One of my absolute favorite places to shop when in London. I'll never pass up a chance to trek down…read moreto Carnaby street as the shopping and dining options are elite. For any one of my friends traveling into London I always recommend veering off a little to Carnaby. Over the years some shops have come and go but some of my favorites remain open. I'm a huge Great Frog lover and their shop is nearby, also for us rock n rollers I can't help stopping into The Rolling Stones Uk store. Lots of major branded stores but also cute local vendors and stores. It's a very walkable street and safe. Plenty busy so come earlier in the day to beat the crowds. Another pro tip is catching a reservation at dishshoom down here as I've found it easier to snag a reservation here than at their other locations. Plenty of dining options though and local stalls like Starbucks and Joe & the juice. It's a touristy street of shops but I love it - definitely bookmark this area on your must shop / see list when on this side of town.

Fun one mile shopping area and eating area in SOHO located in the west end of Westminster. No cars…read moreallowed, only pedestrians. After having a tasty snack at Pizza Pilgrims, went to the two story Rolling Stones store which was my favorite place on Carnaby Street. A bunch of boutique shops and found one bathroom and a drinking fountain. There was an old English style red phone booth containing an unspeakable object on the floor inside, good conversation piece for the rest of my trip. Welcome to London.

We had time to kill and wandered in here from the Victoria station. Not a lot to do here and the…read morestores were OK. The food court was meh. But time was killed and I am thankful for that.

It is a very convenient shopping center by the coach and train stations. It is big and it is very…read morecrowded to start this review. Either you may find the place handy ( especially if you want to kill time while waiting for your departure) or a bad suggestion if plan is to meet a date. It has the whole second floor of fast food dining options. You will see different kind of retail stores on its ground floor. Anything that you may need for your travel (out of emergency situation) can be found here. We came in here ( a walk from our hotel)as my sis -in law had rushes due to an allergic reaction and me for a replacement for the lost prescribed eye glasses reasons. We were able to see a pharmacy store that served to both our needs. Like a typical commuter station center, it also offers services like massage in a chair service, shoe shines service, flowers , etc. Only one thing that turned me off about this place, I did not like that I need to pay a coin to get into their restrooms.

We enjoyed our week stay in Covent Garden. We took full advantage of the Covent Garden Market,…read morevisiting in several occasions. The Market is picturesque with lovely flower carts by the entrances. Historically, Covent Gardens were the gardens for the convent. Today, the beautiful enclosed market hosts various vendors that change regularly. The market is a great way to connect with locals. We went to the market four times during our visit. On Sundays, various art vendors set up and we visited with a local fossil dealer and purchased a couple fossils. We loved our dinner in one of the nearby cafes. On Mondays, antique dealers set up and sell various treasures. My husband bought me a vintage bracelet. We also watched a quintet play in the atrium. We found a few reasonably priced souvenirs to take home for gifts. Plenty of great restaurants surround the Market. We ate at several places and enjoyed our meals. The Market always seems to be new and people were friendly.

Covent Garden is an area in West End with a collection of shops and restaurants. This is considered…read moreto be in the city of Westminster. All of the shops are high-end, luxury. Think Rodeo Drive in London. It's a fun area to visit and check out all of the amazing offerings that most probably can never afford lol. Another must-see for hitting tourist areas in the West End.

TK Maxx is the British equivalent of TJ Maxx in the United States. Like every other TJ or TK Maxx,…read moreyou have to have time to browse for hidden gems. On the day we went, the store wasn't very organized and the lines were long. However, if you're flying in and leave something, this is the place you go to find anything you may need while in London. I was a bit disappointed, as this seems like a nice area of town and I expected to see more high-end merchandise. This store has the same items as every other similar store in the US and the ones I've visited in other countries. The canned drinks near the registers are cheaper than restaurants and corner stores, so we got a few for our walk back to the hotel.

Great selection and prices. The only uncomfortable part was having to leave earlier because they…read moredid nit have a public bathroom at the store

Well located Ralph Lauren Shop on Bond Street where their luxurious Western and high end items are…read moreon display for purchase. Best part it has coffee shop and reason for stopping in. Ordered iced mocha, which was decadent and refreshing. It was surprising to see a coffee shop inside the store, at the entrance and has plenty of outdoor seating perfect for taking a break or people watching. There's two bistro style on each side by the door inside but the outside seating was desirable! Staff was super friendly and bathroom was clean and was located downstairs where there was some seating and well displayed luxurious items!

A delightful experience. I remember last summer going to the Ralph Lauren section inside…read moreSelfridges, in search of some polo shirts. I have an athletic, muscled build with a flat tummy so like to wear good fitting clothes instead of loose/baggy ones. Tried some on and none could provide me with the fit I wanted. So I was recommended by a female staff to try out the teen range from RL children's store. It emerged that she buys polo shirts for herself there. Anyway, this particular store is hidden away quietly on Fulham Road near South Kensington tube station and takes a comfortable 10 minutes to get to by foot. The moment I walked in, I was greeted with a smile by a friendly female sales assistant and a giant life size teddy bear (a human being in a costume) waving at me. The store is small but has a basement too. It is well presented, with plenty of assistants ready to help you. Each of them are well mannered, quite pleasant and eager to help. I spent about an hour in there trying out many different tops which needed to be brought out from the stock room. No matter how many times I asked, the sales assistant was ready and willing to help. There were no looks of frustration or facial expression indicating "I can't be bothered to help" which are found in far too many stores these days. Even the manager was genuinely friendly, communicative and helpful. Made me feel like a friend. I was definitely charmed by all the ladies working there. The fitting room is gorgeous - very "picturesque". Unlike most stores where you have a tiny cubicle to change in, this is the size of a tiny room - with framed pictures on the wall, luxury pillows, large mirror, a sitting area the size of a 4 seater sofa. All this feeling of luxury just for one person wanting to try on some clothes. Unlike the Ralph Lauren store on Bond Street (the adult store which is also the RL UK flagship store), there was none of that stiff, stuck-up, high and mighty feeling in the air. I ended up buying two polo shirts here on the day and another from the RL children's store on Bond Steet. Also plan on returning again in a few days. I know in today's climate we should be saying no to accepting carrier bags but I could not resist RL's beautiful shop bag. (see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaimelondonboy/3666103360/ ) In fairness, I do always re-use my grocery shopping bags without fail and recycle all my paper, plastics, cans and more - so I don't feel too bad about accepting this one. :) This is the best customer service I have ever experienced in a store. Just how it should be. 5 out of 5.

As an American, I loved seeing T.K. Maxx in person!…read more I knew that T.J. Maxx in the UK is called T.K. Maxx, and I was so excited to finally see it with my own eyes. The assortment of inventory is very different compared to the US, and honestly, it's not as good LOL. Also, if anyone knows the "No tag" rule at all TJX Company stores in the US. Whenever you would like to purchase something that doesn't have a tag, they try to give you the best possible price for an item that's comparable to the item. The same thing happened to me with a bracelet, and they tried to charge me 15 pounds for a bracelet that's worth 4. There were many cheaper ones all around, but of course they picked the most expensive one. . . I had to drop a star for that, but otherwise it was a cool touristy experience.

Visiting London and to my surprise, I found TK Maxx! My favorite store to shop is TJ Maxx in the…read moreUS. TK Maxx is the exact same shopping outlet as TJ Maxx in the US. Lots of name brand products from clothing to home decor at a discount price. Really enjoy the search for treasures! Store is very busy and crowded. Fun to visit and look for bargains!

Harrod's is a London icon and a premier luxury department store and it is a shoppers dream. This…read morestore is massive and its known for the fabulous food hall, extravagant luxury goods, and it attracts roughly 15 million visitors per year. Harrod's also features a afternoon tea in The Georgian and it costs about $96.00 US dollars per person. We were here many years ago but I still remember the experience. It was very busy inside and we walked around for a couple of hours just looking and taking in all the beautiful products that were for sale. The architecture of the store is a stunning. We bought some souvenirs, and I also bought a purse and wallet while visiting. We loved taking pics with the life size Harrod bears. I had never been in such a majestic and exquisite store seeing so many luxury items. This store is definitely geared towards the elite and uber rich but we still managed to have a really good time. Service was ample although most of the employees we encountered were very busy hustling to locate items for anxious shoppers. A must visit while you are in London, just don't drop all your cash here.

You feel like you are in a different world when you step inside Harrods. A luxury mall with a great…read morefood hall, a Prada cafe, they make their own chocolate in the chocolate hall, and every name brand you can think. Our first stop was the dry bar. We have plenty of these back in the states but I had never been to one before, so It's pretty exciting for to me to say that my first dry bar experience was in Harrods in London! I tend to stay away from blow-dry places because not everyone can blow-dry thick curly hair. Kezia was the stylist and she was great!! She was so funny, paid close attention to detail, and this was one of the best blow-drys I have ever gotten! Next, we stopped at Burberry. She was wonderful, poise, and so knowledgeable about the brand. My husband loves his wallet. We then stopped at Louis Vuitton for a perfume. No one attended to us and it felt like they were judging us based on how we looked. Five employees walked right past us and not a single one acknowledged us. Finally someone did and when we asked her what the notes in the perfume were she googled it on her phone. Our shopping day wasn't complete without buying some sweets from the chocolate hall. Every type of chocolate you can think of is sold here and delicious taste!

This shop has a relatively limited selection of garments in womens section and even less in mens…read moresection, most of these are in S size or its equivalents (for women) add to that the fact that there are many designer outlets up and down London and you might think this is a shop not worth considering. All these info would give you the impression that this is shop not worth a visit, but you can't be more wrong. Every single piece seems ( I would say actually is) handpicked by someone who have a great taste in clothing and this is what makes this place stands out. If you want a one stop designer outlet where you wouldn't be confused with lots of stacks of different clothes, this is the place to be. The only confusion you will have will be in which one you are going to pick.

Tips: - The foodhall is worth the visit. Enter from Oxford…read moreStreet. - Candy is on the lower ground level. - If you come here around Christmas, the Christmas section is lovely. I was in London in December 2013. I visited a bunch of department stores. Part of me was curious about how they are set up versus how the flagship department stores in Canada were set up. I visited the flagship Selfridges store on Oxford Street. Rest in peace to the flagship Eaton's store in Winnipeg that I frequented often when I worked across from it. I also miss the flagship Hudson's Bay stores in Toronto and Winnipeg. I will toss in the flagship Simpsons store that preceded the Hudson's Bay. I stayed in South Kensington. There was a bus stop steps away from the hotel and around the corner from Gloucester Road station. I took the 74 Putney bus that got me to this store. I could have also taken the underground to Piccadilly Circus, but the walk would have been a bit longer. I wasn't sure how much damage I'd do here! I entered the store from Oxford Street, which gets you on the ground level. I remember seeing sushi on a convenor belt to my left. It was cool. It was Yo! I'm glad that this eatery is still around. You can dine here or do takeout. I entered the foodhall. I was so happy. I saw cupcakes, oysters, caviar, and more. Everything looked fancy and yummy. The ground floor had a beauty section and a pharmacy. This store is large. It's the second-largest department store in London, behind Harrods. I spent most of my time on the lower ground level. It's where the candy, wine, and cookshop sections are. I love candy and confections. I saw everything from macarons and chocolate malt balls, to fancy bourbon and wine. I bought some chocolate bars. They were perfect to hand out to colleagues. They were also Christmas-themed. I got milk and dark chocolate varieties. They were delicious. This floor also had a cinema. I didn't check it out. I was too busy visiting the technology and stationery sections. I was so happy on this floor. I spent the most time here. I did check out the women's clothing, which occupies levels 2 and 3. There was a lot of designer clothing. It didn't suit my casual, cheaper style. I loved coming here just before Christmas. It was festive and fun. The Christmas section was enjoyable to peruse. I have fond memories coming here. I hope to return someday. This store is over a century old and I'm pleased that it continues to endure. (49)

This place is beautiful and can be compared to a Saks store. On our visit, it was really packed and…read morecrowded since everyone was trying to get their holiday deals. Plus, it is beautiful during the holidays. The store has a total of 4 floors with a huge Jellycat Fish and Chip pop-up on the top floor. If you are here for that, be prepared to wait since it is a 2 1/2 hour wait. There is also a walk-in line if you were unable to create a reservation. Merch here is on the pricier side but if you are looking for something trendy, you can definitely find it here. Plus, there are a few food and snack locations if you get hungry while shopping your hearts away.