SIMPLE OUTPUT (Author and post)

by meganfernandez Starting this since we are an international group and could provide good advice.

I'm going to London in early May for the first time and looking for hotel/rental suggestions. There will be 5 adult women - all related - and we're open to about anything that's not more than $400/night/room (or $700-ish for a 2BR rental), a great little B&B (love the looks of Lime Tree Inn and Sloane Club apartments), a cottage, or a really great budget hotel that's quiet in a good neighborhood. Open to staying a little farther out, too, and using public transportation.

Is Belgravia a good area to stay in? What about Battersea?

We have a fairly full schedule, starting with a Wimbledon tour, of course. I'd love suggestions on where else to stop in Wimbledon, any other tennis points of interest in London (any great stores?), and your very favorite spot in London, be it a bar, restaurant, block, shop, gallery, landmark, reading room, anything.

Thanks!
by Suliso Hi Megan, I wanted to answer to your post but forgot that day :(

I can't really say much about accommodation, but wanted to say that you should just walk through parks in central London (St James in particular). Some of the best urban parks there are. If you've got a day to spare Royal Botanical gardens at Kew are amazing.

Totally unrelated to your post: I was booking an apartment in Liguria in June (we're attending a wedding) on Airbnb and continued to browse luxury properties for no particular reason. Found a place in Turks and Caicos for 36,000 $/night :shock: I just wonder is anyone really booking places like that just via Airbnb...
by ponchi101 Megan.
The National Gallery is a must. Cliche and all, it is impressive.
I haven't been in London in ages and I can't go to Britain w/o a visa, so I decided they can KMA. Several other great cities in Europe I can go to.
But London is wonderful.
by Suliso This is a great travel video about a place in China even most Chinese haven't heard off made by a Chinese traveler (not from that area). Most of us have been to a Chinese restaurant and some perhaps to metropolitan China as well, but food here is nothing like that.



Actually the whole channel shows the lesser known places in China for English speaking audience. Sometimes few places in neighboring countries as well.
by ashkor87
meganfernandez wrote: ↑Thu Jan 25, 2024 12:42 am Starting this since we are an international group and could provide good advice.

I'm going to London in early May for the first time and looking for hotel/rental suggestions. There will be 5 adult women - all related - and we're open to about anything that's not more than $400/night/room (or $700-ish for a 2BR rental), a great little B&B (love the looks of Lime Tree Inn and Sloane Club apartments), a cottage, or a really great budget hotel that's quiet in a good neighborhood. Open to staying a little farther out, too, and using public transportation.

Is Belgravia a good area to stay in? What about Battersea?

We have a fairly full schedule, starting with a Wimbledon tour, of course. I'd love suggestions on where else to stop in Wimbledon, any other tennis points of interest in London (any great stores?), and your very favorite spot in London, be it a bar, restaurant, block, shop, gallery, landmark, reading room, anything.

Thanks!
Our son has got us tickets to Queens so now we will have to go! Finals.
by ashkor87 Our son lives in London and is an expert on London and tennis both .he got us tickets to Queens so we will have to go,! I can DM you his contact if you like
by JTContinental
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 12:20 pm Megan.
The National Gallery is a must. Cliche and all, it is impressive.
I haven't been in London in ages and I can't go to Britain w/o a visa, so I decided they can KMA. Several other great cities in Europe I can go to.
But London is wonderful.
I also really liked the Tate Modern.

It's also totally worth it to walk up all 528 steps of the dome in St Paul's for the view at the top.
by meganfernandez
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 8:14 am Our son lives in London and is an expert on London and tennis both .he got us tickets to Queens so we will have to go,! I can DM you his contact if you like
Sure, thank you. I'm curious about any other tennis sites to see!
JTContinental wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:30 am
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 12:20 pm Megan.
The National Gallery is a must. Cliche and all, it is impressive.
I haven't been in London in ages and I can't go to Britain w/o a visa, so I decided they can KMA. Several other great cities in Europe I can go to.
But London is wonderful.
I also really liked the Tate Modern.

It's also totally worth it to walk up all 528 steps of the dome in St Paul's for the view at the top.

Thanks! I love a climb and view! Thanks for both of these suggestions, and others for the parks and National Gallery suggestions! On my list!
by ashkor87 the much reviled British Museum and the Tate, plus Kew Gardens.. there are still deer at Richmond Park, I believe..
we are going to do a tour of the ancient trees of England, in early June
by Suliso
ashkor87 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 8:22 am we are going to do a tour of the ancient trees of England, in early June
Ancient trees? Tell us more... Where exactly are they and why particularly interesting?

I've done a little bit of traveling in rural England far from London. Could be nice.
by ashkor87 Saw an article in Guardian..will post it here in a bit
by ashkor87 https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg ... venues-aoe
by meganfernandez
I love this. I'm equally fascinated with trees.
by Suliso We'll be off to Caribbean for two weeks exactly a week from now. Really looking forward to it. I've never been to this part of the world.
by Suliso I was just thinking what kind of vacation destinations are popular at work beyond visiting family (have colleagues from as far away as LA). Seems like Vietnam is popular now (3 cases). Also several recently went to NYC and an office mate should be back from Mexico next week. Of course Spain and Italy always high on the list as it's not far away. For more exotic a lady from the office planing diving and island hoping around French Polynesia (Tahiti, Bora Bora etc).
by Fastbackss Well, we bought the tickets and started making hotel reservations so I guess will happen.
Going with the Mrs to Greece this summer. Looks like itinerary will be few days Athens, few days Santorini, few days Athens.
by ashkor87
Fastbackss wrote: ↑Fri Mar 29, 2024 1:32 am Well, we bought the tickets and started making hotel reservations so I guess will happen.
Going with the Mrs to Greece this summer. Looks like itinerary will be few days Athens, few days Santorini, few days Athens.
Crete is worth a visit too..great hikes, and even older than Athens etc
by Fastbackss I wanted to do that.

Or Mykonos as well.

Both were suggested by me.

I was outvoted 1-1, hence why we are not going...
by Suliso Santorini is cute, but will be very crowded and expensive in summer...

We're in Dominica this week. Like it a lot here.
Beagle_channel.jpg
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by ponchi101 I finished my shift and had to disembark last week. We did so in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. To reach it, we navigated the Beagle Channel, retracing the steps (strokes?) of my hero, Charles Darwin.
An impressive display by nature.
Beagle_channel.jpg
by ashkor87
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 30, 2024 3:02 pm I finished my shift and had to disembark last week. We did so in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. To reach it, we navigated the Beagle Channel, retracing the steps (strokes?) of my hero, Charles Darwin.
An impressive display by nature.
wow! awesome!!
by Tybal Belgravia is a fantastic area to stay in London. It's elegant, quiet, and centrally located, with good access to public transportation. Charming streets, lovely boutiques, and great dining spots make it a solid choice for your group. Battersea is also a good option, but it's more residential and a bit further from central attractions. If you're okay with being a little out of the way, the value for money can be great there.
For your Wimbledon day, check out the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. It's a must for tennis fans. As for favorite spots in London, Borough Market is a food lover's paradise, and strolling along the South Bank offers great views and vibes.
Speaking of stays, I've also been to this hotel in Branson, Missouri, and it was a cozy and memorable experience, perfect for a peaceful retreat.
by Suliso I was just thinking about the best/most interesting eating places I've been to the last 5-7 years (longer I don't remember). Since most of you are Americans I have three suggestions for you in your own country (all from our trip Dec 2021):
We also went to two amazing places in Washington DC (Indian and Ethiopian), but sadly I didn't write down the names... :(
by ponchi101 The Nebong House, Mukah, Sarawak, Malaysia. The best sea food in the world I have had.
I don't know if it still there. That was in 2009. But I don't want to look it up in Maps because if it is not, I will cry.
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Ushuaia, Argentina -->
by ponchi101 My life:
Thursday:
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Ushuaia, Argentina
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Buzios, Brazil.
Sometimes, I get lucky. Real lucky. -->
by ponchi101 Monday:
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Buzios, Brazil.
Sometimes, I get lucky. Real lucky.
by ti-amie Beautiful
by Owendonovan Though not a nudist, I'm heading Mexico's only legal nudist beach, Zipolite, for a week starting Sunday. Both water and air temps over 80 degrees F and about 3 hours more of daylight than here in NYC, should take a little edge off the seasonal affected disorder...........
by ti-amie
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 8:33 pm Though not a nudist, I'm heading Mexico's only legal nudist beach, Zipolite, for a week starting Sunday. Both water and air temps over 80 degrees F and about 3 hours more of daylight than here in NYC, should take a little edge off the seasonal affected disorder...........
Enjoy your trip. Sightseeing should be, uh, interesting. ;) :lol:
by ponchi101
ti-amie wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 10:02 pm
Owendonovan wrote: ↑Fri Nov 22, 2024 8:33 pm Though not a nudist, I'm heading Mexico's only legal nudist beach, Zipolite, for a week starting Sunday. Both water and air temps over 80 degrees F and about 3 hours more of daylight than here in NYC, should take a little edge off the seasonal affected disorder...........
Enjoy your trip. Sightseeing should be, uh, interesting. ;) :lol:
And, PLEAAAAAAAASSSSEEEEE! : A selfie.
;)
by Suliso There are still some not so expensive places to travel to. Our accommodation for 11 nights in Armenia only about $ 570 and that even includes some 4* places.
by ponchi101 One place that sounds terribly interesting. Post some pictures, enjoy the trip :thumbsup:
by Suliso @ponchi: how was your friend's journey to US? Forgot in which thread you mentioned it...
by ponchi101 I believe they were able to enter, since I have heard nothing bad from them.
But no news so far. In this case, no news could mean that the wifi in that particular prison sucks, but I assume they did fine.
by dryrunguy
ponchi101 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 05, 2025 2:01 pm I believe they were able to enter, since I have heard nothing bad from them.
But no news so far. In this case, no news could mean that the wifi in that particular South Sudan prison sucks, but I assume they did fine.
Fixed that for you...
by Suliso Just did some random browsing and was shocked how expensive hotels in US have become. Almost double from what I remember ca 4 years ago when I last visited. I doubt your incomes have doubled as well. Come to Switzerland - it's now a cheaper country!
by JTContinental Yes, we've mostly just started renting houses through Vrbo when we travel--just about the same price as a hotel and you get a whole house.
by Owendonovan I just spent the most stressful week of the year with my family. Somehow they operate almost solely on assumption, which is usually wrong. The battle to be heard, the subtle digs, and the ability to bring out the worst in each other was in high gear. It turned into a sociology study once I stopped participating as much. I will visit them individually, but not as a group again.
by ponchi101 Sorry to hear that you had to travel for that.
by Suliso We're flying home tomorrow after a 16 day vacation in Northern Norway. Very much recommended if you ever get a chance. Views are stunning, particularly if sun shows up.
by Suliso Booked our flights to Australia next year. The longest vacation (28 calendar days) I have ever had.
by ponchi101 About fifth country in my list of place to go. Would love it. :thumbsup:
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Baby beach -->
by ponchi101 Spent a week in Aruba. Great food, good diving, and actually a lot more to see than I expected.
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Baby beach
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Quadikiri cave -->
by ponchi101
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Quadikiri cave
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Another cave that I forgot the name -->
by ponchi101
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Another cave that I forgot the name
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The whites were dry, and the reds were a bit rough, but would work well with a good steak.
The cheeses and chocolate were superb.
And there is a local rum called Pepe Margo which is a fine Caribbean specimen. -->
by ponchi101 And a fine sample platter at the Alto Vista Winery.
20251006_180738.jpg
The whites were dry, and the reds were a bit rough, but would work well with a good steak.
The cheeses and chocolate were superb.
And there is a local rum called Pepe Margo which is a fine Caribbean specimen.
by Owendonovan I've been in Zipolite, Mexico for a week. It's a relatively rural beach town in Southern Oaxaca. Also, Mexico's only legal nude beach, so lots of gay folks. 88 degrees in the air, 85 degrees sun the water. It's very easy to be here.
by Suliso We're on our last day of a week long Cyprus vacation. Very nice here as well. 23-26 C air temperature and 23 C water. It could hardly be better for a late November in Europe.
by ponchi101 You guys run for the beaches. I am looking forward for my snow (January).
Good to hear you guys had fun :thumbsup:
by Suliso That's because you live in a hot place and us in a cold one :)

Btw ski season has started in Switzerland already, lots of snow in the mountains.