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The perfect day in London: Budget vs. midrange vs. luxury challenge

Aug. 01, 2023
2 min read
Palace of Westminster with Big Ben tower clock or Elizabeth bell and red big bus for passenger public transportation in London, Great Britain, England of United Kingdom, UK
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Nicky Kelvin and Liam Spencer from The Points Guy and prolific travel content creator Maz Green come together for a day in London with a difference: the first of an exciting series of videos coming to The Points Guy Arrivals YouTube channel that sees us try to find the perfect day out in London on three very different budgets.

Nicky tackles the U.K. capital with a budget of just 10 pounds (about $12.85) to play with, Liam takes the challenge to the midrange with 100 pounds ($128.50) and Maz goes wild for her luxe day with 1,000 pounds to spend ($1,285). Each participant enjoys an activity, food (focusing on the popular British tradition of Indian food), drinks and transport.

Check out the video below to see how they got on.

Nicky's budget (10 pounds)

  • Activity: Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (free)
  • Food: Indian YMCA Hostel Canteen meal (8 pounds)
  • Drink: Lidl IPA beer on Primrose Hill (1.09 pounds)
  • Transport: Uber bike and a double-decker bus (3.75 pounds)

Liam's midrange budget (100 pounds)

  • Activity: Rush tickets for "Six" (25 pounds)
  • Food: Lunch at Dishoom (43 pounds)
  • Drink: Pints at The Ten Bells pub, Shoreditch (6.50 pounds)
  • Transport: Black cab (19.40 pounds)

Maz's luxe budget (1,000 pounds)

  • Activity: Private 1-on-1 electronic sound meditation in the Akasha spa of Hotel Cafe Royal (300 pounds)
  • Food: Michelin-starred tasting menu in a private dining room at Gymkhana Mayfair (214 pounds)
  • Drink: Cocktails at Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London (50 pounds)
  • Transport: Uber Lux (60 pounds)
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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