VM JUST home again — this time from England. Every time I visit I find some new and exciting cor- ners to explore. arpara hicGreadie TRAVELWISE |. This trip involved Nottingham, on the trail of lace, Robin Hood, ghosts and Lord Byron ~- in any order you like. Next, Shropshire — sheep safely grazing, wonderful (and cheap!) farm vacations, more ghosts and hauntings, old castles and a bit of literary history. .. ~ Who was the real Lady Chat- -‘terly? I’ve got some pretty con- -vincing evidence for D.H. Lawrence fans, This is the territory of Brother ~ Cadfael for you mystery lovers. ‘Most trips to Britain begin and end with London. It’s a wonderful city and worth 20-or-so visits. - However, it is no more “England”’ than Toronto is Canada. It is imperative that the traveller include other areas of Britain in the itinerary, but let’s start at the beginning. London is.a difficult city in which to find just what you. want ‘in accommodation. Until now, in about 20-odd visits, my hotel finds have been so-so. I’ve paid far too much for far too little (sometimes). Occa- sionally, I’ve found moderately priced small hotels that were ade- quate. Not great but fair enough when my budget is squeaking. Finally, I’ve found what I con- sider to be outstanding. First, the price range. Please remember that to stay in a five- star hotel anywhere i in the world you're going to spend lots of money. The secret is to find a hotel that has most of the five-star amenities at less than half the price. In London it’s the Cadogan, 75 Sloane St. (SWIX 9SG). Tel: 071-235-7141. Fax: 071-2435- 0994. My room was £72.50 (single, off season). The hotel was once the home of Lily Langtry and is restored to its original elegance. The lounge and dining room (where Lily entertained kings and princes) are just fine spots fora housewife from North Vancouver to have breakfast or afternoon tea. Niy. zoom, or perhaps the one directly above, was Lily’s bedroom.’ This was not your standard London hotel room! Big, airy and ! could open the window. How | hate those ugly sealed rooms with wheezy air conditioning. 1 was told that soon the fireplace would be unsealed! The hotel is being slowly upgraded. Instead of the usual 44 This wes not your standard London hotel room! Big, airy and I could open the window. 99 London procedure — put up par- titions to make more rooms -- the Cadogan is taking them out. They are busy making six rooms where 12 used to be. Also, your room price includes a full breakfast — not that often-awful Continental. | had marvellous made-to-order om- elettes every morning. Anyway, just for comparison, my eye surgeon was in London at the same time. She paid £80 for a room below street level in a hotel booked by her travel agent. Don’t blame the agent; there are thousands of choices and many can be less than what they ought to be. The first-time visitor to London ° will do all the travel guide things: Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud’s and a blitz of the many museums and galleries. 1 did none of the above! I shopped (more about that later), took a walking tour, sear- ched out my old favorite fish and chip shop (what a disappoint- ment!) and went to the theatre. First, the shopping. Since the hotel was within 7 he new LOL-raom Holiday lun Express - walking distance of Harrods, ! took a quick walk through. The prices are outta sight! However, it’s an education — especially the food floor. Whatever you want — quail eggs? aged venison? — you'll find. We won’t discuss the prices, except | did note that sweetbreads were about $25 a pound. One absolute MUST stop for me is the Reject China Shop just around the corner from Harrods (Beauchamp Place). There is another on Regent . Street and six more scattered around the south of England. The Reject Shop carries a huge stock of almost every pattern pro- duced in Britain at excellent = prices. 1 checked when I got home and found I saved 50%. A word about the VAT (value added tax) —~ like our GST: it’s 17.5%!!! On large purchases, the store will fill out a rebate form and you can get part of this back at the airport. Unfortunately, I’ve never bought enough in any shop to bother with the form. 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