Town & Country Travel: What's the ideal itinerary for a first-time visitor to London?

Frank Laino: The most common mistake visitors make is trying to do too much. The first thing to do once you get into town is the open-top bus tour. That’s lovely. It doesn’t matter whether you’re extremely wealthy or not, the open-top bus tour is fabulous way of orienting yourself and getting the flavor of the city. The tour guides are very, very funny, and have lots of nice anecdotes. Then take a little walk to get a sense of place. London’s a great walking city. The Stafford is bang in the middle of the best part of London. You can step out your door, walk through St. James Park, down to Buckingham Palace, through parks and open spaces, and you’ll pass a pub or two along the way. Also, the London Eye absolutely has become a must for first-time visitors to get a really panoramic view of the city. Finally, London theater is fantastic. Dirty Dancing is the hot show right now.

It's my 20th visit to London. What's going to be new to me?

London is so vibrant, it’s constantly changing. Museums and galleries will always have a real blockbuster show you’ll want to see, and it’s the same way with restaurants — every six months you’ve got some big new restaurant coming in. And if you want to see some lesser-known attractions and are a frequent visitor, establish a rapport with your concierge, tell him your interest, and we can make suggestions. For instance, we had some lawyers in a few weeks ago. They went to see the Old Bailey, the central criminal court, and sat in on a trial.

It’s your last meal, and you'll be dining in London. Where do you go, and what do you order?

My favorite restaurant in London is a bit of an odd one. It’s a restaurant called St. John, in the Smithfield Market area. It is consistently voted by other restaurateurs as their favorite. They only use indigenous ingredients, so it’s English seasonal food. It’s Spartan décor, but really fantastic cooking. I’d have the bone marrow with coarse rock salt and parsley; it’s very intense. Then I’d go onto a favorite of mine, a very hip restaurant right now, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. They have a very sexy, stylish, dark restaurant with an open kitchen on the second floor. I’d go there and have foie gras stuffed quail, it’s beautiful. Next door is the Ivy. They have the best fish cake, I love it. It’s very simple comfort food, along with a bit of celebrity watching. Finally, I’d stumble back to St. John’s for dessert and have spotted dick and custard. Then I’d go lie down.

Is there a local libation I need to try, and who does it best?

You’ve got to have a martini in the American Bar. It’s world-famous.

Here's $5,000 for a shopping spree. Where are you headed?

I’d go to New York; it’s so expensive here right now!

In London, I’d go to Savile Row and be fitted for a bespoke suit by Denman and Goddard; they will make you the most beautiful English-cut suit. Or I’d go to Jermyn Street, a really stylish street close to the Stafford that has an emphasis on menswear. There’s a lovely store called Alfred Dunhill, which is gorgeous. You can have a wet shave or browse the walk-in humidor. Then I’d go to Crockett & Jones and get some shoes made, and then to Turnbull & Asser for shirts.

I've done the museums, shows, shopping, and restaurants. What's off the beaten path?

One thing I would do, especially if I was traveling with family, is go to Greenwich, about 45 minutes from the center of London. You can get there by boat from the Westminster Pier by Big Ben. The boat travels on the river through all of central London and underneath the Tower Bridge, downriver to Greenwich. It’s a very historical part of London not so frequently visited by foreigners. It has lots of green space and the National Maritime Museum. There’s a big park where you can take a picture straddling the Eastern and Western hemispheres at the Greenwich Mean Time meridian. And Greenwich Village is full of little knick-knack shops with antiques and collectibles. Kids love the green space, running around and the boat trip.

London is hosting the Olympic Games in 2012. Are preparations affecting things at all yet, and how can travelers prepare for or take advantage of the changes?

Until the Beijing Olympics has happened we can’t even create a lapel pin, so nothing’s really happening yet. But have you seen the logo?

Yes, it could cause seizures.

We’ve got five years for it to grow on us. It’s very controversial.

What is London's greatest hidden treasure?

I have a couple of favorites. Everyone goes to the Tate, the National Gallery and the Royal Gallery. But the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace is often overlooked. It’s the private collection of the monarch, and it’s so huge that the gallery can only show a very tiny part of the collection at any given time. Right now it’s an exhibit of the Queen’s Italian paintings — they’re fabulous, and it is the most beautiful gallery. Our guests also love the Geffrye Museum in White Chapel, where the Jack the Ripper murders took place. The Geffrye shows how wealthy British families have lived throughout the ages. There are period rooms of typical contemporary British homes, as well as rooms from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. And it has a fabulous little garden.

You can't say you've been to London unless you've done…?

If I had to do one thing that’s quite iconic, I would cross Waterloo Bridge at nighttime. It is really the most fantastic view of London that you’re going to get: St. Paul’s to the east, the London Eye to the west, Westminster Abby and Big Ben.

What's the most over-the-top request you've ever fulfilled?

I arranged to have a London bus shipped to the United States, and I had my tailor on Savile Row make a coat for a dog. But the best request was one I couldn’t fulfill: A client asked me to propose marriage to his daughter. And he was serious. I had to decline because he didn’t realize I was already married at the time.