London Day 4
My wife and daughter are both flying back to KL today with Singapore Airlines Suite Class, which is beyond First Class. However, I am only flying out of Heathrow tomorrow, with Singapore Airlines too but with NEW Suite.
Before I proceed further, I wish to inform you of a correction to Part XVI….. you can get cash for your Tax Refund at Heathrow but it will be in Euros. If you insist you want Pounds, you may lose out more as their Foreign Exchange Rate is not favorable. So, if you are in London and the outlet you are shopping offers Tax Refund on the spot, do it there. For example, if you buy a Chanel at Harrods, you can get your Tax Refund in Pounds on the spot without any fees being imposed.
Below are my previous reports on my current Europe Trip:
My Europe Trip 2019 Part III – Day 2 In Copenhagen And What You Must Do
My Europe Trip 2019 Part III+ – Rome Here I Come
My Europe Trip 2019 Part V – I Conquered Rome In A Day
My Europe Trip 2019 Part VI – Roaming Free & Easy In Rome
My Europe Trip 2019 Part VII – Vatican City, Michelangelo and The Most Beautiful Girl In Rome
My Europe Trip 2019 Part VIII – Florence Cathedral & Dome, Another Wonder Of Italy
My Europe Trip 2019 Part IX – Italy XXX
My Europe Trip 2019 Part X – Girls’ Day At The Mall
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XII – Venice City Of Water
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XIII – Venice Free & Easy.
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XIII+ – Islands Murano, Burano and Torcello Plus Gondola Ride
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XV – London Duck Here I Come
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XVI – Girls’ Day Out Again
My Europe Trip 2019 Part XVII – London Best Restaurant and Marie Kondo
Mitre House Hotel
While in London, I like to stay at St Giles which is near to Chinatown, but they don’t offer rooms for 3 pax. Therefore I stayed at Mitre House Hotel which only has 2 Star but on the plus side it is very near to Paddington Station and walking distance to Oxford Street. The hotel is kind of old BUT the room I stayed in was clean and overall I have no complaints for the price I paid. One thing I must say is that the breakfast offered by Mitre House Hotel was really really good…… everyday I get freshly cooked eggs and bacon!
Free coffee!!!
After the first breakfast, on the second and third day, I only ordered the eggs and bacon without the red beans and mushrooms.
London Underground- Osyter Card
The most convenient way to get around London is using the subway call Underground. First thing to do is get an Oyster Card where you will be refunded GBP5 when you return it.
If you travel only within London City, the maximum amount that you will pay for the entire day (before midnight) is about GBP9.
However, yesterday night (about 10.30pm), I took UBER from Canada Water (where my uncle booked a 2 bedroom apartment via Airbnb) to my hotel as my wife bought her Chanel bag. Since I am a “kiasu” person, I was not willing to take the risk traveling with Public Transport (i.e. London Underground even though it will cost us nothing since we have reached the maximum amount chargeable) carrying a Chanel bag all over London close to midnight. The 40 minutes (there were damn a lot of traffic lights) UBER ride cost me GBP16.
I tell you, no matter where you are on earth, including KL, if you go out late at night, you are inviting trouble…. more so if you are wearing a Rolex watch walking on the streets; therefore don’t be penny wise pound foolish and make sure you reach your destination safely.
Tax Refund At Heathrow
My aunt who have traveled to London many times with Malaysia Airlines told my wife that it can take up to 2 hours to get the Tax Refund at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5.
My wife on the other hand is flying with Singapore Airlines which departs from Terminal 2 at 9.25am. She is as kiasu as I and wanted to leave the hotel at 4.45am.
Well, my wife later told me she reached Terminal 2 at 5.15am and had to wait 45 minutes before she got her Tax Refund despite going there early.
And because my wife went to the airport early to settle the Tax Refund matter, she also checked in early and went to the Lounge early and there were hardly anybody there…. therefore she could take photos of the entire lounge for me, hahaha.
For First Class Passengers, we order the food from a menu and it will be brought to our table. Below is Singapore Airlines 1st Class Breakfast Menu.
GBP5 and GBP10 Notes
Before I forget…. I think I was conned by the Money Changer in KL! Several of my GBP5 and GBP10 are no longer legal in UK!!!
Make sure your GBP5 and GBP10 notes are the plastic type (like our RM1 and RM5) with a see through window.
Below GBP5 which is 100% paper cannot be used in UK.
Below is the new GBP10 plastic note with see through window:
Notice the see through window on the left
My Wife’s Suite Class Live Report With Singapore Airlines Suite Class
Lobster with noodles
Lobster with cheese
My youngest daughter flying Suite Class London to Changi… having her meal with her mum
My wife, the VIP
Real flat bed
Before landing they had another meal.
Private Room Changi
Both my wife and daughter have safely landed in Changi and were invited to the Private Room.
London Borough Market
I joined my uncle and aunt for the rest of the day since my wife and daughter were on their way back to KL.
We went to Borough Market near London Bridge Underground Station and it was damn packed! And I know why, becuase the food here is really superb and “cheap”.
This is a coffee shop and look at the Q! We did have coffee here.
After lunch, we headed to Stratford Westfield which is a shopping mall (last stop of the Jubilee Underground Line). Nothing special except that there is a Casino there.
If you notice, I did not post a single photo of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Eye and Tower Bridge because we did not go to these said places. This is my fourth trip to London, third time for my wife and second time for my youngest daughter.
London Roast Duck
Today is my last night in London and of course we had London Duck again 🙂
To be continued….
