What's New

There will always be an England, as the saying goes, but it won't always be the same. "As time goes by," here are some of the latest developments.

London -- One of the best travel bargains in years, the Oyster Card, a travel discount card, cuts pricey transportation costs in London almost in half. "Oysters" are valid on the Tube, the DLR, trams, National Rail Services, and across the entire London bus network. In a restricted zone, you never pay more than £3 ($5.70) for an entire day's travel.

In the financial district of London, The Hoxton, 81 Great Eastern St., EC2 (tel. 020/7550-1000), aims to cut down on nickel-and-diming and does so with many innovative policies such as lowering charges on phone calls from your room. If you're really lucky, you'll book in here on a special budget rate of £ 1 ($1.90) a night, but that's hard to come by. The minibar, one of the greatest rip-offs in most hotels, comes stocked with free mineral water and milk, instead of liquor.

On a more upmarket note, The Rockwell, 181-183 Cromwell Rd., SW5 (tel. 020/7244-2000), an independently owned bastion of deluxe comfort in a converted Georgian manse, has opened in Kensington. Traditional English aesthetics meet modern design -- even the power shower and bathroom fittings are by the trendy designer, Phillipe Starck.

In the National Gallery, The National Dining Rooms has opened at Trafalgar Square, WC2 (tel. 020/7747-2525), and serves a traditional British cuisine at moderate prices. The dining rooms lie over the foyer of the Sainsbury Wing, opening onto a panoramic view of this landmark London square. Instead of fancy dishes from the Continent, art-loving diners get a classic British cuisine with market-fresh ingredients that include the likes of mackerel pâté (reportedly a favorite dish of the Queen herself).

In another museum-dining changeover, the Rex Whistler at the Tate Gallery, Millbank SW1 (tel. 020/7887-8825), has emerged with a new name, but still offers an array of superior wines at bargain prices and continues to feature an English menu that changes every month.

Even Prince William shows up at a new gastro-pub in Chelsea, The Pig's Ear, 35 Old Church St., SW1 (tel. 020/7352-2909), which features a classic British cuisine, and does so exceedingly well. Even if you skip the chef's specialty, deep-fried pig's ears, there's seared tuna with black olives and chicory or roast wood pigeon stuffed with mushrooms.

Bath -- The finest restaurant in this spa city, The Moody Goose, has actually moved outside Bath to the village of Midsomer Norton where it holds forth in the Old Priory Hotel on Church Square (tel. 01761/416784). Its take on English cuisine is the finest in Bath, which has long been known for its gourmet dining. Here you get everything from roast filet of brill with caviar butter to roast quail with a sage cream sauce.

Broadway -- In the Cotswolds, Broadway is the most visited town in the area, and Chef Roger Chanti, the new kid on the block, is now hailed as its finest chef. He operates The Dining Room in Dormy House, off A44; Willersey Hill (tel. 01386/852711), where he serves a refined modern English cuisine. This chef is not content merely to go through the motions, but takes pride in every dish such as pot-roasted partridge with a truffle fricassee.

Canterbury -- The best hotel in this cathedral city is ABode Canterbury, High Street (tel. 01227/766266), which has been around since Victoria's day. After its takeover by ABode hotels, it's reached new heights. Completely restored, the hotel offers the most comfortable and tasteful rooms in town, with lots of extras; its new restaurant also serves the finest cuisine in town.

Cornwall -- In the little fishing village of Mousehole, The Old Coastguard, The Parade (tel. 01736/731222), a former lookout station for the Coast Guard, has been converted into a seacoast inn, offering not only the best rooms in the area but the finest food as well. Guests are housed comfortably in the main building or else a modern annex down the hill. Lobsters are brought to the kitchen from fishermen who go out in small boats to catch these delectable creatures.

Devon -- One of the great walks in the south of England has been inaugurated with the opening of the 56km-long (35-mile) John Musgrave Heritage Trail, starting at Maidencombe near Torquay and winding its way across some of the most beautiful land in Devon. The highlight of the trip is the crossing of the Dart River, one of the most scenic in England, on a ferryboat ride to Greenaway, former home of mystery writer Agatha Christie.

Lake District -- Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel has long been one of the fabled but pricey choices of upmarket Lake District travelers. In 2006, frugal travelers found a more democratically priced alternative at a restored lakeside coaching inn nearby: Brackenrigg Inn, at Watermillock, on A592 (tel. 01768/486206). You get beautiful views, comfortable beds, reasonably priced food, and a lot of character -- though the inn's been modernized and restored in keeping with modern taste in travel.

Leicester -- In the East Midlands in the city of Leicester, the Leicester Marriott Hotel, Smith Way, Grove Park (tel. 01162/820100), is the first new hotel to be launched in Leicester in 14 years. This chain-linked, first-class hotel is now one of the finest in the area, with tasteful bedrooms, some luxurious touches, and an array of restaurants that are some of the best in town.

Liverpool -- In the former home of The Beatles, a restaurant, Alma de Cuba, St. Peter's Church, Seel Street (tel. 0151/709-7097), is all the rage, serving the best Latino cuisine in this section of England. Even Ernest Hemingway would surely have approved of the mojitos. The trendy restaurant is installed in a former Catholic church dating from the 18th century.

Nottingham -- This East Midlands city used to be called a gastronomic wasteland. Not so anymore with the opening of such restaurants as Hart's, 1 Standard Court, Park Row (tel. 0115/911-0666), offering one of the finest modern English cuisines in the area, at a location near Nottingham Castle. Flavors are harmoniously blended from market-fresh ingredients, and a lovely modern interior for dining has been carved out of what was once a department in a general hospital. In another development, Restaurant Sat Bains, in the Hotel des Clos, Old Lenton Lane (tel. 0115/986-6566), is named after one of the master chefs of the region and set in a hotel at the end of a small lane near the River Trent. The chef serves a classic continental repertoire and is known for his precise cooking techniques and flawlessly fresh ingredients.

Oxford -- In this university city, Malmaison Oxford Castle, 3 Oxford Castle (tel. 01865/2484320), is not only the quirkiest hotel in town, but also one of the most intriguing. It's installed in a building where inmates were detained "at Her Majesty's pleasure." The barred windows have been retained, but everything else in this converted Victorian prison has been brought up to date with all the modern comforts. No hotel in Oxford boasts such luxe bathrooms as Malmaison. The power showers, great beds, and other comforts could only be dreamed about by the former inmates.

Stratford-Upon-Avon -- The hometown of the Bard still lacks a truly gourmet restaurant, but the culinary scene has improved considerably in 2006 as new chefs took over existing properties and new places opened up. Sorrento, 8 Ely St. (tel. 01789/297999), offers a taste of Italy in its family-run restaurant, a 4-minute walk from the Shakespeare Theatre. A selection of well-chosen Italian wines complements the menu of Italian classics. The One Elm, 1 Guild St. (tel. 01789/404919), serves a modern British cuisine in its pub, ground-floor restaurant, and open-air courtyard. The charcoal grill specialties are a particular delight.

On a cultural note, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Waterside (tel. 07189/403444), spent much of 2007 undergoing a major restoration, with a gala reopening scheduled in 2008.

Swansea -- In the second city of Wales, one of the little country's major attractions opened. It's the National Waterfront Museum, Ostermouth Rd. (tel. 01792/638950), a museum that explores the history of industrial Wales in a series of fascinating exhibits that range from rare vehicles to the coal industry for which Wales became famous.