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Theatre breaks midweek May 10, 2008

Posted by Andy Roberts in : theatre breaks, London theatre breaks , 4comments

Theatre breaks in London for those who can get away midweek

For theatre lovers and those who enjoy short theatre breaks in London there are some seriously amazing bargains to be had in the New Year and also this summer for people like myself who are not tied to regular 9 to 5 weekday working hours. Even if you have to book one day’s annual leave on a Wednesday in February, a Friday afternoon during the schools summer term or something like that it will be well worth it, because one of the best online theatre breaks booking sites is now offering a special cheap deal for hotel theatre breaks with the show on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday or Friday. You won’t believe it….. one night in a three star *** London hotel is free with a range of top theatre show tickets!

* Book Theatre Breaks in London with Hotel in 2008 *

I know it seems strange. It’s well known that city hotels are mostly used by the business community travelling on expenses, and therefore have over capacity at weekends. So you would think that the bargains would be for weekend theatre breaks, but apparently not. London is not quite the same as Norwich or Basingstoke, people come here from all over the world and also from the UK for a variety of reasons. Intercity trains are packed on Friday evenings as weekly commuters migrate to and from the capital. Office workers, teachers and civil servants are required to work weekdays with precious annual leave saved up mostly for a couple of weeks in the sun, and restricted logistically by school holidays.

Theatre breaks prince edward

So if there’s any way you can possibly slip away on a Tuesday afternoon with the next morning off, take a flexi-day, or if you are one of the growing band of self-employed perhaps, choosing your own hours and working from home for instance, then you are in a position to save hundreds yes hundreds of pounds by booking a midweek theatre break in London with hotel and show.

There are now eleven great musical shows and two plays which qualify for this summer 2008 offer.

Go here to transfer to the special page on the booking site. All you have to do to get the free London hotel deals is to keep within the 13 qualifying shows, choose a weekday before September 7th 2008 and then pick one of the first hotels that comes up, with the golden “offer hotel” badge.\ then start looking forward to your best ever summer theatre break in London. Have a good one.
Below is a description of the previous July offer which has now been improved upon with the free hotel stay in August See further down for the £10 upgrade to four star hotel offer

The great news is the number and class of hotels that are available for this July free theatre tickets offer:

* Holiday Inn Bloomsbury
* Holiday Inn Regents Park
* Intercontinental Park Lane
* Crowne Plaza St James
* Millennium Gloucester
* Millennium Baileys

So all you have to do is choose a combination of one from the six top hotels and one from the seven great shows and book for a weekday between now and the end of July ( dates excluded are 20th June, and 14th,15th and 16th July) - which means the first week or two of school holidays are included in the cheap theatre break offer!

By taking advantage of the special summer deal you can get the cost of a London theatre break down to as little as £70.50 per person for a posh central London hotel with free theatre tickets and full breakfast included.

Below is a description of the previous New Year offer which ran until March 2008, but the upgrade for £10 is also valid for the August 2008 free hotel offer :

You wouldn’t have been able to get the free hotel offers for the week beginning February 11th because that was half term for most schools, but the following week seemed to suit others, although just a few shows are restricted that week as well. The best thing to do is to get out your calendar, consult your partner or family and then visit the booking site and see what you can come away with. My advice would be to probably avoid the Friday matinees if you want to see the top stars because they seem to arrange for the understudy to have a go for some of these performances. You should be warned if that’s the case anyway.

H****
Try a four star central London hotel for £10!

theatre breaks Charing Cross Hotel
The theatre breaks free hotel offer is for a three star hotel in London midweek which is bound to be lovely, but you can also upgrade to a four star for only £10. I recently stayed in a four star hotel myself so I made this list of what extra luxury you might expect from one:

* Enormous comfortable beds - sleep perpendicular to your partner!
* Luxury bathroom - endless hot water with top quality foam and big fluffy towels
* Free breakfast ad lib - real coffee with abundant food of all types in smart surroundings
* access to sitting rooms, bars, views, gardens and terraces
* Wifi, cable TV, mini bar etc
* If you forget your toothbrush, comb, shower cap or anything like that don’t worry there’s one for you already there.
*interesting gadgets to play with, like a whirlpool, desk hairdryer or trouser press.

I suppose what I’m saying is that the show tickets are the main reason for, but not the only component of London theatre breaks. With the amazing show and hotel offers it’s going to be affordable to add little extras like a ride on the London Eye, pre-theatre meals or entrance to the Tutankhamun exhibition in Greenwich. Remember, the offer ran until mid March for theatre breaks midweek bookings as long as the show was before March 14th 2008, excluding the week beginning February 11th.

**Book London Theatre Breaks with show and hotel in 2008**

London theatre breaks by rail April 19, 2008

Posted by Andy Roberts in : London theatre breaks , add a comment

You can check the availability of tickets for your favourite show and top hotels for theatre breaks by using the form below. Select the show and choose a date first, then enter the hotel details and rail travel.

When you press “check availability” you’ll be taken to the results on the Show and Stay site, from which you can make further searches if necessary until the perfect package is made up for you.

London breaks with theatre show and hotel March 31, 2008

Posted by Andy Roberts in : london breaks, London theatre breaks , add a comment

London breaks

What is it about the grand hotels and theatres that makes London breaks ever popular? Something more than just the convenience I’m sure. Old fashioned style, social aspiration, romance maybe? The anonymous but attentive service combined with an expectation that everything you could possibly need will be there ready and waiting, or easily conjured up via room service. Modern life is relentless and for the most part let’s be honest, it can consist of following a series of rather dull routines so you don’t have to be an art intellectual or wealthy bon vivant to feel attracted by the idea of just one or two nights break in a smart central London hotel as a complete escape from the same old four walls, kitchen, relatives and other humdrum at home.

The West End

It’s not that I have any illusions as to what the image of London conjures up in many people’s minds. It’s a great big, busy, noisy city where the citizens are often tired and frazzled from over-stimulation, pressure and travel. They’d like a break too! London as a capital is nothing like Paris, Edinburgh or Cardiff and there can be resentment that so much political, financial and cultural leadership seems to be assumed to begin and end in London. That’s unfortunate in some ways, but then the sheer weight of population, history and connection gives London a momentum that cannot be ignored. Regional theatre may be more innovative in its creativity, and perhaps more intimate in the performance but it’s only when a show makes it to the West End that the bigger name stars can be attracted and the investment comes in for the stunning sets and longer runs. It’s the same story for music, fine art, dance etc. So people come on short breaks to London to see the best shows and soak up the West End atmosphere.

London Theatreland

London breaks in theatreland street name signs

You see, London’s theatreland is quite a small area in the central part of the city which is a stamping ground not just for Londoners (many of whom may not go there for months on end) but for all people from every city, village and nation. On any day, weekend or midweek the culture vulture crowds are present in large numbers, ambling about in groups or couples, plenty of singles too. The lights and buzz hold an attraction for young people as much as the distant familiarity does for people who have been visiting London occasionally for one reason or another over decades. And much of theatreland has not been spoilt. That’s because the classic old theatre buildings themselves have been classed as grade two listed, both exterior and interior. So even when there is a poor year for theatre bookings, as happens from time to time, they cannot be pulled down or turned over for a completely different use.

London Map

This first map is just to give an idea of how London breaks up into distinct geographical areas with the red central area so much smaller than the great connurbation where the majority of Londoners live and work.

London breaks map

And theatreland is only a part of that centre. Arrival by intercity train for London hotel theatre and train breaks will mean a short journey from one of the famous mainline rail terminals into the centre and then you may not need to venture outside again or set foot in a tube or taxi until it’s time to return home, as long as you book a hotel which is inside the zone.

Getting to the Theatres

Here’s the street map of London Theatreland clearly showing each of the Theatres by name so it’s easy to find your way around. The same goes for the Hotels and restaurants which can be booked for pre-theatre meals, often very reasonably as part of a show, hotel and travel deal.
London Breaks theatre street map

Top Musicals

  1. Oliver!
  2. Phantom of the Opera
  3. Dirty Dancing
  4. Joseph
  5. Billy Elliot
  6. Sound Of Music
  7. Hairspray
  8. Lion King
  9. We Will Rock You
  10. Grease
  11. Jersey Boys
  12. Blood Brothers
  13. Mamma Mia!

Plays

* God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (ART!) with Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig (Black Books, Green Wing, Love soup and Debbie Aldridge from The Archers)

* The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie still going strong decades later - who dunnit?

* The Vortex by Noel Coward with Felicity Kendal

Pre-Theatre Dining on London Breaks

Overall, London simply has a wider selection of fine international restaurants than any other world city. You can pre book as part of a London theatre and hotel breaks package, or just wander round for a short while until you are tempted. So ‘bon appetit’ and enjoy your capital.

Stumble London Breaks Stumble It!

London Weekend Breaks - Shadowlands October 12, 2007

Posted by Andy Roberts in : London Weekend Breaks, London theatre breaks , add a comment

Following on from the idea of theatre breaks in London, weekend breaks are slightly trickier when you work all through week and need to unwind fast. My suggestion therefore is to sneak away as early as possible on the Friday, arriving in plenty of time to get settled in at the hotel and then go out and see something light and uplifting such as one of the popular comedies or musicals. Spamalot, Chicago, Lord of the Rings, Cabaret, Mama Mia, Fiddler on the roof etcetera. You can book the musical, hotel and train tickets all in one go to save a packet. Shadowlands Then on the Saturday afternoon or evening, if you are a true theatre lover then why not take in a second show, perhaps a serious play this time. Just opened for example, is Shadowlands.

Shadowlands at the Wyndhams

Shadowlands is a serious play about the life of author C.S.Lewis and his relationship as an older man with Joy Davidman, an American poet. It’s an extraordinary love story which is both moving and intense, somewhat tragic but also uplifting on some level. The film version won a BAFTA and the West End play is a rare treat, showing only from now until the 15th of December, 2007 having opened on the 3rd of October.

Wyndhams TheatreWyndhams Theatre is one of the grandest of the old West End theatres, which are all grade II listed buildings, both exterior and interior, on the Charing Cross Road, near Leicester Square tube station.

Guardian Review:

“I found myself more moved this time round than by the 1989 production: partly because it is rare now to find a West End play that addresses the issue of mortality, and partly because of the quality of the acting.
…this is a play about a man whose Christian faith is severely tested”

Blogger Lloyd Davis enjoyed it enough to twitter about it afterwards:

Lloyd is home having thoroughly enjoyed Shadowlands at the Wyndham’s.

Matinee theatre performances

The main performance is at 7.30pm but there are matinees at 2.30pm on Thursdays and Saturdays. If one were to book the Saturday matinee in advance therefore, or else chance being able to pick up same day tickets, then that might fit in perfectly. A full programme of theatre, comfort and sightseeing to make truly stimulating London weekend breaks with Saturday night still free for relaxing around town and Sunday afternoon to begin making a leisurely path homewards.

Theatre Breaks

Theatre breaks in London September 14, 2007

Posted by Andy Roberts in : theatre breaks, London theatre breaks, London , 10comments

Ever thought about weekend theatre breaks in London?

**Book London theatre break tickets now, with hotel or travel and meal in any combination via DARnet through London Theatre Breaks**

It’s well known that in London we have lots of famous old theatres all around the Shaftesbury Avenue area of the West End ‘Theatreland’ as well as Drury Lane, Shakespeare’s Globe and the South Bank complex.
Ticket sales have struggled a bit in recent years, particularly during the Americans fear of flying after 9/11 in 2001. They were an important source of customers. The standard of some the shows dropped a bit too, with many of the great musicals being replaced by tribute band shows, but things are looking up again now.

Noel Coward

From February 2008, for example the great Noel Coward classic of “The Vortex” is playing at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue. Felicity Kendal has been cast as Florence Lancaster.

Theatre Deals

Londoners themselves often don’t take advantage of the world class entertainment available in the capital, with out of town visitors making up the majority of theatre goers. The best plan is to arrive by train, plane or coach (never by car) and stay in a centrally located hotel so that getting back after the show isn’t an issue. It’s the central hotel which can add massively to the overall expense so that’s why a lot of people look for all inclusive package deal theatre breaks in London, or weekend deals, with just the cost of a restaurant meal or two to find after paying for the break in advance. Restaurants in theatreland are diverse and offer special pre-theatre menus for quite reasonable prices, so you can have a good night out in the area even if you don’t have show tickets for any particular evening. I often find myself wandering up from Charing Cross station and just following my nose, or else revisiting regular haunts.

Off West End

For those who don’t mind venturing a little further afield than the traditional tourist venues, there are always the Theatre Bars in Islington, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and others mentioned in OffWestEnd where some more challenging, contemporary and economical performances may be found.

Book Theatre Breaks in London

For booking a show and hotel package deal, with or without discount rail travel I’ve found one site which seems to have the best selection available and also offers a best price guarantee:

Book London theatre tickets now, with hotel or travel and meal in any combination via DARnet through London Theatre Breaks
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