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)