Whether you prefer to save the city jaunt until a suitable celebration, or you feel like treating yourself and your loved ones to a post-Christmas dinner, you can. Staying in London doesn’t have to add that much to the bill either, with cheap London hotels being centrally located and within close proximity to many of the restaurants on offer.

With eclectic menus and first class fare, here’s some of the best celebrity chef led restaurants for you to choose from in the city:

With its owner being one of the most popular and familiar chefs on TV today, it’d be rude not to include the flagship Fifteen in a list of top celebrity chef restaurants. Famous since its inclusion in his show in 2002, this restaurant is one of the pinnacle dining experiences from the very capable hands of Jamie Oliver. With a trendy and chic atmosphere, not only does this place provide sumptuous Mediterranean delights but 15% of your bill goes towards training fifteen apprentice chefs in the kitchens, helping to ensure world class cuisine continues to flourish.

Located on Royal Hospital Road and boasting three Michelin stars for its high standard of French cuisine, you can’t get much more prolific than Gordon Ramsey’s Chelsea restaurant. Having received the highest of accolades within the field, you’d expect the best quality service, food and professionalism here and you won’t be disappointed. As one of the ultimate treats for anyone visiting the city and with an eye for fine dining, Chelsea is an absolute must. Be sure to book in advance as it’s incredibly popular, but it’ll be well worth the wait.

Situated in Tower 42 in the heart of London, Gary Rhodes’ Rhodes Twenty Four not only provides you with Michelin starred food but also gives you stunning panoramas across London. Offering traditional British fare, but with a classic Rhodes twist, you can enjoy an array of sumptuous delights including the Rhodes signature pudding plate – perfect to satiate the sweet tooth.

With one of the most experimental of cuisine techniques, and a continued ambition to make jaw-dropping creations, no list is complete without the scientific genius of Heston Blumenthal. Although his primary restaurant isn’t in London, his new addition aptly named, Dinner is. Found in the heart of Knightsbridge, near Hyde Park, there’s no better location for this ultimate dining experience.

With many of the restaurants mentioned, their weekend service is often booked well in advance. To guarantee your table, book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment and look forward to a truly memorable experience.

Lifecruiser Love London

Other posts about London at Lifecruiser:

UK Travel: Swedes Love London
Stay in an ‘unhotel’ in London
What to do in London during a short weekend
A Thames tour of London
 

No photography or video footage can do it justice – the only way one can truly appreciate its awesome beauty is to experience it in person.

NPS photo by Michael Quinn

The exhilaration of seeing the Grand Canyon from the rim is unlike anything else. However, hiking down to the base of the canyon is an even more unique and exciting experience. Because the canyon runs more than 277 miles in length, over 18 miles wide and more than a mile deep, hiking it takes plenty of preparation. While it is best suited for experienced hikers, even novices can hike the Grand Canyon.

With so many ways to explore the Grand Canyon, it can be hard to choose which route to take. So, it doesn’t really matter which of the many Grand Canyon hotels one stays in as long as the hike is planned out accordingly. One of the best hiking routes is to start at the South Rim and head to the northern part of the canyon, which includes crossing the Colorado River.

Hiking the Grand Canyon is different from any other backpacking experiences one can have – it is virtually the opposite of every other hike because the trail starts by going down the canyon and working back up.

NPS photo by Michael Quinn

In an effort to make the Grand Canyon hike one of the best and most successful of any hiker’s life, here are some tips to keep in mind.

Proper speed

A good rule of thumb is that if an individual can talk while walking, then the speed is about right. When a person huffs and puffs while hiking, he or she isn’t getting enough oxygen into the body for proper functions. This uses up energy reserves and can cause nausea, fatigue and muscle cramps. Making sure the body is properly oxygenated makes for a much more enjoyable hike. Take a ten-minute break every hour.

Avoiding dehydration

Most hikers are used to hiking in the mountains, not the desert, which is what the Grand Canyon is. The dry, hot environment can cause a lot of stress on the body, especially during the warm summer months. This can lead to overexertion and heat exhaustion, so it is essential that hikers remember to bring plenty of water and stay hydrated – it is also smart to avoid hiking during the warmest part of the day. Symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration include minimal urination, loss of thirst and appetite, headache, nausea, vomiting and fatigue.

Hiking smart

As with any hike, it is important to hike smart. Wear comfortable hiking clothes and shoes. Hikers should also carry a first aid kit that includes materials for treating minor scrapes and cuts, heat exhaustion, blisters and sprains. Other supplies that should be in everyone’s pack include a flashlight and the right foods. The correct hiking foods include crackers, salty foods (to promote water absorption), trail mix, hard candy and electrolyte powder.

And remember, pay attention to flash flood warnings and weather advisories!

Lifecruiser Love Grand Canyon

Other hiking related posts at Lifecruiser:

Spanish Pilgrimage hike – Departure La Coruna
The Best Things to do on a Cruise in Hawaii
Family Holidays in Africa
 

Choosing accommodation is ultimately the most important part to any holiday. The question is, would you prefer to be in the middle of town amongst the hustle and bustle? A short walk away? Or somewhere so cosy & hidden away amongst the woodlands? Once you’ve decided on your preference, it’s then a question of which area to habituate.

Those who are interested in history, calming lakes and stunning backdrops will have no doubt heard of Windermere, the largest town within the Lake District. With its haunting halls, 12th century boar stories or of course the famous Lake Windermere itself, Windermere is nothing short of history and beauty. Choosing Windermere hotels is key when thinking about how you’d like to spend your break away.

Image of Blea Tarn in Lake District by Steve Lacy

Here are our top 5 tips for things to do in Windermere:

1. It may seem obvious but those looking for pure relaxation away from the world would love taking walks in the woodlands and taking in the beautiful surroundings. Short walks, long routes or explorations by the Lake – it’s your choice on the day.

2. Visiting the famous Lake Windermere is a must! Being the largest lake in England the site is just breathtaking. Take a cruise on the river or a family picnic, just relax and enjoy the views.

3. There are so many historic and magical museums to see. Whether it’s taking the kids to the world of Beatrix Potter, enjoying the Steamboat Museum or reliving history through the Arts & Crafts House it’s sure to bring history and adventure to life.

4. Rowing, sailing & swimming are available in abundance for water lovers. There are so many routes, hop off and hop back or just sit back, relax and enjoy the endless view of the mountains and greenery before you.

5. Treks and tours are plentiful, whether it’s tours of the lakes or the mountains, treks in the woodlands or activity days for the whole family, what better than a day out with nature.

Explore the sites and surroundings whilst being at one with nature in Windermere, take a stroll with the other half or a picnic with the family, you’re sure to make it a holiday to remember.

Lifecruiser Love Lake District
 

The Scandic Victoria Tower Hotel is designed by the architect Gert Wingårdh, 117 meter (384 ft) and did cost SEK 600 million (around USD 90 million) to be built. The hotel building is totally covered in glass – I just love this unusual patterned architecture!

My photo above doesn’t quite do it justice. I don’t exactly love it less when also discovering that the inside interior is decorated with design furniture from Vitra, Montana and Flos…

If you happens to be nearby: take the elevator up to the skybar at 34th floor and sit down and sip on a glass of Champagne with a view over Stockholms Silicon Valley.

This is the tallest hotel building in Scandinavia, but the tallest building in Sweden is actually Turning Torso in Malmö which I also adore and wrote about earlier.

©Lifecruiser Love Victoria Tower
 

• Yurts – In this modern day and age, camping has begun to become more glamorous as opposed to sleeping rough for a few days. Yurts are the way forward when it comes to camping as it provides some of the comforts that are found in your own home including, separate bedrooms, hobs and even plumbing! Yurts are perfect for the whole family and the experience is bound to be one that you will never forget.
• Holiday Cottages – This type of accommodation is perfect for both couples and families, more so for families as these cottages usually have plenty of bedrooms. Luxury cottages can be usually found in the beautiful countryside away from the hustle and bustle that the city usually brings.
• Holiday Villa – Villas are great for families as you can let your kids run wild by the pool whilst also having a relaxing time out to relax and rejuvenate. If you are wise about it, you can usually find plenty of deals on villas online on several sites. As well as families, villas are also ideal for friends as they are usually away from nearby housing, so you can make as much noise as you want.
• Hotels – Hotels are usually cheap and easy to book at short notice. Make sure you are careful though as not all hotels are the same. Once again, make use of any review sites that you can look at that will indicate whether the hotel is up to your standards. Another thing to bear in mind is the location of the hotel. Make sure that it is nearby to local transport links and close to entertainment.

Guest post by James Taylor from Travel Maestro

Author bio: James Taylor is a fellow travel blogger who just like us love to travel and discover new places as well as sharing his experiences with us. At Travel Maestro you will find travel guides for travelling around the world, encouraging readers to share their travel stories with us and give us more travel tips.

Lifecruiser Love Travel Tips
 

Image produced by: Javier

The first part of the trip started from La Coruña, a busy harbor city occupying a small peninsula that protrudes out into the Atlantic. La Coruña was established thousands of years ago and is very famous for the ‘Tower of Hercules’, a Roman lighthouse from the 2nd century which has been operating for over 2000 years. To avoid the unpleasant walk along the main city roads they took a bus to the Alcampo hypermarket, from here on out the initial leg of their journey would bring them to Hospital de Bruma. Into their first hour of the trek the team of three began to recognize the unreasonably hot heat therefore slowed down the pace, and hydrated often while winding along the ancient path. The slower speed gave them the opportunity to appreciate their surroundings and to take in the never-ending country side with its spiritually unique history.

Image produced by: Christine

After a restful night’s sleep in rustic little hotel in Meson do Vento (a neighboring village to Bruma) they refueled their bodies, laced their shoes and headed back out to the pilgrimage trail. For thirty kilometers they cantered on along a trail that passed by various small farms, basic villages and wooded areas until they reached the small Spanish town of Sigüeiro. This night they stayed in a basic cottage rental were they cooked some warm food, shared a few laughs and had a long nights rest. The following morning, they persevered on to their final destination Santiago de Compostela. During this last 16 km of this journey they were engulfed by a remarkably noticeable spiritual feeling as they took in the beautiful surroundings. This was their concluding destination, so they had booked a local apartment rental through wimdu.com and spent the following days exploring the cathedral and well-preserved historic city center. The remains of Apostle James are what make this city so famous within religious circles and attract spiritual seekers from all corners of the world take part in such a pilgrimage that finalizes in this remarkable destination.

Image produced by: year of the dragon

For many this expedition is done as an opportunity to seek religious connections, however for this group it was only curiosity and adventure that drove them here, enabling them to partake in an unforgettable experience!

Lifecruiser Love Spain
 

Explore Uluru

Also known as Ayres Rock, Uluru is one of the most recognisable sights in Australia. Located in the Northern Territory, Uluru can be reached by plane from most Australian cities, or if you’re feeling brave, head off on a 4WD adventure. Accommodation in the area ranges from budget to luxury, so you will have no problems booking a stay at any number of great hotels. Take a guided tour of Uluru, Kata Tjuta, and the National Park, and learn more about the Aboriginal cultural significance of the area. Get your camera ready at sunrise and sunset – you’ll need it!

Dive the Great Barrier Reef

One of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef stretches over 3000km along the Queensland coast. Containing more than 400 kinds of coral, the reef is home to over 1500 species of tropical fish, more than 200 types of birds, around 20 types of reptiles, and an array of other sea creatures. Stay in any of the coastal towns running parallel to the reef, where you can take a boat tour, snorkel or scuba dive to explore this natural wonder.

Drive the Great Ocean Road

Stretching from Geelong to Port Fairy, the Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives. Driving along this beautiful stretch of road, you can see the iconic Twelve Apostles, say hello to furry koalas in Cape Otway National Park, and find out more about Aboriginal heritage and the colonial settlers. Stay overnight in any of the pretty coastal villages along the way, and enjoy a few rounds of golf, a pampering session in a day spa, boutique shopping, and explore the stunning natural surroundings.

Explore Wine Country

Australia produces some truly excellent wine, which means the country’s wine regions are a must-visit for all wine connoisseurs, or even for those who just like a tipple! Most wine growing and production is concentrated on the country’s south-east, in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria, and further west on the southern coast of Western Australia.

Many regions are famous for certain wine varieties, such as Semillon in the Hunter Valley, Sauvignon Blanc in Margaret River and the Adelaide Hills, Pinot Noir In Tasmania and the Mornington Peninsula, and so on. A trip to wine country makes the perfect relaxing weekend trip, with overnight stays available in hostels, B&Bs, affordable hotels and luxury resorts.

Sail the Whitsundays

Made up of 74 tropical islands, the Whitsundays offer the perfect getaway for those who want to explore the natural beauty of area, or those who just want to take some time out to relax. There are dozens of cruises offering day tours and longer trips around the islands, catering to families, seniors, backpackers, and everyone in between. Travel the Whitsunday Coast to discover secluded beaches, sunny seaside villages, and spectacular wildlife.

Lifecruiser Love Top Travel Tips
 

There are over 500 homes to choose from, and each home comes with its own iPhone loaded with information gathered from the host about the best things to do in the local area. Each home unique, but here are a few that have that extra little something:

The Boat House

Life doesn’t get much more luxurious than this. This stunning home with its lavish decoration is certainly a sight to behold and sleeps up to 12 people. Original Georgian features are complimented by elegant and sophisticated décor making this the perfect riverside house to drift away and dream the days away. Beyond the garden, which boasts a hot tub, barbeque and adventure playground, is the River Thames, perfect for an afternoon stroll to explore some of London’s finest waterside cafes.

Albert Terrace

This home is steeped in history having been built for a doctor of Queen Victoria. A wonderful mix of original period features in the sitting room, carefully blended with modern style in the kitchen, this house is as grandiose as it is comfortable. Stay here for your own slice of history in Primrose Hill.

Russell Garden Mews

For the more modern minded, this four bedroom family home is the residence of a DJ turned architect, and it shows. Clean lines and sleek style characterise this house, and if you head downstairs to the basement you even have your own dance floor! Located in west London it is perfect for visiting the famous Portobello Road market.

Lifecruiser Love Unusual Stays
 

I’ll try to translate the postcard correctly for you below, since it’s so hilarious in some parts, especially if you recognize some of your own travel experiences too!

Saluti da Firenze 21th of April

Buongiorno at you!

We’re now in the west worlds cultural center! Here are so much culture that we now are giving our feet some air at the hotel room. Even the hotel room is smelling culture, as an example: the heat is not working, light bulbs are missing and the fridge – the minibar – provides warm beer. To see some light in the room, we have to climb up at a shelf in the wall where we with a certain experience can manage to open two windows shutters and then we can see the sky! Otherwise everything is peace and joy.
Greetings A and G…

I can’t help laughing, even though it shouldn’t be like that. When will it ever change, the cheating charter agencies or hotel owners, with the announced standard when buying the trip…?

And even if you buy it to a discounted rate, it still should not be like that. Period.

©Lifecruiser Love Postcards
 

Sorting and uploading all the photos from all those countries will take too long time and I know some of you are very curious of how our very long road trip went, so better to start with this summery with conclusion in the end.

10 Countries were visited by us during this Europe road trip: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Austria. We have now been to at least 30 countries together since 2004.

I’ll start with the good things, so if you don’t want to know the bad and the ugly, you can skip the middle part and jump directly to the end of this post and click on the link to see our photos so far.

The Good with the European road trip

Except from the useful travel experience, which always are great to have, and lots of great times here and there, I’ll list the absolute highlights of our European road trip below, not in any particular order.

1. Meeting a lot of friends were one of the main reasons for us to go on this trip from the beginning, a meetup once again in the French Riviera at Claudie and Pierre’s house with the Norwegian blog friends, but also to meetup with several other online friends along the way. Many of them which we never had met before, but that was no problem – very pleasant meetings all of them!

2. To visit the Champagne district and especially Moet Chandon wine cellars & gorgeous vineyards is of course a must when going to France for us Dom Perignon Champagne lovers and it did not let us down as a terrific travel experience.

3. The Netherlands lovely countryside at first and then the west coast with long, gorgeous beaches and actually 2 different blogger friends meetups turning out really good despite quite windy weather conditions.

4. The French Grand Canyon recreation area with it’s marvelous Emerald green lake which we definitely will go back to some day to stay for several days or a week. Also the fantastic French Alp views is really worth exploring more even in the summertime I tell you!

5. The Austrian Alps, gorgeous even in the summertime, but maybe we will even go back there some time in the wintertime even though I normally don’t like the winter. It’s very special with the Alp tops and the people. I did miss any yodeling though… ha ha…

6. The International Sandsculpture festival with incredible sculptures, quite big ones, but actually not as many as we thought there would be, but still worth visiting. Fantastic artists involved from many countries.

7. Certain hotel’s or B&B’s we had booked were surprising us with being even better than we had thought they would be. You never know until you see them in real life!

8. Trying different beer or wines that are not even available in our home country. Every day was a party!

I’ll come back in later travel blog posts, to write more about the different highlights in separate posts and divide the different places into separate photo folders too, making it easier for you to have a look at the special travel experiences.

The Bad with the European road trip

There was too little time and a too small wallet. We spent too much time on the roads, some of the hotels did not match their description or our expectations, some places were not really worth spending time within (like the Rhine Valley in my opinion).

The promised WiFi at too many of the hotels were not working well – if at all, making us unable to keep in contact with people as well as unable to upload photos even from the iPhone many times. That was something we did not like at all and worth thinking of if going on a trip.

The food creation around Europe is in bad shape, it’s really too much french fries to every dish with very little variation, too little vegetables served in the meals, not creative enough if you go to normal restaurants and not the real gourmet or classy ones. I can’t call them budget restaurants since they’ve not really budget prices nowadays.

We had packed two big suitcases which really didn’t fit for the too many steep stairs in the hotels we had booked (or our disk problems), so we had to rearrange a bit, taking out clothes in advance and put in smaller bags to be able to cope during the driving around. It was quite a puzzle sometimes, ha ha!

We had not really great summer weather on this trip, making it very difficult to take photos. It was either unusually cold and gray or way too hot to be outdoors, nothing in between until we did reach Denmark in the end. (We were unusually white this summer actually…)

Both lucky and unlucky: in the end of our trip, when reaching the south of Sweden again, hubby suddenly got ill with dizziness which forced me to do some heavy things I shouldn’t which made my back crack again, which created severe problems when continuing up in Sweden.

We stopped to sleep half ways home in hubby’s childhoods summer home and went home from there the day after that, despite that we had plans to continue our journey within Sweden. It was not meant to be obviously – it has been unsteady weather since.

The Ugly at the European road trip

The highways in Switzerland were the most boring part of our road trip and I think from all our earlier road trips too. I have never seen such a boring motorway ever. I don’t know if it were the fact that we had been on the roads for so long, but the highway never seemed to end…

Our look after being exhausted made me not wanna be on the photos… ha ha… We were looking so darn worn out both of us, like 10 years older suddenly. Our photos and videos, ugly ones I tell you!

Surprisingly enough, we had hard time finding interesting things or beautiful views to capture. We do have lots of interesting photos, but also uninteresting ones and too many deleted ones to be honest. Normally we always find so many things to photograph, but not at all as many as usual on this trip, strange enough.

Conclusion of European roadtrip

If going on such a long road trip, you need at least to double the time (and your wallet!) to get a more satisfying experience. We did know this before we went, but we had no choice, this was what we could manage at this time, so we had to take it or leave it.

We’re satisfied with our experiences as we thought about it as a tour to look around and get a quick view over a lot of countries, to know where we want to go back again in the nearest future. We now know that we want to go back to The Netherlands, The French and the Austrian Alps for sure.

I would not recommend going to the French Riviera in August when it use to be too hot and crowdy and we would never have gone there at this time, if it were not for the fact that our hosts had vacation then and the meetup there with our friends from Norway.

Since all Europe’s holiday period occurs in August, there use to be lots and lots of holiday people out on the roads normally, but we were lucky this year: no severe traffic jams in the directions where we went – only in the opposite directions all the time. Maybe also the economic crises has left some traces, making people staying home more.

Continue to keep an eye on Lifecruiser Europe roadtrip 2012 Flickr Photos, there will be new photos uploaded there now and then until I’m done with them all.

©Lifecruiser Love European Roadtrips

Earlier posts about Lifecruiser Europe Trip 2012:

Ending a long Europe road-trip
Europe roadtrip: in the Alps
Europe trip: leaving the Champagne district to go to Provence
Europe Road short update
Europe Road: leaving Bruges
Europe trip: blogger meet in Wijk aan Zee and IJMuiden, The Netherlands
Europe Road Trip Day 2-3 Goodbye Germany Hello The Netherlands
Europe Road Trip Day 1-2
Europe 7500 km roadtrip start!