Bubbles, quarantine, travel corridors it doesn’t sound very appealing. On the plus side there will probably be more space between the sun loungers and fewer people allowed in the pool, but still…... Benidorm is roping off segments of beach (book your slot in advance), Positano are using phone apps to monitor theirs, and if you’re off to Ibiza masks are mandatory around town, so make sure yours looks fun and fabulous, remotely surgical will not cut it.
For some the siren lure of hot sand and sea will be worth every queue, and every probe your passages can bear. For others it may be quite a relief not to have to prep your body for the beach. 2021 is the year to embrace a staycation, but it must be a proper holiday. Plan outings, lunches, galvanise friends. Go out. Enjoy.
Treat London as though you were a tourist. Stay a night at a boutique hotel. Take the tube to the end of a line ( try it - some stops are a revelation), visit Greenwich, drift around Hampton Court or check out the dinosaurs in Crystal Palace . Hang out in a lido - in short do everything you never normally even think about.
During your staycation choose restaurants that say ‘abroad’ . The Oyster Bar in Bibendum is good for this, the large tiled foyer area seems much more Paris than London, and if it rains who cares? You’re on holiday. Petersham Nurseries -go to the branch in Richmond - it’s too corporate in Covent Garden, this is still London’s coolest garden centre. All that Bougainvillea just shouts ‘Brazil’. Book supper at Brasserie Zedel. No scrubbed tables here, so luxuriate in the twinkly, decadent 1930’s Parisian dining room, which boasts an American bar, and a cabaret theatre which is rather Berlin…….
Goodness aren’t you glad you're not at Heathrow?
Naturally The Indytute is jammed packed with experiences to enhance your London mini adventure.
For a start there’s our new walks. Have you been to the New Covent Garden flower market?
If not, you are in for a floral treat. It does involve an early start, but it’s worth it, and as you’re on holiday, have a little siesta when you get home, and admire the skandi bouquet perched by the bedside. Didn’t we say? That’s all part of the experience.
Your house is now officially a glam boutique hotel.
Maybe you would prefer to eat your way around Camden. This is a gossipy walk around the markets, stopping off from time to time to taste delicious food and sip some rather tasty cocktails. There won’t be many of you, max six new friends and your guide David Cotte. After all everyone meets a few like minded souls on holiday. You don’t have to give them your home address.
SUMMER STAYCATION IDEAS >>
If you prefer to live like a Dutchman, then why not go on a gin safari. We are not saying that the Dutch are keen on a tipple, but we know they are keen on a bike. On this tour you will be on a sit up and beg Pashley, as you pedal around the city learning about the history of gin. Your guide will be riding a bespoke gin cycle, to ensure you keep up. A little sip of something interesting to oil the wheels as you take in the sights and smells of London street markets, where you can fill your bike basket with epicurean delights.
And don’t think you have to stay in London. On this holiday, plan an away day.
Our coastal foraging and feasting experience takes place in Deal, Kent - only a short train ride from Kings Cross. This is a day out with purpose, as you will be foraging along the coast for lunch, before settling down to a gourmet feast.
Until you’ve eaten dandylion yogurt, or sipped a bloody mermaid ( it’s the seaweed that gives it an edge) you really haven’t lived. Lucia Stewart is your guide and chef, and she has been foraging for over 30 years, so you will be learning from the best, and the food is frankly delicious.
Just think of us as your hotel concierge. We can keep you amused for your entire staycation. Every one of our partners is tried, tested and loved.
Abroad? It’s just so 2019.
SUMMER STAYCATION IDEAS >>
