Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : London - November 2008

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that November in London can be pretty grim – cold, wet and almost unremittingly dark. But there are some consolations. Christmas just around the corner lends life in the city a festive air – the National History Museum opens its ice rink on the 6th and Hyde Park follows suit on the 22nd. Tabitha Lasley gets her skates on

Getting around

London is served by Gatwick Airport, which is 46km south of the city centre.

Bus: National Express coaches to London Victoria take one hour 35 minutes. Single tickets cost €9,80/£6.60 and the service runs 24 hours a day.
Train: The quickest way to get into the city is by taking the Gatwick Express to London Victoria. It takes 30 minutes and runs every 15 minutes from 5am to 11.45pm. A single ticket costs €22,60/£15.90.
Taxi: Outside rush hour, a taxi to the city centre will take about an hour and cost €114/£77.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at 1 Lower Regent Street (tel. , visitlondon.com).

HOLBORN

Bisected by High Holborn, this grandly proportioned district is within striking distance of the West End and the City.

Sleep soundly – The five-star Renaissance Chancery Court has some of the largest suites in London, and its subterranean spa is fast becoming a destination in itself. Decked out in gold leaf and ebony panelling, it offers some of the most cosseting treatments around. Stave off the blues with a Winter Spice treatment – a warming orange and cinnamon wrap, followed by a soothing massage.

Must eat – Perched on the periphery of Covent Garden, Mothi Matal (45 Great Queen Street, tel. ) serves up modern Indian cuisine in a bright, white space. Try pan-fried baby mullet with poppy seeds and paprika.

FITZROVIA

Otherwise known as NoHo, this quaint quarter north of Soho is the former stomping ground of Virginia Woolf and her set of Bloomsbury aesthetes.

Must eat – Fino (33 Charlotte Street, tel. ) does excellent Spanish food in sleek, muted surroundings. Start with the razor clams and stuffed courgette flowers, followed by the crispy pork belly or grilled hake with baby Swiss chard.

Must drink – The Kit Kemp-designed interior at the Charlotte Street Hotel’s Oscar Bar (15 Charlotte Street) pays homage to the aforementioned Bloomsbury Group.

SOUTH BANK

Following the Thames from Lambeth to Blackfriars, this stretch of riverbank offers some of the best waterfront views in the capital.

Culture vultures – Take a spin on the London Eye (by County Hall, londoneye. com), the world’s tallest observation wheel. Views are particularly spectacular on a crisp winter morning. A little further along the river there’s the cutting-edge BFI complex (Belvedere Road), which is currently showing the Andy Warhol exhibition Other Voices Other Rooms. But save time for a visit to the Tate Modern (Bankside), housed in an iconic former power station.

Shop til you drop – Gabriel’s Wharf is full of quirky little shops selling oneoff, hand-made clothes and jewellery. Foodies should head for Borough Market (Southwark Street), which sells a tantalising array of meat, fish, fruit, cheese and wine – much of it organic.

SHOREDITCH

The penniless artists who colonised this district a decade ago have moved east, making room for a brace of polished boutiques and restaurants.

Dance the night away – Set in a Victorian warehouse, the recently revitalised Tabernacle (55-61 Tabernacle Street) houses a restaurant that serves accomplished Italian-inflected food, a light filled ground floor bar and a basement lounge that stays open till late.

Shop til you drop – Start’s (57 Rivington Street) capsule collection includes big names like Miu Miu and Alexander McQueen as well as up-andcoming labels. Before a big night out, try the Beauty Bonsai treatment at The Parlour (3 Ravey Street).

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley