Tag: London

Bicester Village

After seeing haul after haul of designer and luxury pieces from Bicester village , we wanted to see if the deals were really that great. During our last trip to London, we decided to take a train, about 45 minutes fro London to Bicester to see if we could get any deals.

Transportation: We bought our tickets before even arriving to London to get the rest prices. Getting to the station and getting on the train was no problem. The main problem was actually getting a seat on the train. Every seat was taken so many people had to resort to standing in the aisles for the entirety of the trip.

Arriving to Bicester Village bright and early was a great idea because the shops were just opening and there were no lines or crowds of people. We saw all of the designers stores: Prada, Gucci, Celine, Chloe, Dolce and Gabbana, Burberry, and many others. Although many items were discounted, we did see any deals that were close to the ones we’ve seen on youtube hauls. Some of the items, in Gucci for example, had a reoccurring print/pattern that is not normally sold in their regular stores. Although we did not purchase any super high end designer things, we were able to pick up a few pieces at more affordable places. The stores with deals we loved were Longchamp, LK Bennett, and Jack Wills. For many British or Europeans, theses brands may not seem exciting, but for us, it was pretty exciting to see such great deals. Where we are from, Longchamp and LK Bennett items rarely go on sale. As for Jack Wills, it was an unfamiliar brand and great as gifts.

Bicester 2.jpg

Overall, it was a fun experience, but I suppose our hopes were set a little too high…On the bright side, we did download the Bicester Village app before hand to get a free latte from Cafe Wolseley and it was delicious. The Pret a Manger was huge so we were able to grab some food and rest our feet before heading back on the train.

London: Why and What

This is a blog post about how we ended up in London for only two days but had an absolute blast. I was in a dilemma when I canceled my study abroad trip and was left with a one way ticket to Gothenburg, Sweden. Of course, I had bought the cheapest ticket being a student and all so there was no refunds but I didn’t want that ticket to go to waste. I somehow convince Rese to go on a trip with me…. the plan was simple. Go to Sweden a few days and have fun, but wow money was an issue. Sweden’s hotels and airbnbs are EXPENSIVE and while searching for flights for Rese, we saw how affordable flights to London were. Thus, our trip to London was born after I spent hours making an organized spreadsheet for Sweden with flights, sights, and kites (jk but it rhymed).

I still had my GOT ticket so I booked a one way ticket from Sweden to LGW, London, UK with Norwegian Air for only $30 that departed two hours after I landed. I had qualms that I would miss this flight, but I actually had a lot of time to spare. The only odd bit was that the border office pointed out my arrival and departure date were the same, but it was fine. Rese and I strategized for me to make my flight since I only had a backpack on me and no luggage. Rese would check her luggage and we would share. This way I could avoid baggage claim and ensure I find myself on the departing flight. Before we traveled, I was pretty anxious I would be stuck in Sweden with no hotels nor plans and Rese would end up in London alone. However, it all went well so it’s possible to buy separate tickets to get you to your final destination. It is worth noting that GOT is a very gorgeous airport with modern and clean designs that pays homage to IKEA.

Ok, now that’s explanation is done with- here is what we did in London. Rese and I met up in LGW at around 8AM and we took the train to Central London and then took the underground to our hotel. We stayed at QBIC Hotel (after searching on Google for “clean, affordable, nice hotel London” and it worked!). It was a very hip and cool hotel in Shoreditch, which is quintessentially the hipster, alternative part of London. We left our bags, changed (I had traveled for over 24 hours!) and made our way to Oxford Street.

THE ITINERARY 

Day 1

  • Oxford Street
    • Primark
    • Liberty
  • Lunch at Wagamams
  • Blacklock for Sunday Roast

Day 2

  • Platform 9 3/4
  • St. James Park
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Big Ben
  • Millenium Bridge
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral
  • Shakepeare’s Globe
  • Fish and Chips Detour
  • Oxford Street
    • Afternoon Tea at Harrods
    • Primark

Day 3

  • Greenwich
    • English Breakfast
    • Prime Meridian
  • National Gallery
  • Oxford Street