London, the capital of England in the UK, has a massive selection of world class visitor attractions many of which are the most popular in Britain. For generations London has been a popular vacation destination and much of this interest is due to the immensity of the historical buildings and the unique culture. While many of the visitor attractions found in London have a historic interest, such as the Houses of Parliament, The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, there are many that are only recent additions, such as the London Aquarium, and the youngest of these is the London Eye.

The London Eye is often referred to as the Millennium Wheel as it was built in 1999 to commemorate the arrival of the new millennium. It was officially opened by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in the evening of December 31 but, sadly, there were technical issues and it was not opened to the public until March 2000. Standing 135m above London it has become an unmistakable, and highly visible, landmark.

Way back in 1895 the idea had been tested before with the Great Wheel of London, a huge Ferris wheel able to accommodate 1600 people at once. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1907 but today London has a replacement in the London Eye. Although it is not the largest Ferris wheel in the world it can legitimately claim to be the worlds largest cantilever observation tower!

Although the London Eye cannot carry as many people as the Great Wheel of London could it can manage to carry 25 people in each of its 32 capsules. It takes about 30 minutes for the wheel to make a complete revolution during which time you can choose to remain seated or you can stand up and walk about.

Around 3.5 million people take a flight on the London Eye each year making it the most popular paid visitor attraction in London and the UK. The most common reason for taking a trip is to experience one of the finest views across London. At the very top you are able to see for about 4 miles which takes in some of the best London landmarks which include St Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. One view which will stay with you is the spectacular view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’s clock face.

Many people choose to use a trip on the London Eye as an opportunity to make a marriage proposal and it is actually possible to get married there. In fact there are a number of things available which also include educational aspects for schools and colleges as well as river boat trips along the Thames.

If you are planning a vacation to London or just a weekend break it is well worth taking the opportunity to take a ride on this incredible visitor attraction. If your time in London is limited it is a real time saver as you are able to take in nearly all of the most important London landmarks during the 30 minute trip which is impossible to do any other way (excluding a helicopter or balloon ride).

If you are looking for accommodation in London you may appreciate the listings of hotels near the London Eye or the cheap London hotels listed on http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/

It is becoming increasingly common to see that many of the new, smaller, hotels are describing themselves as a “Boutique Hotel”. All across the world, in such places as the city of London in the UK, there appears to be an increase in the number of hotels describing themselves as a “Boutique Hotel” but what makes a boutique hotel and where did they originate from? The following article provides an explanation.

Boutique hotels are usually small hotels run by a family, couple or small enterprise. However, there has been a recent trend for some of the larger hotel chains to build hotels to meet the specific demand for these hotels so this distinction may not hold true for much longer! Nearly all boutique hotels are uniquely styled to a high quality, especially in the decoration and furnishings, and commonly based upon a theme (such as a period in time). Such themes can range from a hotel decorated and furnished in the 17th Century style to one which is focused on chocolate for avid chocoholics. Although the vast majority of boutique hotels are based upon one particular theme or style, from time to time, you will find such a hotel that chooses to have each room individually styled upon different, and sometimes contrasting, themes.

Where Was The First Boutique Hotel?

Boutique hotels first appeared in the late 1980s in New York USA. Although some hotels claim to have been boutique hotels as far back as 1981 in places such as London UK and San Francisco the first hotel to be described as such was the ‘Morgans’ hotel, New York, in 1984. These earlier claimants were, therefore, subsequently described as such and can not, realistically, claim to be the first.

‘Morgans’ hotel  was owned by Steven Rubell and Ian Schrager who had commissioned the Parisian designer Andrée Putman to create a unique, highly stylized, hotel in New York.  Putman created the hotel in what has become known as an “America meets Europe” fashion. When promoting his Morgans Hotel large hotel chains wanted to make his hotel stand out from, what he thought were, the mundane hotels owned by the large hotel chains. He described other hotels as “department store” hotels and his own as a “boutique hotel” to show the distinctive difference - thus the phrase entered the English language for the first time.

Interesting Boutique Hotels in the United Kingdom

42 The Calls (hotel) in Leeds claims to be one of the first to appear in the UK. The Calls was a hotel built in the carcass of an old corn mill and used that as the overall theme. The hotel features some of the original corn mill machinery and is renowned for having luxurious hand made beds in its rooms.

The Blake’s Hotel in South Kensington, London, is often quoted as being one of the first boutique hotels in the world but, although this appeared before Morgans in New York, for the reasons outlined above this claim is often dismissed. In recent decades there has been a sharp increase in the number of boutique hotels opening in various places within the United Kingdom of Great Britain with the largest number opening in London.

If you are planning a trip to, or a vacation in, London and you are considering booking a boutique hotel you may wish to check out the listings of boutique hotels in London at http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/

London is one of the many fashionable short break destinations in Europe and is probably in the top ten of the best selling international locations.

London offers everything any tourist may desire. If you are searching for a extensive assortment of shopping choices as a matter of fact London has the biggest amount of retail premises in the UK. Shopping ranges from designer shops to second hand bargains on a market stall. There are large famous department stores in the busy principal streets.

During a busy days shopping you can take a break in one of the many coffee shops or a glass of wine in one of the numerous pubs. After you have finished browsing you can enjoy a meal in one of the many restaurants. In London you will find a restaurant offering virtually every kind of food you can imagine from each region of the world. London has a really diverse multi-ethnic population and this allows holidaymakers to try out different types of culinary delights.

After your evening meal why not sample one of the numerous world class performances in London’s West End. There you will find many famous actors and actresses starring in the newest shows. There are many travel companies that offer special theatre breaks packages, which include a top seat at a performance of your choice and a hotel.

London has a huge number of accommodation options of varying criteria from a simple youth hostel to five star plus luxurious hotels. The price of the accommodation you choose can be more expensive if you choose a property in a busy part of London near the main shops or theatres. A great idea for some people is to stay a bit away out of the middle of the city. This could help save you money and you can use the extensive subway network to take you about London.

Getting to London is easy as there are London flights from most major cities. You can normally get to London non-stop or by traveling via a different major airport. Within Europe London is serviced by the numerous cheap airlines providing flights as low as just 1 pound or less plus airport taxes. A simple search on the internet will help you find them.

London, the capital city of England, is as famous for its unique shopping opportunities as it is for its interesting culture and prestigious history Travelers from all ’round the globe travel to London to indulge in the immense number of department stores, boutique stores and specialist markets. With the strong $ and weak £ those from the USA will discover goods are cheaper as it has been in the past, it is the same situation for those people traveling from Europe as the UK Pound is also weak against the Euro.

Well Known Department Stores In London

Probably the most well known department store in London is Harrods department store in Knightsbridge the planet’s largest standing on 18,000 m2 of floor space.  The motto of Harrods department store is “all things for all people, everywhere” or ‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’. Most folk associate Harrods with exclusivity and luxury and most famous are the toy department and food hall

Selfridges is another store that is worthy of a mention.  Found on Oxford Street, Selfridges opened for business in 1909. Built and named after the American businessman Gordon Selfridge the department store was carefully designed so that all of the goods could be readily accessible to the prospective buyer which was a new idea at the time.

The Best Places To Go Shopping In London

Covent Garden has become very well known for its specialist and unusual shops and is considered a hip place to hang out. Besides the fascinating shops you will also discover a small number of restaurants and eating places in and around Covent Garden.

Camden Market is another popular London market place. Even though there have been a variety of markets in Camden at different times the present market began business in 1974. The market at Camden is actually a number of adjoining markets of various types together providing a huge selection of wares.

Streets In London Famous For Shopping

Chelsea’s main high street is the Kings Road which is one of London’s most chic and stylish streets in which to go shopping. The Kings Road had, during the nineteen seventies, a close association with Punk, the Sex Pistols and their manager Malcolm Maclaren, in more recent times the Kings Road is much quieter but still well worth a visit.

Sloane Street is another road in London associated with shopping which is named after Sir Hans Sloane who purchased much of the surrounding area in 1712.

Staying In London

Getting to London is amazingly easy, being England’s capital transport links are amazing and London’s underground makes everywhere incredibly easy to get to.

London accommodation appears everywhere and is easy to find but sadly it can prove to be slightly over priced. It is usually wisest to book your London hotels online and you will discover a huge selection of London hotels, guest houses and apartments at http://www.londonhotel4u.co.uk/.