Romance in the heights
When it comes to tourism, the difficult thing is not to see a European capital in 48 hours, nor to find a central accommodation in Paris and with good value for money. Not even finding a hostel in Thailand where all the guests are not 15 years younger than you . The really difficult thing is to plan a trip as a couple that is both romantic and worthy . Anything aimed at couples is automatically cheesy and tacky, with promotional photos including rose petal montages and white and straight couples toasting with sparkling pink liquids. You may still be one of those people who gets butterflies in the stomach sharing a bottle of champagne on the London Eye with your better half. If this is the case, congratulations. you still retain some innocence . If, on the contrary, you are part of a couple of healthy cynical urbanites more interested in gin than rosé, read on. We are going to try to make you spend a romantic but not cheesy weekend in a regal, phlegmatic city famous for its serial murders: London .
WHERE TO SLEEP
Price and romance are usually directly proportional. Therefore, it is traditional to propose with a diamond, not with a teddy bear. But fortunately exceptions can be found. Pimlico's **Artist Residence** is a small Boutique hotel very central with ten rooms, cozy and modern decoration and reasonable prices for the city.
The very romantic anti-romanticism
The hotel Chiltern Firehouse belongs to another level. It is an old fire station restored and exquisitely decorated with a vintage aftertaste . It is not uncommon to come across Kate Moss or Cara Delevigne in her restaurant. Absolutely intimate and not insanely expensive is the **40 Winks**. The environment does not anticipate the chic of its interior, it only has two rooms and the attention is so personalized that you will feel that you have butlers, as in downton abbey . If you can't make a reservation, you can always sign up for one of their exclusive themed soirées, such as Bedtime Stories , in which dress code It's... pajamas.
In his restaurant you can cross paths with Cara Delevigne or Kate Moss
WHERE TO EAT
Some options for a romantic dinner in classic film noir style , with velvet armchairs, white tablecloth and candles, are La Chapelle , ** Bob Bob Ricard ** and ** Clos Maggiore **. The first is located in an ancient chapel with infinite ceilings and serves French dishes. Bob Bob Ricard, in Soho offers russian food and will make you feel transported in an Orient Express wagon, elegant, ornate and art deco. Clos Maggiore is a heavyweight of love : has been chosen by Architectural Digest as the most romantic restaurant in the world . It is full of flowers and it is not strange to dine surrounded by marriage proposals.
If one of you intends to pull out a ring in the middle of dinner, look for something less obvious like **Petersham Nurseries**. More indie and less hyperbolic than Clos Maggiore although not much more affordable. Your dining room is a fairytale space , a nursery full of plants where you can also buy plants and antiques, after enjoying its careful seasonal cuisine.
An indie nursery... fairytale
For the less classic there are two options out of reach of candlelight. There is nothing that we like more when we are seducing than pretending to be connoisseurs to dazzle. **Needoo Gril** is not strictly romantic, but their indian food is one of the best in town (It has nothing to envy the well-known and contiguous Tayyabs). It's just as good but without the endless queues.
The most romantic thing about **Jidori** is that you can eat heart. More than enough excuse to visit this restaurant with an open kitchen specializing in yakitori prepared with chickens raised with love in Leicestershire.
Open kitchen specializing in yakitori
AND DRINK, OF COURSE
It is well known and universal the fixation of lovers for panoramic views . When one feels the owner of the world, it is logical that one wants to contemplate it from above. At ** The Culpeper ** they can be taken cocktails flavored with herbs from their greenhouse in front of the suggestive views of “the pickle” by Norman Foster, among other impressive futuristic buildings in the City.
Very different are the views of the Playground and Proof over the vast green expanse of London Fields. If time is twisted this cocktail bar has an interior area with blankets for customers to huddle under and even a food market on its ground floor. It is worth getting away from Central London a bit to get to know it. The option for those who are not fond of heights is ** Purl **, a basement with small intimate spaces, good jazz in the background and Chester armchairs that swallow you up. Its steaming drinks contribute to creating a mysterious atmosphere.
In the heights and crazy
TO DO
Almost the first thing to do when visiting London as a couple is to climb the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. The 250 steps rise will compensate you in the Whispering Gallery , when you face each other separated by the abyss of the height of the dome and, thanks to one of the most famous auditory phenomena in the world, you hear each other say "I love you".
In the neighborhood Notting Hill is **The Electric Cinema** (there is another branch in Shoreditch). It is the oldest cinema in London, it opened its doors in 1910 and has preserved its original appearance almost intact. In the first row there are six huge double beds and the cinema provides cashmere blankets to complete the picture. . The experience will be romantic even if the movie is Max Max Fury Road.
London is the perfect city for those who have a slightly darker, victorian notion of love . A walk through the cemetery Highgate will delight emo lovers. Its most famous tenant is Karl Marx and one of its many traditions is to leave a pen on the grave of the author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , Douglas Adams. Hiring one of their tours is highly recommended.
Another classic of being in love is gaze at the stars , here you can do it from the meridian itself at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, which can be reached by boat on the Thames from various points in the center to make the journey part of the fun.
WARMING THE ENVIRONMENT
With your quota of candlelit dinners and whispers more than met, it's time to turn up the heat: you are in the capital of English discipline, be naughty . We start with the recently inaugurated Undressed exhibition: A Brief Story of Underwear at the Victoria & Albert, the exhibition reviews the history of underwear from the 18th century to the present day through garments, documents and photographs.
coco de mer , the most sophisticated and varied erotic goods store in Soho, It is a must stop for what comes next . Once familiar with corsets, let's try new things. Better than a bed is the wet dream (our sincere apologies for the easy joke) of any lover of 50 shades of gray . It is a quite charming Bed and Breakfast that offers the incentive of including a whole set of BSM furniture and toys for beginners or amateurs. It offers the possibility of renting a dungeon in case the romantic weekend gets out of hand.
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