Sabrina and her daughter were so excited to plan their first trip across the pond. They wanted to see and do “all the things” and we knew that combining London with Paris would be the perfect adventure! Here’s how their trip went…
First and foremost I want to thank you for making our trip such an enjoyable experience. From our initial consult to using the app to navigate our day-to-day and everything in between…it was fabulous and exactly what we imagined.
I journaled while we were gone, so below I’ve included info/observations to capture our experience but made it relative to your services! And we would adore working with you on future travel and recommending your services to others. 🙂
The Flight Across the Pond
With the long layover in Miami we went into the American Flagship Lounge which is the nicer of the two options there. They have a quiet room with chaise lounges, great food (including prime rib), coffees, cocktails and a place to shower and freshen up. Completely worth it even for a day pass.
Landing in London and following your advice on staying up and calling it an early evening to get on London time proved successful. Our driver from the airport was lovely to chat with on the way to the hotel and gave us great tips and hidden gems to look out for. Originally from Portugal, he convinced me to consider Lisbon as our next adventure. Lol!!
London
We were also glad we had an early morning Tower of London sightseeing tour planned for the next day because it motivated us to actually keep with that goal. The tour ended up being the perfect way to get the lay of the land. It included a lot but it wasn’t overwhelming. The tour guide was incredible.We had a terrific experience.
The London Eye, Book of Mormon and of course, the Tour of Windsor was equally as fabulous. Windsor was gorgeous and we had the opportunity to see both the changing of the guard and the Queen’s burial site at St. George’s chapel. We appreciated the guide’s history of the city as we drove out of London and him getting us on to the Palace’s grounds so we could then explore on our own.
The Rubens Hotel
However, the star of this leg of our journey was the Rubens. They had us checked in by about noon that day because they knew we had been traveling and called us while we were out shopping. They also hand delivered scrumptious macaroons to our room upon arrival to the room. High Tea there was incredible, which I highly recommend. Thanks to my friend Mara, we knew to request seating on the couches facing the window across from the Mews at the palace. We also caught a glimpse of blacked out carriage coming out of the palace while we were enjoying our tea.
They treated us to a fabulous cook to order breakfast (worth about $50 per person per day). An additional $100 food and beverage credit plus a 15% discount on all other restaurant charges during our stay. In total it was an added value of $625. The breakfast was incredible and the one morning we needed to get in and out quickly because of our Windsor Tour, they prepared a yummy breakfast off menu so we could eat and walk down to the coach station in time. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how fabulous the front desk staff and doormen were. Andrew, in particular, made sure we got into our cabs safely and always made sure if we were walking we knew where we were going. And gave great suggestions on food, etc.
Across the Chunnel to Paris
Overall it was the perfect number of days and activities for England before venturing to France via the Eurostar. The train was an experience all its own. Comfortable and efficient. Getting a taxi was easy to navigate, as you relayed, but after that, we only used a taxi one more time. After that we made a point to use Uber. The taxi drivers didn’t speak English and while the Uber drivers didn’t either, the app makes it easier to get to where you need to go. And you could choose different service levels for efficiency.
Paris Hotel – The Legend
The Legend Hotel was equally on par with the Rubens. While it was more modern, had a much smaller staff and a less elaborate breakfast, it was absolutely fabulous. The rooms with all hardwood floors, no upholstered beds, tempurpedic mattress and pillows. As well as TONS of closet space allowed us to avoid the bed bug concerns. The room was also larger than I expected with a rain head shower, a mini fridge and a terrific view. It was overlooking the street with a tiny balcony. The staff was amazing and super helpful. It was also centrally located in a great section of town with lots of shopping and great restaurants. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel!
Paris Tours
Our tours and activities in Paris were equally as awesome as our experiences in London. The Eiffel Tower was great. The guide got us into the gates and to the lift then we could explore on our own, which we loved.
The Louvre was incredible. I am so glad we opted for a guide because it would have been overwhelming otherwise. He was also so insanely knowledgeable and passionate about art that it made the experience even better. We did break away a little early from the group. But he was so sweet! And, took a few minutes to help us navigate the best way out so that we could see more. Our trip to the Catacombs was also amazing and our guide there was also terrific. The semi private option that allowed us to access areas only available to the group tours was totally worth it.
Our final tour to Versailles was a great way to end our adventure. However, my only complaint was that the tour guide (while very knowledgeable) spent longer than necessary in stops in each room. Repeating herself but then rushing at the end. So much so that we ended up leaving the Palace area and exiting into the gardens before we could get her attention to let her know we wanted to stay in the palace so we could get more pics, visit Laduree and the gift shops. Of course, I have to take ownership of the fact we were pretty tired. And on info overload so I should have tried to speak up earlier. We were able to end our time there with amazing crepes. At a little restaurant there in town that was a hidden gem.
Again, such a minor thing that I hesitated to even mention it but it’s worth noting in case you have other clients interested in that tour. The train ride there was nice and she did do a good job initially explaining how it worked in contrast to the metro. We had to navigate the train back on our own. It was pretty easy with the help of Google Maps. Since we wanted to end up back at a station closer to our hotel.
Heading Home
The driver who picked us up to return us to the Paris airport was early. And they came into the hotel lobby to ring our room. He was helpful in getting the luggage loaded and getting us to the right place very efficiently. It was the perfect amount of time at the Paris airport to check bags, do a little last minute shopping, and have a yummy breakfast. With the long layover on our return flight too, we bolted to the Flagship Lounge again! It was a great respite because it was a long day. A much less chaotic environment than the terminal and the perfect way to end our trip.
Again, thank you for everything! I’ll be touching base before the end of the year to plan our next adventure!
-Sabrina
