Earlier this month I travelled to London for the first time as an adult (my last trip taken was at the meagre age of eight).

This time, I was in town to visit friends and sight-see – and of course, for some much needed rest and relaxation. Of course, food is always high on my travel agenda, as are cultural experiences like galleries and plays – and while the week I spent in town was deceptively sunny and warm, to be frank, I think I nailed my itinerary. And so, I thought I would share how I spent my time over those couple of days and my trip highlights.

 

Stay...

As this was my first time to London as an adult, and because I would be staying alone, I wanted to feel safe and central. I had heard excellent things about The Hoxton hotels (of which there are four across the city: in Southwark, Holborn, Shoreditch and Shepherd's Bush), and so opted to stay in one of their newer properties in Southwark.

Just a stone's throw from the River Thames, several train stations and the Tate Modern (a place high on my sightseeing list after seeing Gucci's Cruise 2025 show hosted there earlier this year), I stayed in one of their Cosy Rooms, which was beautifully appointed with concrete ceilings and timber floors, colourful art curated by London's Jealous Gallery, a chic, green-tiled bathroom and plenty of free tea and coffee (which, as a tea fiend, I had regularly replenished throughout my stay).

 

Do...

Staying in Southwark was a perfect base for my stay – with easy access to both the Waterloo and Blackfriars tube stations (both within 5 minutes walking distance from my accommodation at The Hoxton). Of course, I spent my first afternoon strolling over to the Tate Modern, but also made time during my stay to take the train over to Notting Hill for the Portobello Road Markets, and to Soho to visit Ffern's only physical boutique, Reformation (where I scored a great cashmere sweater) and the sweetest Tenderbooks (if only my suitcase were bigger!).

 

Eat...

Good god where do I start! Perhaps unsurprisingly, the hotel itself offered some fantastic food options. On the ground floor, I enjoyed breakfast several mornings at the beautiful Albie – which had all the charm and suave decor you could want (and a great matcha latte to boot). But the real gem of the hotel is their rooftop restaurant Seabird, which boasts views out across the city under speckled fairy lights and a menu of delicious seafood and accompaniments that included London's longest oyster list and an impressive marble raw bar. The XO scallops were the perfect entree (just make sure to order bread alongside to mop up all that delicious sauce), as was the honey-drizzled grilled chorizo.

If you're in town, I would also highly suggest taking the tube out to the River Cafe in Fullham, and to BAO in Soho for their Horlick's fried ice cream bao.

 

Take...

The weather in London was deceptively warm during my stay, but I still made good use of my A.Emery Sylvie sweater as it was a good mid-weight knit that substituted for needing to wear a light jacket during the evenings. When it came to footwear, I was walking nearly 10,000 steps per day, which is great for the heart but less so for the soles of your shoes. I picked up this pair of Souer Velika sandals crafted in supple Spanish leather that were a perfect pairing with just about everything. Beauty-wise I like to keep things minimal when travelling, but I couldn't resist taking along some new goodies from Merit, like the solo shadow in 'Midcentury', the Flush Balm in 'Fox' and the Lip Oil in 'Sangria', all of which were 10/10 winners IMHO. And of course, I had to pick up a tube of La Roche Posay's Cicaplast Baume B5+ to keep my skin in top shape. Naturally, all good holidays are accompanied by some reading material. I picked up a copy of Flea's memoir Acid for the Children before I left Sydney, and devoured it throughout my stay.