Posts Tagged ‘London’
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London spa break — part 2
One very relaxed spa-goer... alas not me! Photo credit: Thomas Wanhoff
Yesterday evening I went to the Purity Spa at London’s Park Lane Hilton for my £10 mini facial pampering treat, as it was billed on the voucher. And the verdict? Well, the facial was pleasant, but on the whole… you get what you pay for.
Posted in Beauty
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London spa break – part 1
When I first started writing for Oola Moola, a reader named Erin challenged me to find her a European spa weekend for under £250.
I checked with Erin to see where she was based and what she was looking for, and I’ve found, if not the main course she was after, certainly a tasty little starter: a £10 pampering treat at the Purity Spa, located in London’s Park Lane Hilton.
A rose petal bath... something I'd love to find at the spa. Photo credit: Dennis Wong
Each of the vouchers I bought (three, as I’ll take two friends) entitles the bearer to a mini facial and full use of the spa’s steam rooms. I think this is a fantastic deal. It suits me especially well as I would rather get in, have whatever treatment and then get out, as opposed to spend the day floating round various pools and breathing deeply. (On reflection, this may make me a more likely candidate for a relaxing spa break.)
I bought my voucher through lastminute.com, and when I went back to the site a day later to check availability before writing about it, I found that the offer was sold out. However, a quick spot of snooping revealed that all sorts of spa vouchers are available, so even if you can’t find my £10 deal for that specific spa, you should be able to fare very well indeed, with deals like 50% off mini treatments at Beauty Group salons, and two for one vouchers at spas nationwide, including two for one at the Purity Spa.
I won’t notch up my costs just yet as I will save that for part two of this post… the visit itself! We’re off to the spa later this month so stay tuned…
Posted in Beauty
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A swim in the pond and a breath of fresh air
The path in to Hampstead Heath
This past weekend I trekked up Hampstead Heath with a friend and her baby. We were in search of clean(ish) air, a cool breeze and a dip in the pond legendary bathing ponds (this last item was just for us grown-ups, though — babies are not allowed in the pools).
Now, technically speaking, a trip to Hampstead Heath does not count as a micro-break (which I have defined as an escape from London), but I challenge anyone to delve into this particular part of N5 and not feel as though they are very, very far indeed from the London hustle.
Posted in Travel
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Challenge: Spend a whole day in London without spending a penny
Now this one is easy. Too easy, in fact, as London is one of those brilliant cities which is actually chockers with free stuff to do.
One of the most obvious places to start is London’s world-class museums and galleries, which unlike other cities around the world, offer free admission to many of their permanent collections. You could easily spend days wandering the capital’s great galleries without spending a penny. But there’s a chance you could suffer from a serious case of gallery fatigue. Plus there’s loads more to see and do. Here’s a sample itinerary of a full (free) day in London:
11am Free 80 minute yoga class
Dermalogica, KensingtonThe Dermalogica store in Kensington hosts a whole line-up of free health and well-being classes and workshops. Check online to see what’s coming up and book in advance.
1pm Take a packed lunch and picnic in the splendour of Kensington Gardens. People-watch, squirrel-watch and bird-watch for free.
2pm. Take in some culture and visit a free gallery or museum. The V&A Museum is nearby and houses an extensive collection of art and design.
4pm Get ready for a big night out with a free makeover at The Body Shop.
6pm. Go to a free taping of a TV show and spend the night with your favourite celebrities. Some of them even give you free booze! Apply well in advance for free tickets at the BBC or at Applause Store. Just keep in mind that you need to queue up very early for tickets on the night, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in.
9pm. Time to hit the (free) night clubs! Death Disco in at Notting Hills Arts Club is my pick of the bunch –with guest DJ sets (including the likes of Courtney Love, Tim Burgess, and Mercury Rev) and free live acts as well. (Wednesday nights only)
Posted in Beauty, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Travel
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Beauty on a budget: where to get the cheapest treatments in London [Part 2]
I’m back with groomed brows, dark lashes and baring only a slight resemblance to a Jim Henson muppet (only kidding.) Actually, my brows are probably a wee bit darker than desirable but I totally hold myself responsible as I requested that they leave the tint on for longer than usual. Anyway…
My experience at London College of Beauty Therapy’s salon was actually overwhelmingly – and surprisingly – positive. After checking in at reception, I was taken through to my own private treatment room within the dazzlingly white, chandelier-bedecked professional salon.
As I was having the “trio” of treatments: eyelash tint, eyebrow tint and eyebrow shape, I was allocated three separate therapists. One for each treatment. Just a tiny departure from the usual salon experience. And I had to sign a helluva lot of disclaimer forms. Which isn’t so unusual. And although it did take slightly longer than usual, I was too busy saving money to really care.
At the end of the day I really couldn’t fault the standard and quality of my treatments. In truth, I’ve paid a whole lot more for worse. The students were extremely conscientious and a supervisor checked in at the end of each treatment to ensure I was happy and each procedure was performed correctly. And I was asked to give each student a score. If only every beauty salon in London was as interested in customer feedback and satisfaction…
Total spent: £15
Cost of treatment at usual beauty salon: £60
Total saved: £45Posted in Bargains & Markets, Beauty
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Make your own instant (bang-on-trend) wardrobe update for £5 or less.
Guess what? I’ve been using a needle and thread! (cue murmurings of shock and horror). And I’ve been using tea as a make-do method for home dyeing. Yes, I have. In fact, I discovered a good strong brew of proper builder’s tea is the key to this season’s predilection for nude and neutral shades!
After hitting the various haberdashery and cheap jewellery shops of London’s Soho I spent no more than £5 on a couple of bits and bobs to create my own bang-on-trend instant wardrobe updater.
So here’s a free tutorial of my (totally humble) take on this season’s key fringe trend. Wear the necklace with a plain vest or dress for instant fringing (and straight from the catwalk) style.
You will need:
• 1 plain link necklace (I got mine for £1.25 from one of the budget jewellery shops on Berwick Street in London.) For a tougher look, you could get a length of chain from the hardware store and tie it with a ribbon at the back of your neck.• Fringing of your choice (The minimum length I could purchase was one metre, which was enough for optional layers – or extra necklaces for thrifty gifts!) If you’re in London, I recommend visiting Kleins haberdashery at 5 Noel Street, W1 (Tel. 020 7437 6162).
• Needle and thread in a colour that matches your fringing.
• Optional: tea bag and white vinegar for dyeing.
How to make it:
1. The fringing I found at Kleins was actually a stark white with tiny gold beads. A little too Texan cowgirl for my liking. I couldn’t find the on-trend nude/neutral shade I was after, so I decided to experiment with some home tea dyeing.
2. To dye the white fringe an antique-y nude colour, soak it in a (cooled) cup (or bowl) of strong tea. Take it out every couple of minutes until it’s turned the exact shade you’re after. Five minutes did the job for me. Don’t leave it in for too long unless you want it quite brown! Take it out and set it in a cup of water with white vinegar . I’ve heard that salt is also quite effective for setting the colour. Leave to dry on a piece of kitchen towel.
3. Cut the fringing to the length of your choice – experiment by pinning it to the necklace to see what kind of effect you like best.
4. Thread the needle and carefully hand-sew the fringing to each link of the necklace. At the end of the length, secure it with a double knot. That’s it – you’re done.
Watch me make the necklace on the video below.
Make your own instant fashion update! from OolaMoola on Vimeo.
Total spent: £4.75 (1 metre of beaded fringing £3.50; Chain necklace £1.25)
Cost of similar-style fringe necklace on Net-a-porter: £215
Total saved: £210.25
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Gorgeous lunch for a fiver: Sacred Cafe
Serious coffee fans who flock to London’s alumni of Antipodean cafes usually end up lingering for lunch, especially when they offer up a host of delicious lunch options for less than a fiver. Take Sacred Café on Ganton Street, for instance. The blackboard boasts a line-up of affordable lunches that don’t come pre-packaged in cardboard and plastic, like quiche of the day with garden salad (£4.80) and pate of the day with toast and caramelised red onion chutney, (£4.60).
I was in the mood for something light and healthy, so I ordered the hummus with flat bread, cucumber sticks, olives and red onion chutney for £4.30. It hit the spot and I had change of a fiver. Quite perfect, really.
Sacred Café
Ganton Street,
London W1B 5PW
Tel: 0207 7001628Posted in Food
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Gorgeous lunch for a fiver
One of my favourite new London discoveries is Canela Café on Newburgh Street, which offers a rather brilliant line-up of budget-friendly Brazilian and Portuguese dishes. I really love the warm and deliciously fragrant Brazilian cheese bread as a starter or snack, and their coffees come with a stick of cinnamon for a real Portuguese kick.
But they really win brownie points with their fab £4.95 lunch specials, such as this hearty Portuguese stew served with salad and rice. It’s worth dropping by if you’re out and about in the Carnaby area – although you can also find them in Covent Garden.
Canela Café
1 Newburgh St
London W1F 7RB
Tel. 020 7494 9980Posted in Food
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Market challenge: How much can you haggle or get for free?
I love the idea of haggling. Really, I do. It’s an age-old system of two parties negotiating the best deal for themselves. But I just happen to be spectacularly crap at it. Especially at farmers markets - I feel like a total cheap-arse offering a farmer-type peanuts for their organically grown and loving-tended potatoes. OK, so that’s not exactly the reality of the situation, but you know what I’m getting at. Nobody wants to be a scumbag.
So this really was a challenge for me on a number of levels. Especially as my local “farmers market” also happens to be one of London’s number one foodie tourist attractions, Borough Market. I generally make a weekly trip to Borough to pick up some goodies for the week – and to grab some coffee from Monmouth to kick-start the weekend. The thing is, I often go first thing in the morning, mostly to avoid the tourist crowds which really start to get crazy at about 11am.
But one week I happened to be there towards the end of trading, around 4pm, and noticed that the stall owners were madly discounting all their produce. So I decided to head back there at 3.30pm, to find out exactly how much I could haggle - or get for free.
First thing I noticed? Nobody is discounting at 3.30pm. It’s still packed with tourists milling around the stall counters and paying top price for produce. So there’s no need for the owners to discount or bargain with customers. I snuck up to a couple of stall owners and offered £2 for half a dozen sausages, and was just about laughed away. The embarrassment!
So whilst I waited for the crowd to dissipate and the day to wind down, I dedicated myself fully to getting as much free stuff as possible – ie. samples. Now, I usually steer entirely clear of food samples. Honestly, I really don’t want your teensy bit of bread covered in oily pesto that has been man-handled by hundreds of other grubby fingers. Yeeuurk. So I literally had to swallow my germ-phobia and get on with it. I felt like a total scavenger, swooping in on any out-stretched platter of crumbs.
But you know what? I did quite well. In fact, I just about made a three-course meal of it. Here’s what I scored…
STARTERS:
10x chunks of cheese
3x pesto on breadMAIN:
2x samples of sausage
2x samples of ravioliDESSERT:
3x pieces of cake
1x pieces of fudge
2x pieces of browniesI was starting to feel quite full by the time 4pm drew near, so I had to draw on my inner reserves and steely determination to haggle with the best.
Coming up in part 2: The full haggling results! In the meantime - enjoy this video:
Birdy Moola goes to Borough Market! from OolaMoola on Vimeo.How much can you haggle or get for free? Read more at our blog!
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Food
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Gorgeous lunch for a fiver: Princi
First up in our “Gorgeous lunch for a fiver” series is Princi on Wardour Street in London. This relatively new addition to Soho comes all the way from Milan, and is backed by Alan Yau (of Hakkasan, Yauatcha and Cha Cha Moon).
On my visit, the sleek minimalist space is buzzing with a hungry lunch-time crowd, but service at the long glass counter is quick and easy. As well as an enticing line-up of freshly-baked bread and pastries, there’s also a range of pizza slices, pasta, meat dishes and salad.
I perch on a stool in the front window and watch Wardour Street go by, whilst munching on a generous slab of pizza, which with a can of Coke comes to a total of £5.20. (I would have got it under £5 if I opted for water instead, but I needed the massive caffeine/sugar hit.)
Oh, and while you’re there, make sure you sample some of the gorgeous bread dipped in olive oil, which is offered to customers on top of the counters.
Princi London
135 Wardour Street
London W1F 0UT
Tel: 020 7478 8888Posted in Food
