Prince or Pauper?
A noble dad and his boys tour dear London on a budget fit for a beggar
LONDON--I am sitting with my sons, Christian, 12, and Dominic, 9, in Giraffe, a kid-friendly restaurant in tony Kensington. As I savor a final bite of vegetable curry, I debate whether to stiff the waitress and not leave a tip. The grub was great. She was cheerful and efficient. So why not tip? Because I'm trying to stick to a strict spending regimen. If I add anything to the bill, my day's budget is busted.
London is the world's second-most expensive city, just behind Tokyo, on a cost-of-living basis. But what really squeezes American pocketbooks is the weak dollar. Currently, a buck is worth about half a pound. Whatever you buy in Britain is essentially double the price in dollars. A burger and fries at a reasonably priced restaurant, for instance, can set you back about $18. Should that kind of math make Americans shun one of their favorite foreign destinations?
My challenge is to see if an American with kids in tow can spend a fun-filled day in London--hitting top attractions--on a miserly budget of $250 (about 130 pounds). Including a hotel and three squares. That's a tight spending cap. Despite the crummy exchange rate, the average U.S. tourist here spends about $180 a day per person. One advantage: Some of London's top destinations are public museums, and they're all free.
No frills. Our Saturday begins after a restful night at Express by Holiday Inn, a fairly new and comfortable hotel in the Docklands, east London's once rough, but now trendy, riverside district. We had a good deal: 59.95 pounds for a triple room that was tidy and average size. But the hotel is 30 or 40 minutes away from any place in London you'd rather be. That's the kind of trade-off you might have to make to get a reasonably priced room. Expect to pay about 75 to 100 pounds or more for a similar no-frills room in central London.
Like most economy hotels here, ours includes breakfast in the price. But Christian's face crumbles like a stale muffin when he sees a continental buffet of cereal, fruit, and assorted breads. "Where's the eggs and bacon?" he moans. The food is, however, tasty, and we're full as we head for the popular London Eye, the graceful mega ferris wheel on the south bank of the Thames.
You can journey around London fairly cheaply with daily family travel cards, sold at any subway station. A single adult card is 3.10 pounds. The boys are free because it's a weekend; normally theirs would have cost 80 pence each--that's about $1.60.
The Eye is the day's sole paid attraction. Our tickets come to 22.95 pounds. I've now spent 86 pounds; that leaves me with just 44, and it's only 9 a.m.
Penny-wise. The 30-minute "flight," as Eye promoters dub the ride, keeps Christian and Dominic suitably captivated with stunning views of Big Ben and the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. But then they make a beeline for the souvenir shop. I manage to fob them off with an Eye Bubble, a round plastic container of bubble-making liquid with a wee wand affixed to the lid. They're a pound apiece. Two seconds out of the door, Dominic's wand breaks off and sinks into the bottle. I buy him another one. Now I've only 41 pounds left.
That's soon down to 38.60 after a refreshment pit stop: a coffee for me, a Coke for Christian. Dominic--bless 'im--says he's not thirsty.
On to the (thankfully) free British Museum. I'm stung by a twinge of guilt as we skulk past the huge sign begging for donations. The classically designed museum is a cavernous repository of art and antiquities from cultures living and dead. For two hours, my sons are awed by the collection of hieroglyphic-covered Egyptian relics and silent, bandaged mummies. But it's getting to be lunchtime, and we're hungry.
And I know there's a budget-blowing land mine yet to negotiate. Even free museums have gift shops strategically placed near exits. As we browse, a new chorus of gimmes erupts from my kids. Dominic has his eye on a 3-D book about the pyramids. And I like the Rosetta stone T-shirt. But each item is--gulp--around $38. With two meals still to eat, we can't be tempted. I usher them out empty-handed, feeling very Scrooge-like.
England's fish-and-chip shops can be budget, if not diet, friendly. We head for nearby Fryer's Delight, which earned praise on some websites and is, the Web reviewers say, mercifully cheap.
A 15-minute hike later, we arrive famished and tired. I pick up a menu and immediately realize I've goofed. The "takeaway" price for an order of cod 'n chips is indeed a reasonable 3.90 pounds. But the table-service price is 6 pounds. I'm about to suggest we carry out and head several blocks to pretty Bloomsbury Square to dine al fresco, but one look at my boys tells me that if they have to walk before eating, I'll face a mutiny.
So I cough up 17.50 pounds for two orders of cod (the boys split a piece of fish), an order of chips for Dominic, three drinks, and a tip. I've just 21.10 pounds to cover dinner. The deep-fried cod leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and not just because of the grease.
Our final destination is Kensington Gardens, a green urban oasis. We head to the massive playground in the shadow of 17th-century Kensington Palace, where the late Princess Diana lived. The playground's main draw--other than its free admission--is a large wooden pirate ship docked in a huge sand pit. Christian and Dominic, however, spend more time cavorting on a wood and rope obstacle course.
We've had a great day and covered a wide swath of London, and now we're weary and--yes--hungry. If we can manage to eat a full dinner on 21 pounds, we'll meet our challenge. We amble out of the park, down Kensington High Street to Giraffe, one of a small chain of eateries featuring world foods and music. The boys order from the kids' menu: crunchy chicken nuggets and a Mango Mama smoothie for Christian; pasta and a hot chocolate for Dominic. I opt for the cheapest main course I can find, the vegetable curry, about $14, and a $5.50 Red Stripe beer. As I eat, I calculate that the bill should come to just under 21 pounds. We did it!
Then it hits me: I haven't factored in a tip. To stiff or not to stiff? But when the check arrives, the total is 23.35. Surely my arithmetic skills aren't that bad. A closer read reveals an answer. The food and beverages came to 20.75, but Giraffe added a "discretionary" 12.5 percent service charge. OK, I'm 2.25 pounds over budget. But if we really were here on vacation, I could make it up later. After all, tomorrow is another day without souvenirs.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Ready to take on London, pound by pound? Here are a few tips. Express by Holiday Inn can be booked at hiexpress.co.uk. The Docklands hotel we frequented is listed as "London-Limehouse." The London Eye can be booked ahead at londoneye.com. Information about the British Museum, including hours, can be found at thebritishmuseum.ac.uk. Fryer's Delight is in the Bloomsbury neighborhood at 19 Theobald's Road, WC1. Kensington Gardens is open daily, dawn to dusk. There are several Giraffe restaurants in and around London. Locations, menus, and hours are at giraffe.net.
London Not on a Budget
If money is no object, London is the place for you! And here's where to spend your pounds.
Sleep. Claridge's, the five-star hotel in London's Mayfair district (pictured), has two penthouse suites, each $8,160 a night. Butler included. Details at www.claridges.co.uk.
Eat. London's only eatery with Michelin's top three-star rank, Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road (gordonramsay.com) is a must for foodies. Call two months ahead to reserve; expect to spend $200 a person for a meal with wine.
Drink. Dukes Bar at Dukes Hotel in Mayfair is where the dry martinis--said to be London's best--inspired author Ian Fleming to come up with James Bond's "shaken, not stirred" line. You may, however, be both shaken and stirred by the price--$26.
Suit up. Savile Row is synonymous with classically tailored suits. Tom Mahon, 20 Savile Row, has outfitted Prince Charles. A men's or women's two-piece costs $3,200.
This story appears in the April 18, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.