Fun one mile shopping area and eating area in SOHO located in the west end of Westminster. No cars…read moreallowed, only pedestrians. After having a tasty snack at Pizza Pilgrims, went to the two story Rolling Stones store which was my favorite place on Carnaby Street. A bunch of boutique shops and found one bathroom and a drinking fountain. There was an old English style red phone booth containing an unspeakable object on the floor inside, good conversation piece for the rest of my trip. Welcome to London.

One of my absolute favorite places to shop when in London. I'll never pass up a chance to trek down…read moreto Carnaby street as the shopping and dining options are elite. For any one of my friends traveling into London I always recommend veering off a little to Carnaby. Over the years some shops have come and go but some of my favorites remain open. I'm a huge Great Frog lover and their shop is nearby, also for us rock n rollers I can't help stopping into The Rolling Stones Uk store. Lots of major branded stores but also cute local vendors and stores. It's a very walkable street and safe. Plenty busy so come earlier in the day to beat the crowds. Another pro tip is catching a reservation at dishshoom down here as I've found it easier to snag a reservation here than at their other locations. Plenty of dining options though and local stalls like Starbucks and Joe & the juice. It's a touristy street of shops but I love it - definitely bookmark this area on your must shop / see list when on this side of town.

We had time to kill and wandered in here from the Victoria station. Not a lot to do here and the…read morestores were OK. The food court was meh. But time was killed and I am thankful for that.

It is a very convenient shopping center by the coach and train stations. It is big and it is very…read morecrowded to start this review. Either you may find the place handy ( especially if you want to kill time while waiting for your departure) or a bad suggestion if plan is to meet a date. It has the whole second floor of fast food dining options. You will see different kind of retail stores on its ground floor. Anything that you may need for your travel (out of emergency situation) can be found here. We came in here ( a walk from our hotel)as my sis -in law had rushes due to an allergic reaction and me for a replacement for the lost prescribed eye glasses reasons. We were able to see a pharmacy store that served to both our needs. Like a typical commuter station center, it also offers services like massage in a chair service, shoe shines service, flowers , etc. Only one thing that turned me off about this place, I did not like that I need to pay a coin to get into their restrooms.

We enjoyed our week stay in Covent Garden. We took full advantage of the Covent Garden Market,…read morevisiting in several occasions. The Market is picturesque with lovely flower carts by the entrances. Historically, Covent Gardens were the gardens for the convent. Today, the beautiful enclosed market hosts various vendors that change regularly. The market is a great way to connect with locals. We went to the market four times during our visit. On Sundays, various art vendors set up and we visited with a local fossil dealer and purchased a couple fossils. We loved our dinner in one of the nearby cafes. On Mondays, antique dealers set up and sell various treasures. My husband bought me a vintage bracelet. We also watched a quintet play in the atrium. We found a few reasonably priced souvenirs to take home for gifts. Plenty of great restaurants surround the Market. We ate at several places and enjoyed our meals. The Market always seems to be new and people were friendly.

Covent Garden is an area in West End with a collection of shops and restaurants. This is considered…read moreto be in the city of Westminster. All of the shops are high-end, luxury. Think Rodeo Drive in London. It's a fun area to visit and check out all of the amazing offerings that most probably can never afford lol. Another must-see for hitting tourist areas in the West End.

TK Maxx is the British equivalent of TJ Maxx in the United States. Like every other TJ or TK Maxx,…read moreyou have to have time to browse for hidden gems. On the day we went, the store wasn't very organized and the lines were long. However, if you're flying in and leave something, this is the place you go to find anything you may need while in London. I was a bit disappointed, as this seems like a nice area of town and I expected to see more high-end merchandise. This store has the same items as every other similar store in the US and the ones I've visited in other countries. The canned drinks near the registers are cheaper than restaurants and corner stores, so we got a few for our walk back to the hotel.

Great selection and prices. The only uncomfortable part was having to leave earlier because they…read moredid nit have a public bathroom at the store

Well located Ralph Lauren Shop on Bond Street where their luxurious Western and high end items are…read moreon display for purchase. Best part it has coffee shop and reason for stopping in. Ordered iced mocha, which was decadent and refreshing. It was surprising to see a coffee shop inside the store, at the entrance and has plenty of outdoor seating perfect for taking a break or people watching. There's two bistro style on each side by the door inside but the outside seating was desirable! Staff was super friendly and bathroom was clean and was located downstairs where there was some seating and well displayed luxurious items!

A delightful experience. I remember last summer going to the Ralph Lauren section inside…read moreSelfridges, in search of some polo shirts. I have an athletic, muscled build with a flat tummy so like to wear good fitting clothes instead of loose/baggy ones. Tried some on and none could provide me with the fit I wanted. So I was recommended by a female staff to try out the teen range from RL children's store. It emerged that she buys polo shirts for herself there. Anyway, this particular store is hidden away quietly on Fulham Road near South Kensington tube station and takes a comfortable 10 minutes to get to by foot. The moment I walked in, I was greeted with a smile by a friendly female sales assistant and a giant life size teddy bear (a human being in a costume) waving at me. The store is small but has a basement too. It is well presented, with plenty of assistants ready to help you. Each of them are well mannered, quite pleasant and eager to help. I spent about an hour in there trying out many different tops which needed to be brought out from the stock room. No matter how many times I asked, the sales assistant was ready and willing to help. There were no looks of frustration or facial expression indicating "I can't be bothered to help" which are found in far too many stores these days. Even the manager was genuinely friendly, communicative and helpful. Made me feel like a friend. I was definitely charmed by all the ladies working there. The fitting room is gorgeous - very "picturesque". Unlike most stores where you have a tiny cubicle to change in, this is the size of a tiny room - with framed pictures on the wall, luxury pillows, large mirror, a sitting area the size of a 4 seater sofa. All this feeling of luxury just for one person wanting to try on some clothes. Unlike the Ralph Lauren store on Bond Street (the adult store which is also the RL UK flagship store), there was none of that stiff, stuck-up, high and mighty feeling in the air. I ended up buying two polo shirts here on the day and another from the RL children's store on Bond Steet. Also plan on returning again in a few days. I know in today's climate we should be saying no to accepting carrier bags but I could not resist RL's beautiful shop bag. (see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaimelondonboy/3666103360/ ) In fairness, I do always re-use my grocery shopping bags without fail and recycle all my paper, plastics, cans and more - so I don't feel too bad about accepting this one. :) This is the best customer service I have ever experienced in a store. Just how it should be. 5 out of 5.

As an American, I loved seeing T.K. Maxx in person!…read more I knew that T.J. Maxx in the UK is called T.K. Maxx, and I was so excited to finally see it with my own eyes. The assortment of inventory is very different compared to the US, and honestly, it's not as good LOL. Also, if anyone knows the "No tag" rule at all TJX Company stores in the US. Whenever you would like to purchase something that doesn't have a tag, they try to give you the best possible price for an item that's comparable to the item. The same thing happened to me with a bracelet, and they tried to charge me 15 pounds for a bracelet that's worth 4. There were many cheaper ones all around, but of course they picked the most expensive one. . . I had to drop a star for that, but otherwise it was a cool touristy experience.

Visiting London and to my surprise, I found TK Maxx! My favorite store to shop is TJ Maxx in the…read moreUS. TK Maxx is the exact same shopping outlet as TJ Maxx in the US. Lots of name brand products from clothing to home decor at a discount price. Really enjoy the search for treasures! Store is very busy and crowded. Fun to visit and look for bargains!

Now this is a shopping experience. Retail, food, cafes and pastries, cocktails, lattes, teas... Can…read morewe import Harrods into the U.S. already? During the winter holidays, it's festively decorated inside and out--and it's bussssy. Great place for gift shopping, picking up a luxe lewk, or just kill some time while being a tourist.

Is this a store or a mall? That was the controversy within our family after we visited. We all…read moreagreed that it was a huge space. There are separate stores each by brand or category. They have everything from clothes to appliances to electronics to furniture. You have to pay for each items at the location and in some instances you get a bag with that store's name on it, and in others, you get a Harrods' bag. One the lowest floor are the food options, including a grab and go style cafe, a sit down food court, again with many different restaurant concepts, but all within one space, and a bakery. The entire thing is a site for the eyes and consumerism at its finest. The bathrooms are clean and things were clearly labeled. We all also agreed that this was an experience for sure!

This shop has a relatively limited selection of garments in womens section and even less in mens…read moresection, most of these are in S size or its equivalents (for women) add to that the fact that there are many designer outlets up and down London and you might think this is a shop not worth considering. All these info would give you the impression that this is shop not worth a visit, but you can't be more wrong. Every single piece seems ( I would say actually is) handpicked by someone who have a great taste in clothing and this is what makes this place stands out. If you want a one stop designer outlet where you wouldn't be confused with lots of stacks of different clothes, this is the place to be. The only confusion you will have will be in which one you are going to pick.

We came here for the Jellycat store and it was worth it. This is like a large department store with…read moremany brands inside, similar to Harrod's. The location was right in the middle of the action. Specific to JellyCat, they were having the Fish and Chips pop up, which offers limited edition fish and chips related Jellycats, where you interact with the staff as they present it to you with a sticker with your name and a personalized experience. You could make a reservation or just stand in line. We chose to do neither and my daughter got a lemon wedge Jellycat. The line was short and the staff was friendly.

We stopped by Selfridges to pick up a swim suit for the honey, but also ended up dropping into…read moretheir food hall. For the food hall I loved that they had a great selection of so many different types of food and drink. I was able to pick up some sushi and drinks, while the honey got some ramen to-go. I also loved that you could pay at the specific stall you got the food from and did not have to get in line for every single item. In relation to Selfridges' clothing section upstairs, the signage for the sections was poor and we ended up having to ask where the swim area was. Everything was £80 and up so we later ended up going to Primark since it was a little too rich for our blood (DH constantly loses his swim trucks when we travel). All in all, I was glad they were close to our hotel and the food hall definitely gives the nearby Mercado (which was our goto last year) a run for it's money.