Travel Tips

London Shopping Guide: Portobello Road, London Malls and Beyond

Locations in this article:  London, England Paris, France Savannah, GA

London ShoppingShopping aficionada Sarah Lahey recently jetted off to London on an off-season adventure where she uncovered bargains and deals galore.

Dear Peter,
It’s been spitting rain thru the London fog, but that hasn’t dampened my spirits or slowed me down. I’ve found bargains galore!

Yeah, I know that’s difficult to calculate with an exchange rate of $1=£1.65, but it’s true.

Suzy and I have always traveled off-season to save money, but I’ve never found deals in London like I’ve seen this year. C’mon mates, it’s time to cross the pond!

CHANNEL CROSSING

My Eurostar journey from Paris’ Gare du Nord to London’s newly renovated St. Pancras station was a breeze. I splurged on a first-class ticket for €120 ($165) which was about €40 ($55) more than a standard class seat, but well-worth the difference.

Learn more in our Train Travel section. Or explore European Travel.

Along with a not-too-bad meal served on crisp linens with a split of French wine (I slipped the bottle into my handbag for an evening nip), I was offered a selection of magazines including French and English fashion glossies plus the local rags. If I had purchased these reads at the train station, I would have spent more than €25.

The Stafford Hotel exteriorHOME SUITE STAFFORD

A quick but expensive taxi ride (London taxi meters drop at £2.20 and add pounds quickly, just like I do) took me to Mayfair to The Stafford Hotel.

With only 125 rooms and suites, it’s our kind of place— lotsa luxe, great service and rooms spacious enough for all our shopping bags. English elegance prevails throughout the 17th-century main house, Carriage House and new Mews overlooking the courtyard, Blue Ball Yard (gotta love the name!).

It was tough, but I left my suite to have a drink in the hotel’s world famous American Bar, named in the 1930s for the intrepid Americans who crossed the Atlantic in ocean liners and brought with them such exotic drinks as Manhattans and Martinis.

The American Bar at the Stafford HotelOver the years, their headgear, yacht club burgees and photos have been attached to the ceiling and walls of the bar to create one of the most unique and entertaining hot spots in London.

The Royal princes, Harry and William, frequent the bar and Prince Charles hosted his pre-nup stag party (before his wedding to Diana, not Camilla) in the Stafford’s Wine Cellars, a 350-year-old stone vaulted former bomb shelter now housing a $1 million wine collection. Do ask for a tour when you’re there; it’s amazing.

Off-season deals offer deluxe rooms at The Stafford starting at £220. A spacious apartment, which sleeps six and features two junior suites, would be perfect for a girlfriends getaway; price per lady is about £200 per night.

Can’t quite make it to London for a girlfriend getaway? Try A Traveling Mom’s Tips for Visiting London With Kids.

ONE-STOP SHOPPING

Westfield Mall signStafford concierge Frank Laino insisted I visit the new Westfield mall, about 20 minutes by taxi or 10 minutes by Tube from central London (take the Central line to Shepherd’s Bush; the mall is a two-minute walk).

If it’s raining and/or you have only one day to shop, this is the place.

There are 265 stores including the UK’s largest Marks & Spencer, plus local heroes Emma Hope, Anya Hindmarch and Twenty 8 Twelve, a diffusion-line label by sibling designers Sienna and Savannah Miller. Winter sales were in full swing with most shops slashing prices by 50 percent to 70 percent. For a shopping break, there are cafes and restaurants galore including my fave noodle heaven, Wagamama.

Get more tips from Sarah in Bargain Shopping Europe: Oxford, England.

FORTNUM & MASON REDUX

Fornum & Mason, LondonBack in Mayfair, I stopped by Fortnum & Mason, London’s famous food and gift emporium. The store recently celebrated its 300th birthday by closing shop and redoing the entire space to the tune of $50 million. The upper floors have been transformed into a classy gift shop (beautiful china, linens and cookbooks) and the food halls have been expanded into the basement, so there are now two floors of gourmet teas, jams, wines, chocolates, cheeses.

Fortnum & Mason’s famous hampers are a “must” VIP gift and are now sold at their own in-store boutique. Again, there were winter sales throughout the store; I bought discounted tea and found some fancy kitchen gadgets on a sale table, 50 percent off.

For more, don’t miss the Off the Brochure Travel Guide: London.

Portobello AntiquesPORTOBELLO MARKET

It wouldn’t be a trip to London without a visit to Portobello Road and I always plan my visits over a weekend so I can prowl the famous and ever-changing Saturday market. Yes, it’s touristy and crowded, but the antiques dealers have slashed prices and there’s new retail and great street food and …. please, forget about that fancy cupcake shop, Hummingbird Bakery. The staff was rude and the Red Velvet cupcake was small, overpriced at £2.25 and not worth the hype.

M.J. Barham at 83 Portobello Road continues to sell gorgeous antique English accessories at good prices, and Arbras Gallery is my best find for hallmarked silver frames. New on the scene is the controversial AllSaints fashion chain, which has taken a massive two-floor space on Westbourne Grove at the corner of Portobello Road.

For more London fun, don’t miss Sarah’s partner-in-crime in Suzy Gershman’s Postcard from Paddington: London’s Best-Kept Secret?

DINNER AT THEO RANDALL

Theo Randall at the IntercontinentalFor our last night in London, we booked a splurge: dinner at Theo Randall in the Intercontinental London Park Lane Hotel. Randall has won awards (Italian Restaurant of the Year from the London Restaurant Awards) and accolades for his contemporary approach to Italian cooking. His menus lean heavily on local seafood, and fresh produce from London’s markets is selected daily to complete the extensive choice of small plates and entrees. Most items are available in two portion sizes, which makes it easy to sample and share.

Randall also invites customers into his kitchen on the first Saturday morning of each month to learn from the master, himself. Each class focuses on a particular topic: antipasti, pasta, fish, meat, or pastry. The morning class is followed by drinks and lunch, waited on by Theo and his team. To book, call the restaurant at 44 020 7318 8747.

With damp hugs,
Sarah

By Sarah Lahey for PeterGreenberg.com. Sarah is the Editorial Director for Suzy Gershman’s “Born to Shop” series of guidebooks. Stay tuned for their next insider’s guide, Born to Shop and Sip: California Wine Country.

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