Seventy Hours in London with AA and Taj Hotels, March 2015

1- American Airlines 777-300 2- St. James Court Hotel  

3- Taj 51 Buckingham Gate 4- Suite at St. James 

5- Kona Restaurant 6- Miss Saigon 

7- City Tour of London 8- Michelin Starred Quilon 

9- Night walk around London  10- Premier check-in at AA at Heathrow

The  777-300’s business class has 52 lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration so every seat is an aisle seat, no need to ever step over anyone. Business class seats also each have their own 15.4-inch personal entertainment screen with hundreds of movies and TV programs. I was surprised to see a number of movie choices that were very current, some still in theaters. The seat also had all of the other controls that we have come to expect in business class, an AC power plug with assorted connection options, as well as USB to connect you phone or iPad. There was tons of storage in the Business Class “pod”. A little vanity that contained Bose noise cancelling headphones and a bottle of water. The door to this cabinet also had a mirror so you could freshen up after the flight.

Taj hotels very generously provided each of us with suites at the St. James Court. This hotel shares the property with the Taj 51 Buckingham Gate, a great location walking distance to Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben, and many other top London tourist attractions. The courtyard that the two properties shares is home to a beautiful fountain and the longest Shakespearean Sylvan frieze in existence anywhere in the world. The crown jewel of Europe is the Taj 51 Buckingham Suites and Residences. It comprises three distinctly designed townhouses - Kings, Minsters and Falconers, which have been beautifully restored to their iconic heritage. The 85 luxurious and elegant suites offer the space and exclusivity of a private home with their own separate kitchen and living area and overlook the Westminster city area or the award-winning Shakespearean Courtyard and Victorian fountain. 

My beautiful suite had a nice large entryway. Down the hall on the right side was a very nice living room/den with a couch, desk, and television. Further down the hall on the left was a beautiful bedroom with another desk and television.

Our night began with dinner at Kona, the new restaurant located in the Falconers building of the Taj hotel. What a great meal! After dinner, we took our first ride in a London cab over to the West End to see Miss Saigon. The next morning we had breakfast at Kona. As guest of the St James Court, we could have breakfast at Bistro 51 in the St James, or head over to Kona, literally a 1 minute walk across the beautiful courtyard. Kona has a “pre-breakfast” buffet that you snack on while waiting for your main course. This includes fruits, meats, smoked salmon, cheeses, yogurt, etc., and would be considered breakfast at many hotels. But here it is just the starter while you wait for your entrée.

After a delicious breakfast, it was time for our tour of the city. Saint Paul’s Cathedral, lunch at Mayfair Exchange, more rides in London Cabs, the London Eye, boat ride down the Thames, Tower of London, wow, we did a lot in one day, but so much fun!

After our full day, it was time for dinner at the Michelin starred Quilon in the Taj hotel. The South West Indian cuisine was amazing. Sorry, no food pictures, we were all too focused on the dining experience :-)

Nice after dinner walk to see the sights at night. And then it was back to hotel to get a few hours’ sleep before the flight home. 

American has a special check-in area for its premier passengers, located just to the right of the main entrance of terminal 3.So quick and easy, a really nice touch.

Shoot an email to: doug@plazatravel.com if you have any questions or want more details about this, or any of my other trips!