City Rooms

Christmas is only five days away now, and that means those that haven;’t finished their shopping are dealing with pushy crowds, and the stress of finding something that isn’t as basic as some socks. We can always try to convince ourselves that Christmas shopping is going to be better this year, but it never is. There’s too many people in the exact same situation who think they deserve the last toy on the shelf more than you do. Along with that you probably will lose every piece of your sanity and still haven’t even started wrapping your gifts yet. So we have some tips to make these last few days before Christmas as simple as possible so you can make all your friends and family happy.  Something you may think is so obvious but a lot of people just brush over this. A list. Make a list of everyone, with a budget, and some ideas too. It will help you budget exactly what you;re spending. Plus when you get those ideas together and you need to head down to the shopping centres, you ca...

We’re well into December now, and that means we’re Christmas Shopping. There are loads of shopping centres all over, but we like the idea of getting super festive, and involved in the Christmas spirit. That means we’re heading down to all the best Christmas fairs and markets going! Prepare to find all you want for Christmas, no matter what you;re looking for! There will be festive food such as Mince pies, mulled wine, German hot dogs too! Then there’s traditional decorations, cutting edge arts and crafts. If you;re looking for that last minute gift then a classic Christmas market is great for that too! Now let’s get into just a few of the best! Starting with Leicester Square, it's been on since the 8th of November, and will go on all the way up until the 5th of January, so don’t worry about not getting there before Christmas, you can carry on with that festive fun all the way into 2020! At the very heart of the London district, a beautiful sparkly market is happening! You can w...

The stunning Christmas lights of London are in full swing, on every street you can see beautiful bright lights celebrating the most festive time of year! London boasts some of the best Christmas lights, however this time we’re not talking about all of the most festive streets like Oxford Street, Carnaby Street and more. We wanted to go a bit more fairytale and a lot less big buildings on long streets. We’ve decided to piece together a few of the most scenic Christmas lights you can see this December.  Starting off with Syon Park Forest which will be lit up like a Christmas tree. A longstanding west London rival to Kew’s display, the woodlands of Syon Park will light up for the winter with an array of colourful lighting displays. This one’s ticketed, so book yourself in on their website.This will be the 14th year that they’ve decided to enchant the 6-century-old woodlands using a spectrum-worth of lights, lasers, strobes, floodlights, and other such modern wizardry. Now over ...

December is just around the corner and that may mean you end up with a classic chocolate advent calendar. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Opening up a little door for chocolate 25 days straight has every bit of fun involved as it is. However these days you can get beauty calendars full of lovely scented perfume and lotions in advent calendars for adults, or pieces of railway or Lego which you build as you go in advent calendars aimed at kids, but there’s no harm in you having one too! We've picked what we believe are some of the best advent calendars of 2019.  We would, of course, never suggest that you replace your go-to chocolate advent calendar – but this year, there are some truly gorgeous non-chocolate advent calendars to enjoy alongside it. Christmas starts here, with our round-up of the best alternative advent calendars for 2019. This list is full of variety so there's something for everyone. Hopefully you'll enjoy the 24 days before Christmas as m...

Christmas may seem so far away still, but really, were just over four weeks away, so that means all the stores have christmas music on, and you feel like you’re the only one who hasn’t yet bought everybodies christmas presents. Yes, it’s still November. The cold is still here though, so hats and scarves at the ready because we can at least start enjoying the festivities right? With November, comes all of the best ice rinks opening up over the winter season. Whether you’re a master of the ice rink, or you’re just like bambi barely keeping yourself off the floor, ice skating is great fun, with a partner or friends! If that’s not a good enough reason, just think of the cute insta pics you can get. Even though there are dozens dotted all over London, we have picked out our favourites on the best landmarks of London! Starting off with the Tower of London, every year they set up a beautiful ice rink down in the dry moat. You can get wonderful views of the ancient fortress and the riv...

You know that moment when you go through November thinking you had plenty of time till Christmas and next thing you know, it is 19th December and you still have gifts to buy? It's okay, we've all been there. If this is you now, check out our quick fire list of last minute gifts! Without buying those dreaded aftershave packs! Flowers & Plants  Nature goes a long way. You can find some beautiful unique plants for that special someone. This alternative gift will spice up their room and will have them speaking about it non stop! Here are some suggestions: Waitrose & Partners stock a variety of indoor and outdoor plants. For example a Yucca elephantipes (Shown below). Hamper: Are you struggling to think of one main gift for someone? This year put together a handmade hamper. Go to your local convenience store and get a basket. Then will it with loads of sweet items. This could range from stationary, hot chocolate, a gift card, clothing, and much more! Thes...

Christmas is right around the corner and it is time to get decorating! Whether it is at home or in the office, you can never have too much. Office  Amazon Snowflake Stickers When it comes to decorating the office, you have to try and make it as easy as possible! Below we have included some of our favorite office decorations to bring the spark to your day! These snowflake stickers are the perfect office decor. They are easy to stick to the window and even easier to remove! You can put as many or as few of these up as you like and they will continue to look fantastic. Your colleagues will adore this little addition to the office. Best Artificial Christmas Tree Best Artificial Christmas Tree An essential when Christmas decorating is making sure you have a beautiful statement tree. The best way to go about this task is getting an artificial one. This is a must if you're in charge of decor. The last thing you want is someone being allergic to the t...

It is that time of year again when it acceptable to eat chocolate every single day, and for the sake of this article, we will pretend we didn't already do this! Dating back to the 1800s the first advent calendars consisted of drawing a chalk line on the door for every day leading up to Christmas Eve. It is believed that the first printed calendar was made in the early 1900s and it was inserted into a newspaper as a gift for the readers. This little piece of history is still well and alive today but as many of you know, this tradition has transformed. In this post, we will be looking at the best advent calendars to get your family! With all the options available to us nowadays it can be difficult to know what the best ones are. This year there is no need to stress from child to adult, you will be able to please everyone! Traditional - Chocolate Calendars The standard advent calendar mostly consists of mini branded chocolates. Such as Milkway, Mars, and Lindt....

Christmas Markets in London Hyde park winter wonderland  Hyde Park gets glammed up once again with its annual Christmas additions. The park will be kitted out with rides and attractions, including a Giant Observation Wheel and two circuses, plus the famous ice rink. The market sells decorative sweets and festive treats as well as traditional German crafts and food. Southbank Centre The traditional German-style wooden huts of the Southbank Centre Christmas Market return to Queen's walk along the river this season. The market offer a great location, surrounded of London Eye and Big Ben you will enjoy both the market and the views. Browse a large selection of toys and gifts, and sample a variety of festive food and drink. There is also a Designers Makers Christmas Market from Dec 16 to Dec 22, with over 50 British designers selling jewellery, ceramics, textiles, homewares, and prints .   Natural History Museum Ice Rink Go ice-skating at th...