World Traveller 73 
One of the British tourist attractions that was very high up on my son’s visit list was the ruins of Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a pre-historic monument consisting of a ring of stones that is orientated towards the summer solstice. It’s a British cultural icon of which my son was super keen and interested to visit. Read on to see how we navigated through to Stonehenge and planned our day.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity Attraction Visit: Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom.
Today’s adventures led us to Stonehenge, along with dinner at a friend’s house in Henley on Thames. Given that we were on a bit of a tighter schedule fitting in both attractions and social commitments, we ended up deciding to hire a car for the day instead of taking the train. There are lots of “train for the day” and other public transit options involving buses or trains and cars. I might consider the train option the next time to allow for a variety of returns. However, today’s visit along with a social engagement in outer London meant that a car was the best option for us.
We were up at the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington at 6 AM for a shower. It was check out day after our five day stay taking in all the sights of London.
We were out the door of the hotel with our luggage at 7:15 AM for Underground tube to Heathrow. We arrived to Heathrow at about 8:20 AM.
We were picking up a twenty four hour Hertz Rental to self drive ourselves to Stonehenge, followed by our social event, finally ending the day at the Moxy London Heathrow Airport. I didn’t know whether there was any advantage to any particular terminal at Heathrow for getting over to Hertz, so we just elected to start from the familiar Heathrow Terminal Two where we had landed 6 days earlier on our TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London Heathrow. The Hertz depot is off site from the terminals, so we’d be taking a bus to the car rental facility no matter which terminal we went to.
After arriving to London Heathrow, we hopped the shuttle bus over to Hertz’s lot on the North end of the field. We located our car and a Honda Civic, as booked per our car category, was waiting for us in stall 16. I was parked next to a nice Mercedes C200 but we weren’t assigned any terrific or free Ultimate Choice upgrades were available, even for a Hertz 5 Star today.
Driving to Stonehenge:
After a courtesy check out the car, we were out on the M3 Motorway towards Stonehenge.
We had quite a bit of weekend traffic as we got towards Stonehenge but we arrived after about one hour and thirty five minutes.
We eventually got to the lot, which had free parking. WT73Jr had a good time picking out the various European Licence plates from the various countries throughout Europe in the parking lot as we walked towards admissions.
Visiting Stonehenge:
Once at admissions, we were encouraged to download the Stonehenge App to listen to the “offline” audio tour. It was a great way instead of handing out the usual headphones audio tours.
First off was the museum that featured a bit of history on the site. It had the usual historical references, along with the multi media displays.
Immediately outside the museum was a theoretical display of how the stones made it to Stonehenge. WT73JR attempted to pull the cart with limited results (laughing).
Walking to the Stones:
The Stonehenge facility itself is located a short 30 – 45 minute walk away down a private road from the reception and museum centre. Although there were shuttle busses available, being a beautiful day, we ended up walking.
Seeing Stonehenge:
Eventually, we got onto the site, slowly appearing on the horizon. The site is set up where you can walk around the entire stones. It is super impressive site and neat to visit and wonder. Thanks to over a million visitors a year, they don’t allow direct access to the stones anymore.
As we continued around the site, we took in the free audio tour via the Stonehenge App that provided information. It was a smart, modern way to educate visitors instead of the old fashioned way of providing headphones that are later to be collected and cleaned for the next visitor.
We also came across the signage and alignment of the stones as it led towards the winter solstice.
Walking Back through the Fields:
Instead of taking the usual road back (or the shuttle bus), we opted for the walk through the fields through the remnants of what would have likely been the settlements around Stonehenge. It was a pleasant walk through Englands’ rolling hills; a far contrast to the usual Pacific Northwest Mountains of Vancouver.
All in, we spent about 3 hours at the site. The Stonehenge site is well worth a visit, and despite it being a popular tourist attraction, it did not feel overly touristy.
A Short Visit to Henley on Thames:
From there, we went onto Henley on Thames via the back roads. WT73Jr was interested and curious that the roads were not based on any logical grid like back home as the paths twisted and turned around farms and lanes that have likely existed for centuries.
We had a lovely Salmon, green beans and roasted potatoes, along with a peach mascarpone desert with our friends who accommodated us and our busy travel schedules.
After a wonderful evening of socializing, it was back down to Heathrow via the M4. I filled up the car at Shell; with 120 miles on the odometer at 1.39 £ a litre (1.85 USD) or 24.01 £ (31.65 USD) before we arrived and checked into the Moxy London Heathrow Airport hotel.
My Thoughts on Our Day Trip to Stonehenge:
The Stonehenge day visit was well worth our time. Although I would probably include Stonehenge as part of a larger tour around London the next time around, my son was keen to get onto greater opportunities and the main focus for the trip for him: the Republic of Ireland.
If you do have visited Stonehenge, did you visit any of the other historic arechological sites or did you stick to the main attraction ?
Our last day in London had us finishing off the last of the major tourist attractions. We missed the youthful Harry Potter train platform, in addition to looking at the British Museum. We would also take the opportunity to inspect Camden Locks, the touristy hipster area north of London that had eluded me on several past visits to the city. We ended up our time here visiting all that we needed to see, with a little left over for the next trip.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum and Hanging out at Camden Locks London, United Kingdom.
On our last day of sightseeing in London, it was time to tie up a few loose ends. There were still a few major attractions we had not had the opportunity to see, so we made the most of the day by taking in all the last attractions we had missed.
Visiting Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross:
We started out from the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington taking the Underground to the famous for kids Kings’ Cross Station in search of Platform 9 ¾ from Harry Potters. The King’s Cross Pancras hotel / station is most impressive from the street.
The platform used to be actually hidden on one of the platforms, but it seems that the world has descended onto Kings Cross station so it’s been moved conveniently and artificially to a location next to a retail storefront.
We could have joined the line for an official photograph but otherwise quite expensive at 9.50 pounds sterling when everyone has a camera phone. After a tour through the Harry Potter gift shop we set out on a short walk for the British Museum.
We walked through towards Russell Square Park. It was a gorgeous day with everyone out and about.
Touring the British Museum:
The British Museum is quite impressive. It was my first visit and there was plenty there to keep us interested and entertained.
Among the most famous exhibits here are the Rosetta Stone, the first decoder that had two versions of Egyptian hieroglyphics, and Greek scripts. It allowed the world to understand for the first time the key behind Egyptian hieroglyphics.
There was also a very well preserved, (and creepy) mummified corpse that had been discovered. It’s one of the more famous exhibits. Needless to say, it fascinated me and creeped Jr out.
Training it up to Camden Town:
We had a quick sandwich at the Pret a Manger near the British Museum and took the Tube from funky Russell Square station up to Camden Town.
Hanging out in Camden Town:
Camden Town is a punk and gothic hip area. I’d never been before and it was neat to finally get to this part of London. For some reason, all the cool kids were sitting in lines on the sidewalk.
We ended up wandering through the local market, which was a combination of food stands and souvenirs. It was perfect to get away from the usual touristy spots. Although this neighbourhood is probably considered to be a bit kitschy for real London regulars.
We checked out the souvenir stalls. I ended up purchasing MrsWT73 a kitty cat magnet. We eventually started to head back to the Camden Town station through this eclectic neighbourhood that reminded me of Haight Asbury in San Francisco, California, USA.
We took the train back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Since its free to take in Galleries in London, we took a quick peek through.
The National Gallery is all about paintings and there are lots of impressive ones here. Monet, Rembrant and Van Gogh make their home here.
Closing out London in Trafalgar Square:
After a busy day of walking around, we took a final rest and relax at Trafalgar Square, just to take in the view. It’s probably one of my favourite places in London.
From Traflagar Square, after that quick Ribena hydrating drink, we headed over to Covent Garden Wagamana for a bowl of noodles and ramen. Although it’s a chain franchise, it also happens to be a chain franchise that isn’t available in Vancouver, Canada. We arrived just at 5:40 PM and thankfully just avoided the pre theatre supper evening line. After lots of European food for the last week and a half, WT73Jr was happy to get a little Pacific Rim food.
Last Call at Covent Gardens:
After dinner, we walked and lingered through Covent Gardens on the way back to the Underground station.
We headed back down through the Covert Garden underground station. On a snap decision, junior decided he wanted to take the circular stairs instead of waiting for the lifts. It happens to be a lift only station; there are no escalators here. It was about 13 floors down, as one of London’s deepest underground stations. I was pretty glad I wasn’t climbing it back up!
We headed back to the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, from Covert Garden to Earl Court on the Underground. We spent the evening packing up to prepare for our departure the next day.
My Thoughts on Our Five Day Stay in London:
I had forgotten what a wonderful city London is to spend time in. I had passed over London several times recently, having traveled further afield and to different locations. These five days reminded me of what a terrific city it is to spend time in. It’s an ideal place to explore with a teenager. There is easily enough here to keep you entertained for a week or more.
If you do a longer stay in London, how long do you typically stay for ?
Our fourth day in London had us visiting the free Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London, viewing the monuments of Green Park, a tour of the Vault at the Hard Rock Cafe in London, and a trip over to St Paul’s Cathedral. It was a pretty easy going today with all the discoveries that London has to offer as a city.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the Guitars at the Hard Rock Cafe and the View from St Paul’s Cathedral London, United Kingdom.
Today’s adventures would lead us to many famous landmarks; Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard and St Paul’s Cathedral. The Buckingham Palace Changing of the Guard doesn’t take place every day and we checked the schedule in order to find a day with good weather to align with our time in this wonderful city.
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace:
Departing from the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, we took the Underground Earls Court to Green Park. We had a short walk through the park to Buckingham Palace.
Where to Watch the Changing of the Guard:
There are many debates and discussions on where to position yourself to watch the changing of the guard. I had previously seen the changing of the guard right up against the Palace fence. The advantages of being up close are that you get the closest view of everything, but unless you arrive very early, you’re likely looking through several people in addition to looking through the gates of the palace fence.
This time, we decided to watch the changing of the guard from the Victoria Monument which was actually a nice place to watch thanks to it’s elevated location. The advantages are that you can arrive a little bit later, have a great choice of vantage locations and can see more of the parade formations.
Unfortunately, while viewing from the Victoria Monument, we couldn’t hear much of the drill commands but were able to get a good vantage point of the whole area. This included seeing the parade marching in, the actual changing of the guard ceremony, and the parade being moved off the palace grounds.
The march off… and color guard…
The Changing of the Guard is probably one of the most impressive free tourist attractions in London. It’s a great way to remember and experience British pageantry.
Visiting the Canada Gate:
After the Changing of the Guard, we headed across the street over to the Canada Gate. The Canada Gate was presented to London by Canada as a memorial for Queen Victoria in 1901.
From the Canada Gate, we walked through the park past the pilot’s memorial.
Visiting the Vault at the Hard Rock Café:
We eventually made it over to The Hard Rock Café. It’s the inaugural location for this worldwide brand. The main attraction here, aside from souvenir T Shirts, is a free tour of the Vault. This was a must see for WT73Jr; the opportunity to see stuff from all the great British rock legends.
The Vault, is actually in an old bank Vault. The Vault offers a free tour of its rock memorabilia every twenty minutes. The items included John Lennon’s jackets, and Jimmy Hendrix’ guitars.
Not to mention a close look at Jimmy’ Page’s guitars from Led Zeppelin.
Peeking into Harrod’s Department Store:
After The Hard Rock Café, we had a down past Hyde Park Corner through Piccadilly over to Harrods. We had a quick look at the famous Egyptian Staircase inside Harrods. The Princess Diana candlelight memorial from the basement is long gone, as is the Al Fayed family that previously owned this retail giant. WT73Jr was less than impressed with the whole Harrod’s concept, and didn’t quite understand why people would want to shop in a luxury store when they could easily “order things online”.
The London Underground Central Line:
From there, we hopped the old Underground from Knightsbridge to Holborn then a change on the Central line over St Pauls. The Underground has so much personality to it, it’s an interesting if not a dark place to travel in.
Visiting St Paul’s Cathedral:
St Paul’s Cathedral is a most impressive and regal building. It’s one of my favourite church’s in London and a must see attraction for those into London’s churches.
The main hall of St Paul’s cathedral is most impressive and has one of the highest ceilings among many of the European churches that I have visited. Most impressive are the mosaic’s on the roof of the structure that have incredible attention to detail.
We took a climb up to the roof top spire. Unfortunately, the Whispering Gallery is semi permanently closed as a result of several “accidental” deaths down to the floor of the cathedral. The view at the top St Paul’s was absolutely terrific and among the best in London. Several landmarks could be spotted, including Tate Modern museum, the Monument,
Walking the Millennium Bridge:
With that look of teenage horror, we got out of St Paul’s and headed over to Tate Modern museum. From St Paul’s, we walked over the Millennium Bridge.
We took a spirited but detailed tour through the Tate Modern Gallery. It was an interesting collection of Modern Art, although I wasn’t all too blown away by the exhibits. I was happy to have been through and made a mental note for myself for a future visit.
After that it was back to the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, another day concluded.
If you’ve visited the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, did you find it a great representation of British Pageantry ?
Our third day in London had us visiting the most sinister tourist attraction that London has to offer; The Tower of London. The scene of many executions, torture and prisoners over the years, it set the stage for any teenagers delight. We would spend five hours exploring the Tower of London. We concluded the day by heading over to the Tower Bridge which is another essential London tourist attraction.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: Touring the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom.
We started the day headed for the Tower of London. WT73Jr didn’t fancy getting up early to see the opening of the gate and the ceremony that takes place every day at 9 AM so we opted for an easier wake up. Thankfully, it was a nice pleasant day leaving the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington in Earl’s Court’s as we headed for the Underground station to get into London.
The Tower of London:
We arrived to Tower Bridge station and headed through the gates into the Tower of London. This included model lions for the surrounding moat!
Touring the Torture Chambers:
We started in the tour of the Torture Chamber. It was a small area near the entrance where there were sample instruments used to torture prisoners. There was nothing like presenting “The Rack” used to stretch prisoners until they split to an impressionable teenager.
After a poignant stop where all the hanging’s used to occur, we headed over into the main building. The hanging spot is now marked with a glass sculpture representing all of the lives lost.
The Armour Inside the Tower of London:
Once inside the tower, there was every type of weaponry used over the many eras. Junior was thrilled to be able to move through them all.
The higher up we got in the tower, the greater the views were of the Tower Bridge.
After the Tower itself, we wandered over to the Raven display. The Tower of London has a series of black ravens’ that are said to have feasted on the blood of prisoners. The tradition is that if the raven’s leave, the tower will collapse. As sinister as it is, it was enough to keep junior entertained and curious to see if they looked like any different than any other ravens.
The Changing of the Guard at the Crown Jewels:
After the ravens’ display, and a tour of the Crown Jewels (not pictured) we had a look at the changing of the guard outside of the Crown Jewels’ hall. It wouldn’t be England without the beautiful uniforms of the British Armed Forces.
The Tower Bridge:
After a good five hours at the Tower of London, and a stop at the souvenir store to collect a period goblet with swords and crests, we headed out to take a closer look at the Tower Bridge. It’s such a fabulous structure that is unique to London and the World.
We walked over the Tower Bridge, taking in it’s marvellous architecture from an era far gone.
Once over to the other side, the sun was shining on the right angles and we took in a last look. We also had some great over the Thames water views of the Tower of London.
Passing by The Monument:
We headed back over the Tower Bridge, back past the Tower of London over to Monument. It’s an attraction that’s always escaped me whenever I’ve come to visit. We left the Tower of London again and headed into town. We past by the Maltese monument commemorating the wars of times past.
Eventually wandering through newer Westminster and an interesting contrast of neighbourhoods before getting to Monument. Monument is a fabulous column that was in memory of the Great Fire of London in 1666 that demolished two thirds of the city.
We ended up taking the Underground home from Monument Station via the District Line through the afternoon chaos of rush hour.
On arrival to Earls Court, we checked out the main entrance and the business district around Earls Court. It was the usual bustling area of working class London; a neighbourhood I’d visited as backpacker looking for cheap accommodation over twenty years ago.
We headed home for the other half of the breaded chicken dinner and pasta, cooked on the HOB, in the comfort of our suite. We enjoyed it, along with some funny fire alarm messages.
Travels aren’t always exotic, but sometimes meals like this are the best ones you could ever ask for when traveling with family.
If you’ve visited the City of London, did you visit the famous Tower of London ?
Our second day in London had us visiting some of the attractions that the city has to offer. We started off with an attraction that had I had missed on past trips through; Churchill’s War Room. We followed this up with Westminster Abbey, followed by an evening play of School of Rock.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: Descending into Churchill’s War Rooms, Westminster Abbey and the School of Rock Musical Play, London, United Kingdom.
We had an easy 8 AM wake up today at the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington after a full 10 hours of needed family sleep. I slept really well and so did junior. He was in a terrific mood on his part, which was a great start to the day.
We took the tube from Earls Court to Westminster via the District Line. We got off to and headed straight for Churchill War Rooms. We stopped along the way to take some photographs of the scaffolded Big Ben; now completely surrounded and being made over.
Descending into Churchill’s War Rooms:
We arrived at about 11 AM to Churchill’s War Rooms immediately behind the HM Treasury. I didn’t bother making an online reservation so I was a bit skeptical to see how long the lines were, having seen long lines here in the past. We were admitted after only about a 5 minute wait. After 22 £, and an offer to buy a program for 4 £, we were given a free audio guide, which was more than adequate for our visit.
The Churchill War Rooms was quite an enjoyable afternoon. Junior, having played a lot of Axis and Allies board games with his dad growing up, had a good time of it. I even quizzed him about it after the fact in the afternoon and he actually remembered some of the things. The Churchill War Rooms experience takes you through the rooms. The first part of the tour took you through the more residential areas of the CWR. This included a stop by the direct line to the USA white house.
There is a museum about Churchill’s life about halfway through. Like many modern museums, it was quite interactive. Jr had a great time deciphering coding among other things.
This was followed by a more working operational part of the tour, through the strategic planning sessions and communication centers. The communication centers still had the direct dial rotary telephones.
All in all, I was expecting a very short visit with only a few rooms worth seeing. Instead, we were about to see about thirty rooms (out of more than 60) that were open to the public in addition to the museum on Winston Churchill which made for a great experience. It was highly recommended.
Remembering at the Bali Memorial:
After we left, we stopped quickly just outside at the Bali Memorial for the terror attacks on the Paddy’s Night club in Kuta, Indonesia in 2002.
We moved on for two expensive large hot dogs at the food vendor immediately outside Westminster Abbey. Mother Nature decided to rain a shower down on us so we hunkered underneath the tree there until it ended.
From there, it was on to Westminster Abbey via the gates at 10 Downing Street. Despite seeing it on television so many times, this was about the closest we can get.
Visiting Westminster Abbey:
Returning back to Westminster Abbey, we joined a 1 hour and 10 minute queue to get in. The line was simply to buy tickets. I didn’t do any online organization to buy tickets in advance but when I checked the night before, it was completely sold out.
Unfortunately, there is now a no photo policy inside Westminster Abbey. It was surprisingly enforced and there were a few hosts running around scolding various tourists. I am thinking that this is solely a crowd control issue as photographs were mostly allowed in the other London attractions. When I looked it up on line, it seems to be both crowd control in the narrow spaces and respect for the “place of worship”. I am not sure I agree with it, it’s about as classy as Las Vegas is with all the crowds moving through it but I can appreciate their position. Admittedly, I snuck a few snaps with the camera phone
We were able to wander through the entire complex, including the Tombs of the explorer David Livingstone, Queen Elizabeth I, and history of the coronation of every monarch since 1500. WT73Jr was quite impressed at the amount of history that was in there and it was a good first visit.
After Westminster Abbey, we took in a closer look at Parliament and Big Ben. Unfortunately, Big Ben is undergoing a major restoration at the time of our visit with only the clock face visible.
School of Rock:
We headed back to the hotel for a freshen up before the evening. Tonight’s entertainment was a play “School of Rock”. Junior is an up an coming rocker, or at least that’s one of his current passions. It terms of finding some youthful entertainment and exposure to a London Play, the “School of Rock” seemed to be the best choice for him.
On our way back into town, we arrived and took a quick walk through Covent Gardens.
Before we headed over to the theatre, a stop at the usual stand up board for social media photographs… just like the red carpet.
Overall a great show for parents and kids alike. Making the evening more interesting, it was the lead actor’ final showing. As a result, there as a short presentation to mark the end of his run.
After the show, we took a short walk through central London to take in the energy of the entertainment district. We headed down to Leicester Square. As always, it’s great to see at night, along with the giant Lego store anchored on the corner.
With a short walk up to Piccadilly Circus, taking it all in, prior to the Underground back to Earl’s Court and home to the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington for the evening. Another great day in one of the world’s greatest cities!
If you’ve visited the City of London, what attractions are first to see on your list ?
The City of London has so many attractions that you could spend a lifetime looking at them all. On our first day arriving to London, we decided to take it easy and do a general walking tour of Central London as we got used to spending our time in the city.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Canada House and Whitehall Gardens, London, United Kingdom.
Having had a very early wake up the day prior when we left Lisbon, Portugal, on TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London, we opted for an easy day of walking around to self situate ourselves, instead of heading for another attraction.
Starting off at Piccadilly Circus:
We left the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington and took the Underground train from Earls Court up to Piccadilly Circus. First off, the obligatory photographs of one of London’s most famous landmarks.
Walking Down Regent Street:
Walking down Regent Street, we happened upon the Regent Summer Streets Festival. I hadn’t experienced this before, but the city closes off Regent street for a summer festival of bands, food carts and exercise events for 4 Sundays in the summer. It was a bit strange to wander down the middle of Regent Street without cars, buses or traffic, but I certainly didn’t mind.
A First Visit to Hamley’s Toy Store:
We had a great time wandering the street, eventually coming along to the great Hamley’s toy store. I practically had to beg WT73Jr to go into Hamleys’; responding “I’m too old for it”. Once he got inside, it was teenager boredom until he located all of the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter collectables on the top floor and basement. “Wait a second… …this might actually be interesting…” (laughing).
We were there for about 20 minutes conducting a through examination of all sorts of objects in the hysteria that is Britain’s greatest toy store. The research proved to be a though provoking exercise for Junior for his future London souvenir aspirations.
Passing through Leicester Square:
From there, it was a short walk past London’s pubs through up to Leicester Square via the Piccadilly Hard Rock Café London Store where another large amount of souvenir merchandise was seriously examined.
A Visit to Trafalgar Square:
We then wandered down towards Trafalgar Square, where we took a seat and appreciated the surroundings. Being beautiful summer, everyone was out appreciating the day and the fine weather which had been on an improving trend for the day.
Strolling by Canada House:
We took a stroll by Canada House where we got to see likely the largest embassy presence Canada has in any country. It was a neat sense of pride to be able to show your representation in a foreign country as a teenager starts to experience and understand his own identity and place in the world.
From there, we walked down Northlands towards Embankment and took a look at the London Eye; something Jr really wanted to see but was terrified to go up. From there, I took my first look into the beautiful Whitehall Gardens near Parliament.
Peeking into Whitehall Gardens:
It was my first look into these gardens and I was really surprised to see this corner of beauty in this part of London.
We took the District Line Train back to the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington hotel where I cooked breaded chicken on the HOB, along with pesto pasta and corn on the cob courtesy of our neighbourhood Tesco’s. We watched a little TV about a British sailor ship on ITV and off to bed! An easy first day!!
If you’ve visited the City of London, what attractions do to take in on your first day arriving to the city ?
With dozens of hotel options in London, United Kingdom, I chose carefully for our family stay that included myself and my teenage son. We ended up at the Residence Inn by Kensington on a Marriott Bonvoy Reward Redemption. We would end up staying in a comfortable Premium One Bedroom Suite with enough space for everyone’s needs. Read on to see what the advantages of the Residence Inn were compared to a regular hotel room for a stay in Central London…
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, London, United Kingdom
We had a five day stay in London. While London is never a cheap hotel market, there are some value based opportunities if you look carefully.
Booking the Hotel:
I ended up picking this property as the Residence Inn properties offer kitchenettes. I figured that WT73Jr would probably appreciate some home cooking, as would the weight of my wallet in this expensive city called London. The property also offered more space given that they had separate bedrooms. This would prove to be an advantage on a family stay in a city that typically has smaller hotel rooms in historic buildings.
Under the Marriott Bonvoy rewards program, the property appeared to offer both studio and one bedroom suites at the lowest reward point offering at 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night. With this math, It made complete sense to book the larger room. I found this to be a great deal with the usual Marriott Bonvoy fifth night free on an award redemption. This brought the rate down to 28,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night, or 9,333 Starwood Preferred Guest points under the old system. It was a heck of a deal compared to the old Starwood Preferred Guest program where many properties in London went for 25,000 SPG points per night. As a result, we redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for our five night stay for 140,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
The paid rates at the time of our visit were around 180£ GBP ($235 USD), or $1,135 USD for a 5 day stay.
I had applied suite night awards to the highest room category but they failed to clear. This wasn’t really surprising given that we were travelling in the middle of summer.
We ended up really enjoying the stay here and would easily return. I’ve recommended the property to MrsWT73 whom has since completed a separate 2 night stay this fall and also endorsed the property for what it was: a Residence Inn where you can self cater on your own, with a larger than average room allowing for a little extra space to exist in Central London.
Getting to the Residence Inn London Kensington:
The property is well situated in Earls Court Kensington area of London. It is within the Zone 1 area of the London Underground, making for the cheapest possible sightseeing within Zone 1 on the Oyster Card.
It is also worth mentioning that the property is also situated with a Tesco Supermarket immediately next to the hotel. This made stocking the in room fridge exceptionally convenient.
After arriving off TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London, we departed the London Heathrow Terminal Two airport. For simplicity, we took the London Underground Piccadilly Line from Heathrow Terminal Three station to Earl’s Court station.
I put the pressure on WT73Jr to navigate us from London Heathrow station to Earls Court on his first navigation of a subway map in his life.
We then took the Warwick Road exit from the station and walked the 800 meters up the road to the Residence Inn Marriott.
It took approximately 55 minutes to get from London Heathrow to the Residence In by Marriott London Kensington using the Underground system. While it was not quick, the times were typical of transfer times from London Heathrow to Central London.
Checking into the Residence Inn Kensington London:
After the five minute walk from the London Underground Earls Court, we arrived the the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington. When we arrived, it was a bit of mayhem in the lobby. The lobby was consumed by many middle eastern families whom appear to favour this property, as they do the city of London, in the summer months instead of the warm Middle East.
At check in, we were offered the usual 500 points as the Marriott Bonvoy Elite welcome amenity. The Residence Inn features breakfast included with every rate. Surprisingly, on our arrival at 1:15 PM, our room was ready and waiting for us. I had Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status during our stay. As a result, we received a further soft upgrade to a Premium One Bedroom Suite from the regular One Bedroom that we had booked with our reservation. It’s not common to get an upgrade at a Residence Inn, but I’ll sure take any free upgrade thiat is offered.
The Room: A Premium One Bedroom Suite
1 Bedroom Suite, 1 Double, Sofa bed, Skyline view, Top floor
We guided ourselves to Room #921, which was a premium one bedroom suite situated on the top floor. It was right at the end of a long hall of similarly designed room configurations.
The Bedroom:
The Premium One Bedroom Suite was a compact but reasonably well equipped suite. Immediately upon entering the room, we found ourselves in the bedroom of the suite. Being closer to the hallway, the one bedroom did not have any windows and was a bit of a darker space.
The Master Bathroom:
The bathroom was immediately off the master bedroom. The bathroom was a little musty smelling, but an open window took care of that pretty easily. There were some cautions on websites that the steam from the shower would set off the smoke alarm, so I took care to keep the door closed at all times while showering.
The Living Room & Kitchen
Heading further into the suite, the living room was a compact area. It was made even more compact by the sofa bed that WT73Jr was to be sleeping on was unfolded and made ready for the stay.
At the time, the fact that the room had sofabed’s was missing from the hotel website, and we didn’t exactly know if we were going to be splitting the king size bed, or whether there was a roll away that was going to be requested on our arrival. It has since been updated on the website, so you know exactly what you are getting.
The living space was much brighter as a result of being on the top floor and next to the windows. While daylight windows are never something that I come to expect when staying in London’s hotels, the room had a nice amount of daylight.
The other half of the living room was the kitchenette and dining table that was on the other side of the living room. The kitchenette featured a mini kitchen, a sink for dishes, a small refrigerator, and a HOB; defined as a flat plate with cooking burners integrated into the cabinet.
There was a caution warning on the toaster. Several reviews from some other travel sites report the fire alarm going off quite a bit at this property from the shower and the kitchens.
The room was missing the Nespresso Coffeemaker. I ended up calling down to make sure that we weren’t charged for it. It was eventually delivered around the 3rd day of the stay. It was featured along with the coffee tray.
The room also featured an information sheet, outlining all the breakfast information and hours. It also described the bar hours and the laundry features.
Being on almost the top floor, the view was reasonable for London standards. I’ve never expected too much from London hotel room views, but this one was definitely on the reasonable and favourably unexpected side.
The Included Breakfast with Every Stay:
The included breakfast was more than satisfactory for a 5 day stay. Although I would have preferred a made to order breakfast in the room with supplies from Tesco next door, it was easier to take the included breakfast and we avoided the hassles of supply shopping.
Breakfast was offered between 6:30 AM and 11 AM on weekdays and 6:30 AM and 11:30 AM on weekends. The breakfast offering changed every day and included eggs and a whole host of assorted items.
The breakfast itself was substantial. There were baked goods, cold cuts and even hot items available with something for everyone.
It was at times, mayhem at the breakfast bar; so much so that the hotel had a pop up display cautioning staff of the best times to visit. As a result, this may be something to take into consideration if you’re planning on turning up with your family of four between 8 – 9 AM on a weekday.
The breakfast counter doubles as a bar in the afternoon. The hours of the Bar were between 5:30 PM and Midnight. I ended up with wine in the room from Tesco and didn’t get the opportunity to visit “the bar” during our stay.
The Residence Inn also offered a washer and dryer machine in the basement. We were able to have a mid trip wash of clothes to get the heat from Lisbon out of our suitcase about halfway through the trip. There was a bit of a wait in the evening for this between 8-10 PM on a weekday, as it was a popular option.
There were days that we returned from sightseeing to a message on the television apologizing for the fire alarm. Although we never had the opportunity to hear one ourselves, it apparently remains a possibility for those on longer stays at the hotel.
The Bottom Line: The Residence Inn London Kensington
The Residence Inn was a terrific place to stay with a teenager on an extended visit to London. In addition to being a great value on reward redemptions, it also offers more space compared to many other London Hotels which are often in historic buildings that offer substantially less space. It offered enough space for a family, the convenience of a Tesco Supermarket next door, in addition to being only a short tube ride away from the major attractions in London. I would easily stay here again for a family stay.
If you have come to London with your family, how did you arrange your hotel rooms so that your stay was comfortable ?
Plaza Premium operates a variety of lounges around the world, including several offerings throughout London Heathrow’s airports in Terminal Two, Three and Four. The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge offered an arrivals facility for those that are not fortunate enough to be arriving to the other mainline arrivals lounges offered by Air Canada and United Airlines. Our brief visit would allow us to check out the facilities and make use of the beverage bar.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge, London Heathrow – Terminal Two, United Kingdom
We arrived into London Heathrow on TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London Heathrow. We arrived quite early in the morning at 10:30 AM. Our hotel room at the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington was not likely to be ready until much later.
My travelling companion, WT73Jr had skipped breakfast on board thanks to an early departure. It was also otherwise pouring with rain outside in London, we hopped into the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 2. When travelling as a family, I never pass up a free opportunity to fill the teenage stomach pit for free…
Locating the Plaza Premium Lounge:
There are three Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounges located at London Heathrow Terminals Two, Three and Four. This review is of the Arrivals Lounge located in London Heathrow Terminal Two.
The Plaza Premium Lounge is easily located immediately outside of the international arrivals are on the public side of London Heathrow Terminal Two. It is adjacent to the United Airlines Arrivals Lounge which services Air Canada and United Airlines passengers that are travelling in business class.
If you are arriving into London Heathrow Terminal Two, take a left after navigating to the public side and you’ll find yourself in front of the arrivals lounge area.
Map Courtesy of http://www.Heathrow.com
The lounge is easily located in the corridor as a result of the recognizable Plaza Premium Logo sign. It is uniquely available to those arriving in London Heathrow Terminal Two, especially if are not travelling in Business Class on Air Canada or United Airlines.
Accessing the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge:
The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow is accessed through a variety of methods:
The Lounge offers pay entries at the front reception. On our visit today, the sign on the outside was advertising entries for 30 £.
The Lounge offers visits booked through their website in advance. These visits are tiered based on the amount of time that you stay. Unlike a departures lounge, I can’t see a stay at this location being any more than 1 – 2 hours.
The lounge also offered access through Priority Pass. Our access for us today was granted via Priority Pass Select. This method has since been discontinued.
For members holding the American Express Platinum Cards, access is also granted through the American Express Membership Lounge Program. Access can be granted by presenting an American Express Platinum Card at the front counter.
Inside the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge:
This will be a brief review since the lounge itself is very small. The lounge offers a very small seating area consisting of a view tables, in addition to a long table at the rear of the lounge.
The lounge offered a long bar and drink station. The lounge was a bit a la carte as drink princes were also posted on the bar. Unlike a regular lounge where many alcoholic beverages are included, alcoholic drinks were only made available for purchase.
The lounge did offer a shower suite, which was available on request. This is probably the lounge’s best feature for those looking to freshen up prior to getting to a meeting or a transfer into the city.
We killed off a little time since we had arrived at 10:30 AM and there was no likelihood our hotel room at the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington the room was going to be ready when we arrived to the hotel in an hour.
WT73Jr was also able to stock up on an American breakfast snack having slept through the plane’s offerings.
The Bottom Line: The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge
The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge in London Heathrow Terminal Two offers a place to visit if you don’t have access to the mainline United Airlines Business Class Arrival’s Lounge facilities. The main surprise about the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge was how small it was. I doubt I’d would make a point at stopping by again, unless I was looking for a quick shower or a quick hydrating drink before making the trip into London.
If you have visited the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow, was the visit worth your time ?
TAP Portugal is known for its reasonably discounted business class fares that can be used to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in reasonable comfort. The fares were often available to be purchased for one way travel, and included a generous 200% earning in Air Canada’s Aeroplan as a Star Alliance Partner. Today’s flight would be the continuation of our North America – Europe ticket that got us over to Europe.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: TAP Portugal Business Class Airbus 330-200, Lisbon Humberto Delgato International Airport – London Heathrow Terminal Two
Today’s flight was the continuation of our discounted business class ticket from North America on TAP Portugal Business Class Toronto – Lisbon. We had a free 4 day stopover with this ticket, before continuing on to London in the United Kingdom.
Getting to the Gate:
We left the TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon at 6:35 AM when the gate information was posted on the monitors. Like many airports in Europe, the gate information was not posted until 60 minutes before the flight.
Once the Gate N43 was posted, we headed down towards the N gates. We passed through the Shengen European Union exit customs, and then down towards the no man’s land of international flights. Aside from some duty free, and the odd lonely restaurant, there wasn’t much down here. If you’re travelling through here, best to stay on the Shengen side until closer to your flight.
I dropped WT73Jr off at the gate so that I could go take a closer look at duty free. When I got back, the boarding call had been announced completely oblivious to WT73Jr who was wrapped up in his headphones watching a YouTube video.
We boarded through the Premium lane and got stuck in a queue on the jet bridge while they loaded those that needed assistance.
TAP Portugal
TP – 1354 Business Class 
LIS – LHR (Lisbon International – London Heathrow Terminal 2)
August 18, 2019
07:35 AM – 10: 00 AM (scheduled)
Booked: Airbus 330-9 neo
Flown: Airbus 330-200
On Board TAP Business Class:
TAP Portugal schedules a wide body aircraft for services from Lisbon to London Heathrow. This means that you often get a proper business class seat when many of it’s European competitors like British Airways or Lufthansa offer a narrow body aircraft on its connecting flights from British Airway’s hub in London Heathrow or Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt or Munich. This simple feature makes the flight much more comfortable than sitting in an economy class seat with a blocked middle seat.
We boarded through door 2 L through single jet bridge boarding and turned left into the older TAP Portugal Airbus 330-200 series. This more common version (for the time) had the dated angle flat seats in a 2 – 2 – 2 configuration set up in four rows of business class.
We located our seats 4H / K in the last row of the business class cabin and settled in for the flight. This is an older aircraft and it easily shows. The outdated angle flat seats are really dated by today’s standards. The in flight video monitors that were smaller than some laptop computers these days.
Pre – Departure Services:
There was no offer of a pre-departure beverage, which was surprisingly odd for business class on wide body flight to be just sitting there while we waited. The flight deck announced a 10 minute departure delay for push back for some unspecified reason.
We eventually got airborne. I gave Jr the window seat so I didn’t get any ground photographs. Instead, I played with the outdated In Flight Entertainment system which was circa the 1990’s era. It reminded me of the current In Flight Entertainment System located on some of the older British Airways jets.
I had a bit of a nap as we climbed to altitude.
The Meal: A European Breakfast
Prior to the meal service, we had a wrapped towel service offered. I personally find the wrapped towelettes more inconvenient than a proper towel as served from a tray.
As we got underway, the breakfast service was provided. It was presented on a tray all at once. It was a typically European offering of cold cuts, yoghurt and breads from the bread basket. Orange juice and a very forgettable drip coffee was also offered. Jr ended up sleeping through breakfast, thanks to the 4 AM wake up.
As we approached Heathrow, we entered into a holding pattern for about 15 minutes and eventually landed with a short taxi into Terminal 2.
We disembarked our flight and wandered to immigration. Canadian’s are now eligible for the passport E-Gates, a change they made in early 2019. Hoping to get a passport stamp for the collection, I almost got hauled out of the line by the Border Force for even trying. I think he gave up after I told him the reason we were there. We ended up getting one “on request” since they don’t offer them anymore unless you are here for “entertainment” purposes.
The Bottom Line: TAP Portugal Business Class
This segment concluded our Tap Portugal Business Class ticket with a free stopover. The ability to be able to get over to Europe so cheaply and the ability to earn 200% miles into Air Canada’s Aeroplan represented a great value. If you’re able to stay on the Airbus 330-900 neo aircraft, it’s much more comfortable than the older Airbus 330 configurations as presented here. At the time of traveling on this report, the older aircraft is still floating around and it shows when you ride it. Recent reports now indicate that most of these aircraft have now been refurbished.
We didn’t experience any challenging issues with re-scheduling or ticketing issues with our tickets, although I understand that TAP has reputation for poor customer service when things go sideways. All to say, our experiences with them were terrific and I am happy to endorse them.
If you have taken advantage of the discounted TAP Portugal Business Class fares, was the short connection needed worth the inconvenience ?
TAP Portugal is Western Europe’s Star Alliance carrier that serves many of it’s Western European destinations including an interesting route network through North Africa and Eastern North America. While it only offers a single lounge in the TAP network at its home base of Lisbon, Portugal, we would get an opportunity to test it out while departing Lisbon, Portugal.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon Humberto Delgato International Airport Terminal One, Portugal
We had a 4 AM wake up for our departure from the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa. Since the metro was not yet open on a Sunday morning at this hour, we had to rely on alternate transportation to the airport.
Surprisingly, there was both Uber Black, Uber XL and Uber X all available at 4:45 AM on a Sunday morning when we rolled through the lobby leaving the Sheraton. We got an Uber Black with hotel wifi that worked all the way out to the street. A nice BMW 5 Series touring came to collect us within 5 minutes for the trip to the airport which only took about 15 minutes.
Checking Into TAP Portugal Business Class:
It was a bit of a confusing mess checking in to our TAP Portugal Lisbon – London Heathrow flight. I tried to get a little advance knowledge by locating a map but the airport website was not very helpful in terms of maps and didn’t have much useful information. The Lisboa airport is a pretty dated experience. The experience involves a whole host of twists and turns across split levels and traffic crossing each other. They have expanded it but only on the departure side leaving an older congested front portion. This was not to mention that the airport was pretty busy on a Sunday morning, with lots of leisure travellers camped out or just wandering around.
We located the TAP Portugal premium check in area and dropped our bags. On request, I got instructions to the lounge. We headed for the fast track zone, which was included with our business class ticket. While it was signed, it was not super well managed as the queue was immediately adjacent to the children and family check in line which was a bit chaotic.
Locating the TAP Portugal Premium Lounge:
After passing through security, we located the main holding area. The TAP Premium Lounge was located next to the contract ZNZ lounge in the first Shengen area of the airport. It’s worthwhile noting that there is only one TAP Premium Lounge, and that there is not an additional lounge for international travellers in some other area of the airport.
The Humberto Delgato International Airport won’t ever win the award for the most inspirational terminal, but at least it was functional.
We took the escalators upstairs from the duty free and retail zone. While we arrived at 6 AM, it was pretty quiet but it got full quite quickly. I would imagine that the place would be full quite a bit of the day as it was medium sized and not all to spacious.
Accessing the TAP Premium Lounge:
The TAP Premium Lounge is accessible through a variety of means:
It is available on a complimentary basis to those flying in Executive Business Class on TAP Portugal.
It is available on a complimentary basis to members of the programs TAP Miles & Go Silver, TAP Miles & Go Gold or Star Alliance Gold.
It is also available on a complimentary basis to select credit cards including the TAP Corporate Top or TAP Platinum Visa.
We were granted access today courtesy of the class of ticket on our TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London Heathrow ticket.
Inside the TAP Premium Lounge:
Our first impressions of the lounge were that it was average for an international departures lounge. I’m not sure what they have going on with the “Kermit the Frog” green décor and it didn’t particularly resonate with me compared to other like spaces. Perhaps it looks better in the daylight?
In terms of space, the lounge offered a much smaller foot print compared to the nearby Iberia International Business Class Lounge Madrid Barajas in Terminal 4S; it’s primary One World Alliance competitor. TAP Portugal offers a much smaller footprint and space by way of comparison and it is clear that TAP Portugal is a much smaller carrier, despite serving some of the same routes as Iberia. If you’ve visited both places, it’s hard to be impressed by the smaller TAP Portugal Premium Lounge when the other nearby space is so much more spectacular.
Inside the TAP Portugal Premium Lounge, there were a wide variety of magazines available. Unfortunately, they were all Portugese and I couldn’t read any of them.
We plunked ourselves down by the glass and hooked up to the wifi. The wifi was fast and strong and got top marks for speed and connectivity.
Food and Beverage:
A Serviced Bar:
The lounge featured a serviced bar. Although it was manned at this hour and open for business, it wasn’t too busy. There were not many drinkers needing a drink at 5:00 AM. The lounge didn’t appear to have many exotic mixed drinks and simply offered a bartender for service of the drinks.
Light Food Bites:
The lounge was offering food in the morning. The food wasn’t all to appealing as it was quite cafeteria styled in terms of its presentation. The food was primarily cold offerings for the morning service with cold cuts for breakfast. Having said that, it was tasty and there was nothing wrong with it.
We stocked up on a breakfast snack prior to departing on our TAP Portugal Business Class Lisbon – London Heathrow flight.
The Bottom Line: TAP Premium Lounge
It’s always interesting to see the flagship lounge of any carrier and the TAP Portugal Lounge was no exception. The main feature going for this lounge is the nice looking avant gardist furniture. Having said that, it’s not really a place I would strive to get here early to hang out in. When you compare this place to it’s nearby competitor, the International Iberia Terminal 4S Business Lounge in Madrid, the Iberia Lounge has this place beat miles down. While it’s practical and sufficient for anyone’s needs, this place sadly won’t be remembered as a top experience in anyone’s traveler’s history.
If you have visited the TAP Premium Lounge in Lisbon, did you find this to be an aspirational place to visit or a worthy of an international business lounge ?
Our last day in Lisbon had us catching up on all our leftover sights that we hadn’t captured on our first three days. With no set agenda in mind, we headed out to see the best of what was left, including some terrific tapas throughout the city. We would be reminded if the terrific food city that Lisbon has become as we discovered many great eating opportunities throughout our day.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: The Lisbon Cathedral and Tasting Iberico Ham at the Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal.
We had an easy wake up today from the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa and being our last day in Lisboa, we tied off a few loose ends of sights and attractions that we hadn’t seen before.
Visiting the Lisbon Cathedral:
We headed down to Baiza Cha by metro and headed over to take in the church that we had passed by on Tram 28E. Inside it was beautiful along with some terrific stain glass windows.
Tapas at Memmo AF:
My sister, who had previously visited Lisbon on her traveling days, had recommended getting a drink at Memmo AF. It turned out to be a great location with a fantastic view. Little was I aware, that it was also a Design Hotel affiliated with the Marriott brand. It turned out I left my Marriott Bonvoy American Express credit card in the hotel room of all things. It was a great spot with a beautiful roof top bar. We had views of cruise ships as we enjoyed tapas.
WT73jr unusually took to his foodie self and located a Portuguese tapas on the menu that he wanted to try (Peixinhos da Horta com nosh aioli). With that, we had some breaded green beans with aioli sauce. It was a good introduction to tapas in Lisboa.
Continuing on with the food theme, based on a recommendation of one of my colleagues, we then walked down about 15 minutes to the Time Out Lisboa market.
Iberico Ham at Time Out Market Lisbon:
Time Out Market Lisbon is essentially the largest open air food stall market in Lisboa. It was well worth a visit and every type of food was imaginable.
It was absolutely packed with travellers and families. It was difficult, but not impossible, to get a seat. When we did, I went to locate a Pepsi for Jr and a glass of wine for myself. I then was able to locate food stall “Mangerita Silva”. I ordered some Iberico Ham served with hard cheese with crusty bread.
With a 17 € Mista Pata Negra order… Ohh the Ham – OMG the best ever… It was melt in your mouth good. Someone else thought so too… taking a rare photos of it. It obviously rated as cool.
Last call: Visiting the Church of São Roque:
From there, we walked up hill towards the top of barrio. We went to the very plain outside church. The inside was covered in leafed gold; which impressed WT73Jr. There were some sinister or idyllic mosaics and sculptures amongst the sides of the church; depending on your perception.
Leaving the church, we headed back town to the center of Baixa for our last tour around downtown Lisboa. It was super hot and I had a lemon sorbet ice cream before we left.
A few last bits of window shopping, including some guitars that pique’d WT73jr’s interest. He is a guitar player in jazz band back home…
We headed back up to the hotel where we went to the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa Executive Lounge. We refilled on about 3 bottles of fuzzy soft drinks each thanks to the dehydration of the heat. We opted for an early light dinner for some take away Japanese food from around the corner from the hotel.
My Thoughts on Lisbon as a Stopover:
Our three and a half day stopover in Lisboa was absolutely terrific adventure. I can see why this city has high marks for a weekend stay. There is a lot to see here, a city that has a great personality, terrific food and attractions and great weather to take in. It’s highly recommended and I am looking for an opportunity to come back with MrsWT73 in the future.
If you’ve visited Lisbon Portugal, how long did you stay on your stopover ?
The hilly capital of Lisbon, Portugal is known as one of Europe’s better weekend city breaks. With only four days sightseeing in the capital, we aimed to make the most of our stay here by setting out sightseeing immediately on arrival after our international flight. Lisbon is a terrific city to visit and packed full of terrific sights.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity City Visit: The Seaside Town of Belem and Inside the Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon, Portugal.
We had a slower wake up today from the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa and set out for a day in the sea side barrio of Belém. We took the Metro from Picoas to C followed by a suburban train to Belém. It was a slow process between waiting 20 minutes in line for the ticket machine at Cais de Sodré. It took us well over 2.5 hours to get from hotel door to attraction door in the Seaside town of Belém.
Visiting the Jerónimos Monastery:
Our first stop on arrival was to head to the Jerónimos Monastery. I should have bought online as we had another line for tickets in the summer crush of tourists to access 3 computer kiosk ticket machines made longer by undecided people not wanting to pay by credit card in this cash society of Europe.
It was a very impressive building from the exterior, with interesting motifs over the doorways.
Once inside the Monastery, we had a great look at the intricate carvings that lined the walls among the inside and outside.
We then took a walk to the separate entrance that led into the church.
Most notable here was that Vasco de Gamma, the great Portuguese explorer and the first to link Europe to Asia (India) via an ocean route, was entombed. The picture came out somewhat blurry for some reason above there.
We left the monastery so that Jr could have a McDonald’s snack & I could stock up on cheap liquid drinks of the non alcoholic variety. It was about 33 degrees Celsius out today in the searing sun and the walking around in the heat was slowly getting the better of us.
Tasting Custard Delights at Pastis de Belém:
We headed across the street to Pastis de Belém, an institution that has been selling custard tarts for some 150 years. I queued like all others for a 1.15 € shot at glory. It was awfully tasty although my travelling partner was having no part of experiencing the strange desert treat.
Walking the Promenade to the Castle of Belém:
After the snacks, we headed for a short walk through the fountains over to the water feature along the shoreline. It was set up to admire the Portuguese explorers along with the various explorers.
There was also a chart map of all the areas of the world that the Portuguese explorers were able to reach.
Climbing the Belém Tower Castle:
We then headed over to the Belém Tower Castle, wandering along the water front walkway. We arrived to a long line at 4:51 PM with a last entry at 5 PM. We had no idea whether they would admit all those in line or cut us off right at 5 PM. Fortunately, as we got closer, the castle closed at 6:30 PM and we were all able to get in. This photogenic castle was worth a visit and although it was pretty plain inside, visiting a castle on the water isn’t something you get to do everyday.
It was an interesting and simple building to climb around. They only allowed 120 persons into the tower part, with a sole circular staircase servicing the 5 floors.
There were some great views from the top, headed out all directions.
After that, we headed on a walk back towards the local train to head back into Lisboa.
And then the metro back home to the Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa for the evening.
As we had a long day, and had a proper restaurant dinner last night, I gave into WT73jr’s comforts of home and we ended up having Subway sandwiches take away for dinner tonight as we were both kind of full. We walked the 7 minutes from the Sheraton Lisboa Resort and Spa to the nearby chain in the neighbourhood.
In the restaurant, I gave Jr my iPhone to do a little google translate from English into Portuguese so he could complete his food order in a different language. It was my horrors when I got back to the room after dinner and it came time to FaceTime home to MrsWT73 and I realized that I didn’t have my iPhone with me. I tore back to the restaurant and they were kind enough to have held it for me. I gave the clerk a little reward which she didn’t want to accept but the headache for me as an international traveler having lost an Iphone at the beginning of the trip was more than the 20€ I offered, which she ended up taking. Of course, on the screen when I opened it was this . . . I guess it wasn’t me that set it down… (laughing). I need to do better at keeping track of everyone and everything.
In Summary:
Belėm was a worthwhile day trip for Lisbon. The Monastery and Castle of Belém was well worth a visit, although it took quite a bit of time to get there. I would easily plan for at least one day to take in these sights if you’re visiting from central Lisbon.
World Traveller 73 
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