Relaxing & parks – All our local tips

Located on the first floor of the fabulously expensive Sanderson Hotel, Agua is a luxury spa providing treatments to relax the mind and the body. Tranquility greets as you enter the all-white interior where every room is separated from another with floor-to-ceiling curtains. Even with such flimsy dividers, there seems to be no noise heard at all.

When you come in for a treatment, you leave your worldly possessions at the lockers and don the fluffy white robe and slippers provided to you at check in. You then chill-out on the white chaise loungers as you wait for your massage or facial. With such calming surroundings, it is quite difficult not to snooze away before or during your treatment.

Actually, you can possibly take a nap afterwards on the meditation beds. Or if the treatments left your stomach grumbling, you can also order light meals where it is served to you in the chill-out zone. It is possible to stay until closing time even if your treatment only lasts for an hour making it an all-day pampering experience.

Agua is quite pricey but it is perfect for those extra-special ‘me’ moments.

(Note: A £15 day membership fee is added to your bill if you are not a regular member or a hotel resident.)

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Agua | Relaxing | Package spa treatments £ 130.00
50 Berners Street | Central | +442073001414
09:00 – 19:00 daily

Located in the heart of Soho on Frith Street, Bar Italia has become quite the Soho institution since it opened its doors in 1949. It serves great coffee and a range of simple, but authentic Italian food 24 hours a day, which is always a preferable option as opposed to the 03:00 visit to the kebab or fried chicken shop.

The interior walls are plastered with pictures of black and white Soho along with the occasional legend or two.

The food counter is well stocked with traditional Paninis made with ingredients such as coppa, mozzarella, basil and tomato. There is also a mouth watering cake display, complete with Italian dolce such as Sicilian favourite Cannoli (custard or sweet ricotta filled pastry). And the best way to enjoy your Cappuccino and Cannoli is alfresco.

If you manage to get yourself a seat at one of the little tables on the pavement sit back and enjoy the buzzing and animated atmosphere of Soho. And just when you think Bar Italia can’t get anymore Italian, it broadcasts football and has its own scooter club which meets every Sunday at 17:00!

Despite Soho’s transformation over the years, Bar Italia has maintained its simple old school Italian charm.

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Bar Italia | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Italian) | Cappuccino £ 2.50
22 Frith Street | Central | +442074374520
24 hours daily

Located on Clapham High Street, Breads Etcetera is the perfect place to go on a lazy weekend for breakfast or lunch.

Bread Etcetera originated from the same named bakery in Stockwell, however due to the success of their organic sourdough bread they opened the Clapham café in 2006 – allowing customers to sample all their artisan treats over a few hours. And trust me, the treats are plentiful.

This cosy little café is mostly famous for the DIY breakfast, where for £2.50 you can help yourself to an unlimited amount of sourdough bread, ranging from walnut to olive and herb bread and a delicious variety of jams and spreads.Each table is fitted out with its own toaster, which only adds to the charm of this place.

For those that want their breakfasts cooked for them, they serve a great selection of breakfasts and light lunches, sourcing their high quality produce from only a selected few suppliers.

The Cumberland Sausages are a must and the Triple Chocolate and Brazil Nut Brownies are definitely worth a mention too. Furthermore, the coffee is brilliant, which isn’t always the case in some of the more traditional London cafés.

The reputation of this quaint little eatery has spread so come the weekend there often is a line of hungry Clapham folk eagerly awaiting for the doors to open at 10:00. Fortunately, this place is open all day allowing you enough time to stroll down for brunch or lunch.

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Breads Etcetera | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks | DIY breakfast £ 2.50
127 Clapham High Street | South-East | +442077203601
Mon 10:00 – 14:00 (takeout only), Tue – Sat 10:00 – 19:00, Sun 10:00 – 16:00

Greenwich Park is the home of the Prime Meridian Line. It is where GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) starts and thus, poetically, where time begins. The Prime Meridian Line used to be a line drawn on the earth (not around the globe though as I would imagine) but now, it is represented by a green laser beam. This line can be seen clearly in the night sky.

The park also hosts the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. As it sits on top of a hill, the place is perfect for sky watchers and star gazers. But apart from science, Greenwich Park also offers spaces for sport, dining (including picnics) and simply relaxing.

For the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Greenwich Park will be the venue of the Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events.

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Greenwich Park | Relaxing, Snacks
Greenwich | South-East
06:00 – 18:00 daily

The Heath is a 79-acre public space made up of several ponds, ancient woodlands, heaths and meadows.

Here you can pretend that you are deep in the English countryside.  In summer, eat picnics in the shade of ancient trees, chew grass stalks and compose poetry (John Keats lived nearby on West Heath Road).  In winter I’d recommend borrowing a Labrador and squelching through the muddy tracks that wind through the open grassland and forests.

There is a certain breed of Englishmen and women who like nothing more than a bracing swim in one of the many Heath ponds, located at both the Hampstead and Highgate ends of the Heath.  Some ponds are single-sex, some are mixed.

Many activities occur on the Heath, running, kite-flying, walking, but most famously, cruising.  George Michael has apparently cited the Heath as one of his favourite spots for picking up, er, friends.  Watch out George, make sure the Hampstead Heath Constabulary don’t catch you, officers with trained dogs patrol the grounds 24 hours a day.

Finally, take a walk to the top of Parliment Hill to take in a panoramic view of the city. Look towards Canary Wharf and St Paul’s Cathedral, and just imagine how over the centuries this city has grown to swallow the surrounding villages that now make up Greater London.

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Hampstead Heath | Relaxing | Free
East Heath Road | North-West
24 hours daily

Set amongst the chaos of central London lies Hyde Park. Nestled in the city centre, it is still an oasis away from the hustle and bustle. Therefore, horse riding through the nation’s landmark park is undoubtedly such a special way to experience the Park, and a more traditional way of experiencing London.

Not surprisingly, Rotten Row, the bridleways around Hyde Park, have been famous throughout England for over 300 years. Therefore, to continue this grand tradition, the Hyde Park Stables offer lessons and horse rides through the park all year round.

Located just a few streets back from the park and down a cobblestone mews, the stables offer one-hour lessons which cost up to £59, in addition to 10-week courses and private classes.

Beginners are welcome and can rest assured that the friendly staff are on hand to help, ensuring that the well tempered horses remain safely within the park at all times!

Bookings are required in advance and gift vouchers are also available.

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Hyde Park Stables | Relaxing | Semi-private lesson rides £ 64.00
63 Bathurst Mews | West | +442077232813
Daily

Is there anything more English than cricket? Or rather, is there a sport less American than cricket? In an age of overtime, in-game ads and prawn sandwiches cricket is a game played (in its purest form) from 11am to 7pm, over five days by barely fit men in white flannels – and it can still end in a draw (I can hear those NFL fans writhing in their silly, oversized shirts now) Cricket is as old as father time and as stoic as the British army – yet it can still be very, very exciting.

If you do happen across London in the summer, there will usually be a game staged at Lords, the sport’s spiritual home – either by the lacklustre national team or its domestic custodians Middlesex. If you do catch an England match the place will be full to bursting with 30,000 wobbling pink Brits slow-roasting in the weak London sun. It really is a sight to behold; especially at around 4pm when people get roaringly spannered and start jumping on the pitch. And this summer the old boy hosts the Twenty-Twenty World Cup, a fast-paced festival of sixes, stumpings and more than a few silly-mid-offs.

In short, what I’m saying is: you can go many places in London which are cool, interesting and fun. But to take in something wholly English come to Lords. The clue is in the name.

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Lords Cricket Ground | Art & culture, Relaxing | Tour £ 14.00
Lords Cricket Ground | North-West | +442076168500
Tour Mon – Fri 12:00 – 14:00, Sat – Sun 10:00, 12:00 & 14:00

Taxidermy and bric-a-brac aren’t the surroundings I’d usually pick for a cocktail bar, however this place not only pulls it off, it does it in style! Situated in an old meat packing factory, this kitsch establishment is a favourite with the fashion and media world. Even Madonna, the material girl herself, had a birthday here.

Its location, down a gritty East London street, combined with the unusual choice of stuffed animals and dolls is a stark contrast to the glamorous clientele draping off the ornate sofas. All of which creating quite a surreal experience.

The cocktail list is impressive, as is the care and attention put in to making each drink. The Lotus Position, blended with vodka, Mozart White, strawberry puree, mimosa syrup with orange flower water goes down very easily, as does the Adam and Eve, a tempting combination of vodka, blueberries, fig liqueur and lime.

To best enjoy your night, call ahead and reserve a sofa and take in the fabulous surroundings.

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Lounge Lovers | Bars, Music, Relaxing | Cocktails from £ 7.00
1 Whitby Street | East | +4402070121234
Tue – Thu & Sun 18:00 – 00:00, Fri 17:30 – 01:00, Sat 18:00 – 01:00

Located just up the road from the debauchery that is Camden, lies Primrose Hill, a quaint village like area that is known for its celebrity residents in addition to some of the best views of London.

The most picturesque way to get there is by walking along the canal from Camden, where you’ll pass house boats and buskers before popping out at the Primrose Hill exit. The streets are lined with beautiful mansions and perfect gardens, leaving you feeling like you’ve stumbled across a quintessentially English film set! This is quite fitting considering many English film stars have made this little area their home.

The high street (Regent’s Park Road) has a distinct village like feel to it, complete with a continental food store, cafes, specialty stores and restaurants. Come the weekend in summer, alfresco dinners and punters from the pub spill out onto the pavement, creating a lively yet relatively relaxed atmosphere.  However if a picnic in the park sounds more like your cup of tea, be sure to pass by Shepherd’s continental food store. Shepherd’s has tables set up outside selling delicious French pastries, bread and tasty Italian favourites.

From there, head up to the park, where you’ll be welcomed by fantastic views of the city in addition to the usual sites of a London park in summer; girls in bikini’s, ball games, picnics and people drinking cider in the sun. All in all, a very English way to spend an afternoon!

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Primrose Hill | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Snacks, Restaurants (Various)
Primrose Hill | North-West
24 hours daily

Stanfords travel book shop first opened its doors in 1901 and has since seen its fair share of customers, ranging from classic authors to modern day travel writers such as Bill Bryson and Michael Palin.

Centrally located between Covent Garden and Leicester Square, Stanfords is three stories high and is stocked entirely with guide books, maps, travel literature and accessories.  Therefore, for any lover of travel and escapism, a visit to Stanfords is an idyllic way to spend a rainy afternoon and plan your next holiday.

Stanfords has an impressive selection of guide books for every country imaginable, along with detailed road maps to assist even the most adventurous traveller plan their next trip. Scattered amongst the books and maps are travel journals, colourful travel photography books and old fashioned world globes, making Stanfords a great place for a unique present. And for those that forever dream of travelling to exotic places – travel literature lines the century old walls, allowing your imagination to be transported across the globe. Understandably, Stanfords is my favourite bookshop in London!

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Stanfords | Relaxing, Shopping
12 -14 Long Acre | Central | +4402078361321
Mon, Wed & Fri 09:00 – 19:30, Tue 09.30 – 19:30, Thu 09:00 – 20:00, Sat 10:00 – 20:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

Okay, so Taylor Taylor is a bit image-obsessed. The free drinks coup is a gimmick and the stylists do look like they’ve stepped straight off the Starship Enterprise. But this is Shoreditch; what do you expect?

Let’s stick with the motif of pretension and run. Because Taylor Taylor – l’enfant terrible of London’s high-end hair stylists – is a gilded Willy Wonka factory to east end glamour. And I love it.

I’m writing primarily about the brand’s Commercial Street (just off Spitalfields market) HQ rather than its Cheshire Street kid sister. This is where you’ll find the body-length birdcage, the lavish king-size mirrors and, of course, the underground gold-leaved hair washing citadel that’ll have you thinking you’re about to be sacrificed to the god of vanity. What could be more OTT than having your head massaged in a room that looks like it was lifted from Babylon’s hanging gardens?

A portion of your fee is going to all this background noise. And it’s not the cheapest at around £39 a cut. But you won’t find anything much cheaper in town so why not look at all the pretty things while you’re being pampered?

The cut I got was nothing short of fantastic, too – a real one-on-one thrashing out of what I wanted before giving me something much better than the hair-by-numbers junk you’re likely to find at your local Toni & Guy. Make it worth a bit more by swigging on cocktails and beer and there’s your value. Sort of.

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Taylor Taylor Salon | Relaxing | Ladies £ 60.00
137 Commercial Street | East | +4420773772737
Mon – Wed 10:00 – 20:00, Thu 12:00 – 21:00, Fri 10:00 – 19:00
Sat – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Sandwiched between the rough and ready southern suburbs of Deptford and Charlton, and a stone’s throw away from glamourous neighbour Greenwich, Blackheath is one of London’s largely untapped tourist treasures. There’s quality nosh-a-plenty, enough bars to carry a debauched night from beginning to hazy end, and there’s the book shop at the top of the high street.

The Bookshop on the Heath is one of those delightfully staccato establishments, stepping straight out of a Conan Doyle novel. Looking across to the picturesque Black Heath and its playboy accoutrements, the shop is as good a snapshot of Victorian London as you’re likely to get this side of Soho. Step inside, however, and you’ll be catapulted further back in time into Britain’s glorious literary past.

Wodehouse, James, Pinter, Pratchett – everywhere a dog-eared second hand gem to be bought for less than a Covent Garden cappuccino. Also worth mentioning are the Ian Fleming first editions, as are the fantastic collection of reference books and maps, many dating hundreds of years past. If old magazines or football programmes are your cup of tea, then you’ll be in your element rummaging through the myriad decks on display.

So take a look round Blackheath, enjoy football on the green and Fosters in the bar – but make sure you take home one of Britain’s best known books, too.

Photo: Blackheath Bugle

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The Bookshop on the Heath | Relaxing, Shopping
74 Tranquil Vale | South-East | +442088524786
Mon – Fri 09:30 – 16:30, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

This once derelict house was bought by the Late American artist, Dennis Severs. Severs had been inspired by ‘Old England’, so he renovated the house to reflect the 18th and 19th centuries. Eager to share his passionate creation with the public, Severs then opened his house up to visitors.

However with no signage outside, the house looks like any other Victorian townhouse. Although once inside, it’s quite a different story, as I felt I had entered a time capsule and had been ejected out somewhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Spread out on four floors, each of the ten rooms tells a different story. Props such as the remains of half eaten toast and cups of tea make the visitor feel as someone just left the room. Whilst the more permanent structures, such as the uneven floors, low beamed ceilings, antique furnishings and the smell of gas from the fire places lingering through the air allows the visitor to visualise and smell yester-year.

To enhance your senses, attend a ‘Silent Night’ candlelit viewing on a Monday evening. The flickering of candles leave you feeling as if your presence is being observed by the occupants of the house, which of course are only as vivid as your imagination will allow.

Since Severs death in 1999, funding to keep the house open has been limited, therefore Severs intricate interpretation of centuries gone by can only be kept alive for as long as people continue to visit this special little place.

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The Dennis Severs House | Art & culture, Relaxing | ‘Silent night’ £ 12.00
18 Folgate Street | East | +442072474013
Mon evening & 1st, 3rd Sun & Mon of the month 12:00 – 16:00

Central London, dating back thousands of years and having been largely flattened in the Second World War, is not laced with the cloud-hugging skyscrapers dotted round other European cities like Moscow or Frankfurt.

But for this reason, there are some staggeringly vast views to be had across the city, not least from the London Eye or Centrepoint. But the Eye’s expensive, and you’d do well to get up Centrepoint most days.

But there is an alternative. Tucked away between The City’s monetary monoliths sits Sir Christopher Wren’s (he of St. Paul’s Cathedral) Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666. A huge Roman column topped with a flame, the pillar stands 202ft tall, and 202ft away from the spot in Pudding lane where the devastating fire was said to have begun. If you can stomach the 311-stair ascendence the views can be awesome on a good day.

Also good is the price – £3 entry anyone? That’ll do very nicely thank you!

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The Monument | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance adults £ 3.00
Monument Street | Central | +442076262717
09:30 – 17:30 (last admission 17:00) daily

Located south east of central London and perched on the Thames is Greenwich, a village like area of London which is rich in British maritime history. Whilst Greenwich is now more synonymous for its pubs, restaurants, markets and of course the meridian line, evidence of its maritime history can be seen everywhere you look.

Come the weekend, Greenwich is flooded with Londoners and tourists alike, so at some point refuge and a glass of wine is needed! And to offer you that protection is the Trafalgar pub, which is tucked away along the river and located on the Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site.

The Trafalgar, built in 1837 and bursting with history was also famously one of Charles Dickens’ favourite watering holes.  And despite being over 170 years old,  it has maintained its Victorian charm, with wooden floors, cosy fire places and large bay windows facing out onto the river, making a perfect hiding place on a dark and cold London winter’s day.

The Trafalgar also has a small but charming restaurant and the main pub serves up all the usual favourites including their specialty – fish and chips.

So next time you’re in Greenwich be sure you stop off at the Trafalgar to really get a feel of Greenwich’s past.

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The Trafalgar | Bars, Relaxing, Snacks | Mains £ 13.00
Park Row | South-East | +442088582909
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 23:00, Fri- Sat 12:00 – 00:00, Sun 12:00 – 22:30

Stretching across Tooting, Balham and Streatham is 92 acres of greenery that is Tooting Common. It provides a quieter experience than its neighbour, Clapham Common, as it is nestled within the residential area. But that is not to say that it is bereft of action.

The common is enjoyed by every age, gender and species, whether it is playing football, throwing a frisbee, jogging, walking or simply basking under the sun. I have seen, at times, people having a barbeque picnic but according to regulations, that is supposedly not allowed.

Tooting Common not only offers manicured lawns but also an area of woods. Perfect for those who want a bit of rough nature walk. You can also go horse riding and seasonal fishing in some of the ponds.

Londoners love to spend their time outdoors even if it is within the comforts of home. But with such a diverse space like Tooting Common in your backyard, who would want their own garden?

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Tooting Common | Relaxing | Free
Wandsworth | South-West
Daily