AAA Colorado ~ EnCompass Magazine

I have been to London twice with my husband Jeff.

And although we agreed on the usual touristy spots, we came to our first impasse when we decided to visit museums. His tastes leaned toward Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms, while I preferred Kensington Palace's Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.

Other Mars/Venus issues arose when we attended afternoon tea. His six-foot-eight-inch frame perched on a rickety antique chair and his knees, which would not fit under the table, almost knocked against his chin.

He reminded me of Will Ferrell in the movie Elf.

To make matters worse, he looked starved even after the wait staff brought out three more trays of tidbits. While I enjoyed the dainties, all he could think of was a 10-ounce steak.

Please don't get me wrong. My husband is my favorite traveling companion, but London has a distinctly feminine side that I felt I was missing. So when I decided to visit again, I invited my friend Rachel Devoe to join me.

Front door experiences

I am not the only one tapping into the trend of girl friends traveling together. Los Angeles-based Impulse Research found that nearly 50% of respondents had taken an all-female vacation in the last three years. Eighty-eight percent said they planned to take such a trip or would like to.

There are good reasons for this movement, especially in an expensive destination like London. Not only can you get to the heart of the city's most feminine attractions, you can do so while dispersing the costs over two households. Previously when traveling abroad, Rachel had what she jokingly called “back door” experiences. Her accountant husband is a good sport, but his DNA is programmed to count pennies (or as the British say, coppers). Because Rachel and I shared a room and meals, we were able to enter the “front door” in hotels and dine at first-class restaurants.

Spending sprees

The money we saved by sharing costs came in handy when we entered the hallowed halls of shopping—Harrods. It was our first night in London and we were both bleary-eyed, hoping to keep ourselves interested enough to stay awake until our longed-for bedtime. But we were so intrigued by the more than 1 million square feet of shopping space, and the mind-boggling array of choices, that we stretched ourselves far beyond the original goal.

You could spend a day or a week browsing Harrods' seven levels, which feature 28 bars, cafes and restaurants (including the Harrods Chocolate Bar), a pet shop (where an admirer once bought Ronald Reagan a baby elephant), a food hall that spawned an entire industry and enough clothing designers to extend any fashion week by another month.

Just a glance at Harrods', Fortnum & Mason's and Harvey Nichols' innovative and delightful window displays and you know this city caters to serious shoppers. Chain stores and locally-owned shops dot delightful areas such as Kensington High Street, Marylebone and Covent Garden, while on Kensington Church Street you'll find multitudes of antique shops.

We loaded up our baggage with confections from Hotel Chocolat, tea goods from Whittard of Chelsea, and colorful clothing from Uttam. Other not-to-be-missed shopping jaunts include Alice's Antiques on Portobello Road, the Laden Showroom which features indie designers, the children's shop Trotters, and Octopus for unusual accessories.

Stores aren't the only place you can shell out money. We planned our entire trip around spending a day at the Portobello Road Market. Well-known as one of London's best antiques markets, Portobello Road also includes a flea market and fresh produce stands. Portobello is jam-packed on Saturdays, which makes it even more fun. We browsed the antiques offerings for a few hours, then began bargaining our way through stalls at the flea market. Once again we pooled our resources and bought pashminas and felt purses in bulk, then convinced dealers to discount even further.

Not-so-mad hatters

No visit to London is complete without the very British afternoon tea experience. We had our best teas at The Berkeley Hotel and the Hotel Sofitel St. James. While the Berkeley's setting is a bit masculine, the tea is anything but. Called the Pret-A-Portea, the treat is designed to appeal to fashionistas, with cakes and cookies inspired by famous designers and trends. The Sofitel offers a feminine setting in its Rose Lounge with more traditional British fare. For a less expensive alternative, try the Blue Door on Portobello Road.

Even the heartiest carb lover can't handle afternoon tea everyday, so for a “front door” dining option try the Park Lane Hilton's Galvin at Windows. With a stunning view of London, this tony restaurant offers a culinary experience to be savored and remembered.

Paper dresses to curtain calls

London is a city of museums, covering a wide range from the Clink Exhibition to the Fan Museum. Fortunately Rachel and I could seek out the ones that most appealed to our tastes. We first went to the Victoria & Albert Museum, where we laughed out loud at some of the outrageous creations in the Fashion Collection (remember paper dresses?). This display also features a well-known beaded white dress once worn by the late Princess Diana. The museum recently renovated its textiles display and will open a new jewelry room in 2008.

If textiles and fashion are your passion, then you'll also want to visit the Design Museum. Other museums of interest include the Florence Nightingale Museum, Museum of Garden History, Museum of Musical Instruments, and the Museum of the Moving Image.

One of my favorites, the Theatre Museum, permanently closed in January. However, you can still experience this city's exciting theater district in real time. If you've never seen London 's version of The Phantom of the Opera, make that your first priority. Because it is staged in a historic venue which perfectly fits the storyline, you feel as if you are part of the scenery. Other quintessential British musicals—whose popularity makes tickets hard to obtain—include Billy Elliot, Monty Python's Spamalot and Mary Poppins. Theatre tickets are expensive, but you can save money by buying them on the day of performance at discount ticket booths in Leicester Square. However, lines can be long, so if time is worth more to you than saving some money, purchase your tickets online before leaving the U.S.

Soaking it up

At the end of the day, our backs and feet ached with a vengeance. While the English don't seem to know how to engineer good toilet paper, they do know how to design huge and fabulous bathtubs—each night we took turns luxuriously soaking in steaming water. Both The Goring Hotel and the Chesterfield Mayfair hotel had spa-like baths and comfortable beds. These highly-rated inns are also conveniently located and boast the utmost in personal service. The Berkeley offers a “Girls' Night In Weekend” with candles, mini-manicures, Cosmopolitan cocktails and a goodie bag filled with cosmetics.

We also took the opportunity to board with a British family at a bed-and-breakfast. On our last night, after packing for the trip home, we joined our host and hostess for a glass of wine. After discussing world politics, teenagers and life in London, we clinked our glasses to toast good friends and wonderful travels.

Shelly Steig is a modern-day gadabout who loves front-door experiences. She lives and freelances in Parker.

Tips for your trip

• Unless you spend hours a day on the stair stepper or travel without heavy luggage, take a taxi or hired car from the airport to your hotel. Elevators and escalators are not common in tube stations, and stairs are steep and numerous. If your lodgings are near Paddington Station, take the Heathrow Express, then walk.

• Don't be afraid to ask. Londoners are unfailingly polite and helpful.

• You can see more by riding the bus than the underground, but the buses can be confusing. Every morning we would start our day by asking our hotel concierge to direct us to the proper bus stop and give us landmarks we could recognize at our final destinations.

• Buy theatre tickets only from a dealer who is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents & Retailers (STAR).

• Not once during our entire trip did we ever feel unsafe. But as with any large city, be cautious. Always be aware of your surroundings, stick together on quiet streets and keep your purse secure.

• On our flight to London we were allowed to carry on a personal bag plus a “wheelie.” However, on the trip home, carry-on items were limited to only a personal bag. To avoid extra charges, call your airline to see if carry-on luggage restrictions still apply on flights from the U.K.

• Go to www.visitlondon.com to gather information.

AAA Connection

AAA Colorado has escorted and independent travel packages offered by several preferred providers. See your AAA Travel agent or visit www.aaa.com.