Mini fridges in rooms?

I can't help you with the fridge question, but be patient, and perhaps try over on the Trip Advisor London forum. You might also try chain hotels: Travellodge, Premier Inn, the US chains, et cetera.

If it's an issue of refrigeration for medication and you can't find a hotel with mini fridges, talk to your top choice hotels and see what they can do for you.

I understand about trip anxiety but London is a great place and you will have a great time. I know there's a lot of moving parts, but it will really be okay.

If all else fails with the shoes, just take your two most comfortable pairs of shoes from home, and never mind if they are neon orange sneakers!

Sandra, Mini-fridges are much less common than in the US. The good news is that many accommodations are smaller and you ought to be able to get access to refrigeration if it is necessary. This is something you need to ask about. Send an email and find out what your options are. We always travel with a cooler when we take a driving trip in the US. We do just fine without a cooler in Europe where buying food in smaller quantities is very easy.

There are a lot of things to prepare for but it is worth it!

Thank you, Kyra. I took a look at my two most comfy pairs of shoes the other day and the backs of them are breaking down. I don't usually wear them to work, so maybe they will make it till May!

I'm trying to replace at least one of them with the same brand, but it's hard to tell how comfortable the shoe is when your other nearly identical pair is 14 years old! LOL

My fridge needs are for food, not medication. I'm sure I'll be alright in the end. I have been to London before. I just have a case of the nerves today, I guess.

Regarding the shoes: I wore a pair of black booties from Softwalks in Paris last May, and they worked out well with all the walking we did. I have flat, narrow feet, and they are cushioned with arch supports.

There are many places where you can pick up snacks during the day. Two chains that we used were "Pret a manger" and Marks & Spencer Simply Foods. These two chains are everywhere

We had stay in a lot of two and three star in Europe (and London) rarely to find a refig in a room. Electricity is much more expensive in Europe than the US so you will find little extra uses. In fact you often will the need to insert your room card in a slot near the door to turn on the electricity in the room. Remove the card and all the power to the room is turned off in about one minute.

Hotels in London assume that you will be eating out every night so do not supply noisy fridges, but the better hotels will have chilled mini bars in each room. Rooms are smaller than in the US, so space is at a premium. They will supply a kettle and tea/coffee and individual portion milk cartons and sugar. The budget chain hotels may or may not have a restaurant on site and I doubt that they will want you accessing the fridges in their kitchens.

If this is a necessity, you would be better looking at b and bs which will probably be further out of town.

I'm a Type II diabetic who controls my illness largely with diet. The diet is a high-fibre, low-carb vegetarian one. If I can't find little cartons of soy milk (think the size of kids' juice boxes) in England, then I would need somewhere to keep my open milk. Or, take my cereal "on the road" and go out for breakfast, seeking out a cafe with vegetarian options.

I shall soldier on with the shoe search! We have an excellent local store that will let you take the shoes home for 30 days, wear them around the house and return if necessary. It's just so hard to tell what will be good on a very long walk vs. work vs. around the house.

I tried to reassure you previously - I'm sorry you are still worrying about finding the food products you need.

When searching for soy products in the UK, use the term "Soya" as it is known this side of the water.

To help a little, perhaps, I have here a link to the online list of Soya Milk products at Tescos, the biggest supermarket here. You will notice that they are almost all UHT cartons (shelf stable) and the small ones tend to be flavoured. You can find Alpro everywhere, and there are various other "milks" such as Oat Milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, as well as Soya.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/search/default.aspx?searchBox=soya+milk&newSort=true&search=Search

Sandra, regarding shoes. Go to an athletic store and try on New Balance walking or running shoes. My doctor recommended them. That's how I got my first pair, several years ago. They are good for support, standing on your feet all day, walking on a trip to England, and good for diabetics. Just make sure you get fitted properly, since you say you are diabetic. New Balance has stores in which the manager and employees have all been trained to fit the shoes properly. This is what I would be looking at, if I were you, for work and for your trip. Some of the walking shoes can be purchased in brown suede-like material, which is fine to wear to work with slacks. I probably have 12 pairs of New Balance shoes, and they solved all my foot problems. Steady also for walking/sightseeing all over England, up and down stone staircases in castles, on cobblestones, and on London streets. You do not want ordinary shoes which are slick on the bottom when going up and down stone stairs!

The Nadler hotel near Earl's Court has a mini fridge in the room. So do the Hotel Indigos (part of IHG chain).

http://www.thenadler.com/kensington.shtml?gclid=CIPYxvHYqcgCFY4WHwodKpACPw

@Nigel--I don't know what "shelf stable" means. When I clicked on most of the ones in the link, they said "keep refrigerated after opening." This is what I am concerned about. Thank you for letting me know it is called "soya" in England.

@Rebecca--I have had New Balance sneakers but never tried the shoes. I'll take a look. Thank you!

Sandra, look into SAS shoes. They aren't the most stylish, but made for comfort and I think they specialize in diabetic feet issues. Not cheap but well-made.

@Nigel, UHT pretty rare here in US. Cant remember if I've seen it at all, come to think of it.

Sandra, I think you will like the NB Walking Shoes! I would also take a second pair of NB to England, sneakers.

I can confirm that the Nadler hotel in South Kensington mentioned in one of the above replies does have a small kitchenette with a mini fridge. I also stayed at the Fielding Hotel in London this summer. While they don't have a mini fridge in the room, they do have a small fridge for guests to use.

http://www.thefieldinghotel.co.uk/

Stan, I have several pairs of the SAS sandals and I love them. I tried on a couple of pairs of shoes last year and had no luck with them. But I will try again.

UHT - Ultra High Temperature pasteurisation. Products are packaged in sealed airtight cartons and can be stored on room temperature shelves without going off for very long times. Once opened they should be used promptly or refrigerated.

The UK uses quite a lot of fresh liquid products and some UHT products, when you get to mainland Europe the balance tips quite a lot to UHT.

Some visitors can be surprised to see milk on a normal store aisle, and there will also be some in the refrigerated units, even some chilled UHT for immediate use.

Mary, thank you for the link to the Fielding.

Nigel, I've seen almost nothing here in the NE part of the US that could stand outside a fridge for a few days. We have such weird temperature swings around my area. For e.g., in early September and mid September, we had temps in the 90s and 80s Fahrenheit. Over this past weekend, it dropped to a high of 50!

Sandra, Google UHT milk and you will see what Nigel is talking about. It's milk in a box that lasts a long time and doesn't have to be refrigerated. I can't help you with how large the container would be or soy options but Europeans have used this process for milk for many many years. It sounds weird to us but I think it may be a solution to your concerns.

Edited to add that once you open it, you need to use it or refrigerate it.

I'm looking forward to the answers to this question as I plan for a month (maybe +) long (solo this time) trip to England and Scotland in May. Much to our surprise, every room my husband and I stayed in on our trip to Istanbul, Greece and Italy last fall had a mini-bar or little fridge: B&B, small hotel, old hotel, chain hotel, it didn't matter. We removed what was in there already and put our stuff in for the duration of our stay. Maybe you/I will get similarly lucky in the UK.

As for the shoes, after trying just about everything anyone suggests, I've found 2 brands that work for me. For endless walking and standing on any kind of terrain, wet or dry, nothing beats my Ahnu Montara boots. I like the high tops because they keep me stable. I don't wear skirts of any kind and these look just fine under pants. I have some navy ones and some gray ones. I wore the navy ones last fall and they even got me through heavy rain storms without getting my feet wet. I wear Sockwell Circulator compression socks with them. The 15-20mmHG moderate compression also helps to keep my feet, legs, knees and back from betraying me on long days of walking. I first tried the boots on at REI, then ordered them online for the color I wanted. I also tried some at another outdoor and travel store in town. Oddly, I wear a size smaller in the high-tops than in some other low top ones I have.

Most of the time, I keep them on until I'm back in the room because we often eat before going home and crashing at the end of the day. But if we do go back to the room and then out again for dinner, I tend to wear Abeo shoes of some kind, just for the change. They are available at the Walking Company and are starting to be distributed to some other similar stores these days. Last fall it was sandals. Next trip it will be these Amie Mary Janes which I already have or these SMARTsystem 3590 ones which I may buy in silver and take instead because they weigh half as much as the first pair. I know they weigh half because I have them in black and my little food scale is pretty accurate!

The planning does get complicated and there are lots of things to think about and deal with. My itinerary often gets tweaked for any number of reasons that are beyond my control. It's annoying to not be able to do exactly what you want to do when and where you want to do it, but that's just part of the planning process. We don't have anyone to pick up our mail for us and one of my biggest pet peeves is that the US Post Office won't hold the mail for longer than 30 days. Travel insurance companies also seem to want to charge much more for being gone over 30 days. Naturally, every trip I plan is over the limit and I have to cut somewhere or arrange to have the mail boxed and sent (for a fee) to a friend, and/or pay extra for travel insurance.

Is it worth all the effort? Absolutely!

I spent an hour one evening wandering around the Sainsbury's website, and found that you can get a pretty good idea what products are in the stores and their nutritional information -- http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/shop/gb/groceries

I found for example, the Soya that was mentioned in 250ml serving size multi packs.

Lo, thank you for the tip! I am going on a bus trip to a mall that has a Walking Company at the end of next month and will try them on. I am looking for a Mary Jane, actually. My favorite kind of shoe!

VAP, thanks for the link!

Sandra, don't give up on SAS. The different styles fit and support very differently. I have big feet (11 W) and need good support to keep other body parts from hurting (hips, knees, back.) There are several SAS styles that are perfect, and others that I can't even walk around the store in. Our local SAS store lets you take them home to try, and return them if you don't wear them outside.

Someone else suggested New Balance; if your area has a New Balance store, go there, rather than to a general shoe, athletic, or department store. My husband's favorite shoes came from NB; unfortunately, the style has been discontinued. But I have been told by people I trust that the quality of NB shoes is higher in their own stores. And, as someone else mentioned, the staff are trained to fit you properly. (Same with SAS.)

One more thing: we stayed in two London hotels this year; one (the pricier one, myHotel Chelsea) had a mini-fridge. The other, a bargain hotel, did not. When you email for reservation information, just ask! They'll be glad to let you know what amenities they have.

Some hotels call themselves aparthotels, aimed at those who want at least a minimum of cooking capacity, probably including a fridge of some sort. Search sites such as booking.com will point them out. You can then e-mail directly to ask about your needs.

or you could try an apartment. Then you will have a full kitchen (with refrigerator) and possibly a washing machine. We're going to London in November and found an apartment on http://www.wimdu.com/

Hi, Sandra.
When you get to the Walking Company, you may want to check these out: Ecco, https://www.thewalkingcompany.com/ecco-abelone-stretch-black/34424.

They are not Mary Jane's, though Ecco does have some of that style. The Abelone Stretch is a shoe that I have had in my closet for a number of years. I find them v. comfortable and have given a pair to my mother who is in a nursing home. She likes them, too.

A trip or two ago, I wore a brand new pair of these on the plane to London. I had afternoon tix to the Globe that day and walked there and back from the Westminster tube station, then went shopping on Regent street. After a long day, my feet were tired, but still comfy - and in new shoes. This was not the first pair I had owned, so I pretty much knew this would work.

Hotel: I have not tried this in London, but have in other cities: Best Western. In Europe, Best Western is not generally a big box type of hotel/motel. Check them out on https://www.bestwestern.co.uk/destination/greater-london/london. The benefit to you is you can call their 800 number in the US and explain your concern re fridges. They should be able to do some investigation for you and make a recommendation.

Once you do choose a hotel, google supermarkets, or Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks & Spenser, etc. There are many Wawa or 7-Eleven type markets around.

Happy shoe shopping and enjoy London!

Unless things have changed there are mini fridges in the Vancouver Studio Apartments. As far as your shoes I swear by the Keen Brand and own 4 pair. Two pair are returning to London with me next month for their 3rd trip. Sturdy, lightweight, waterproof, and very, very comfortable. Pricey as all get out but IMHO worth the initial investment. Same said for Smart Wool Socks. Don't be apprehensive. Yes, lots to organize but make a check off list and you'll be fine.
GREAT city. Always changing yet always the same. Have a wonderful trip.

I stayed at the Vancouver Studios twice in May. Once in a single and once was upgraded to a double. They have "kitchenettes." Small utility setup, but there is a frig. Bought milk and some light breakfast items the night before on my way back to VS. Found the whole operation at VS very good for the price. Safe, secure. Small garden area in back (nice). Stairs a good exercise. Held my luggage for 2 pounds a day, if I remember correctly. Short walk to Bayswater tube station. Would definitely stay there again. VS is in Rick's London guide.

Thank you all for your helpful replies!

I will certainly give SAS another try. I've been quite happy with their sandals for years now. I just got a pair of Ecco Mary Janes from zappos and am wearing them around the house. I still have a pair of Eccos I bought 15 years ago, and these are very similar, but of course, not really broken in so it is hard to tell how they would be on a long walk.

The excellent shoe store near me also carries Keens. i believe I have tried them on but never had any luck. I'm sure I will find something, either there are at the Walking Company. We are also fortunate to have a New Balance store about 10 miles away.

I checked with Vancouver Studios, but unfortunately for my dates, there are no single rooms available.

Thanks again, everybody!