I have a real loathing of places which refer to themselves as London’s “best-kept secret,” but Sticky Mango actually deserves the accolade. It’s not wedged into Southbank’s busy arteries which overflow with humdrum chain restaurants. Instead, this Waterloo outpost is quietly but conveniently located on Coin Street, close to the Old Vic, the National Theatre
You’ve got 12 hours in Covent Garden. Maybe you’re a tourist with a tight London itinerary. Maybe you’re a local who’s walked through the piazza a hundred times and never stopped. Either way, the question is the same: how do you spend one day here without wasting money on overpriced street performers and souvenir tat?
There are some places in London that simply take your breath away. The Arab Hall in Leighton House is one of those. The Soane Museum is another, as is Two Temple Place. Then I visited Fitzrovia Chapel where every square inch screams of bling without a Swarovski crystal in sight. This may just be London’s
I’ve taken every speedboat ride on the Thames at least twice. Thames Rockets, Thames Jet, London Rib Voyages — the works. Here’s the thing nobody tells you: most people book the wrong one and spend £40 getting wet and bored. I’m here to fix that. Thames Rockets runs the fastest passenger boats on the river
Harry’s Bar. Don’t you just love those two words? It instantly brings to my mind the bitter taste of a pomegranate-coloured Negroni, Harry’s style, in Venice. There really is nowhere else in the world where I would rather sip my favourite drink. So, imagine my excitement when I heard Harry’s Dolce Vita, had opened in
You’ve scrolled through 47 Instagram-perfect wellness retreats in Miami. They all promise transformation. You book one. You pay $800 a night. And you spend most of your time queuing for a smoothie bar next to someone’s loud Zoom call. That’s not a retreat. That’s an expensive hotel with a green juice menu. The Carillon Miami
The Victorian Afternoon Tea at the Victoria and Albert Museum had me at seed cake. These two words always bring my childhood back in a whoosh of nostalgia wrapped in a cocoon of Englishness. If seed cake was good enough for Bilbo Baggins and his Unexpected Party, then it’s good enough for Londoness. And thanks
Beau Brummell didn’t invent the suit. He made it a weapon. In the 1810s, this tailor’s son talked his way into the Prince Regent’s inner circle, then built a code of dress so sharp it still dictates how men wear trousers today. This walking route hits the five streets where Brummell lived, dressed, gambled, and
Most people pay £85 at Claridge’s without realising that afternoon tea inside the actual Houses of Parliament — Thames views, Victorian Gothic stonework, the full thing — costs around £45 to £65 per person. I’ve done both. The Claridge’s scones are technically better. But nobody at Claridge’s has ever leaned across to point out where