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With a short 3 hour flight from Brisbane to New Zealand, there is plenty to do in a long weekend.
Inspired by the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, create your own romantic 'royal' tour of London by adding these stops on your itinerary.
Visit their place
Dreaming of setting up home together? Be inspired by a sneaky peek at the young Royal's city abode - Kensington Palace. While Prince William and Kate live in a 22-room apartment with their growing family (and three other royal couples also live in palace apartments), the newly married Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the the more cosy Nottingham Cottage within the grounds.
While the private residences are off limits, the public areas of Kensington Palace are open every day, with extensive state rooms, changing exhibitions and gardens all to view. You can take a picnic and enjoy it in the gardens without buying an entry ticket.
The newlyweds have also been gifted Adelaide Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle where they were married and which is the favourite weekender of Her Majesty the Queen, just a 40-minute train ride from Paddington Station. Take a selfie at the entrance to St George's Chapel and tackle the 5km Long Walk to spot red deer roaming freely in Windsor Great Park.
Date night
The Savoy is the first luxury hotel in central London, built in 1889, and still the place to stay in the heart of the West End theatre district. It's also home to the iconic American Bar, so named for serving mixed or 'American' style drinks, otherwise known as cocktails, since 1893.
The bar has won a slew of awards, including World's Best Bar, Best International Hotel Bar, Best International Bar Team and Hotel Bar of the Year in 2018 alone. This is a grand spot to sip a drink in style, from vintage cocktails to the best champagnes, and in May it celebrated the Royal Wedding by creating a special cocktail called The Royal Welcome - a blend of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, Bombay Sapphire gin, Champagne syrup, yuzu, Peychaud's Bitters and English sparkling wine. This is the place to show your love with a little luxe.
Find your special scent
Penhaligon's has supplied fragrances to the Royal Family for more than 100 years and holds the Royal Warrants to prove it but you don't have to be a King or Queen to choose from their long list of exclusive scents for men and women or experience their personal perfume profiling service - sit down with a cappuccino and choose your favourite tones and scents before the expert staff match you to a perfect perfume.
Rock royalty has stayed here
According to the independent Good Hotel Guide's Emma Field, the flamboyant Portobello Hotel in Notting Hill has a rock 'n' roll heritage that can't fail to seduce with a guest list that includes The Rolling Stones and Patti Smith. Room 16 is particularly notorious with its freestanding Victorian bathtub where Alice Cooper reportedly kept one of his snakes during his stay, while Kate Moss and Johnny Depp bathed in champagne. Rooms are a delightful curiosity, each one with its own unique character, from murals on the wall to an antique four-poster bed so high you need steps to get into it and breakfast served on vintage crockery from the nearby legendary market (Meghan Markle is also a fan of the market).
Quality couples time
Londoners in the know had fallen in love with Violet Cakes long before Harry and Meghan chose owner of the small east London bakery Claire Ptak to make their wedding cake. Wedding guests enjoyed a lemon and elderflower concoction smothered in Ptak's signature limited edition buttercream icing but Ptak changes her flavours with the season so there's always something fresh to try at her shop and café (which also serves savoury dishes for breakfast and lunch daily) and from her Broadway Market stall (every Saturday).
Continue to follow in Harry and Meghan's footsteps on a date at Dean Street Townhouse in Soho, with its all-day, all access British menu to suit any occasion (from breakfast and brunch to afternoon tea, theatre supper, late night snacks, special Sunday roast and classy cocktail list), or take a detour to South London and Pop Brixton, a social enterprise space that has the Royal couple's support and hosts everything from yoga and vintage clothing sales to movies, jazz club nights, craft beer and wine bars and more than 20 food outlets.
Chauffeur driven tour
Snuggle in the backseat, and it will be cosy, of a Mini Cooper and let your chauffeur do the driving to sights you know - Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey - and some you don't on a smallcarBIGCITY tour. The classic Mini Coopers are restored gems in themselves and local drivers dart through the city traffic to show you London's best bits. Tours can range from one to eight hours.
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