google-maps-discoverbooktravel: February 2014

Restaurant Review: Junction Cafe, London Watford

Posted by Unknown at 2:30 PM Tuesday, February 11, 2014 Labels: London, Restaurants, United Kingdom 0 comments

London Watford . 2013 . Nov 22

If you are staying at the Holiday Inn Express London Watford, then you’ll need some dining options around the vicinity. Although the town centre is only about 10 mins walk away and there are plenty of dining options around town, nothing beats a convenient and cheap café at your doorstep. We were fortunate to hit upon Junction Cafe, because this was where we had most of our meals at an affordable price.

At Junction Cafe, there are at least 8 breakfast sets in the menu, priced at about £5-6 each. The portion that comes is huge, and enough to feed 2 very hungry people, so in that sense, it really is great value-for-money. The owner of the café also allowed us to customize and exchange items that we didn’t want in our dish at no extra charge – great flexibility there!

All-Day Breakfast Set 1 – Eggs, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms and hashbrowns at £5.00.

Junction Café have a varied menu that goes beyond its breakfast sets. There is also a range of salads, burgers, soups, grills and pies. All of our meals were served quickly and were appetizing.

Creamy chicken soup with bread rolls at £2.20.

Golden battered cod fillet with peas and chips at £4.80.

Double breasted chicken steak, served with mushrooms, tomatoes, peas and chips at £5.80.

Chicken and mushroom in rich creamy sauce and served in a pot pie at £4.50.

Verdict:

With a friendly atmosphere, the Junction Café offers a great meal at affordable prices. It is highly recommended if you need a quick meal around the Watford Junction area.

Junction Cafe
101 St Albans Rd Watford,
Hertfordshire WD17 1RD

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Iceland Northern Lights Exploration + London Sightseeing Trip Report and Itinerary

Posted by Unknown at 1:58 AM Sunday, February 9, 2014 Labels: Iceland, London, Reykjavik, Trip Itinerary 0 comments

Iceland + London . 2013 . Nov 21 - Dec 4

Iceland - a land of many contrasts. It is home to the largest glacier in Europe, yet, it is also home to some of the most active volcanoes in the world. For this reason, it is also known as the Land of Fire and Ice. With a land mass of 103,000 sqm and a population of 300,000, Iceland is also one of the most sparsely populated country in Europe, with huge parts of the country largely uninhabited.

Here's our itinerary with some photos and links to our reviews for our trip. The links will become clickable as we post them. Do bookmark this page as we update the reviews! :)

Keen to visit Iceland? You may also check out our top tips and recommendations in visiting Iceland!

Last Updated: 09 Feb 2014

Day 0 Singapore -> London

2100 Check in at Singapore Changi Airport
2345 Flight to London Heathrow Airport

Day 1 Watford Junction and London City Sights

0555       Arrive at London Heathrow Airport
0700       Take Green Line coach 724 to Watford Junction
0812        Reach Watford Junction Station Stop 2
0845       Check in at Holiday Inn Express London – Watford Junction
0900       Breakfast
1000        Train to London city
1020        Reach Euston - Transfer to South Kensington Staion via Tube
1030       Visit Natural History Museum
1500       Visit Science Museum
1700       Visit Royal College of Music and Royal Albert Hall
1800       Back to Holiday Inn Express London – Watford Junction

Day 2 Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour

0800       Breakfast at Holiday Inn Express London
0920       Board Mullany's Shuttle Bus 311 to Warner Brothers Studios
0932       Reach Warner Brothers Studios
1000       Commence Harry Potter Studio Tour
1300       Lunch at studio
1400       Continue with studio tour
1600       Board Mullany's Shuttle Bus 311 to Watford Junction Bus Station
1612       Reach Watford Junction Station Bus Station
1630       Dinner at Junction Cafe
1800       Back to hotel

Day 3 Shopping at Watford Junction + Flight to Reykjavik

0800       Breakfast at Holiday Inn Express London – Watford Junction
0900       Shopping at Watford market
1000       Shopping at Intu Watford, Primark
1300       Lunch at Junction Cafe
1400       Check out of Holiday Inn Express London
1600       Take Green Line coach 724 (Central Bus Station) to London Heathrow Airport
1700       Check in @ London Heathrow Airport Terminal 1
1900       Dinner
2035       Board Icelandair FI455 to Reykjavik
2335       Arrive at Keflavik (KEF) Airport, Iceland

Day 4 Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon

0035       Flybus Airport Shuttle to Fosshotel Lind
0100       Check in at Fosshotel Lind
0900       Breakfast at Fosshotel Lind
1000       Shuttle pickup for Blue Lagoon
1100       Relaxing @ Blue Lagoon
1700       Shuttle back to Fosshotel Lind

Day 5 to 10 Northern Lights Exploration Package Tour

Day 5 Reykjavik City Tour & Borgarjordur Saga Valley

0700       Breakfast at Fosshotel Lind
0900       Coach departs from hotel
0930       Reykjavik City Tour
1100       Icelandic Wool Outlet Store
1200       Lunch
1300       Climb Grabrok volcano crater
1430       Visit Deildartunguhver, Europe’s most powerful hotspring
1530       Visit Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
1700       Check in at Fosshotel Reykholt

Day 6 Snaefellsnes Penisular and Fjord Cruise

0700       Breakfast at Fosshotel Reykholt
0800       Coach departs for Snaefellsnes Penisular
1100       Lunch cruise in Breioafjorour fjord
1400       Fermented shark tasting at Bjarnarhofn
1600       Visit Icelandic settlement centre museum at Borgarnes
1700       Back to Fosshotel Reykholt

Day 7 Golden Circle, Geothermal Food Tasting & Icelandic Horses

0700       Breakfast at Fosshotel Reykholt
0900       Check out of Fosshotel Reykholt
1030       Visit Thingvellir National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
1130       Visit the Golden Waterfall, Gulfoss
1200       Taste geothermally cooked rye bread and boiled eggs
1300       Visit Strokkur geyser
1400       Lunch
1600       Visit geothermal greenhouse
1630       Interaction with Icelandic Horses
1530       Check in at Hotel Hekla

Day 8 South Iceland & Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

0700       Breakfast at Hotel Hekla
0830       Check out of Hotel Hekla
1030       Visit Skogafoss Waterfall
1130       Visit Icelandic Folk Museum
1300       Lunch
1400       Stop at Eyjafjallajökull Information Center
1500       Visit the black lava beach of Vik
1630       Visit the outlet store at Vikurprjon (Icewear)
1730       Check in at Fosshotel Skaftafell
0000       Northern Lights Galore!

Day 9 Skaftafell National Park & Vatnajokull Glacier

0700       Breakfast at Fosshotel Skaftafell
0900       Coach departs from hotel
0930       Visit turf church at Hof
1030       Visit Jökulsárlón Glacial Lagoon
1200       Lunch
1330       Hiking along Svinafellsjokull
1500       Hike around Vatnajokull Glacier to Fosshotel Skaftafell
1630       Reach Fosshotel Skaftafell

Day 10 South Shore, Coastal Villages & Blue Lagoon

0700       Breakfast at Fosshotel Skaftafell
0800       Check out of Fosshotel Skaftafell
0900       Visit Systrafoss waterfall
1030       Visit Seljalandsfoss waterfall
1200       Lunch
1300       Drive back to Reykjavik
1600       Check in at Fosshotel Lind
1730       Depart for Blue Lagoon
1900       Northern Lights are on again!
2000       Dinner at Northern Light Inn
2200       Back to Fosshotel Lind
2300       Goodbye to tour group members

Day 11 Lava Tubing

0800       Breakfast at Fosshotel Lind
1000       Pick up for lava tubing tour
1100       Lava caving at Cave Leidarendi
1300       Back to Fosshotel Lind
1330       Lunch
1500       Shopping at Laugavegur street
1730       Dinner at Ruan Thai Restaurant

Day 12 Free & Easy at Reykjavik

0800       Breakfast at Fosshotel Lind
1000       Shopping at Laugavegur street
1300       Coffee at Stofan Cafe
1400       Lunch at Icelandic Fish and Chips
1430       Reykjavik Harbour views
1500       Coffee at Café Haiti
1530       Visit HAPA
1700       Shopping at Laugavegur street
1800       Dinner at Sjavargrillio Seafood Grill
2000 Visit Hallgrímskirkja Church
2030       Back to Fosshotel Lind

Day 13 Reykjavik -> London -> Singapore

0500       Rise and Shine
0530       Check out Fosshotel Lind and leave for airport
0630       Check in for Icelandair flight to London
0700 Breakfast
0900       Icelandair FI450 to London
1200       Arrive at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 1
1300       Lunch
1400       Check in flight to Singapore
1430       Shopping at London Heathrow Airport
1815       Board flight back to Singapore

Day 14 London -> Singapore

1455 Arrive at Singapore Changi Airport

Keen to visit Iceland? Do check out our top tips and recommendations in visiting Iceland!

The links will become clickable as we post them. Do bookmark this page as we update the reviews! :)

Hotel Review: Holiday Inn Express London – Watford Junction

Posted by Unknown at 12:55 AM Labels: Hotels, London, United Kingdom 0 comments

London Watford Junction . 2013 . Nov 21

Watford Junction is the name to remember for Harry Potter fans. And that’s because of its new attraction – the Warner Brothers Studio tour for the making of Harry Potter which opened its doors to the public in 2012. On our way to Iceland, I just had to make a pit stop at Watford Junction, London to have a look at the film sets used during the filming of the Harry Potter series. London hotels can be notoriously expensive, a fact that many tourists can attest to. To circumvent that problem, we stayed at Holiday Inn Express at Watford Junction itself – a mere 15mins away by train from London City.

Location

It’s always about location in making that final decision on the choice of hotels. Among all the hotels at Watford Junction, the Holiday Inn Express at Watford Junction is one of those which occupy the most strategic location. Merely a 3 minute walk away is the Watford Junction Train Station. Once there, it is only a 15min train ride to Euston and the London city sights. The Holiday Inn Express at Watford Junction also gave us easy access to the shuttle bus station that brings visitors to the Warner Bros Studio Tour - the primary reason why we were in Watford Junction in the first instance. The Watford Junction city centre with all its shopping is an uncomplicated and serene 10 minutes walk away.

Spacious Room

Honestly we never had high expectations given that this is an express inn, but the Holiday Inn Express at Watford Junction exceeds our expectations. The room is much more spacious than we thought an express inn would normally be, and we even had a choice of pillows – something that normally only upscale and luxury hotels will give. We also had free WIFI from our room, which is now almost a must-have for us when we travel overseas these days.

Modern, Bright and Conforting Surroundings

A small but well-kept facility, the overall look and feel of the place is modern, bright and comforting.

Complimentary Breakfast Buffet

While we can’t say that the complimentary breakfast taste excellent, what we can say is that the spread is substantial, consisting of cheese, cereals, fruit yogurt, hot scrambled eggs, baked beans and sausages, warm pastries and bread, hot coffee, tea, chocolate, fruits and fruit juices. Make sure to try the coffee machine. It serves fantastic coffee and hot chocolate!

Final Verdict

At about £60 per night for a double room which includes breakfast, the Holiday Inn Express at Watford Junction was a steal as compared to its more expensive counterparts in London city. Its great location means that their guests can explore the city sights without paying an arm and a leg to stay in the city. It’s a hotel of excellent value and we’ll certainly stay here again.

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