New York Habitat Blog

If your image of London town includes grey skies and dreary weather, you’re way overdue for a trip to England’s capital. With summer temperatures and (almost) constant sunshine, London goes al fresco all season long with unlimited outdoor activities and entertainment. And since many events are free, all you need to enjoy them is a New York Habitat vacation accommodation—oh, and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Since the Olympics are only two years off, why not take a beginner’s kayaking lesson to learn the sport? Sponsored by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, these courses go through August and take place on the Thames.

Another sporting activity in which you can participate is Ping. A month-long, citywide initiative, Ping will have ping-pong tables popping up in outdoor locations throughout London. Balls and racquets are provided, it’s free to play and it’s a great way to make friends.

Of course, what’s a visit to London without attending the theatre? Regent Park’s Open Air Theatre is a great spot to catch a play under the sky. If you’re looking for entertainment without a price tag, consider the free shows at the Scoop or the endless offerings as part of the National Theatre’s Watch This Space, both on the South Bank.

If film is more your thing, book tickets for the Somerset House’s extensive Summer Screen series, shown in a stunning setting, or Cinema Under the Stars at Syon Park. Although movie screenings are always a rather cheap source of entertainment, the Scoop again goes one better with free films and a fine backdrop of Tower Bridge.

Add to all that: backyard barbecues at local pubs, swimming lidos, beer gardens, outdoor markets, and al fresco dining, and you’ll be soaking up the London sun from early in the morning until almost nine at night. Unless, of course, you’re tempted to spend most of your time in the comfortable surroundings of your New York Habitat vacation rental, such as: 

Photo of London Accommodation (LN-915)

· A bright and modern studio in Bloomsbury, Westminster (LN-940) on the first floor of a walk-up Edwardian mansion block. This flat features a double bed, walk-in closet, courtyard and roof terrace—and best of all summer amenities: a pool!

· A studio in Bloomsbury, Westminster (LN-915) with loads of natural light! This accommodation is in a 1930s mansion block and comes with a fully equipped kitchen and double Murphy bed.

· A 1-bedroom vacation rental in lively Kensington-Chelsea (LN-953). This first-floor rental accommodation offers a queen-sized bed, laundry and lovely garden views.

London is the perfect vacation destination this summer—and with New York Habitat vacation rentals, you’ll have the best place to stay!

Which outdoor activities will you take part in? Let us know with a comment below.

As the intellectual epicenter of nineteenth and twentieth century, London, and especially the Bloomsbury area, were home to some of the most celebrated authors and thinkers of the time. With the University of London, the British Museum, the British Library, the Pushkin House and the Dickens House all within walking distance, it’s no wonder that the area continues to attract academics, artists and literature lovers from the world over. Want to make sure the story of your visit to London has a happy ending? Book a stay in a nearby New York Habitat vacation accommodation!

Photo of Queen Anne Square in Bloomsbury, London

The history of Bloomsbury reads like the shelves of a library: Virginia Woolf lived at 51 Gordon Square and hosted the famed Bloomsbury Group there. Jeremy Bentham founded University College on Gower Street, where his remains can still be seen in the South Wing (for a sight you’ll never forget, skip Madame Toussaud’s and head here instead!). T.S. Eliot was dubbed “the Pope of Russell Square” and hid out from his first wife at 24 Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Mary Godwin is rumored to have first met Shelley in the St. Pancras Old Church, where she was visiting the grave of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft.

Although blue plaques abound, the best part about Bloomsbury is that its history and culture can still be felt on its vibrant streets, in its varied bookstores, and in its myriad museums and galleries.

Take a break in charming Bedford Square to see one of London’s best-preserved eighteenth century public spaces. Stop in Sir John Soane’s Museum for its enormous and eclectic collection of sculptures and rarities…not to mention its eccentric layout. And browse the rare books or buy a gently used paperback in the reasonably priced shops along Charing Cross Road—a London institution struggling to compete with chain stores. Take your treasure to bed and read until you fall comfortably asleep in one of these suggested New York Habitat vacation rentals:

• A spacious and well laid out 2-bedroom vacation rental in Bloomsbury-Westminster (LN-640) in an apartment building with elevator. This accommodation has two bathrooms, a laundry/dryer, dining for six, and a double sofa bed in the living room, in addition to the two bedrooms, so it’s perfect for a family, a group of friends or an entire book club!

• A sunny and immaculate 2-bedroom rental accommodation in Bloomsbury-Westminster (LN-388) in a large apartment building with elevator and full-time doorman. The master bedroom has a king-sized bed, the second bedroom has twin beds and the sofa bed in the living room sleeps two. Client testimonials state: “I wish to tell you that the apartment greatly suited our requests and therefore I definitely recommend it”; “The three-room flat we were in was simple but quite pleasant”; “We…found the location and condition of the apartment to be very favorable.”

• A modern and lovely 2-bedroom vacation accommodation in Westminster (LN-455) conveniently on Berners Street just north of Oxford Street. The apartment has traditional british Decor.

Bloomsbury is where literary London comes to life! Let New York Habitat put you in the heart of this historical and cultural center.

Which London-based book is your favorite? Let us know with a comment below.

Most visitors to London have the British Museum near the top of their list of things to see—and it certainly is an afternoon well spent. But many overlook the wonderment contained in the nearby Sir John Soane’s Museum, a curio cabinet of a house that holds the architect’s earthly treasures. No need to sacrifice one for the other—a stay in a New York Habitat rental accommodation in Bloomsbury or Fitzrovia will put you in walking distance of both, with time to spare for tea.

London Accommodation 3-bedroom in Fitzrovia LN-328

The area around Bloomsbury is among the loveliest in London, with plenty of public squares and narrow sidestreets down which to wander, as well as an increasing Eastern European influence. But its crowning jewel is the British Museum—especially after renovations that gave it a glass-ceilinged courtyard—so don’t expect to have the galleries all to yourself, especially on those not infrequent rainy afternoons. 

The main floor of the museum is by far the most popular due to the Great Court, the Egyptian/Grecian wings (which house the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles) and, of course, the gift shop. But the upper floors are where you’ll find anything British in the British Museum, and the Library Galleries are a stunning and overwhelming collection of manuscripts and music, as well as being one of the few quiet spots in the building (Marx even did some of his writing here).      

When, as the song goes, the British Museum has lost its charm, it’s time to head a couple of blocks over to Sir John Soane’s Museum, where the typical townhouse exterior belies the magnitude of what’s inside. The architect used to live here himself, and fashioned a labyrinthine home with convex mirrors to distort space, cut-out courtyards, skylights and narrow walkways crammed with every imaginable kind of sculpture (including his mummified dog) and overlooking—what else?—a sarcophagus of Seti I on the lower level, for which Soane outbid the British Museum.

Visitors are usually as impressed by the layout of the place itself as they are by all of the Hogarth paintings and historical pieces displayed throughout it. The overall effect is something between a videogame setting (where you’re stuck in an abandoned mansion without a map but with plenty of marauding zombies—trust us on this!) and a mad scientist’s laboratory if he collected sculpture as his specimens. Let’s call the style “English eccentric” for short.

London Accommodation: studio in Westminister (LN-386)

For a truly unforgettable experience, go to the Soane Museum during one of the candle-lit evening tours in which you wind your way toward the basement and its centerpiece sarcophagus. But for a truly unforgettable place to stay—minus the mummy—we suggest one of these conveniently located New York Habitat vacation rentals:

• A first-floor 3-bedroom furnished apartment in Westminster-Fitzrovia on a quiet mews near Goodge Street station. This contemporary accommodation has a balcony looking out on communal gardens, floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen and living room, and its own parking space.

• A spacious 3-bedroom rental accommodation in Westminster-Fitzrovia (LN-328) on the fifth floor of a modern apartment building, with elevator, that borders pretty Fitzroy Square. 

• For something smaller, we have a furnished studio in Westminster-Bloomsbury (LN-386) on the second floor of an apartment building, near Euston station, that employs a part-time doorman.  

Each of these New York Habitat accommodations will put you in the heart of London, near two of its most eclectic spaces. But the surrounding area is really a work of art in itself. 

What’s your favorite piece in the enormous collections of the British Museum? Have you ever been to Sir John Soane’s Museum or had a run-in with the reputed ghost in the girls’ room? Please let us know by leaving your comments below.