London Bridge
15:35 - 16:30 BUS TO Tower of London, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast
16:40 - 17:10 River Thames Cruise (up to Westminster Pier or London Eye Pier)
Dinner somewhere, Covent Garden ulit? or sa may London Eye?

Oct 23. Stonehenge and Bath Tour (Premium Tours)

Oct 24. Since our Paris was moved to Oct 25, may 1 full day pa in London. Might check out Cotswolds or something. Hindi mahilig sa museum and musicals kasama ko eh. I wanna watch Les Mis pa naman, kaso not available yung 2:30pm on Oct 20.
 

[glacy_rein]

^Sis Oct 19 - Westfield na kayo tapos babalik kayo uli for Oct 21?? Its not that big naman and parang sayang ang araw niyo since may Harrods din kayo? Unless ok sige major shopping galore kayo. hehe! better to go in Westfield London nalang for Oct 21 sa may Shepherd's Bush station para mas malaki. (Try Caluccio's Restaurant din if mahilig kayo sa pasta.. hehe!)

Oct 22 - manonood ba kayo sis ng Changing of the Guards? parang hindi no?? kasi if yes dapat mas maaga kayo sa venue to get a good spot.

River Cruise merong nago-offer ng may dinner, check mo sis. hitting two birds in one stone!

Or if to eat at Covent Garden may nag-suggest samen na masarap ang Fish and Chips sa Rock and Sole Plaice sa may Endell St. (besides, Fish and Chips is what England is known for. hehe!)

Oct 23 - In Bath sis don't forget to have a free taste in The Fudge Kitchen - super love-love-love their Fudge! That is if may sweet tooth ka. hehe! Ok din yung The Roman Bath Kitchen restaurant na nasa may Abbey Churchyard sya.

bring THICK jacket for Stonehenge, malamig na nung pumunta kame nitong Sept and mas malamig na ngayon dun kasi papasok na Winter so bring lang extra na pampatong paglapit niyo dun.

Hindi din ako natuloy sa Cotswolds due to time constraints! you may want to check The English Bus tours baka meron sila. Sila kinuha ko for the Stonehenge tour and ok lang sis na hindi pumasok sa Roman Bath kasi kita mo sya from the top ng isang restaurant.. and malayo ang byahe nila from London itself.

And if shopping galore talaga kayo I do recommend going to Bicester Village, outlet shop to. May bus sila na service from London Victoria Bus Station and parang £28 lang yata.. mahaba lang byahe pero dito discounted lahat halos. Check their site to see the brands available.

and don't forget to get Tax Refunds! sayang din

[unwantedP]

^wala akong maisip sa Oct 21 sis kaya dun lang muna nilagay ko, since katabi lang siya ng hotel. Check ko yung sa may Shepherd's Bush or Bicester Village. Akala ko super laki si Westfield Stratford, kaya yun yung hotel na binook ko para katabi lang Sayang kasi London namin if shopping ulit sa Oct 24. Day trip na lang kaya sa Cotswolds or Oxford or Dover Cliffs or somewhere? wdyt?

River Cruise sis hindi ba masyadong maginaw? Ginawin kasi mother ko hehe. although hindi pa naman winter.

Sis for Stonehenge, nakalapit ba kayo sa mismong stones? May nababasa kasi akong reviews na photo op lang tapos hindi sila nakalapit sa stones, may harang.

[glacy_rein]

^sis sakto may available sched ang "The English Bus Tour" for Oxford, Stratford and Cotswolds Villages @ £74! https://www.theenglishbus.com/trip/oxford-stratford-cotswolds I've always wanted to go here, hindi lang namen nagawa kasi 2-3x a week lang ang tour nila tapos hindi kame available sa dates nila. Its a whole day tour and I am sure its worth to see and experience! Pati ok ang drivers/tour guides ng site na yan coz I've joined them na.

Change your sched sis! hahaha! and yes for me mas ok si Westfield London kesa Westfield Stratford.

Yeah hindi winter pero Winter feels na! My husband started buying thicker blankets already dahil malamig na. What was your lowest temperature experience sis?? baka natry mo na -1 up eh kayang kaya mo yun

Stonehenge no, hindi mo sya pwede hawakan kase if all the tourists would do that masisira na sya in less 10 years siguro so ayun they prevented it but still you get a close up dun which is enough for a very good photo op.

[bonzaigirl]

@unwantedBP

I've been on all 3 trips sis ☺ yung 1. Stonehenge, Windsor and Bath, 2. Oxford, Stratford and Avon and Cotswald Village and 3. Dover Cliffs, Canterbury and Kent Tour. Of the 3 ang pinaka worth it is Oxford, trip. Maganda din yung Stonehenge coach kaso kulang sa oras. If you can do both 1&2 trips the beyter. #3 trip i won't recommend as since nas maganda sya gawin on your own time. Parang for the price hindi sya worth it. Yung Cotswald Village nakakatuwa sya. It's a small and quaint village and they reall chose to spurn industrialization. Kaya wala dung mga trai  stations malapit. Wala ding mga designer brand stores. Eto yung mga shops na lahat eh made there. Medyo pricey on its own, kaya nakakatuwa sya.

Worth it din yung stonhenge and bath trip. You get to see a piece of prehistoric artifact. Kahit hindi mo naman syaahawakan sis, malapit pa din naman. Kaya maganda pa din for photo ops

[gj1206]

If Uniqlo Philippines sells almost the same seasonal stuff, I suggest you get your gear there. You can buy their thin wool cardigan and those makapal na outer jackets/coats. Solb na ko so far with either a thick cardigan/coat or a thin coat + thin cardi underneath + scarf. And siyempre the all important payong! Sunny daw this weekend, but we'll see...Wednesday pa lang eh. Hehe.

sis unwantedP I personally find Westfield boring. I haven't explored Stratford (too deep east for me), but Shepherd's Bush isn't as big as any of the malls in the Philippines. I think the GB malls are just a tad bit prettier.

If you get bored of Westfield Stratford on your first day, you're near-ish to the City, and there's Duck and Waffle on Heron Tower for dinner option. Serves British fare, and you get views of the City.

You're going to be a little bit all over the place on the 20th as Harrod's is slightly south west to all your other itineraries. So medyo out of the way siya.

Covent Garden food & dining, I'll recommend Dishoom (Indian), Hawksmoor (steak & other British stuff, also has a cocktail bar -- there's also a Hawksmoor in Spitalfields btw), LIMA Floral (Peruvian tapas), Fire & Stone (pizza & other stuff), Barrafina (Spanish tapas), Roka (Japanese). The Savoy is also close enought to walk to.

[unwantedP]

Thanks mga sis!

Sis glacy_rein, bonzaigirl we'll do the Oxford, Stratford and Cotswolds na din aside sa Stonehenge+Bath Dover Cliffs din una kong nakita kasi parang ang ganda, yun package with the Canterbury and Leeds Castle (nainlove ako sa maze!) but parang mas ok nga si Oxford and Cotswolds.

Sis glacy_rein, lowest ko na yung sa Chicago winter (end of January), around 2 degrees ata I'm not so sure. Nag snow din kasi But thermals + shirt/longsleeves + thick coat na ako nun, and tagos sa pants ang lamig! Though I'm assuming hindi naman siguro ganun kalamig since late Oct pa lang. but best to bring my thin and thick coat nadin para swap kung ano man yun weather noh? Baka kasi ako lang ang magthick coat dun, dyahe haha. It's my mom I'm worried about kasi lamigin siya, sabihan ko magthermals hehe

Thanks for the food recommendations sis gj1206!

[glacy_rein]

^yup hindi -2 yan more less yung feel siguro mga 10-15.

Last September may mga nagco-coats nadin, ako mega boots nadin sis! Then have your mom wear thicker coat, mas ok na maging comfortable kesa manipis tapos hindi na sya makaka-enjoy. Scarf na din ng bongga sis!

[bonzaigirl]

@unwantedBP  maganda sana yung Canterbury, Leeds Castle, and Dover Cliffs kung hawak nyo yung time nyo. I wouldn't suggest the tour kasi ang highlight nila is yung Canterbury which is a small town on its own. Hindi nga din kayo baba sa may Dover Cliffs. At first I thought eh baba kayo near the Cliffs pero hindi. Malayo pa yung Cliffs pero makikita pa din kaya makakapag photo op kayo pero hindi katulad nung mga nakikita nyo sa photo na nandun talaga sila sa Dover Cliffs. We were lucky na nakuha namin sa Groupon yung deal kaya we paid for 2 people for the price of 1. For the whole price of £80/per person, it's a nono for me ha. But if you choose this, added na din dito ang pagpunta sa greenwich park, but again you'll just be here to walk through the park and not explore the park. Which is maganda sana as greenwich park is very pretty on its own .  You'll walk through the park until you reach the Cutty Shark Station as you'll ride the ferry until Embankment Station.

Maganda din yung  Warwick Castle and Salisbury Castle, pero that's  a different tour and mahal na din sya.

Kaya between Canterbury ,for me, mas pipiliin ko yung Oxford, Stratford upon Avon and Cotswolds.  Oxford- uni belt of UK (aside from Cambridge), bonus Christchurch College -nagshooting yung Harry Potter , Stratford upon Avon- yung birthplace ni Shakespeare and you'll see yung bahay nila ni Ann Hathaway. Matagal din kaming nagexplore on our own sa Stratford, dito na din kayo maglulunch I believe.  Cotswolds - I believe you'll be given  some time for a photo op here.  Hope you enjoy your London tour

[unwantedP]

I'm back from my trip. Thanks sa inputs guys! We enjoyed Bath, buti na lang 3hrs kami dun. Malaki pala siya and there's a lot of things to do. Medyo masungit lang ang "guide" namin. Quoted kasi hindi naman siya sumama sa tour, sa bus lang siya nagexplain ng konti kung ano ang Stonehenge and Bath. Also, hindi din makita ang bus after both tours. Madami kaming naligaw and akala namin naiwan na kami pero we're early naman sa said time of pickup. Hindi kasi nang-greet man lang si guide, nasa bus lang siya. Sa premium tours kami nagbook.

Didn't enjoy Westfield Stratford mall nga din. Hindi siya ganun kalaki for me para matawag na largest mall in Europe

Ang galing ng Les Miserables! Ang galing ni Rachelle Ann Go. Sulit!

[glacy_rein]

^post your review sis about the tour in Tripadvisor! Would be a help for other travellers!

Kame nun hanggang food may suggestion tapos inikot kame at kinwentuhan nung guide namen. Sulit!

Told you, westfield stratford is not that big. Yung shepherd's bush ang malaki talaga, were you able to go there?

Dito na nga lang namen panonoorin ang Les Miserables at ipapalabas dito. Miss Saigon ang pinanood instead.