New York Habitat Blog

Some people love them. Some people almost can’t stand to look at them. Either way, we at New York Habitat think you should at least try them. We’re talking about the full English breakfast, also known as a “fry up”—and with good reason. Stay at a New York Habitat vacation rental in London and we’ll help you find a full English almost right outside your door. Whether or not you clean your plate is entirely up to you.

A full English Breakfast

A full English breakfast is itself an institution—as are many of the places that serve them. Heartier than an afternoon tea, it is said to be the perfect cure for a hangover, is often served all day in cafés throughout the city, and is perhaps one of the best culinary bargains to be found in London. In fact, you may barely need to eat for the rest of the day.

The typical ingredients of a traditional full English breakfast are fried bacon, fried eggs, fried tomatoes, fried bread or toast with butter, fried sausages and baked beans (see? some things aren’t fried!). It’s usually served with a mug of not so strong tea that many places will refill for free. And you can get all that for about £3.75.

There are also vegetarian variations, which cut out the bacon and sausages and sometimes replace them with fried mushrooms. Or you can opt for the “full” full English, which can include black pudding (not a dessert at all—actually, more sausage) and fried mashed potatoes or hash browns.

Benjy’s in Earl’s Court offers a satisfying fry up in traditional “caff” surroundings, plus it has great business cards with a photo of the food that can be used as a souvenir bookmark. Since you’ll want to walk off your breakfast, it’s about twenty minutes on foot from the museums on Cromwell Road. The Ideal Café on Ebury Bridge Road is also a favorite with locals, and isn’t a far stroll from Buckingham Palace. Poppie’s Diner in Wapping serves a traditional English breakfast among American kitsch and is a nice walk to Tower Bridge.

London Accommodation in West Brompton (LN-607)

To burn off your breakfast, we recommend staying in a centrally located New York Habitat vacation accommodation, such as:      

• A lovely 1-bedroom rental flat in Bermondsey, Southwark (LN-811) just off Tower Bridge Road on the third floor of a converted wharf building with elevator. This accommodation on a quiet street comes with two double beds, a laundry/dryer, a balcony and free calls to landlines in the U.S. and U.K.
• A spacious 2-bedroom rental accommodation in Kensingston-Chelsea, West Brompton (LN-607) on the ground floor of a private gated development. This flat comes complete with one queen and one double bed, two baths, a laundry/dryer and a parking space.
• A light-filled 1-bedroom vacation accommodation in South Kensington, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-62) on the first floor of a period building overlooking a quiet communal garden. This flat features a queen bed, laundry/dryer, high ceiling, bay windows, parquet floors and balconettes.
   

Enjoy a full English breakfast and a fully furnished New York Habitat rental flat! Let us know some of your favorite traditional foods in London with a comment below.

Few things are cozier than ducking into a fondue restaurant in Paris on a cold, blustery night. Although the hearty dish originated in Switzerland, it has become a culinary classic in France. Fondue restaurants abound in the nation’s capital, bringing together friends and families for the communal dining experience.

Fondue

Eating fondue can feel quite decadent but the rich dish’s origins are decidedly humble. Swiss villagers, without access to fresh food during the long winters in the mountains, discovered that melting old cheese, and then dipping hardened bread into it, made their stale ingredients far more edible. In fact, the word fondue is derived from the French verbs fondre (to melt) and fondu (melted).

The Swiss cooking method was adopted in the French Alps, particularly in the Savoy region, where fondue savoyarde was born. The French take on the dish contains three cheeses, Comté, Emmental and Beaufort, as well as local white wine.

For a delicious fondue savoyarde meal in Paris, and a spirited dining experience, there’s nothing like Le Refuge des Fondus in Montmartre. The tiny restaurant features only two items on the menu: Fondue Savoyarde and Fondue Bourguignonne, a meat fondue. Wine is served in baby bottles, waiters tell jokes, and guests are encouraged to write on the walls. The charming little fondue joint has been such a hit in Paris that an American version, La Cave des Fondus, recently opened in New York.

While Le Refuge des Fondus is one of a kind, it is certainly not the only place for exceptional fondue in Paris. Other noteworthy spots include Saveurs de Savoie on Rue Mouffetard, which serves classic French food, and Les Montagnards, a rustic chalet located on Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Paris Accommodation 1-bedroom apartment in Montmartre (PA-1395)

If you can’t wait to warm up with some cheese and wine this winter, consider one of these great New York Habitat apartments in Paris:

- A classic 1-Bedroom vacation rental in Montmartre - Sacre Coeur (PA-1395), located near Le Refuge des Fondus and the famous Rue Lepic. The apartment is on a quiet, strictly residential street.

- An elegant 1-Bedroom duplex vacation rental in Saint Germain des Pres - St Michel - Notre Dame (PA-2509), located near the Luxembourg Gardens. The well-decorated apartment overlooks a lovely courtyard garden.

Do you have a favorite fondue recipe or restaurant? Share your comments with us!

Most Londoners today don’t have the time to take a leisurely afternoon tea. They grab a ‘cuppa’ on the go or duck into one of the city’s many chain coffee shops. But proper afternoon tea is such an English institution that it would be a shame for visitors not to experience it at least once while they’re there. So New York Habitat has compiled a short list of tea rooms for you to enjoy—and you can always put the kettle on in your own private New York Habitat apartment in London. 

London Accommoadtion Notting Hill (LN-259)

One of the most charming, quintessentially British spaces for afternoon tea is a café called Still Too Few. This tea room is attached to the basement of an antiques shop on Westbourne Grove. It’s the perfect place to take a break from browsing the stalls on Portobello Road or the shops at Ladbroke Grove and tuck into tea, sandwiches, scones and homemade cakes (which are offered à la carte).    

The Orangery behind Kensington Palace in Hyde Park offers afternoon tea in an opulent setting, which was once the site of Queen Anne’s sun room. For a real retro treat, order the Debutante’s Tea (still served the way it was in 1958), go regal with the Champagne Tea, or stick to the original Orangery Tea, which is still enough to cause quite a sugar rush. No worries—you can always walk it off in the park afterwards!

Of course, there’s always the wonderful and reliable standby: The St. James’s Restaurant in the Fortnum and Mason department store, straddling St. James’s Park, Green Park and Hyde Park. Loyal customers come here for the ambiance, the live piano music, the view over Piccadilly, and the splendid selections for afternoon tea.  

To stay a short distance from one of these top tea destinations, consider the following New York Habitat apartments:

• A light and airy 1-bedroom vacation rental in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-403) with its own street-level entrance in a pretty Victorian building on a quiet, residential street. This newly refurbished accommodation comes with a double bed, a double sofa bed, laundry/dryer, high ceilings, wooden floors and large floor-to-ceiling windows to let the sun in. A recent client raved: “The apartment in London was really good indeed, nicely furnished, clean and very well-equipped.”

Twinings tea room

• A charming 1-bedroom rental accommodation in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-259) on the ground floor of a walk-up building conveniently located on Portobello Road. This lovely flat has a double bed, double sofa bed, laundry/dryer, central heating and a small balcony overlooking the street.

• A comfortable, well-appointed 1-bedroom vacation accommodation in Notting Hill, Kensington-Chelsea (LN-151) on the upper ground floor of an end-period walk-up centrally located off Westbourne Grove. This flat offers a queen-sized bed, double sofa bed, laundry/dryer, open kitchen, once-a-week cleaning services, and an open gas log fireplace. Past clients have enthused: “We were very pleased with the apartment’s quality, cleanliness, space and proximity to central London transport systems.”

Enjoy the relaxing settings of London’s beloved tea rooms—and a New York Habitat vacation rental.

Leave a comment to let us know your favorite place for tea in London—and whether you take one lump or two!

Paris has no shortage of notable museums. From the masterpieces of the Louvre to the sculptures of the Rodin museum to the Erotic Museum fittingly placed in the city’s Pigalle district, the French capital has something for every museum goer. This is the type of city where a visitor could easily spend an entire trip within the walls of a curated space and still only see a fraction of the city’s vast collection of art, historical artifacts and various curiosities. Most travelers however, are content to have museums complement their visit, not be the driving force behind it. And some visitors to Paris are happy to just see the Louvre because, well, it’s the Louvre. All very well, but for visitors looking for a good Parisian museum beyond the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay (and there are dozens) New York Habitat always suggests the Musée du Quai Branly, a magnificent modern museum on the banks of the river Seine. Open since 2006, the Quai Branly is devoted to the indigenous art and culture from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, a real departure from the European-focused art found in most of the city.

Teotihuacan: City of Gods at the Museé du Quai Branly

The Quai Branly Museum has a wonderful permanent collection available year round but also features an eclectic offering of temporary exhibits that continue to draw visitors back for a second, third and forth visit. This fall and winter, the museum is hosting an exhibit entitled Teotihuacan: City of Gods focusing on artifacts and artwork from the mythic ancient Mexican culture and city of the same name. The museum will have some 450 items of Teotihuacan culture, many of which have been recently excavated. The exhibition offers a window onto the Mesoamerican world rarely seen in modern Western museums. Visitors to the museum are presented with the history of the city (100 BC-650 AD) and with extraordinary pieces that illuminate the political, social, economic, artistic and religious lives of a people lost to most history text books.

One day people might be rummaging through the remains of contemporary Paris and holding exhibitions in order to better understand life in the 21st century. Luckily for now the city is still here for us to enjoy (although it has gone through a lot in the last 100 years). New York Habitat has dozens of Paris apartments available this fall and winter in the heart of the living and breathing City of Light. Below are a few to get your search started:

• This one-bedroom apartment rental in Montmartre-Sacre Coeur (PA-684) is full of class and charm. The hardwood floors, built-in bookcases and ample light make this accommodation an ideal choice for couples or small families.
• This studio rental accommodation in Opera-Le Louvre (PA-3338) is as Old-World as they come. The building dates back to the 18th century, the studio is sandwiched between hardwood on the floors and exposed wood beams on the ceiling, and the apartment is outfitted with a tasteful mélange of antique and modern furnishings.
• This 2-bedroom rental apartment in Invalids, Auteul-Tour Eiffel (PA-1087) is a short stroll of the Quai Branly museum, Eiffel Tower and dozens of other Paris landmarks. The accommodation also has beautiful rooftop views.

Share your thoughts about the Teotihuacan exhibit at the Museé du Quai Branly below.

The 1st half 2009 London Vacation Rental Market Report contains all of the most up-to date information about the London Vacation Rental Accommodation market. With 2009 being a difficult year for the travel industry the findings in this report include the details necessary to make informed decisions in the London real estate market.

London Vacation Rental Report 1st half 2009

This report contains information about the 1st half of 2009 and for comparison purposes it has data from the 1st half of 2007 and 2008 as well. Some of the key figures contained in the report include:

• Percent of rentals by neighborhood
• Range of prices by apartment type
• Percent of apartments rented by type
• Average, median and mode apartment prices
• And more

Some of the main conclusions in the report include:

• Despite a weak economy which has hurt the travel industry, New York Habitat’s business in the London Vacation Rental market has remained strong and continued to grow.
• Large rentals (2-bedrooms and larger) remain  popular products in London
• London has regaining popularity with American tourists as the British Pound fells compared to the U.S. Dollar.

New York Habitat looks forward to continuing their success in the London Vacation Rental Market. Major factors that will continue to influence the London vacation rental market are pound conversion rates and the world economy.

New York Habitat has created the London Furnished Apartment Rental Market Reports section on our website, where this and future reports will be available.  The next London Vacation Rental Market Report will be published in the winter of 2010 and contain details about the 2nd half of 2009.

Please let us know below what you think of this report and if you have any suggestions for future London Vacation Renal Market Reports.  You can also e-mail the London Market Report team at marketreport@nyhabitat.com

Imagine sampling delectable dishes from more than 40 of New York’s best restaurants — all in one night, all under one roof.  New York Taste, a culinary event held for charity, turns this foodie dream into a reality. 

On Monday, November 2nd, some of New York’s most celebrated chefs and mixologists will come together to serve up their signature dishes, all to benefit City Harvest. Held at the Skylight Lounge in SoHo, guests will be able to sample mouthwatering fare from an impressive lineup of participating restaurants, including Corton, Craft, Le Cirque, Morimoto, Bar Boulud and many more.

Hosted by New York magazine culinary editor, Gillian Duffy, a portion of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to the hunger-fighting organization. General admission tickets are available for $175 and VIP tickets for $250 at http://www.nymag.com/taste.

New York Taste

The two-hour event runs from 7:00-9:00 p.m., but a VIP ticket will grant you an extra hour to graze and chat with the chefs, starting at 6:00 p.m., as well as a VIP gift bag. Crowds gather quickly so get there early! Last year’s event drew more than 1,000 guests.

New York Habitat has gorgeous apartments conveniently located near the New York Taste event to help you be the first to nab those savory morsels, including:

- This spotless Alcove Studio Vacation Rental in Greenwich Village - Soho - New York (NY-12564) in the heart of the Village. Enjoy easy access to an array of restaurants, bars and shops.

- This tastefully furnished 2-Bedroom Vacation Rental in Noho - East Village - Lower East Side (NY-12499). The loft space includes high ceilings and a skylight.
Have you ever been to one of the New York Taste events? Do you have a favorite celebrity chef? Share your comments with us!

With Halloween near, there’s plenty to do in London for those seeking chills and thrills. From historical sights to hysterical amusement-style attractions, this ancient city, believed to be heavily haunted, has no shortage of scares. You’ll be glad that you rented a nearby New York Habitat vacation accommodation to make the walk home that much shorter.  

The London Bridge Experience, one of the most popular tourist destinations all year long, becomes especially creepy around Halloween, as medieval characters walk you through London’s dark past. (For the brave, a dual ticket can be purchased for that and the London Tombs, the former burial site for plague victims.)

London Accommodation: Studio in City -Islington (LN_446)

The nearby Tower of London, known for its ravens, is the site of past beheadings and torture, as well as the Bloody Tower, called so for the two princes who were murdered there by their uncle. Take a tour, if you dare.

The London Dungeon is a hit with tourists, combining gory gallows humor with special effects, live actors, instruments of torture, and amusement park-style rides. Don’t miss the basement—or the zombies who await you there.

The London Ghost Festival, run by London Paranormal, takes places from Oct. 23-31. One of its stops is the old Operating Theatre (as scary as the name sounds), where you’ll be searching for the White Lady, the hospital’s much-seen resident ghost.

Chills in the Chapel takes place at Union Chapel, a fittingly spooky backdrop for such appropriate film classics as “An American Werewolf in London.” (Tickets are free, but donations go toward the chapel’s restoration.)

For a nice stroll—or shamble—around town, there’s the London Zombie Walk on Oct. 31, starting and ending at pubs, and hitting a few in between (think “Shaun of the Dead”). Dress as the undead and join along on the search for brains (or really good fish and chips).

On top of all of that, there are the perennial favorites: the unnerving Jack the Ripper Walk, a tour of Fleet Street to see the haunts of the “Demon Barber” Sweeney Todd, and the Ghost Bus, a double-decker painted midnight black and giving tours that are part-sightseeing/part-ghost story.

For a safe place to spend the night, consider these New York Habitat rental accommodations: 

• A spacious studio in Bermondsey, Southwark (LN-689) on Tower Bridge Road. This contemporary flat comes fully equipped with a separate living room, laundry/dryer, a double bed, guest parking, track lighting and plenty of sunlight to keep vampires away.

• A contemporary studio in City-Islington (LN-128) just off Fleet Street, close to many sites and attractions, as well as one infamous barbershop! This flat is on the fifth floor of a modern elevator building and comes with a double bed, laundry/dryer, flat-screen TV, power shower, and a 24-hour doorman, which should make you feel that much safer.

• A stylish studio in City-Islington (LN-446), just off Tower Bridge Road. This newly converted flat is in the site of the former Sarson’s Brewery warehouse (so any “spirits” may have really liked the other kind of spirits), and has maintained such original features as wooden floors and exposed brick. It also comes with double bed, laundry/dryer, guest parking, power shower, and large windows with nice views, as well as great glass walkways and lifts within the building.

For some real Halloween haunts, head to London—and a New York Habitat vacation rental. Just be sure to lock the door behind you…

Leave a comment below to tell us which Halloween event would be the most likely to scare the living daylights out of you.