Qype: The Lamb and Flag in Oxford

Oxford - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


A cracking pub (i can't believe i have never reviewed it!). The Lamb & Flag nestles into St. Giles and if you don't look hard enough you could easily miss it.

Good points:

Plenty of Real Ale - I saw Spitfire, Lamb & Flag Summer Ale, Proper Job, Old Peculier among other on Saturday night.

Traditional Pub Grub - Great food and affordable for students.

Location - Just on the outskirts of the CBD so not as many tourists as you'd think! The L & F is popular with Students, Locals and Ale lovers.

Charity - The Lamb and Flag (as Brighters mentions below) is a not-for-profit pub and amazingly fund a handful of PHD's every year.

Bad points:

Hard to say really... This isn't "the perfect pub" but it's darn close. An easy 5 stars.

Check out my review of The Lamb and Flag - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: YHA Oxford in Oxford

Oxford - Hotels & Holidays - Hostels


Clean, cheap and cheerful. The YHA in Oxford is located right next to the train station so it's perfect if you are coming in on public transport from another UK city. The hostel is popular with backpackers, sports groups and families as you are less than a 5 minute walk from Oxford's historical core.

The hostel has a total of 187 beds (mostly 6-10 man dorms) and boasts free internet, a library, a TV lounge, bike racks, a restaurant and a nice garden out the back.

You're looking at £18-21 per night which is decent given how clean and well run this hostel is. The free fry up in the morning is great (because it's free), but don't expect Gordon Ramsay quality sausages :)

Check out my review of YHA Oxford - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Queen of Hoxton in London

London - Nightlife - Clubs - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars


Last night was my first visit to the Hoxton Pony (Moo 3rd birthday party). It's a fun little place with helpful staff and an enormous roof terrace. Drinks are standard shoreditch prices and you can expect to pay £3.50-£4.00 for a pint of beer. Excellent cocktail menu and i'm also told the food is good.

Now about that roof terrace.... it's enormous, but you feel like the Hoxton Pony could do SO much more with it. There is little to no lighting. No music and only a make shift bar. Tables are few and far between and the decor feels extremely budget. A bit of thought and an investment of a few grand could turn this terrace into something really special. Because of this, it's just a 3 star place for me for now.

Check out my review of Queen of Hoxton - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: hoxton pony in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars


Last night was my first visit to the Hoxton Pony (Moo 3rd birthday party). It's a fun little place with helpful staff and an enormous roof terrace. Drinks are standard shoreditch prices and you can expect to pay £3.50-£4.00 for a pint of beer. Excellent cocktail menu and i'm also told the food is good.

Now about that roof terrace.... it's enormous, but you feel like the Hoxton Pony could do SO much more with it. There is little to no lighting. No music and only a make shift bar. Tables are few and far between and the decor feels extremely budget. A bit of thought and an investment of a few grand could turn this terrace into something really special. Because of this, it's just a 3 star place for me for now.

Check out my review of hoxton pony - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Fynn Valley Golf Centre in Witnesham

Witnesham - Sport - Golf


A decent course about 4-5 miles outside of Ipswich city centre. A nice blend of Par 3's, 4's and 5's with well kept greens and Suffolk coutryside surrounding you on pretty much every hole.

Good points:

- Decent twilight rates. £18 during the week and £22 at the weekend. Twilight begins at 1pm.

- Nice driving range right next to the course.


Bad points:

- Pretty dodgy pro shop service. That had a tournament on yesterday morning, but still, the chap that helped us up by the main course wasn't particularly helpful. It was almost like we were doing him a favour parting with our hard earned cash to play on the course.

- Pylons. Lots of them. Miraculously 2 of our group managed to hit pylon wiring on the course! Ugly things...

Check out my review of Fynn Valley Golf Centre - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Wimbledon Park Golf Club in London

London - Sport - Golf


I'm a pretty big fan of Wimbledon Park Golf Club. It beats the pants of the Wandsworth Golf Club (9 Holes) and is a fraction better than Richmond Park Golf Club (although you don't get deer wandering across the course like you do at Richmond!)

The course nestles between the LTA and Wimbledon Park and is used during June for Wimbledon queuers! It's a challenging course and the 12th hole is by far the most beautiful on the course - panoramic views of south west London. A round will set you back about £30 and the course is open to visitors all year round. This is by no means a PGA standard course, but it's certainly one of the best and most affordable inside the M25

Check out my review of The Wimbledon Park Golf Club - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Queens Head in Weybridge

Weybridge - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


Pleasant, plenty of outdoor seating and one of the biggest cheeseburgers west of London. The staff were super friendly and the location (although not ads idyllic as the Old Crown up the road) is still very nice indeed. This is also a great pub for live sport - I caught 20 minutes of the cricket yesterday on one of the enormous plasma TV's in the area with comfy leather seats.

A few vital stats on that cheeseburger - 1 lb. of scottish beef topped with bacon, a slab of brie cheese and rocket. All this accompanied by a mound of chips that could easily have fed a family of 5. I managed about half of the meal (but it was delicious!)

Oh, i'm told l'auberge next door is excellent. Next time!

Check out my review of The Queens Head - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Wandsworth Common in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Parks


Judi and David seem to have covered off a great deal of facts and anecdotes around Wandsworth Common, so i thought i'd chip in and talk a bit about the sports facilities in and around the common.

Tennis Courts - 4 in total as far as i can work out. These courts are located at the north end of the common and cost £6 per hour. A bit steep you may say, but they are in great condition (and you can often get away with playing for free!)

Bowls - In comparison to Brockwell Park the bowls facilities at Wandsworth are pretty mediocre. The bowls lanes are located next to the tennis courts.

Fishing - You can in the lakes around Wandsworth Common (but only in season and membership is required)

Running - A great park for running and walking. The Trim trail is the best to follow. Watch out for those baby prams!

Rugby, Football, Frisbee and more - Wandsworth Common has alot of open space (much more than Battersea Park). There is a rugby pitch to the north of the common and plenty of wide, open spaces for ball games, kite flying and frisbee.

Check out my review of Wandsworth Common - I am ahunter - on Qype

Businesses like the Sun in Clapham on twitter

Very interesting to see local businesses adopting the new wave of social marketing. I've seen loads of local companies sign up to traditional local review websites in recent months and even more engaging with twitter. Check out The Sun in Clapham tweeting its reviews from Qype et al!

Qype: Central London Golf Centre in London

London - Sport - Golf


A decent course for a Saturday afternoon "hack around" and great for beginners worried about embarrassing themselves in front of snooty weekly golfers. The central London Golf Centre has 9 holes - Four par 4's and the rest par 3's, a driving range (well, it's more like a driving net, but it does the job) and a couple putting greens.

This is what i would call "village golf" - The greens aren't particularly well kept, you're never really sure where the next hole is and you're frequently dangerously close to A roads running parallel to the course. With all that said, this is still a good course. Ok, it's not PGA quality but you can play a round for less than £15 and the staff are really helpful.

I will be back, but only if i can get down to the similarly priced (and much better) Richmond Golf Club.

Check out my review of Central London Golf Centre - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Yalla Yalla in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants


I agree with Danimal's Sinclair C5 comparison below. There's alot of hype around Yalla Yalla, but they seem to be struggling to deal with the volume of customers and general organization/resources around lunch time. The food is delicious (i can highly recommend the chicken scharwarma) but having to wait 1/2 an hour for "street food" is pretty lame. I'll definitely come back, but i'll be making it an afternoon or a sleepy sunday.

Oh, worth mentioning the pretty girl working behind the counter at Yalla Yalla. Call me chauvinist, but her friendly smile and flowing brown hair almost made me bump up the rating to 4 stars. Tragic, i know...

Check out my review of Yalla Yalla - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Thomas Cook in Oxford

Oxford - Hotels & Holidays - Travel Agents


I may be a little bit biased, as i worked here for a bit when i was a student. But, i have alot of good things to say about this branch of Thomas Cook on Cornmarket street.

I book most of my holidays online these days and i'd be the first to admit that the high street travel agent is nearly dead. But if you're doing a complicated tour or around the world trip, i would definitely recommend popping in here. The staff are friendly, knowledgable and more than happy to spend decent amounts of time customizing your trip. This is what set them apart from the rest of the travel agents in Oxford and this is why i will come back the next time i plan a complicated trip!

Check out my review of Thomas Cook - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Brick House Farm in Kent

Kent


What a fantastic venue for a wedding. Brick House Farm nestles into the beautiful countryside surrounding Smarden, Tenterden and Pluckley (which interestingly is the most haunted village in the UK!)

The Farmhouse itself is beautiful and dates back to 1799. It sits within 22 acres of beautiful land where ducks and chickens will roam freely and peck around guests legs. As mentioned, this is a wonderful venue for a country wedding reception and the facilities, staff, service and food are all top notch.

Check out my review of Brick House Farm - I am ahunter - on Qype