Prince and Princess
The little extra treat for the little ones. Located in the heart of London, just a few moments away from London’s largest toy store and The London Zoo in Regent’s Park, The Langham, London is certainly a kingdom for every child.
From £419 per room per night.
Contact our Concierge to plan your
stay with us. Call 020 7636 1000 or
email lon.info@langhamhotels.com
Rain Doesn’t Stop Play in London
A glance out of the window of your suite at The Langham tells you that the sunshine has deserted London today. Rain is falling heavily enough to make your plan to take the kids to Hyde Park a washout. But, there’s no need to resort to a day spent in front of the television. We Londoners are used to this rainy dilemma, and the city has an abundance of activities to keep the kids dry and entertained.
Sheltering under The Langham doorman’s umbrella, allow him to hail you a cab towards Exhibition Road in South Kensington where the city’s main museums are located: the Science Museum, Natural History Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum. The Science Museum provides activities for kids of all ages – with a bit of learning thrown in too. The kids can take their minds off the rain in the Space Gallery, complete with models of spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope. They will love the medical galleries where artificial noses, Roman tweezers and reconstructions of early surgery vie for gruesome attention. Then it’s time to get interactive in the Launch Pad, where kids (and grown ups) get their hands dirty exploring the wonder of bubbles, explosions and rockets.
After a break for lunch in the underwater-themed Deep Blue Café (which provides activity boxes to keep the young ones entertained), herd the kids next door, into the Natural History Museum. Start by going back in time from the present Rainy London Age to the Prehistoric Age of the dinosaurs, with the vast skeleton of a T-Rex (the kids think he’s almost as old as you), plus the roar of the animatronic dino-models. Then, from the massive to the miniature, brace yourselves for a trip round the Creepy Crawlies gallery, where ants, moths and termites go about their business, thankfully contained in sealed cases.
After all that learning, it’s time for some downtime with a trip to the cinema. Hail a cab to Portobello Road, where the Electric Cinema provides shelter from the downpours. Cuddle up on the sofas and deep leather chairs with footstools and enjoy the latest releases, with chocolate brownies for the kids – and, importantly, a cocktail for you.
If it’s not rush hour (5pm–7pm), give the kids a taste of real London aboard the Tube. Take the Hammersmith & City Line from Ladbroke Grove all the way to Baker Street via Paddington Station (where Paddington Bear first arrived in London from Darkest Peru). Then it’s off to meet the Pirates of the Caribbean, Christina Aguilera and Tiger Woods at Madame Tussauds, where the kids can smile for the camera alongside their favourite stars. It’s not far from here back down to Oxford Street’s glitzy lights by cab. Get out, umbrellas at the ready, at Ping Pong in Great Marlborough Street for dinner – a five-minute walk from the shelter of The Langham. Here, they serve dim sum, little steamed parcels of deliciousness, which will appeal to your own parcels of deliciousness. The menu is packed with bite-sized dumplings and sticky-sweet ribs, all served in a busy buzzy atmosphere.
Then, make a dash for it up Regent Street and back to The Langham, just in time for bedtime and dreams of spacemen, dinosaurs and talking bears …
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD
Telephone: 0870 870 4868
Website: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/launchpad
By tube: South Kensington
Entrance to the permanent galleries is free; tickets are required for entrance to temporary exhibitions.
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 5000
Website: www.nhm.ac.uk
By tube: South Kensington
Entrance to the permanent galleries is free; tickets are required for entrance to temporary exhibitions.
Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2AL
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7942 2000
Website: www.vanda.com
By tube: South Kensington
Entrance to the permanent galleries is free; tickets are required for entrance to temporary exhibitions.
The Electric Cinema, 191 Portobello Road, London W11 2ED
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7908 9696
Website: www.electriccinema.co.uk/index.php
By tube: Ladbroke Grove
Madame Tussauds, Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LR
Telephone: 0870 999 0046
Website: www.madame-tussauds.co.uk
By tube: Baker Street
Ping Pong, 45 Great Marlborough Street, Soho, London W1F 7JL
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7851 6969
Website: www.pingpongdimsum.com
By tube: Oxford Circus
