Sweet and Sinister London, it’s Halloween time!

Halloween is approaching London soon. Many of us want to experience frightening and chilling moments during the All Saints’ night. Previous year we wrote about many interesting things you can do in the capital, starting from visiting theatre and finishing with wandering along creepy Victorian places in Dungeon or the Bridge tunnels. London is constantly growing city and quite often new events and attractions are happening here. So why not to continue the topic of what spooky times one can have during the Halloween celebration.

If you want to be involved in horrific adventure, go for the ghost bus tour. The bus conductor will entertain and frighten you on the way from the Trafalgar Square, through Whitehall and the Tower Bridge, up to Fleet Street. Listening to scary stories as well as watching terrifying things around, makes you to shiver, scream and maybe cry from fear in this ghost bus. Wishing you to survive this extraordinary journey.

Probably everyone heard about Jack the Ripper, a cruel serial murderer. This Halloween you can take a late evening tour around Spitalfields to the ghastly sites where the killer’s victims were found. The walk promises to refresh your memory about poor and terrifying old Victorian period in the East End part of London. Also dreadful feelings you may experience in the Hunterian Museum, where the collection of anatomical, pathological and zoological specimens are exhibited. British surgeon and anatomist John Hunter made a big collection of conserved human and animal organs and skeletons two centuries ago. The old basic surgical instruments give you fearsome imagination of how they were used in practise and how painful it was when that terrible blunt scalper cut the flesh. The stuff displayed there is real and not the Halloween decoration. Brrrr. Have you thought of sending your precious child to the Witch Academy? It must be very interesting for a kid to take an exciting ride on the London Eye capsule with witch Priscilla, especially in Halloween day. She will teach spells, tell horrid stories and mysteries of London. Fun is guaranteed. A quality family time you should have at London Zoo. This time they organize a thrilling event – Boo at the Zoo. Frightful but nice creatures (owls, bats, vultures, meerkats, coatis, etc) would like perform for visitors the Animals in Action Spooktacular. Sounds more fun than scary, right? Another thing to do this Halloween is to go for a traditional trick-or-treat. In best place to do it in London is at St John’s Wood and Maida Vale (North West London). Most of the houses are decorated with carved pumpkins, sticky nets, ghost and skeletons in the front garden. Local schoolchildren dress up, take their special bags for sweets and go trick or treating from one house to another. At the end they have plenty of sweets which may last till Christmas. By the way, Short Let London has a big choice of holiday rental flats nearby this area.

Whatever activity you choose to do this Halloween, come back safely to your London accommodation provided by Short Let London. All our apartments are located close to London landmarks and tourists attractions with good transport connection. If you need a place for a short term stay in London, we will be more than happy to accommodate you in one of our budget holiday rent properties.

London restaurants review

British, Mexican, French, Brazilian, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese – I could probably go on to the end of this article about the various cuisines that can be found in London. Here are the Short Let London staff favourites: 

Little Bay is the best value three course meal in London and costs less than a tenner. Modern European cuisine is the order of the day the chicken pastry and the barberry duck being particular highlights. The specials are also reasonably priced compared to most gastropubs. The original restaurant in Kilburn has a very unique feel however their restaurant in Farringdon has a larger selection and does special offers.

Le mercury in Islington is also a reasonably priced French restaurant which is very popular make sure you call and book a table especially at weekends as even though it`s on three floors it gets very busy. Starters are £3.95 and mains £7.95. Try the mussels in white wine sauce and the lamb shanks, this restaurant is perfect for a romantic meal that you will remember. If you want a taste of America and some homemade BBQ food look no further than Bodeans. With 5 branches in central London, short let London apartments and rental flats are within easy distance of them. A traditional American diner interior and one of the few places that show American sports 24/7 the food here is a must for any carnivore. Slow cooked chicken, ribs that literally fall right off the bone, and the legendary burnt ends that melt in your mouth with the smokiest BBQ taste you dream of. Take the full platter for 2 (or one!) at £24.95 its incredible value for the meat you get.  Short Let London recommends, enjoy your dinner!

London night scene

London’s club scene is arguably one of the finest in the world. Super-clubs, warehouses, swanky bars and much more besides it is a smorgasbord of fun nights that are a joy to behold. Here is the lowdown from Short Let London on some of the places you have to go rather than getting bogged down in the tourist trap that is the west end.

Fabric has been a clubbing institution since 1999 and a great introduction to the London scene. Fabric is a converted meat freezer with the best sound and light production in the world. Always at the forefront of new genres of dance music Fabric has three rooms and for first timers it is very easy to get lost. If bass heavy music and electro is more your thing, then check out Fabric Live on a Friday, however Saturdays is the night for the more discerning dance enthusiast with the best in house, techno and everything in-between.

The Ministry of Sound is still going strong after 20 years. Situated in a converted bus depot in the gritty Elephant & Castle it is one of those clubs you have to do – Fridays is long standing night the Gallery with the best of trance and house. Saturdays varies but expect some of the biggest DJs playing exclusive sets in the Ministry of Sound`s main room the Box. The other great thing is that these two world clubs are within easy access of the rental apartments and holiday flats that Short Let London offers. It is worth considering renting a flat in London, where you can easily get to at any time of the day or night as there are buses running 24/7. Get ready to party and do not waste your time during a short stay in London!

Take Me to a Festival

The season of the festivals is still going, and if you have missed the Glastonbury do not be upset as there are still plenty more fields where you can dance your feet off. In fact August is the richest month for festivals, so get your wellies ready now – Short Let London will take you to a festival of your dreams!

As soon as this weekend (August 8^th – 11^th) Wilderness festival is making its debut in the beautiful England countryside of Cotswold, at Cornbury Park (Oxfordshire). Organised by The Box club this festival will be a celebration of the arts and outdoors in the wild British landscapes and they are definitely going for success with Empire Of The Sun leading the line-up. Tickets are £146.50 for 4 days including camping. Already reputable and leading festival Creamfields, which is taking place on the 23^rd – 25^th of August in Daresbury Estate, Warrington is the world`s famous dance music festival, this year`s headlines are boasting with Prodigy, which is their only British performance for the year.  Apart from raving experience you can chill out in a new beer garden on log benches or hay bales sipping some draught beer. The day ticket for Creamfields is also quite affordable and costs £75.00. Short Let London `s favourite is South West Four festival as it is happening in London, Clapham Common, this means you can head straight home after it finishes at 10pm and have a nice rest in our comfortable short let London apartments for rent. This year the festival is celebrating its 10^th anniversary and is selling out very fast, but you can still get the tickets for Sunday bank holiday, price starts from £59.00 per day. It features only the classics tracks and the best electric mix; among the headlines are Armin Van Buuren, Goove Armada, Todd Edwards, Eric Prydz, Knife Party, Erick Morillo and others.

One of England`s best and favourite festivals is Bestival (Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of White) running September 5^th – 8^th. This year it presents a new arena – Temple Island with a full DJ line-up – Wu-Tang Chan, The Roots, Kerri Chandler, Chic ft Nile Ridgers, Fake Blood and more. Also check the treasure hunt or a secret disco The Doghouse and participate in a willow sculptures making with Willowtwister. Late night on Sunday enjoy the spectacular scene of the whole island going up in flames! Weekend tickets with camping go on sale for £190.00. Only 2 weeks to go to Reading and Leeds Festival, taking place August bank holiday 23^rd- 25^th August. Among the headlines are some really big names – System of a Down, Deftones, Green Day, Eminem, Chase and Status, Fall Out Boy, Biffy Clyro, White Lies, Foals and many more. As if this didn’t sound great enough, tickets are on sale now, so do not miss out! If you are willing to travel to Wales and Scotland, then Festival N0.6 (Wales) and Loopallu (Scotland) would be right for you at the striking scenery.

Short Let London wishes you to have the best time at the festival and come back to stay in our holiday apartments and rental flats for short let in London. Contact our team if you need help or more information www.shortlet-london.com.

Around London markets

Central London shopping centres and stores are always full of tourists, who are rushing to spend fortune on overpriced souvenirs and fighting for goods on seasonal sale. For not so traditional view on shopping, here is our idea on how to make it fresh and more interesting activity. Be a different type of shopper next time you are in London and wonder around local markets which you can find in almost every London area. Here is the list from Short Let London of the most popular markets both among locals and tourists which you must visit.

London Borough market is one of the oldest in town, a real gem, offering fresh organic food from different parts of the world and quality products that is so hard to find in the supermarkets. For a unique experience and a feel of the punk scene visit the famous Camden Town market. Even if you are not after informal metal accessories, you can get some special souvenirs here, admire the local art scene, sit in the café or walk along the picturesque Regents canal. Portobello Road market has got an incredible collection of antique decorations, jewellery and retro clothes. Roam around a Spitafields Market and Spitafields Art Market, situated off the Liverpool Street, for unique finds and inexpensive artworks of up-and coming artists, or visit one of the many surrounding award-winning restaurants, bars or independent shops. And to let yourself spend more on London markets, you may save money by renting a cheap holiday flat or a short let apartment. Short Let London can provide you with budget accommodation and apartments for rent in London. 

Best of British recipes

When travelling to a new country, everyone wants to try national cuisine and local recipes as part of their tasty experience. So what is the traditional British food that people are so eager to have when being in England? First thing that will come to your mind would be probably fish and chips, and this is true, it is very popular among the tourists and Brits themselves. There are many other meals that associate with British identity and are so loved by local folks , such as pies and mash with a generous portion of gravy on top, Shepherds` pie, traditional English breakfast which must consist of sausage, bacon, fried eggs and other complementary ingredients like mushrooms, tomatoes or beans, and of course Sunday roasts. Not so many foreigners might be aware of this, but having Sunday roast with your family or in the circle of close friends on Sundays is very old and warm tradition among the locals. Back in the day children would meet at the parents` house and have a meal together, nowadays the tradition has changed a little and people are mainly gathering in the pubs or restaurants. The most popular meat for Sunday roasts is beef, chicken or turkey, it is served with roasted vegetables (potatoes, carrots, red cabbage) Yorkshire pudding. Short Let London can recommend a list of places that are serving the best Sunday roasts in town: Hawksmoor, The Mall Tavern, Bull & The Last, The Water Poet, The Winchester, The Three Crowns, The Stag. Even if you are coming to London for a short stay, you need to try meals in best English traditions. When renting self-contained holiday apartments and short term flats, you have an opportunity to cook English breakfast yourself and serve it in bed to your other halves, or eat out in the restaurants to avoid being bored of standard hotel menus.

Travellers and holidays in London

London experiences high season for travellers and holiday makers all year round who are always in need for short term rentals and holiday apartments. Tourists come for holidays and short stay in London; employees from world companies are visiting the city for business trips or conferences; students are coming for education or for internships to get the invaluable experience. Moreover, London fascinates more international students as it has got to the most prestigious and the oldest academic institutions in the world. Therefore, it is difficult to get a goodbudget accommodation in London these days. Most of the hotels are overbooked, the rest offer extortionate price, which turns it into real problem to find good value for money for short lease in London. Another fact that London is a host city for Olympics in July –August 2012 makes it even more popular place to visit. Supporters and visitors from around the world are looking for London Olympic apartment rentals and cheap flats to rent this summer.

There are different types of short stay accommodation in London to choose from, such as hotels, B&B, hostels orself-serviced apartments. Therefore flats for short rent and budget apartments became a more attractive option for many travellers to London, as people prefer a good value accommodation and this is more affordable than staying in the hotel. There are numerous agencies in London offering flats for rent and short let apartments, most of them operate online these days. Due to the high volume of visitors in the capital these places get booked very quickly or are overpriced. Short Let London is one of the significant letting agents in London, providing the most affordable and competitive price. Since the company was established in 2005, it became important and leading internet agency in London, which offers various self-contained furnished apartments, budget accommodation for short term rent in different areas of London.