Eat, Drink & Shop Till Drop!
As
Malaysians, we love to shop when traveling abroad. There’s something about
shopping overseas that seem to be our next favorite pastime besides eating!
During my recent trip to London, we had some time in our schedule to do quite a
fair bit of shopping. Though the high exchange currency did not help, it
certainly also did not deter me from doing my share of shopping…
Bicester Village was on our schedule during our trip
as organized by VisitBritain. The village style outlet shopping is simply a
must when in London as one can shop for leading fashion brands at discounted
prices. When I checked out Bicester
Village over the web, I was thrilled to bits at the thoughts of having the
chance to do some shopping while in London. Bicester Village, located at Oxfordshire, is one of the Collection
of Chic Outlet Shopping Villages owned by Value
Retail. It is also the biggest and oldest outlet shopping village in the
Value Retail group with over 130 luxury brands congregated at one area, making
perfect to shop till one drops.
While
staying at Dorsett Shepherds Bush, I
found out that hotel guests are entitled to enjoy an extra 10% VIP discount at Bicester Village. Music to my ears,
this means more shopping with the savings! Make sure to visit the Hotel
Concierge to get a VIP card for this extra discount and exchange it at the
Bicester Village Visitor Centre to get the book for the extra 10% discount
applicable to all brands except Prada.
Now
as a tourist, one might wonder how to get to Bicester Village. Ever since the launch
of the new Bicester Village Station,
shoppers can now travel with ease and comfort to the outlet shopping by Chiltern Railways. There are two
locations to travel in London to get to Bicester Village Station – London
Marylebone or Oxford Parkway.
Since
our nearest was Marylebone, we started out pretty early in the day and arrive
at the Marylebone Station. Everyone
was excited at the thought of shopping that we pretty much couldn’t wait to be
there. However, we did stop to admire the Marylebone Station at all its
bustling actions. Marylebone Station
is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. Built in
1899, there are now six platforms at the station. This is the youngest and
smallest of London’s main line terminal stations and the only one to host only
diesel trains as it doesn’t have any electrified lines.
To
get to Marylebone Station from Dorsett Shepherds Bush, simply use the
Underground Tube Station which is only 3 minute walk away from the hotel. Take
the Tube to the Marylebone Station to connect your trip to Bicester Village.
One
can purchase your ticket at the Marylebone
Station while you are there or one can also purchase them online prior to
your travel. A round trip ticket from Marylebone
Station to Bicester Village is
priced at estimated 49 pounds and above, depending on your traveling time at
peak and non-peak hours. It is a comfortable 46 minutes ride on the Chiltern
Railways train. There are two trains running every hour daily from this
station.
The
train is very comfortable and clean. The interior is well-kept. Choose from the
rows of seats or head to the carriage with seats and table where one can do
some work while traveling. There is even a quiet zone area if you wish to not
be disturb. There are power plugs for your electronic items as well as Free
Wifi from Chiltern Railways.
Our
46 minutes flew by without us even realizing it and soon we arrived at Bicester Village Station right on the
dot as per schedule. Right at the station, there is the Bicester Village
Visitor Centre at your service. Simply head on over there for information and
tips on shopping. Bicester Village also provides plenty of services to make
your shopping easier such as Hands-free
Shopping, Free Wifi, Tourist Information, Luggage Drop service, Tax Refund and
Money Change, Children’s Play Area and more.
Now
before you start your shopping, you would need to recharge up with some food.
Because once you start, you may not want to stop... and that’s why I would like
to share that there is this really awesome place to grab a bite at Bicester Village. There are quite a few
places to eat there but I highly recommend The
Farmshop Restaurant & Cafe.
The Farmshop Restaurant & Café is an all-day dining restaurant from
Soho House & Co. It is a beautiful space that is casual and chic,
comfortable and spacious. Seating 200 covers, the restaurant has cobblestone
floors, barn doors and shabby chic décor. There is the main dining room as well
as two private rooms and an outdoor terrace seating. Serving rustic British
food, The Farmshop menu has lots of classics to hearty farmhouse dishes made
from locally sourced produce.
Our
lunch that day was one of my favorite meal in London!
The
salads are simply amazing in flavours and textures. Using the freshest produce,
each salad is also vibrant in natural colors. The sweet and fresh flavours are
hearty and healthy as well. I would love to be able to replicate these salads
at home.
Halloumi, Roast Vegetables, Basil
Mixed Grains, Feta, Cauliflower, Mint
Roast Squash, Puy Lentils, Basil
Red and Golden Beetroots, Endive, Goats Curd, Walnut
The
main dishes we had were rustic and classics of British food. The roast chicken
was moist and jam packed with flavours from the spice rub while the poached salmon
was tasty and melt-in-the-mouth goodness. The food was cooked in a wood oven so
there is a smoky and rustic flavours which makes the dishes extra delicious. Simple
ingredients but cooked perfectly well…
Spitroast Chicken, Coleslaw, Aioli
Scottish Salmon, Butter Lettuce, Lemon
Mayo
Dessert
also ended on a high note. From refreshing tart lemon posset, which is a creamy
and smooth chilled custard to hearty classics of Bramley apple pie with ice
cream and a decadent flourless chococate cake, I had wished that I had more
tummy space to enjoy all these amazing desserts. Never a fan of apple pie, I
even enjoy their Bramley Apple Pie with its gorgeous short crust pastry
blanketing a wonderful spice apple filling. The hot pie was contrasted with
scoops of cold vanilla ice cream… heavenly!
Lemon Posset
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Bramley Apple Pie with Ice Cream
After
a wonderful meal, we were ready to shop. With over 130 luxury brands at the
outlet village, one really needs a lot of time to browse through all of them.
Bicester Village continues to grow and add more luxury brands over the time.
There
are friendly assistants all over the village to assist at any time!
GUCCI
LALIQUE
LE CREUSET
BURBERRY
Other
major brands include Michael Kors, Mont
Blanc, Prada, BOSS, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, DKNY, Coach, Calvin Klein,
Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, Kate Spade, Longchamp, Ralph Lauren,
Timberland and more. Visit their website for the full list of brands.
Don’t forget to ask for your Tax
refund forms while
buying as the outlets will individually print out tax refund forms for you for
your claim at the ChangeGroup for
instant refunds or at Heathrow airport.
It’s
best to go early as there are plenty to see and buy. After our shopping trip,
we took the Chiltern Railways train
back to Marylebone Station and the Underground Tube back to Dorsett Shepherds Bush. Tired but
utterly satisfying with lots of packages filled with happiness…
CHILTERN
RAILWAYS
Contact: +44 (0)845 005
165
BICESTER
VILLAGE
50 Pingle Drive
Bicester
Oxfordshire
OX26 6WD
England
Bicester Visitor Centre
Contact: 01869 366 266
Bicester Village
Reception on +44 (0) 1869 323 200
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday 09:00
- 21:00
Sundays: 9:00-20:00*
THE
FARMSHOP RESTAURANT & CAFE
Unit 135, Bicester
Village
50 Pingle Drive,
Bicester
OX26 6WD
Contact: +44 (0)1865
686400
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday
8.30am to 10.00pm
Sunday 9.30am to 10.00pm
VISIT
BRITAIN
This
trip was made possible by Malaysia
Airlines, UK Visit Britain and Dorsett
Shepherds Bush London. All stories and comments in my posts are purely
derived from my own experiences through the trip.
*Look
out for more posts on Shopping in London!
London Stories
