Why every autistic woman should be a member of The National Liberal Club, London

🏛️✨ I've just come back from my first trip to London and it reminded me how important it is to have somewhere you can truly relax. ✨💖

I was originally nervous about visiting.

The noise 🔊

The crowds 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♂️

The constant feeling of being "on" ⚡

And the worry that when my social battery finally ran out, I'd have nowhere to go and reset 🔋💔

People would probably give me awkward looks if I sat on a bench and closed my eyes for 40 minutes. I never look like the delicate wallflower or damsel in distress I imagine I do — usually I just look like I've had one too many glasses of wine and my eyes have gone a bit squinty 😂🍷

I've always loved watching documentaries about London's luxury five-star hotels 🏨✨ and I used to dream of staying in one — exploring the city during the day, then retreating to my room when my spoons ran out 🥄💭

But that costs money. Money I simply don't have 💔

Then I found the National Liberal Club 🌸🏛️

For me, it felt like a combination of a five-star hotel and a private family home.

It was as though the heavens had opened and the autistic gods were smiling down on me ✨💖

Finally, I had found what I'd been looking for.

The private club sits in the luxury Whitehall district, opposite the Corinthia Hotel 🏨✨. The streets here feel noticeably calmer — like the city exhales a little 🌿

From the outside, the building is breathtaking.

A grand Victorian façade that doesn’t shout for attention… it simply commands it.

You look at it and instantly feel that important things have happened here — and still do. 🏛️✨

As you step through the huge oak doors 🚪, one of the most striking sights is the ceremonial staircase — rising in perfect drama like something from a film 🎬✨

The kind of staircase you imagine yourself descending in a sweeping evening gown 💃🏛️

It genuinely feels like a place designed to be experienced slowly — room by room — like the building is revealing itself to you.

Inside, everything feels layered with history.

High ceilings, dark wood, leather chairs, book-lined walls 📚✨ and a deep, quiet atmosphere shaped by decades of conversations, decisions, and history being made.

You are constantly aware you are walking through the same rooms once used by people like Prime Minister David Lloyd George and Bram Stoker, author of Dracula 🕯️📖

But what stayed with me most wasn’t just the history…

It was how safe it felt 🔐💖

One of the things I value most is the security and privacy. 🔐💖

From the moment I arrived, everything felt calm and gently structured — nothing overwhelming, nothing chaotic, just an immediate sense that I was being looked after.

Members present their membership card on arrival, and access is carefully managed for members and their guests. Everything felt discreet, calm and organised — not intimidating, just reassuring 🌸

From the moment I walked in, I felt completely at ease and safe.

And what surprised me most was the staff 💖

They were incredibly kind and attentive — quietly showing me different rooms where I could sit, relax, and recharge my social battery without needing to explain anything.

Nobody made a fuss.

Nobody mentioned autism.

Nobody made me feel different.

They just… understood 🌿✨

For an autistic woman travelling, that meant more than I can put into words 💖🌸

The lounges and sitting rooms felt calm and unhurried — no crowds, no pressure, no noise overload 📵✨

And phones were discouraged in many spaces, which added to the sense of peace and presence 🌿

And then there was the terrace.......... 🌊✨

The National Liberal Club has the largest private terrace in London overlooking the River Thames 🥂🏛️

Sitting there with a glass of wine 🍷, watching boats move slowly along the river 🚤, felt surreal.

It felt like I was part of London… while gently removed from all its noise and chaos 🌆💖

For a few days, it didn’t feel like I was just visiting London.

It felt like I had somewhere I belonged 🌸✨

If you are autistic like me and visiting London, I would definitely check it out. You can relax there. You can breathe there. You can be you there. 💖

Membership rates are very reasonable.

More information: https://nlc.org.uk/

#NationalLiberalClub #London #AutisticWomen #AutismAcceptance #Neurodiversity #PrivateMembersClub #WomenWhoTravel #Whitehall #Wellbeing #TravelDiary 💖🏛️✨