I do love House of Fraser and this one seemed really nice as well. But we came in here with one…read morepurpose when I met some friends on a sunny Saturday in Guildford. Lunch! Noone had tried the tea room at the top of this store so we thought, why not?! We can be middle class Brits for a lunch... Well we can try! We ascended into the gods of 4th floor to a typically British styled tea room - quaint patterned crockey and duck egg blue stylings with a glass roof so you could embrace the sun's warmth. There was also a balcony area with a view of Guildford's rooftop buildings (not the best view ever I thought, one side had a massive radio antenna next to the window) but it was cold and had been raining so we thought better not! Little bit confused on entry as it seemd like a cafe where you seat yourself and then go to the till to order, but people were also being table served. After standing for 30 seconds like lemons and having noone come to show us a table, we found one ourselves and proceeded to natter and catch up as true Brits do. hen after the 5th waiter came along in quick succession to take our order, we thought 'let's look at the menu first!' Side point, one gripe about this placed (I've mentioned this in my reviews before), I HATE BEING WATCHED IN A RESTAURANT. You shouldn't have to feel that kind of pressure choosing your food. I did choose however, not feeling too hungry I went with a savoury scone - very high tea indeed! I have to admit, they were boasting about their scone selection here but they were right to boast. Amazing choice and the cheese scone came warm with a generous helping of creamy butter, it was amazing! At £4 I would expect so!! A pot of tea to finish things along, love the crockery here, typically British patterning. Friends had a sundried tomato tart, which also looked really good. They also served freshly squeezed lemonade here! Very fancy. Was it overpriced? I have had better in London for the same price. But this isn't London, Guildford is known for being pricey. Not only Guildford, where there is less choice and hence less competition in the realms of afternoon tea, but House of Fraser, which is a respected establishment. So yes it was overpriced, but I can't say I wouldn't return to work my way through their scone menu!

House of Fraser is a great department store in Guildford. It is designed well and is laid out…read moreperfectly for wandering around. They have a large make up with most of the big brands covered and perfume section with some very helpful staff. They also have a nice section of homewares and a lovely cafe to break up your shopping experience. Womens clothing is located on the 2nd and 3rd floors which again boasts a good selection of brands from high street brands to the more expensive brands. Overall a great store with excellent staff.

Tunsgate Square is a small shopping centre off Guildford High Street and next too the old Tunsgate…read morewool market (no longer a wool market). It has a small underground car park. The centre offers a high level of class than most other places in town with high end clothes shops, jewelry and homeware. The largest shops are Heal's and The Pier. The shopping centre consists of a long inclined mall and a brightly square of which the centre of taken up by a cafe that serves great light snacks. I recommend the Orleans panini. Even though the centre can be accessed directly from the High Street (as well as Tunsgate and Castle Street) it is never overally busy. It is very clean, spacious and well lit. This is a nice place to go if you want a decent sandwich away from the crowds but it does have a large number of shops and can be expensive.

Tunsgate Square is a small upmarket mall off the high street. There is a cafe in the central…read morecourtyard, and a selection of shops. The shops are targeted towards an older, classier group of people and the atmosphere in the mall reflects this. It tends to be pretty quiet even at peak times.

You know when you're on a business trip and eating out gets old fast? Yes? Well, then you can…read morerelate as to why this was our heaven while we were here! Have you seen the amount of prepared food here? Salads, wraps, hummus, grilled chicken and egglant....and don't even get me started on the amount of packaged cakes they have here. They also had this strawberry-lychee drink that lasted me through the week. And TONS of pre-packed fruit. It's a traveler's dream! So much food, so much selection! And, of course, my personal favorite, a gin and tonic - in its own can! Can someone introduce that in the states? Thanks. I just wished they were open past 6. We basically had to rush here after work and pray they'd still be open.

I had been shopping in M&S last 2 weeks and even changed foreign currency 2 Saturday ago then…read moreyesterday Sunday I was there dressing down and quite casual; I was downstairs trying to exchange for UK currency and I felt a very strong discrimination against me being Asian as the cashier in the M&S bank asked me for my postalcode where I stay in Guilford and I didn't remember so I told him if I have all passport and UK resident card it is all should be required;and if he checks out the USD bills I handed over to him and no indication of counterfeit should be sufficient. I had raised this with the manager name Tom and he just ignored my concerns. I feel strongly that M&S is discriminated and judges people based on how they look. After leaving M&S had tried Thomas Cook and they told only passport or UK ID is required but no postal code is required. I had decided to go do Debanhams by the river and much better exchange rate and more friendlier service. All was provided was my passport. Therefore going forward I refuse to shop and associate with M&S as strong sense of discrimination against minorities and judging against how people look.

Dreadful at Costa. 5 people working and only 1 making coffee. I don't understand . Waited 20 min…read morefor a coffee

The Friary is Guildford's main shopping centre spanning three floors, several eating places, many…read moreshops, an underground car park, connected multistorey car park and bus station. Being the town's main mall it is always busy whether people are shopping there, eating there or just passing through to another part of town. There are several entrances allowing access from the bottom of North Street, the one way system, the bus station and the multistorey which is connected by an enclosed bridge. The car park is large but gets busy so probably best in Farnham Road or York Road carparks if you're visiting during a Saturday. There are many many shops offering the usual selection of high street brands - nothing special to report here. In the lower floor is a cafe and on the top floor is a food court. I believe there is currently a McDonalds, Spudulike and Chinese. I haven't been visited the court for a while now so I don't know what the other places are. On this floor is an eating area with views overlooking the town - not that pretty from here, but probably the best place to sit.

Pros This Next is located near the middle of Guildford town centre and is fairly large. It has a…read morewomenswear, menswear, and small childrenswear and home sections as well. The staff are friendly and helpful when you can find them, and were very chatty and helpful when we were buying an artificial Christmas tree the other day. Cons It's not the largest Next ever, and huge queues can build up- especially in the sales, when they also close off the changing rooms, which is really annoying as you can't try anything on. It's fine if you live nearby and can bring things back, but if you live out of town like me, it's a total drag.

Next has the best office wear collection compared to other stores. The clothes, however, are overly…read morepriced so the best time to buy is when their sale is on. Even during sales, it is diffuclt to find what you are looking for because the clothes and size sections are all muddled up.

This branch of Monsoon is on the high street. As with most branches, it has an Accessorise…read moreattached. Monsoon clothes are expensive, but they always have special extra touches, so they are ideal for a special occasion like a party or a wedding. The clothes tend to be appeal to the more mature lady, although they are stylish and classic so will appeal to younger people too. The staff are very helpful and the store is well laid out over two floors.

I love this shop! It is very well designed and they have a lot of the classic upmarket monsoon…read moreclothing that we know and love. It is a must for a special occasion and with xmas coming up I shall be having a little trip for a browse! The staff are lovely and helpful and dont forget to have a look at the accessories while you are there to finish off your perfect outfit!

The first time I set foot in a Ted Baker was in England. I searched through a few shops, and…read moredecided to get a couple shirts from this location in Guildford. You've got to love the slimming effect of the European cut that all the clothes have. The staff was really helpful, especially to this foreigner. It was a bit costly especially after the exchange rate (thanks George W for the AWESOME exchange rates), but in the end it was worth it. I got two nice shirts that I probably still won't see anywhere here in the states. And now, after a few more shirts and a few suits, my addiction continues with the clothing at Ted Baker.

Love Ted Baker clothes when we have the money, although with the shop literally 2 mintues from work…read moreits easy to walk past everyday. Items are high priced so dont expect to get anything cheap in there. More for fashion concious people, who want to keep up to date etc, for formalwear or for the odd treat. Items are generally around the £50 mark for a top and t-shirts can easily be £40. Great shop with nice well trained staff on hand to help. Overall a nice shop with a changing window display weekly.

I visited Boots in Guildford last week at the start of their 75%off sale. I expected the store to…read morebe very busy, but in fact it was fairly quiet. I only shopped on the lower level of the store that is where the photography, pharmacy, food and baby departments are. On the upper level (via lift or escalator) there are the usual toiletries, make up and perfume concessions. the store was very clean and the shop assistants were readily available to assist and serve me. The added benefit of shopping in Boots is using their loyalty card for 'advantage 'points and I have always found an advantage card machine available in this store.

Boots is a tempting shop with a wide range of cosmetics, perfumes, skin care range, hygiene, bath,…read moremedication, equipments, etc. There is also a pharmacist on hand for suggestions and advice. It is possible to buy gift vouchers in various denominations. They have some wonderful items on sale every now and then too. It is difficult to keep away from these deals.