The River Thames meanders through London's most fascinating neighborhoods, providing those lucky enough to be on the water with picturesque perspectives of the city that are simply unavailable on terra firma. Tour companies such as City Cruises and Thames Cruises offer a variety of sightseeing trips, but I'm particularly taken by the afternoon tea cruises offered by Turk Launches. These unique excursions combine a leisurely one-hour river cruise with afternoon tea, that most English of pastimes. Enjoy unparalleled views of Hampton Court Palace and its stunning gardens, Thames Ditton Island, the bustling center of Kingston, and Teddington lock, all while savoring tea, coffee, scones with clotted cream and jam, and biscuits. Plus the ship itself is a piece of history, albeit American history. The New Southern Belle (pictured) is a Mississippi-style stern wheeler that brings a flavor of New Orleans to the Thames, with period-style curved stairways, plush carpeting, and rich upholstery, perfect for sipping your tea and imagining yourself in an earlier, more genteel era. How perfectly civilized. Starwood has hotels throughout London, including the Sheraton Park Tower.