Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Haute Shopping and Dining in Leeds!

What happens when three girls who love to travel, shop and dine find themselves on the same trip to the United Kingdom? They map out a plan to venture north of London to find all the Haute spots! New York City shoe designer Hillary Latos and Visit England’s Emma Thomas and I made Leeds our first stop.

Shopping in Leeds

Leeds offers some of the “hautest” unique boutiques and high end designer shops in Victoria Quarter. This shopping and dining destination has been dubbed the “Knightsbridge of the North.” Here you’ll find international designers like Louis Vuitton, Prada and Vivienne Westwood snuggled next to cute little independent shops carrying jewelry, clothes, shoes and other little trinkets that make fashionistas swoon.

Even if you want to window shop through Victoria Quarter… you’ll find it delightful with the stain glass roof and breathtaking architecture mixing a little bit of history with modern touches. It’s simply haute!

Dining in Leeds

There are plenty of little cafes and dining options throughout Leeds. But our first stop— Piazza by Anthony in the historic Corn Exchange. The restaurant occupies the ground floor where it sits in a central open space. Along the walls of the restaurant are little stalls with an archway entrance that were once the center of barter and trade action back in the day… you’ll find a cheese shop, Chocolate and pastry spot along with the haute Veuve Clicquot Champagne Lounge and cellar. While dining here… be sure to look up at the glass dome.

Visit http://www.anthonysrestaurant.co.uk/piazza/ to learn more.

Where to stay in Leeds

If you love apartment living for short term travel then you’ve got to check out Residence 6 for luxury living. It’s modern, fresh and different, but oh so European as a matter of fact, it use to be the old post office! It’s like staying in a hotel only without room service in a location that’s close to everything. The units come with a kitchen, living room and bedroom(s) and Molton Brown products in the bath. I even spotted a washer and dryer in the closet! There’s also a business center and workout room. Visit http://www.residencesix.com/ to learn more.Visit England hosted my trip… For future information, vacation-planning advice and access to passes and transport tickets, go to www.visitengland.com

Are you planning to visit England?