Where's Johnny Jet? Exploring London with Dad

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Cheers from England. Last week, I flew across the pond with the low-fare, all-business-class carrier MAXjet. This week, we tour around London with a very special person my dad. That's right. Just a few months after his grueling, eight-hour emergency quadruple bypass surgery, he was on an airplane. We met in London at a swanky Red Carnation Hotel. This is a very dear trip, not just because we rarely get to travel alone together, but also because my dad's never been to London and has always wanted to go. Who knew?

Stansted Airport to Downtown London

Stansted Airport is 30 miles north of central London and is popular with low-fare carriers due to cheaper landing fees. But it's good for passengers too, because then you don't have to deal with the legendary madness of Heathrow, especially clearing customs and baggage claim. I was processed in less than two minutes and the luggage (not that I checked any) was already on the carousel. I grabbed a free cart and pushed it down the ramp to the Stansted Express train station, which is directly below the airport. Trains depart every 15 minutes, which makes getting to central London a breeze. If you travel all the way to Liverpool Street, the journey takes 47 minutes. One-way Express Class (coach) fares are £15. A roundtrip fare is cheaper, so if you plan to head back to the airport, be sure to buy a return. Greater discounts are available for same day return tickets.

Britrail Pass

I didn't have to pay the train fare because I used my BritRail pass TIP: Be sure to get BritRail passes stamped at the ticket window before first use. Each time thereafter, fill in your travel dates before the conductor comes around or risk getting slapped with a fine. To get a deeply discounted pass, you need to book it prior to leaving North America by logging on to RailEurope.com. There you'll find a variety of available options. If you're planning on doing a lot of train travel in England or the rest of Europe, you should really look into getting one. I got the BritRail England Flexi-Pass, valid for four days of travel in a two-month period and cost $235.00. It allowed me unlimited access to England's rail networks, including transportation from Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports. Tickets and passes are also available for practically every European country.

The Tube

From the Liverpool Street station, I transferred to the subway, or, to what the Brits call the tube. I love London's underground except when it's really crowded or when the workers go on strike, which seems to be the case every time I'm in town. It's important to pack light because schlepping bags on the tube or even on the trains for that matter, is no fun and taxi fares to and from the airports are crazy expensive -- just like most of London. Currently, the exchange rate is £1 (GBP) to US$2, so there's no bargain. Rail passes don't work on the tube so instead of spending £4 for a single ride, I did what the locals do. I got an Oyster card. This transit card has a £3 refundable deposit, and you can add as much credit on to the card as you like. Plus, it's good for traveling by bus as well. The Oyster Card makes those £4 rides turn into £1.50 (more for those traveling longer distances). The blue cards can be found in a number of places including at most tube station ticket offices and at the Oyster website.

Hotel 41 Location

I took the tube to Victoria Station and walked three blocks to where I was staying at Hotel 41. TIP: When you get to Victoria Station, don't walk down the stairs and then back up the pedestrian alley, which is a huge pain with luggage. Instead, just walk half a block to the right and cross at the underground crosswalk. Hotel 41 is directly across the street from the Queen's Mew, home to many of the horses and coaches used on state occasions. There aren't many hotels around so when darkness falls, the street goes from being a tourist haven to being eerily empty. But hey, it makes for good sleeping.

Black and White

The moment I walked into the entrance of Hotel 41, I was greeted by the hotel's signature black and white color palette. It's modeled after the 21 Club in New York City. From there, the elevator whisks guests up to the fifth floor, where the hotel officially begins and ends: it's just one floor. Because Hotel 41 only has 30 rooms, it doesn't really feel like a hotel. It feels more like a club, which might explain the black and white color scheme. After doing some quick online research, I discovered that the hotel was ranked #9 out of 1,011 hotels in London on TripAdvisor.com. Pretty impressive. Even more impressive is the fact that it just placed 10th on Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2007 list of the top 50 hotels in Europe.

My Dad

I was pretty anxious to get to my room to see if my father had made it safely. You see, my dad is legally deaf, does not often travel alone, (especially internationally) and tends not to follow my instructions. He says I'm bossy. I booked him on a flight using my frequent flier miles and the only business class seat I could find for him, got him into Heathrow six hours earlier than me.

Using Miles

Booking a mileage ticket is an art and the key is flexibility. You'd be surprised what a difference it can make if you're flexible with either your dates, times or even departure or arrival cities. I found nothing when I logged on to Delta.com, United.com and American.com, the airlines on which I've accrued the most miles. The best thing to do is to call and speak to a representative, even if it means spending a few extra dollars. When I called United, the agent then had access to its 16 Star Alliance partners. Suddenly, options started popping up. The choices weren't grand since my dad lives in Erie, PA and any flight to London required multiple stops. The best I could do was to fly him into Pittsburgh, then to Washington D.C. and finally onto London.

The first flight was with USAir and the rest were with United. However, one thing to keep in mind when using United's partners is that once a ticket is issued, neither the dates nor the cities can be changed, though that's not the case with all United Airlines tickets. Other notables to keep in mind: Tickets can be put on hold for just 72 hours, so no more lengthy contemplations. That wasn't an issue for us since my dad got the green light to join me at the last minute, which tacked on an additional $75 late fee on top of the $214 in taxes. Can you believe how high those taxes are? The agent told me that the price of flying into London is double that of flying into other European cities. Right from the get-go, the English let you know that you won't have any money left over when you go home. FYI: Typically, the best time to use your miles is 330 days in advance when airlines begin loading their inventory. I also seem to have luck at last-minute travel.

Chaperoning Seniors

I worried about my dad finding his way through the airport and switching carriers. The positive aspect about my dad flying alone was that it was much easier to secure one seat using frequent flier miles. The negative part is that I would have felt a lot better if he had had someone accompanying him. In fact, I briefly looked into hiring a personal chaperone and found a new company, based out of Georgia, which specializes in giving seniors the freedom to travel anywhere in the world. But it's expensive. You have to pay the chaperone's travel fares on top of their daily rate. Instead, I arranged for airline representatives to escort my dad to his gates. This was free of charge and my dad said that the representatives all showed up and that it all worked out well. His only regret was turning down the golf cart ride at Heathrow; he didn't realize how long the walk to baggage claim was and while schlepping his carry-ons, he re-injured his bad back, putting a slight damper on the trip.

My biggest concern was that my dad wouldn't make it to the hotel. If he got lost, there would be no way for me to get a hold of him. But the helpful staff at Hotel 41 solved that predicament. When I emailed them a few days prior and explained my dilemma, they had a solution. They suggested my dad take the Heathrow Express train (15 minutes from London's Heathrow Airport) and they would send a representative to meet him at the train platform. We swapped photographs so that each knew what the other looked like.

The rep who met my dad was actually the hotel manager, Chantal. What a lovely person. She's originally from Martinique and she had that innate, friendly Caribbean attitude that I love. When I arrived at the hotel, my first question for the pretty receptionist was whether or not my father had made it. With a big smile, she confirmed that he was in the house and that he was sleeping. Relief flooded over me. She went on to tell me that my father is a real character, that he was so excited to be in England and that all the staff who had met him, wanted to adopt him. Chantal expressed the same sentiments and I thought that maybe they were just being overly kind because they knew I had a travel website or something. But that didn't appear to be the case; the next morning, as I milled around the breakfast room, I took a look at the guest book and sure enough, it was filled with nothing but high praise, especially commenting on the hotel staff's friendly attitude. FYI: 60% of the guests are from the U.S., while 35% hail from the U.K.

Hotel 41

The staff alone is reason enough to stay at Hotel 41. The location is another; its just blocks from Buckingham Palace, the tube and bus station. But most of all, the rooms are really comfortable. They're all beautifully decorated with traditional mahogany furniture, a flat screen TV, an iPod docking station, warm feather duvets, a clean bathroom with strong water pressure and fancy toiletries. Internet is free of charge and some rates include breakfast. It's served in the civilized library/dining/TV room. Some tables are made just for one and face the TV, which is nice for business travelers. The service is refined. The waiters are dressed in tuxedos with tails and they take their time. It seemed like each piece of china was being brought to the table one by one. The final touch was a single red carnation, a subtle reminder of the company the hotel belongs to. Breakfast was worth the wait; they served freshly squeezed orange juice and I had one of the best Belgian waffles ever. Room rates begin at £225.00 Hotel 41, Buckingham Palace Road, London, tel. +44 (0) 20 7300 0041.

Milestone Hotel

While on the subject of Red Carnation Hotels, I might as well tell you about the company's signature property, The Milestone. The Milestone Hotel is adjacent to Kensington Gardens and is a real gem. I thought Hotel 41 was amazing but The Milestone is just flat-out superb. The staff was as chummy as Hotel 41's and called guests by their names. Good thing my Italian father couldn't hear them saying "Mr. Jet". The Milestone's decor is the complete opposite of that at Hotel 41. The only black and white room can be found in a parlor off the bar. The Milestone is traditionally English. There are 45 guest rooms, 12 luxurious suites and six apartments. The service was prompt. I mean instantaneous. By the time I hung up the phone after requesting something, there was a gentle tap at my door. No wonder this place was voted the fifth best hotel in the world, according to a 2007 survey by Travel + Leisure magazine, and placed second on their list of the top 50 hotels in Europe.

The Safari Suite

Fortunately, there was a large conference in town so all of the hotel's standard rooms were sold out, which meant we got upgraded to the Safari Suite. There were a lot cheetah and zebra patterns going on and the room had little touches like elephant pillows on the leather couch and safari photos dotting the walls. Between the motif of our room and the South African accents of half the staff members (Red Carnation is South African owned), at times I felt like I was on a safari. It was so cool that they acted like we were paying suite customers because each night we were treated to canap's, mini books and treats left on the pillows. Heck, our oversized tiled bathroom had huge containers of expensive Penhaligon's toiletries. They even brought out the soap tray for us. Our room had the same amenities as Hotel 41, including free Internet access and a desk, stocked with everything your desk at home has, except a lot less messy. There's a gym, indoor swimming pool and a small bar, which, on occasion, can be the stomping grounds of low-key rock stars. Room rates begin at "250 a night and include breakfast. The Milestone Hotel and Apartments, 1 Kensington Court; tel. +44 (0) 20 7917 1000.

Princess Diana

Our room overlooked Kensington Park. One evening, my dad and I took a stroll through the peaceful park. We passed lots of joggers and pick-up soccer games until we came to the gates of Kensington Palace (website), where Princess Diana lived. We were there the day after the 10th anniversary of her journey into Heaven and it was remarkable how many letters, collages, candles and flowers were left in her honor.

Whole Foods and Goat Tavern

Around the corner from the hotel is the world's largest Whole Foods Market. I love Whole Foods (though I wish it wasn't so darned expensive!) but my dad, understandably, didn't want to eat there. Instead, he had his heart set on some English beer and traditional pub food so we popped into the historic Goat Tavern, which was just a few doors down from The Milestone. The Goat, as it's called, has been around since 1697. The food (fish 'n' chips, steak and mushroom pies, for example) wasn't great and the service could use some help -- perhaps from the Milestone staff? I forgot that in a pub, you need to order at the bar, which took us a while to realize. But my dad loved it and really, that's all that matters. Goat Tavern, 3a Kensington High Street; tel. +44 (0) 20 7937 1213.

Sightseeing

This was my dad's first trip to London, so we made the rounds to some of the famous landmarks. Since my dad can't hear, we skipped the guided, hop-on-hop-off bus tour and took the public bus. We got the same experience but it was a whole lot cheaper. One incredibly friendly driver even made announcements over the PA to alert me which stop to get off at and helpfully pointed us in the right direction.

Portobello Market

It was Saturday morning and our first stop was Portobello Road for the world's largest antiques market. Held weekly, there are 1,500 specialist antiques dealers, antique arcades and galleries all along the Notting Hill road. It was a complete zoo. From there we went to Covent Garden for more shopping. PortobelloMarket.org and PortobelloRoad.co.uk.

Harrods

No first timer's trip to London would be complete without going to the world's most famous department store. Harrods has been in business since 1849 and despite its steep prices and no-shorts rule, is a tourist haven. My dad was starving so we pulled up a chair at one of the many eateries. There are 28 restaurants on over seven floors. We actually had to wait about 15 minutes in a line before being seated at the pizzeria. With the all-Italian staff, this place might have the best pizza in London and without a doubt, it's also the most expensive. Would you believe a small pizza costs £14.50? Ouch. Harrods.com.

Westminster Abbey

Next, we took the bus down to the Thames River and later had a snack at the nearby One Aldwych Hotel. My dad marveled at Big Ben, then took a tour of Westminster Abbey (£10 adults, £7 seniors). The Abbey dates back to 960AD and is the place where Princess Diana was married and had her funeral mass. Almost every English monarch was crowned here since 1066 and many are interred here, along with dozens of great writers and artists. Since 1920, only the cremated remains are accepted and the last famous person brought here was Laurence Olivier in 1989. My dad has a love of poetry and his favorite, not surprisingly, was the Poet's Corner. This is where Britain's best writers are honored. Westminster-Abbey.org.

Houses of Parliament Tour

My dad is a retired lawyer and, if I might say so, one of the state of Connecticut's best. So it's no wonder that he had his heart set on a tour of the parliament building. We purchased two tickets (adults £12, seniors 60 and over £8) for the 75-minute tour. The English are so hospitable; when I told them that my dad couldn't hear well and that his back was hurting, they arranged for a wheelchair and gave him the tour guide's transcript to read in advance and take home. He loved it. And so did I. But if I had one complaint, it's the scheduling of the tours. They have several groups touring at the same time instead of staggering the times. So when you're all huddled up in a room, you can hear the guide next to you, which makes it a bit difficult to pay attention, especially for someone with ADD -- yeah, that's me. That aside, I did learn all about the English government (it has three bodies like ours), saw where the Queen puts on her robe and speaks to the country once a year, and I saw where the Prime Minister addresses his colleagues. If you've ever watched it on TV and wondered why people in the crowd keep popping up and down, it's because they are trying to get the speaker's attention. If he or she doesn't call on them, they sit down. The red rooms in the parliament are for the royalty, while the green ones are for the commoners. Unfortunately, no picture taking was allowed. Parliament.uk and Overseas Visitors.

Dining out in London

Everyone knows how expensive London is and a recent survey published by Mercer Human Resources, confirmed this; the city ranked as the world's second costliest in the world. Moscow was first. New York City, which served as the basis for the survey, ranked 15th. A few months later, Zagat, the restaurant rating company, revealed its results of the most expensive cities in which to dine and not surprisingly, London took the crown. The average meal costs just over $79. Paris ranked number two at $72 and New York was 15th at $39.

The Dorchester Grill

My dad loves food but, like many Americans, held the misconception that you can't find good eats in London. I just had to show him differently. We dined at two of London's best restaurants. Of course, neither was cheap but both were perfect for those special occasions. We pulled up to the five-star Dorchester Hotel. Nestled just off the lobby is the Dorchester Grill. Walking into the dining room actually made me gasp. The regal decor had tartan-patterned chairs mixed with mahogany-framed seats with vivid red cushions and lampshades. All of this is centered around a monster bouquet of red roses. The room is breathtaking to say the least. We started off with a small portion of onion soup with cheese, compliments of the chef. On the side was foie gras, dipped and rolled in sourdough breadcrumbs. I'm not a fan of foie gras but it was actually pretty good. The waiter was waiting for our approval so I had to down it!

My appetizer was a little piece of braised chicken accompanied by fluffy and light, cheese-filled cannolis. My heart-conscious dad had a salad topped with edible flowers. I didn't try one of the chef's signature dishes; one was roasted Cornish scallops with white truffle and white chocolate risotto. It sounds delightful, doesn't it? But I'm not into scallops. Instead, I had the parmesan macaroni with spring vegetables and pea puree, a fancy name for expensive mac and cheese. However, my dad said his steamed Dover sole, served with cauliflower flan, smoked eel and horseradish, was the best ever. The wait staff was from all around Europe and one was from Brazil. None were stuffy, including the captain who was an Italian man who's been living in England for 40 years. When I told him we had an 8:30pm play to attend, he looked at his watch, ran into the kitchen, returned and said, "Don't worry, you are now our priority!" Sure enough, we were and we made the play on time. We even managed to indulge in the peanut butter and chocolate opera dessert with banana ice cream and profiteroles; my favorite was the fudge, then the white chocolate green tea. BTW: My dad had the English raspberry with yoghurt sorbet and gauffrette biscuit dessert, which sounded so good but it cost $21 and there were just three raspberries. The Dorchester Grill, Park Lane; tel. +44 (0) 20 7629 8888.

Avenue Q

Even though my dad can't hear too well, I wanted him to experience theatre in London. It's my favorite thing to do in this city, so I arranged tickets for the musical Avenue Q. Neither of us had seen it, I'd heard good reviews and on Friday and Saturday nights, the show begins at 8:30pm which is perfect for someone who's just arrived from America. This way, you can get dinner in advance, see the show, take a quick walk around the West End, then go to bed at a perfect hour to ward off jet lag. Avenue Q was funny. The actors all had puppets, probably because it's the only way they could pull off tackling such controversial topics like racism, sex and homosexuality. Our seats were awesome. I got them in advance from Keith Prowse who have sold tickets to theatre, sports events, concerts and special events for more than 200 years in London. These guys also sell the parliament tour tickets. They started in London and now have offices around the globe. They don't have incredible deals, necessarily, but when you want to see a certain performance, front row and center, they're the ones to go to. If I didn't have my heart set on a late show or Avenue Q, I would have taken my dad down to Leicester Square and rolled the dice to find a discounted play. That's where theatergoers can find inexpensive tickets, though not every show is available and the seats might not be great. Many shops sell tickets, though none is more popular than TKTS, the same company as in Times Square. FYI: The Noël Coward Theatre where Avenue Q was playing was hot as can be. There was no A/C and since my dad couldn't hear well, we left after the 15-minute intermission, about an hour into it.

Foliage at the Mandarin Oriental

The following night we indulged again, this time at Foliage in the Mandarin Oriental. This restaurant has been awarded, for the sixth consecutive year, one Michelin star, a prestigious award for a restaurant. The picture on the website doesn't do their dining room justice. It has soft lighting and luxurious fabrics and the highlight is the view of Hyde Park. This is where every morning someone from the wait staff picks leaves and places them under the glass plates. For lunch (£29) and dinner (£60) they offer a four-course, tasting menu or a menu surprise (£75). We went with the latter and when the waiter asked us what we don't like my dad said, "Onions." I wish I had that palate. I gave a long list that included seafood, goat cheese, lamb, liver, olives, foie gras, carpaccio" You know the chefs David Nicholls and Chris Staines were thinking, "What the heck? Who is this guy?" Menu highlights include: Tomato with watermelon, feta and basil. Sea bass with blood orange, red pepper and cucumber. Chicken with purple sprouting broccoli, leeks and hazelnuts. We enjoyed six courses and dinner lasted four hours. The wait staff could not have been any more alert. They knew everyone's name and address you the moment you walk in. Water glasses never run low and God forbid your napkin falls off your lap; they put a new one on you immediately. They even guide you to the bathroom (the urinal has a splash guard) through the happening bar filled with beautiful women. Foliage, 66 Knightsbridge, London; tel. +44 (0) 20 7201 3723.

Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation

I also had a chance to meet the executive chef David Nicholls who is not only a famous cook but also a wonderful person. After his son suffered a spinal injury while swimming in Australia, he created The Nicholls Spinal Injury Foundation. To promote it and to raise money he published a book Off Duty with 48 other acclaimed chefs (including Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges) full of interviews and 144 recipes.

Note: This trip was sponsored by Visit Britain, The Milestone Hotel and Apartments, Kensington Palace, RailEurope.com, Dorchester Grill, Foliage.

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Related Information:

• Destinations: London
• Trip Ideas: Cultural Immersion

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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