Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : London - March 2009

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Aside from the good stuff that’s a given about London in the spring (long evenings, warm(ish) weather, ebullient locals), this month’s cultural calendar is chock full of treats. Composer Philip Glass makes a rare appearance at the Barbican on 26 May, while Jude Law stars as the titular Dane in the Wyndham’s Theatre production of Hamlet from 29 May. Tabitha Lasley gets excited

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).

MAYFAIR

Recession or no recession, there will always be rich people and this is where you’ll find them – buzzing round Mayfair’s designer stores and glossy nightclubs.

Sleep soundly – InterContinental London Park Lane (1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane, tel. , ichotelsgroup.com, rooms from €214/£199) has bright, modern rooms with huge soft beds. Head straight for the black slate spa, which does Elemis facials and hot stone therapy

Dance the night away – Molton House (43 South Molton Street) comes with the benediction of one Paris Hilton and a menu full of special cocktails. Go for the cherry blossom bellini – black grapes, amaretto and Veuve Cliquot.

SHAD THAMES

Running along the south side of the river, Shad Thames is a pretty enclave tucked away from Bermondsey.

Culture vultures – If you’re quick, you can catch the Hussein Chalayan retrospective at the Design Museum (Shad Thames) – it’s on until 17 May. Otherwise, the nominees for the Brit Insurance Design Awards (aka “the design world’s Oscars”) are on show until 14 June.

Must eat – Le Pont de la Tour (Butlers Wharf, 36d Shad Thames, tel. ) stares Tower Bridge full in the face and serves classic French food such as Provençale fish soup and Pyrenean lamb with white bean ragout.

Must drink – Head upstairs to the Blueprint Café for river views and a light, seasonal lunch menu.

KENSINGTON & CHELSEA

The Royal borough lies just west of centre. Come here for swathes of green parkland and “Albertopolis” (the museum district).

Sleep soundly – Royal Garden Hotel (2-24 Kensington High Street, tel. , royalgardenhotel. co.uk, rooms from €123/£115) has great views over Hyde Park. And its 10th-floor restaurant, Min Jiang (tel. ), does (arguably) the best Peking duck in the city.

Must eat – Bluebird (350 Kings Road, tel. ) is a one-stop shop for sybarites. There’s a restaurant doling out dishes such as roast Cornish cod with brown shrimps and cabbage, a shop selling designer pieces and a low-lit spa peddling gorgeous Ole Henriksen treatments.

Shop til you drop – Pick up organic skincare at the Liz Earle flagship store (38-39 Duke of York Square, Kings Road).

SHOREDITCH

Shoreditch may have lost some of its chilly cachet, but that hasn’t stopped a recent recession-defying run of restaurant and bar openings.

Must eat – The newly opened Albion (2-4 Boundary Street, tel. ) does a nice line in old-fashioned nursery food. It’s appended to the Boundary Hotel, which is set to throw open its doors this month.

Must drink – Inspired by Lewis Carroll’s poem Jabberwocky, Callooh Callay (Unit 2 Rivington Street) adeptly channels the original spirit of Shoreditch. Step through an old wardrobe to reach the cosy back room and diminutive upstairs bar.

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley