Page 20 - WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE DISCOVERING ENGLAND

rest. The room, including the kitchen, cealed a small closet and a few empty Broke and Down
bed and built-in storage was about 120 drawers. (The remaining drawers were
square feet, considerably smaller than taped shut to protect the owner’s pos- When we returned to our flat, we
the ship’s cabin we had just abandoned sessions.) Then it dawned on me – that couldn’t believe our eyes. Our tiny do-
that morning. impressive round soap dish in the main was even tinier. The white couch
shower wasn’t a soap dish, it was the was now a white double bed. Around it
The agent ignored our remarks about bathroom sink! At least there was one, was a narrow corridor, our passage to
the size as he cheerfully presented we sighed. the bath and the kitchenette. “Where
us with the One Fine Stay gift basket are we going to put the luggage?” asked
and went over guidelines for our stay. When the promised cleaning team ar- Mary. I shrugged, still in a bit of shock,
The company supplies guests with an rived, we had no choice but to leave – as she disappeared into the bathroom
iPhone with maps of the area, the flat there wasn’t room for four us. So we with the sink in the shower.
owner’s restaurant recommendations headed out to explore our new ‘hood
and important contact numbers. – with mixed results. Yes we were close I sank onto the bed to assess our plight.
to Buckingham Palace and adjacent I noticed it was a bit short for my 6-foot
After he left we carefully explored gardens and parks. But we were also frame and that there was no headboard,
the entire suite which took all of 30 in a maze of quiet government build- as pillows tumbled to the floor. I slowly
seconds. A modern bathroom with a ings and the shops, hotels, pubs and rolled across the five-inch foam mat-
glassed-in shower made us feel better. restaurants that served them. Maybe tress when suddenly our flat was filled
Until Mary asked, “Where’s the sink?” the area would come to life at the end with the sound of snapping metal. I was
We looked behind some louvered doors of the work day, we hoped. lodged in a crevice, afraid to move and
at the entrance, but they only con- cause the entire bed to collapse.

20 Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2014