Bicester Village, UK

toothpickandsandal in Bicester Village

Entrance to the shops

ATTENTION all shoppers! Do not miss out on this golden opportunity when you are in London. Take a  trip down to Bicester (pronounced as Bice - ster) town where you can let your inner Becky Bloomwood go wild with a variety of luxury retailers in this shopping heaven known as Bicester Village. If original last season fashion is your thing, designers like Burberry, Hugo Boss and Karl Lagerfeld are some of the top brands you can own without burning a hole in your pocket. For example, a Hugo Boss long sleeve men's working shirt can be purchase at a mere £25 - convert that to RM and it's cheaper or equal to an equivalent at G2000.

Shop till you drop!

Located in the Cherwell District of the county of Oxfordshire, Bicester Village can be easily accessed. If you are in London, Oxford or Birmingham, the train is a great mode of traveling there. Just check with the train schedules at http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/ for traveling from London and Birmingham or http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/ for the Oxford route. If you are driving  instead, from London take the Motorway M40, take a turn at exit 9 and follow the A41 signboard OR if you  own a GPS navigator, set the coordinates to (+ 51° 53' 33.8", - 1° 9' 27.1") and away you go.

On A41 reaching the main entrance

As this trip will easily eat up an entire day, my suggestion to you would be to arrive there as early as 10am so that you'll be able to slowly enjoy the entire village; strolling and shopping leisurely from shop to shop. Additionally, shoppers (non European Union) do make sure that you check with the stores for their VAT (Value Added Tax) refund policies before purchasing anything as certain stores only offer this service after a minimal amount is spent while some do not even offer VAT refunds. To get back your VAT, compile all the forms provided by the retailers together with the receipts of your purchase attached, and fill up a simple form provided by the custom  at the airport before you drop it all off at the airport's VAT Counter on departure day.  Remember to  write down your credit card number on the form if you want a direct refund into your credit card. Otherwise, they will send you a cheque OR if you are in Heathrow airport, get an immediate cash refund. All refunds via credit card or cheque will require 5 - 8 weeks.

That being said, go wild and shop till you drop!!!

Verdict :

Sandal says :

 

• Trip Experience - 8.5/10 (great experience)

• Value for $$$ - 8.5/10 (big brands small price)

• Cleanliness - 8.5/10 (very nice place for shopping)

• Recommend to a friend? - Yes (a must for shopaholics)

Toothpick says :

 

• Trip Experience - 9.0/10 (if only I had more hours to spend)

• Value for $$$ - 8.5/10 (such a bargain!)

• Cleanliness - 8.5/10 (like most 1st world countries, very clean)

• Recommend to a friend? - NO (I want to keep this secret heaven all to myself =P)

Hatfield, UK

toothpickandsandal in Hatfield

Wind turbine in Hatfield

Glorious sunny weather with cool temperatures of between 12°C - 16°C coupled with cold windless nights (0°C - 2°C) was what we experienced during our two nights stay in Hatfield, Hertfordshire in the early spring of 2009. We had the opportunity to visit this little town after an invitation by a close friend.

The Galleria

Hatfield town

Located about an hour's drive away from the city of London, Hatfield is not much of a place for tourist to visit. The most famous attraction in this town is probably the University of Hertfordshire. If you are looking for a quiet and nice town to further your studies, this place would be one of your safest bet.

Hatfield's Fish n Chips

A trip to England is incomplete without trying their famous fish n chips. Take a walk to Hatfield town and you can easily find a restaurant which serves good fish n chips. The fish they used is fresh, batter is crispy yet tasty and most importantly it is also very reasonably priced at around £4 a plate. If you are not a fish person, you may want to try out their famous chicken pie for around £3 per serving.

Student house near university

Bored of the local delicacies? Head to the only mall in Hatfield known as The Galleria where Italian, Mexican or fast food joints like Burger King, McDonald's and Nando's can be found. You will also find some retailers selling clothes and sports equipments, however, most of the mall's patrons are here to feed their tummy or watch a movie.

Other view of The Galleria

Verdict :

Sandal says :

 

• Trip Experience - 5/10 (not suitable for tourist)

• Food Overall - 6.5/10 (very limited selection)

• Cleanliness - 7.5/10 (fresh air & clean town)

• Recommend to a friend? - No (mostly for students)

Toothpick says :

 

• Trip Experience - 4.5/10 (quiet, very quiet town)

• Food Overall - 7.0/10 (fish n chips was satisfactory)

• Cleanliness - 7.5/10 (feels clean & fresh)

• Recommend to a friend? - No (my first and last visit to Hatfield)