London travel review: Toddler travel is child’s play
London with a toddler? You’re brave,” commented a friend when I told her about our trip to the Big Smoke as a family of three.
It hadn’t really occured to me that what we were doing was ‘brave’ but I guess, in hindsight, the thought of navigating the capital and its underground with a wilful one-year-old in a buggy and a bulging bag of nappies, nibbles and all the other paraphernalia associated with travelling with a little one, was pretty adventurous.
But, in fact, we had an amazing time; there was so much to do and our little girl was enthralled by the whole experience. From travelling on a packed underground train to marvelling at the view from The Shard, she took it all in her tiny stride.
We based ourselves at the Holiday Inn Regent’s Park, perfectly situated near to London Zoo, but more of that later. The hotel is clean and modern, and our spacious executive room came complete with huge family-sized bathroom, cot, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities. It serves up a delicious breakfast in the morning and has a grill resturant serving steaks and other tempting dishes in the evening.
During our two-night break we mixed child-friendly activities with a few more grown-up pursuits (which we cleverly timed to take place during nap time #parenthoodwin).
However, some of the more adult-friendly cultural experiences also proved surprisingly popular with Mini Me, particularly the Pink Floyd exhibition at the V&A Museum in Kensington. Psychedelically sensory, she loved the strobe lights, pulsating music and giant inflatables. It was like a baby sensory class on LSD. The final room of the exhibition featuring a screening of Pink Floyd performing Comfortably Numb at a live gig seemed to particular mesmerise her – maybe we have a mini festival-goer in the making.
More mum and dad’s cup of tea was a trip to the Design Museum, which was about a half-an-hour walk from the V&A. The stunning museum, which was previously housed on the South Bank, is now at one end of Kensignton High Street and is certainly worth the trip.
When we dropped in it was hosting a California exhibition which showcased the best in West Coast design from pioneering Silicon Valley firms such as Google, Apple and Facebook to the Rainbow flag of the LGBT movement.
Pleasing for us all was a meal which followed at Ceviche, a Peruvian place in the heart of Soho, where we rounded off the day with heaps of South American-style tapas dishes including the famous raw fish dish which earned the restaurant’s name.
The following day, and after a hearty cooked brekkie, we headed over to the South Bank and to the London SEA LIFE centre based at County Hall. Bank Holiday Monday meant it was heaving with visitors as we joined the queues and headed underground to see the sharks, penguins, rays, and other aquatic life. Our daughter loved it and was so exhausted after all that excitement she slept through lunch, so we were able to enjoy some adult time while tucking into freshly-cooked pizza, roast chicken, and bottles of American cider at the Greenport Kitchen, based at the Hampton by Hilton London Waterloo just 10 minutes from the SEA LIFE Centre.
With the sun shining, we walked back up the South Bank to the Tate Modern where we marvelled at the Alberto Giacometti exhibition (more for mum and dad) although the little one enjoyed the handmade cake and a pot of yoghurt in lieu of lunch in the café afterwards.
Exiting through the gift shop, we took the short walk to The Shard, western Europe’s tallest building. A series of elevators whizz you up to viewing platforms on the 68th and 72nd floors. At its peak, you can see for 40 miles in all directions and while I was fairly apprehensive to approach the floor-to-ceilings windows, our daughter showed no such reservation running straight towards the gulp-inducing glass. The vista is extraordinary though and I thoroughly recommend taking the time to go up there; there’s even a bar on the 68th floor so you can enjoy a refreshment while you take in the sights.
Vertigo recovery underway, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed dinner in the restaurant, which was spookily quiet – but I guess that’s what comes with having dinner pre-6pm. Specialising in steak, we both tucked into nicely cooked cuts of beef, while the little one enjoyed fish, mashed potatoes and peas, followed by yummy ice cream.
On our last morning we took the 20-minute walk to London Zoo through the beautiful Regent’s Park. We struck it lucky as being a Monday, the zoo was crowd-free and a delight to explore. Our little girl loved the penguins, zebras and tigers – but most of all the pigeons.
We rounded off our day with lunch in the onsite café, which serves wood-fired pizzas and fresh burritos.
It was an ideal end to a top weekend. which leads me to the verdict that city break in the Big Smoke with a toddler in tow is just child’s play.
