I’m a planner at heart. When I’m preparing for a big family vacation, you’ll see me researching (months in advance) my favorite museums, bookstores, and parks. Create an itinerary or spreadsheet. I color code things. I that people. (I swear, my family loves it!!! Someone needs to be in charge, right?) When it comes to vacation, you can plan everything but the weather.
The European heatwave is here.
London in July usually Most days we operate at about 70-75 degrees, which is very comfortable. However, we happened to be traveling to England during a week where high temperatures were in the 90s every day. Also, fun fact: very few places have air conditioning. It’s not a tube. It’s not a store. It’s not a museum. This is not a cafe you stop in for a matcha latte (shout out to Blank Street!).
We arrived on a Monday afternoon when the heat index reached about 87 degrees. My daughter (7 years old, almost 17 days old) was already starting to want to go home after an 8 hour overnight flight across the Atlantic. We were tired, hungry, and sweaty. We were a family on the brink of disaster.
Our salvation lies in the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane, which will be our home base for the next four days.
The hotel room was cool and spacious with a king size bed and large bathroom. My daughter had enough space to feel like she had her own area. We were able to spread out and breathe. The feeling of entering an air-conditioned hotel after sweating in London’s street markets is truly indescribable.
As the weeks went by, I realized that the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane was more than just a place to rest my head every night. That became the foundation upon which the entire trip rested.
Must book a hotel with air conditioning and meals locally
We started each morning in the Executive Lounge, which included complimentary breakfast, coffee, pastries, and eggs made to your liking. My daughter ate about 4 croissants and declared she was ready for an adventure. Every day we go out and see the city, sweat in the heat, and come back mid-afternoon during the hottest part of the day. Get used to it Stay at the hotel for a while.
The Executive Lounge was our landing spot. A full meal was provided there, including breakfast as well as snacks, drinks, and a proper sit-down when no one had the energy to find a restaurant. It sounds simple, but taking the kids during the hot summer months and having a comfortable, familiar place (and good food) was really everything.
When I didn’t feel like eating in the lounge, I ventured to the hotel’s restaurant, Lanes of London. It ended up being one of the best meals we had that week. The Lanes of London offers Mediterranean share plates with views of Hyde Park out the window, and my daughter ended up eating things she would refuse at home (seriously, she ate goat!).
The staff were warm, helpful and eager to make our stay as comfortable as possible.
When I was lost, I asked the concierge for help and advice on where to go and what to do. They arranged two of the best things we did all week: a Thames cruise and a sightseeing bus tour of Hamley. Both tours were fun, informative and just the right fit for our family.
The boat guide was really nice (yes, I’m using the London expression now), in an informative and engaging manner that kept all three of us listening. Seeing London from the Thames is a completely different experience than seeing it from the street.
The boat dropped us off at Greenwich Pier, where we strolled through Greenwich Market – stalls selling everything from food and antiques to freshly baked crepes. There was also an adorable guitar shop that stole my husband’s heart.
And we found ourselves in what can only be described as the best pub we visited on our entire trip. The Trafalgar Tavern is located right on the water and is everything you can imagine when you think of a London pub.
On another day of our trip, we headed to Hamleys, the famous toy store on Regent Street. This store turned out to be my daughter’s and my favorite store on this trip for two very different reasons. For her, it’s a slime making station. For me, it’s sweet, sweet air conditioning.
I say this not as a joke, but as real travel advice. Put Hamleys on your London itinerary in July. Thank me later when you’re standing under the cold air conditioner while your kids play with their toy drones.
And on the last full day in London, Hamley’s experience came full circle.
The hotel arranged an indoor picnic for Hamley. A team member arrived at our room with a blanket, teddy bear, and an adorable picnic basket full of food. This was definitely the highlight of my daughter’s trip.
Actually a hotel do Important when planning a family trip
planned a lot About family travel. I stayed in a lot of hotels and spent a lot of time telling myself that the hotel room wasn’t that important. And that may have been true when I was single. Because you can hardly be in the room and it’s more important to spend your money on the experience instead. But not as a mother, I don’t believe this anymore.
The hotel was a reset button for us. It was the place we all returned to when someone (not necessarily a 7 year old, trust me!) started melting down. It was 92 degrees and the subway platform couldn’t have been more stuffy.
London is a wonderful place to visit. We have already said that we can’t wait to go back and if we come back, we will book the same hotel.
