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Chelsea Flower Show in Style
May 18 - 25, 2008
Sunday, May 18 ~ Afternoon or evening departure on British
Airways from your nearest gateway to London, England.
Monday, May 19 ~ Arrive London and meet your Huron Valley Travel
guide who will be with
you the entire tour. Transfer by private motorcoach to your four-star
hotel in the prestigious South Kensington area of London. Prior to hotel
arrival, a visit to the world-renowned Kew Botanic Gardens is included.
Often referred to as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew contains three hundred acres of over
40,000 varieties of plants, as well as seven glasshouses, two art galleries, Japanese and
rock gardens and much more. We have included a tram ride around Kew's 300 acres so you
can get an overview of the entire garden. Once we check into your hotel, the afternoon
is free to relax or explore the area. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a
reception and welcome dinner in the Regency hotel. (Hotel List: The Regency Hotel or
the Jury's Kensington Hotel)
Tuesday, May 20 ~
After enjoying the large breakfast buffet in the hotel dining room, we depart for
two wonderful visits. Just one hour south of London is Wisley, the Royal Horticultural
Society's most famous garden (and largest gift shop!). Wisley is always top-rated by all our travelers
and you will see why. Then, in a private event exclusively for Huron Valley Travel members, we'll enjoy
some tea and snacks. While at tea we will review the Chelsea Flower Show program guide and maps, discuss
the best way to enjoy the show and answer any questions you may have regarding this world’s greatest
floral event.
Wednesday, May 21 ~ The Chelsea Flower
Show opens at 8:00 a.m. and
you will be there when the gates open! You'll be personally
escorted to the Show's front gates to enjoy Member's
Only Day.
Thursday, May 22 ~
The morning is free for you to relax* before our afternoon private London City tour.
We'll see the highlights and learn about the history as we enjoy views of Westminster
Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the shopping arcades
along Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral.
* Or consider our optional full-day outing to one of England's most beloved estates; Chartwell,
the home of Sir Winston Churchill. (If you include this option you will
miss our London City Tour.) Afterward, we'll return to London in time for a lovely Belgian, Italian or
Thai dinner together.
Friday, May 23 ~
A full and exciting free day exploring London or enjoy an
optional visit to the Queen's family residence, Windsor Castle and the lovely town
of Windsor. Includes entry to the castle and plenty of
free time to enjoy the town. We will return to the hotel late this afternoon and give you some time
to freshen up before we all go to London’s famous theatre district for an exciting
and fun show, "Dirty Dancing."
Saturday, May 24 ~
A completely free day to enjoy London and its many museums, shops, parks,
and historic attractions. Spend some time exploring the city on your own,
visit the world-renowned British Museum, with archaeological collections from
all over the world. London's best known street market, Portobello Road, is
a short taxi ride away and the famous Victoria & Albert Museum is only a
10-minute walk. Enjoy Covent Gardens opera singers and street performers
and if you would like to see another show, you have plenty of time to catch a
matinee performance (we’ll help you find the best tickets available). For our
last night together we'll enjoy our Farewell Dinner at an elegant private establishment that is guaranteed to dazzle you!
Sunday, May 25 ~ Sadly we must bid farewell to England
and its wonderful treasures (but memories last forever!)
and transfer to the airport for our return flight, arriving
home the same day.
Optional English Gardens Tour Extension ~
May 25 - 28, 2008 If
you have more time and the desire to experience some of the finest gardens
in all of Great Britain, join this well-organized four-day extension to the
beautiful Kent countryside.
Sunday, May 25 ~
After breakfast, depart your London hotel with Huron Valley’s private
motorcoach, Certified Blue-Badge Guide, and Huron Valley escort.
We’ll spend the next four days in the lovely English village of Hythe
exploring a garden paradise, the county of Kent. Enroute to our hotel
we will visit Hever Castle and Gardens, one of the area’s most visited
attractions. And for good reasons!
From Hever it is a pleasant two-hour drive to our lovely hotel for
the next three nights, The Hythe Imperial. Situated right on the English
Channel next to the village of Hythe, the hotel is set in 50 acres in
one of the historic Cinque Ports. Truly a grand hotel, built in 1880,
you will enjoy the spacious bedrooms with wonderful views of the sea,
golf course or gardens, the charming dining room with excellent cuisine,
and the complete spa facilities. This evening we’ll enjoy a three-course
dinner together in the hotel’s private dining room.
Monday, May 26 ~
A day that gardeners dream about! After our full-English breakfast
buffet we depart for Christopher Lloyd’s famous creation, Great
Dixter Gardens. We’ll be greeted by one of Dixter’s gardeners who
will take us on a guided tour of one of the best known gardens in
Britain (for many years Christopher wrote a garden column for the
Royal Horticultural Society’s monthly magazine). You will also have
ample time to explore the gardens on your own and to marvel at the
topiary, the sunken garden, the wildflower and naturalized bulb
meadow, and the 300-foot plant-loaded border, plus more! Truly a delight.
Then we’ll continue on a short ride to certainly one of the finest gardens
in the world, Sissinghurst Castle. Sissinghurst is a delightful spring garden
with a magical setting around the ruins of the castle which dates back to the
12th century. Vita Sackville-West, the creator, designed one of the most
romantic gardens in the country and a magnificent example of English Garden
design. Everything is kept in an immaculate condition, well labeled, with
charming vistas around every turn. Vita’s structure of separate outdoor
rooms has had an immense influence on garden design and her combinations
of plant materials framed by hundreds of feet of boxwood hedging is truly
amazing. Lunch today will be at your leisure in Sissinghurst’s excellent
cafeteria. Dinner is on your own, perhaps at an English pub in the village
(just a short walk away), or in the hotel.
Tuesday, May 27 ~
A completely free day to enjoy the good life in Hythe. The village is a
pleasant 10-minute walk from the hotel and has much to see and do. 2007’s
group very much enjoyed wandering along the pedestrian-only High Street,
jam-packed with small, non-touristy shops… jewelers, antiques, stationery,
textiles, butcher-shops, produce, literally hundreds of local establishments…
and watching the locals go about their daily lives. Enjoy lunch in one of the
many tea rooms or pubs, or stop at Torbay’s for some of the best fish and
chips you may ever have.
If you would rather have a more relaxing day, make an appointment at the
hotel’s spa for a massage or beauty treatment, wander through the hotel’s
adjacent gardens, or enjoy the beach. This evening we will enjoy fine-dining
at our Farewell Dinner at the historic Eastwell Manor. The Manor dates back
to King Edward the Confessor and the Saxon empire, and as you enter the
stone-flagged courtyard you will easily imagine the knights in their shining
armor preparing for battle. This evening will be one you fondly remember as
we say good-bye to our traveling companions!
Wednesday, May 28 ~
After breakfast our private motorcoach takes us back to our airports for our
departures, arriving home the same day. (flights cannot depart before 11am)
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