Sean Paul & Steven Wilson

The mega dancehall artist and Grammy winner, Sean Paul, and his road manager and loyal friend, Steve Wilson, are no strangers to London and its nightlife. One of their favourite spots is the uber-cool Merah in Fitzrovia, where, if you don't have membership and aren't on the guest list, all you need to do is convince the bouncers that you are hip enough to enter. Surely being from our cool island is sufficient, right? They also have high regard for Funky Buddha in Mayfair, Shaka Zulu in Camden, and Oceana in Watford.

The pair recommend eating "at the quintessential Chinese restaurant, Chuen Cheng Ku, on Wardour Street, where they serve all the classics, as well as fantastic dim sum straight from the cooking cart to your table". In fact, many Jamaicans who have lived in London swear by their dim sum as a late-Sunday breakfast option.

On any given day, Sean and Steve like to hit the worldwide chain Wagamama, a great noodle bar located all over London, and the UK. "It is the best place for a quick, healthy and delicious lunch. It is very reasonably priced, too," adds Wilson. However, for a very special and upscale meal, the friends and business colleagues will use chopsticks at Nobu, where the master chef Nobu Matsuhisa himself has presented them with the freshest sushi available.

An occupational hazard of the music business, of course, is that they are often away from Jamaica for a long time. Whenever they feel homesick, they'll grab some grub at Mr Jerk on Wardour Street, in the heart of the West End, or find a few Port Royal Jamaican patties in a Tesco or Asda supermarket.

Sean Paul loves staying at The Sanderson and suggests The London Eye as a great way to see the city if you only have time for one attraction. There's, too, off-road bicycling (a great way to keep in shape) through Hyde Park, which the recording artiste describes as "always serene".

Theresa Roberts

Real Estate entrepreneur, art enthusiast and promotor of all things Jamaican loves the energy of London where she starts her day with coffee in bed at her Cadogan Square home delivered from Fratelli Duke of York Square.

For retail therapy her place of choice is the Chanel boutique at Sloane Street and Harrods (of course!)

Lunch Mess Restaurant at the Saatchi Gallery Chelsea, tea at the Dorchester, Park Lane and dinner at Poissonerie De l'Avenue Sloane Avenue.

Paula Kerr-Jarrett

Trained as an attorney-at-law at the University of London, JLP candidate for Eastern Hanover, Paula Kerr-Jarrett, knows the city of London extremely well, and considers it The Number One City of the World. While her favourite place to eat as a student was the Lebanese eatery Maroush on Beauchamp Place (pronounced Beecham) in Knightsbridge, "probably because they remained open until 5:00 am," she quips, the more sophisticated side of her loves Knightsbridge's Zuma and Mayfair's Hakkasan. The former has given her a "melt-in-your-mouth type of experience" with their contemporary Japanese fare, most notably the Salmon Caviar and Wagu Beef. Upon her first visit to the latter, she ordered the Peking Duck Salad, quite "by accident, but a serendipitous error!" Kerr-Jarrett also wouldn't turn down a dinner reservation at any of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants.

The most memorable dining experience for the aspiring politician was at Simpsons-on-the-Strand, a place where one must wear a jacket and tie (they provide if necessary), and where Paula experienced traditional English food for the first time, when she was a child. The stuffy old world elegance, the serving of roast beef and yorkshire puddings on carving trolleys, and the superb service have not changed one bit, and the Kerr-Jarrett children have now been able to have this "unforgettable experience" as well.

The glamorous girl from Jamaica, who advises a first-timer not to try to see everything in one trip, likes to stay at the W hotel in Leicester Square, have brunch at Bar Boulud in the Mandarin Oriental, wonder around Covent Garden or the Tate Gallery, pick up a hamper of picnic items from Harrods Food Court, and sit in Hyde Park with her daughter, sip Champagne in the Snuggery (do reserve it) of Claridge's Bar, and end her day at the theatre. However, the one thing that depicts England is Afternoon Tea. For a "cosy, no frills refreshing 'cuppa cha' and scrumptious scones with strawberry preserves, and fresh Devonshire clotted cream of course," she insists one goes to "Turnbull's, a quaint teahouse in a small village called Shaftesbury". And while she's down in the western end of England, Paula likes to hit the city of Bath, where one can find "High Street fashion in a splendid Georgian setting", and stay at The Summer Lodge hotel in Dorset, where one encounters a decadent 'whatever, whenever' option, "and yes, I did try it..... and it worked!"

Odessa Chambers

Though Odessa now calls The Rock home, English-born Odessa Chambers still maintains a strong link to the land of fish and chips and home of Big Ben, and pays frequent return visits. "I was born and lived in London and I'm actually planning my trip there as I speak to you," she tells SO in a telephone conversation. "I don't return as often as I should, maybe every two to three years," Chambers divulges.

When the fun and feisty gal does touch down in London, she says she enjoys the four F's the most being there — "family, friends, food and fashion."

Retail therapy for Chambers comes from shopping trips to her favourite stores — Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Warehouse, Top Shop, Marks & Spencer and Primark. Unlike the array of must-do clothing stops, she says there is no one particular place she fancies. "I don't really have a favourite place to eat as almost every High Street in London has wonderful contemporary restaurants to eat at," she notes.

Who's her fave Brit personality? She lists Jonathan Ross, a popular English radio and television presenter "who is sharp, witty, and down-to-earth".

As for her personal recommendations of sights to see for London newbies, Chambers urges "Brixton & Hackney, as that is where Jamaicans put their mark in London and which made it a multi-cultural-community".

"I would also recommend going to the National Gallery, The British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum for fashion, The Tate Modern and the Greenwich Observatory."

Candice Morris

Jamaican dancer and performer Candice Morris enjoyed 14 months as a cast member in the theatre production The Lion King London Lives, which takes place at the Lyceum Theatre in Coventry Garden, London. Back on The Rock after her contract with the show ended, Morris shared with SO her favourite London spots.

"For food I practically lived at Pasta Brown's in Covent Gardens. Perhaps that was because it was near to the theatre where I worked but I was there everyday. I always had the seafood pasta as well. Also, Krispy Kreme, Sophie's Steakhouse and anywhere in London that we could find Nando's Chicken we would definitely be there." For recreation, Morris often visited Alton Towers, the UK's biggest theme park, where her favourite ride was the oblivion. When it was time to go shopping, Morris tells SO, "everything is in Oxford Circle". However, she would often find herself on the market street of Camden Town picking up a few items. Nightlife in London is vibrant, Morris shares. "With clubs like Ministry of Sound, Holborn House and Tamarai, one can always find a good party." The dancer enjoyed the diversity of London. "It is a city filled with people from all over the world," she says. "It is a place that is filled with many activities. You cannot be in London and not have anything to do. There is so much to explore," she concludes.

Samantha Albert

International Event Rider Samantha Albert is based in England, but has been representing Jamaica for the last 22 years. With two pre-teen sons, 11 horses, a number of dogs, and a cat, "There isn't much relaxing time," says Albert, "but I love what I do." Training three advanced horses for the 2012 Olympics in London, Albert has her final Olympic qualifier in February. "It has always been my dream to ride in the Olympics, which I did in Beijing 2008, but to compete at a home Olympics is the ultimate dream, and I am very excited," she says, beaming.

Living in Highclere, Berkshire, Sam (as her friends call her) does not get to London all that often. She passionately tells SO that her stables are her favourite place to chill and her bed is the ultimate home comfort, but reminisces about an "amazing" and memorable meal she recently enjoyed with a large group of friends at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge. When she does get to England's capital, she tries to see something at the theatre. "It's a real treat to go to any play or musical," she admits.

Sam Albert loves to frequent her local pub in Highclere, The Red House, where the bartender pours her "a good-sized vodka and Diet Coke without me asking". The crispy duck on Thai noodles is delicious, and every patron is friendly! The nearest big town is Newbury, which is 45 minutes west of London, and Sam highly recommends that anyone visiting should drive out there "and go to a real country pub!" The weather is not exactly the greatest, so "bring a rain jacket and warm clothes...even in summer!"

Jackie Lechler

Jackie Lechler, a director of Stewart's Auto Sales Limited, has a special place in her heart for Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly, where she enjoys shopping in their food hall and stealing a moment to eat the Welsh Rarebit (a gourmet version of cheese on toast) in The Fountain Restaurant on the ground floor. However, the most memorable meal she ever had on one of her trips to the United Kingdom was in a traditional English pub, where she ate fish and chips, followed by a Spotted Dick pudding. Her choice of beverage in a pub? Well, that would be a Baileys on the rocks!

Lechler's place to stay in London is Claridge's hotel in Mayfair, where she loves the Afternoon Tea (reservations are essential). It is also the home of her favourite restaurant, Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's (reservations are absolutely essential), where she will order the tasting menu.

Lechler also recommends the Tea experience at The Dorchester and The Ritz London hotels, both also in Mayfair.

But London is not all about high-end hotels and posh places to eat. Lechler has high praises for the West End Theatre (which always has great deals), the plethora of Chinese and Indian eateries, shopping at Top Shop and Marks & Spencer, and the tourist traps of the big city. The latter includes Madame Tussaud's, the London Dungeon, Hamley's Toy Store, Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, and her most favourite Buckingham Palace Tour. When Lechler gets out of the hustle and bustle of said city, she'll grab a London cabbie to Kew Gardens, drive to Windsor Castle, which is nearby or venture south west to visit Stonehenge and Longleat Safari and Adventure Park.

Her advice while doing any of the above is "take an umbrella". Seriously.

Chris Dehring

My favourite London things:

Restaurant: RIVA, Italian restaurant on Church Road.

Bar: Long Bar, Sanderson Hotel — the footballers all tend to hang out there.

Club: Monday night: 10 Rooms in Piccadilly.

Weekends: Chinawhite.

Hotel: Metropolitan, Hyde Park.

Best things to do: A Test match at Lords, an Arsenal game at the Emirates, a West End musical (Les Miserables is the best!), a walk through Covent Garden/Soho/Leicester Square.

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