Friendly Rentals Blog

Anyone who has spent time in London knows that when spring returns, the city undergoes an amazing change. Colour returns to the city as the grey of winter dissipates and the streets, parks and gardens take on a new life. The once empty streets and parks fill with people looking to bask in the warm spring sunshine. Spring is the perfect time to visit London and we at Friendly Rentals have the perfect spring apartment for your visit.

How many airports service London? How far are they from the centre of London? Where are they on the map? How do I get from the airport to London? To answer these questions and others we have prepared this London airport Infographic. We’re sure it will make planning your next trip to London a lot easier knowing which airport is which.

Just to the north of Leicester Square is the bustling hub of London’s Chinese community, Chinatown. It is a vibrant area, full of colour, the unusual, fantastic Asian cuisine, traditional medicine and authentic Chinese shopping. Chinatown is a must for anyone visiting London. So, let’s go exploring.

It is no secret that the English love tradition, gentlemanly sports and a bitter rivalry between two opposing teams. One event which combines these three elements is The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universities, raced every year between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames. This year it will take place on the 31st of March 2013.

There’s nothing quite like it when you enter a shop selling Vintage Clothes and bric-a-brac, the smell of pre-loved clothes from decades past just waiting to be discovered from amongst the crammed racks, sun dresses from the 50’s, wool lined leather jackets from the 70’s, a skinny eighties tie. You never know what you are going to find, it is like a treasure hunt for adults. And one of the best vintage clothes hunting grounds has to be London. Here is a guide to some of the best Vintage shops in London.

While we dream of shopping in Selfridges, the famed Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square, seeing a panto in the West End and all those other London Christmas traditions, we can also dream of coming back to our very own luxury apartment in London at the end of the day.

Now that the Gunpowder Plot is well buried into the past and all brutality highly stylised, Guy Fawkes Night is – somewhat ironically – considered a fun day out for all the family. If you’re looking to experience this most British of festivals, here’s a list of public fireworks displays in London for Bonfire Night 2012.

From haunted houses to Bonfire Night, there is something of the night about London. Think Jack the Ripper, the Black Death, Rocky Horror Show and all kinds of suspicious activities taking place in dark alleys (Saturday-night aftermath, anyone?). All of which makes Halloween in London a fantastically kitsch experience. Grab your wackiest costume and a group of friends: these are our guidelines for a happy Halloween in London 2012.

Come in, travellers, close the door and sit down next to the fire to warm your hands. Swathed in fog and rain, the streets of London hide dark mysteries of which you have never even heard tell, sinister secrets hidden behind the bricks and creaky doors of haunted houses… Would you like a cup of tea while you listen to the blood-curdling urban legends of the British capital? Come in, don’t stay in the doorway...

Ultimately, as the Olympic cauldron returned back to the ashes and dust from which it came, we’re pleased to say that the Paralympics Closing Ceremony was received with good reviews. A summer-long love affair with sport has ended, but will remain with us for long to come.

After all these days of competition, excitement and sporting records, the Olympic Games of London 2012 were given a send-off yesterday with a spectacular closing ceremony full of stars. This is the definitive London Olympics 2012 medal count…

Once again, we’re kicking off Monday in Friendly Rentals by giving a quick recap of the London 2012 Olympic medal count.