London Breaks
| Contents |
| Short breaks in London with a Show |
| London Breaks to the ENB |
| London Breaks – Chelsea Flower Show |
| James Bond London Breaks |
Short breaks in London with a Show
Short breaks in London with a show are a great choice for mid-week or weekend holidays. Here are my top 3 recommendations for shows this coming Spring. Couples who just want to see a show as part of a trip to London, perhaps as part of a special occasion have lots of choice when it comes to shows and things to do. London is a great place for short breaks and there is a lot for couples to do and see. There are all the art galleries, lots of classy shops and, of course, the sights of London. That’s the thing about the capital it’s still fun even if you’ve seen it all before. 
When you are choosing the show for your short break I’ve got three top recommendations for you at the moment.
Choose Your Show
Les Miserables
In your position I’d go for Les Miserables as a first choice. Tickets have got a little bit trickier to get hold of due to the SuBo effect but the theatre break agencies still have plenty of availability. If you can be flexible about your dates and can travel mid-week there are some brilliant deals for Les Miz. Traveling mid-week also gives you a good choice of 3* and 4* hotels at very reasonable rates. Les Miserables is one of the longest running shows but it still remains one of the best. People always seem to enjoy it and it still seems as fresh as it ever was.
Dress Code: best frock or jeans, this is London – no one cares!
Hair
However if semi-classical score is not to your taste you could try revisiting the 60s and trying something brand new but re-cycled. Hair is coming to the West End in April and it’s going to be huge. This is the full Broadway revival production, all singing, all dancing, full of colour, life and energy, just like time traveling back to those days. They say if you remember the 60s you weren’t there but Hair is all that you might have missed and more. There is flower power, hippies and The Age of Aquarius, not to mention a bit of nudity and other, rather innocent naughtiness! Dress code: Afghan waistcoats, bell bottoms and patchouli (only kidding!). Though it might not be a bad choice of costume if you want to join in with the onstage party at the end of the show:
Jersey Boys
Maybe Jersey Boys is more your scene, sing along as you watch the story of Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons unfold. Walk Like a Man, Sherry Baby, and a host of other tunes you’ll enjoy discovering you still know all the words to are woven into the story of five young lads from New Jersey.
Dress code: Very snazzy Trilby hats available in the foyer of the theatre
So there you are three top shows to choose from, all of them ideal to fit in with your short breaks in London with a show.
London Breaks to the ENB
London Breaks to the ballet on Theatre Breaks Magazine
Over on our sister site Theatre Breaks Magazine there’s news of a great offer if you are interested in London Breaks to the English National Ballet.
The English National Ballet are doing a wonderful winter season at the London Colliseum. The ballets on offer are The Nutcracker, The Snow Queen and Giselle. Tickets will go fast so people need to book early!
If you’re interested pop over the the London Breaks section of the magazine and have a look.
London Breaks – Chelsea Flower Show
London Breaks
** Book London Breaks to the Chelsea Flower Show **
The Chelsea Flower Show, that’s not a London theatre break. Sh, don’t tell my partner but not all the London breaks you take have to be about going to the theatre! I’m going to do an occasional series suggesting other fun reasons to take London breaks.
rhs-chelsea-flower-show
The Chelsea Flower Show
Thursday 21 May – Saturday 23 – (open till 8 pm Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd 5:30 Saturday 23rd)
The Chelsea Flower Show – what does that make you think of? For me it conjures up images of spring sunshine, beautiful flowers, interesting garden inspiration and a bit of celebrity spotting. A lovely seafood lunch and nice bottle of white wine, or even a glass or two of bubbly (well, we were good and had a light lunch!) followed by a bit more gentle strolling round laughing at the sillier entries and sighing over some of the best gardens you’ll ever see. Then a nice cup of tea and cakes (well, we did have a light lunch!) to keep us going, remember, the show is open till 8 pm if you go on Thursday or Friday. Then there’s plenty of time for one last wander round and it’s all over for another year.
What to Expect at the Chelsea Flower Show This Year
According to the RHS site in the Show Gardens:
- Designer Robert Myers is creating Cancer Research’s seventh Chelsea show garden, to represent the charity’s theme of ‘Impact’.
- Laurent-Perrier is returning to the show with Italian designer Luciano Giubbilei, who has designed a large city garden, which will be framed by tiered evergreen hedges and a monolithic stone wall.
- Chetwoods Architects is bringing a garden that takes its inspiration from a hill-top retreat, and will be Chetwoods’ second Chelsea garden.
- Following the success of his Gold Medal winning urban garden at Chelsea last year, Thomas Hoblyn is returning with a show garden designed for Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust.
In the Great Pavilion:
- Bloms Bulbs showing 13,000 cut flower tulips, with varieties ranging from the 17th century to the present day;
- Winchester Growers creating a bold statement with a magnificent display of dahlias;
- Tynings Climbers is displaying its National Plant Collection of Passiflora.
- David Austin Roses – four new cultivars, including Rosa The Wedgwood Rose (‘Ausjosiah’) with a grapefruit scent, and Rosa Tam o’ Shanter (‘Auscerise’) which boasts cerise pink double blooms.
- Broadleigh Gardens is launching Iris ‘Broadleigh Fenella’
- Hillier Nurseries is launching the latest in the Sweet Delights range, Heuchera ‘Tiramisu’.
A Water Theme at Chelsea Flower Show
Water is to be the major theme at the Chelsea Flower Show this year.
Amongst the more spectacular exhibits Gateshead Council and fashion designer Wayne Hemmingway are to create a display that highlights the importance of water recycling and the role of water as part of a healthy lifestyle. I love Wayne’s work so this should be really interesting.
The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism with Newington Nurseries is creating an underwater display to represent the marine life of the Caymanian waters.
The Wessex and Jersey members of the National Association of Floral Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) is creating a floral arrangement that will appear to be floating on water.
After the Chelsea Flower Show – what next?
You’ve walked what feels like, and actually is, miles. Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could just repair to a comfy hotel room and look forward to a pleasant dinner chatting about everything you’ve seen? Instead you have to battle with the rush hour trains or, worse yet, the London traffic!
Well, here’s great idea. Now for just £125 each you can book your ticket to the Chelsea Flower Show, followed by a night in the 4* Holiday Inn London, Kensington Forum. You can even add in your rail fare, with up to 40% savings, and not take the car to London at all.
The Chelsea Flower Show is open from Thursday 21 May – Saturday 23 May, but tickets are strictly limited. Only 157,000 people are able to attend each year, so booking with a package can be a good way of making sure of a ticket.
James Bond London Breaks
Celebrating one hundred years since the birth of successful British writer Ian Fleming, the London Imperial War Museum is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the life and works of the James Bond creator.
The first exhibition of its kind to be wholly dedicated to Ian Fleming the attraction will explore the inspirations behind some of the most recognisable characters in the literary world. Artefacts from the high grossing Bond films will be on display as well as rare materials from Fleming’s career during and after the war.
You can expect to see notes from the Thrilling Cities series, the bikini worn by Halle Berry in the Bond film Die Another Day and the “blood splattered” shirt as worn by Daniel Craig in the latest of the Bond films, Casino Royale. Detailing not only his colourful and varied career, For Your Eyes Only takes a look at the suggestion that many of the characters in Fleming’s novels and indeed the setting for the Bond novels were all inspired by his own experiences of the Cold War, spies and technology used in the armed forces.
There’s also a new book out in time for the exhibition
Be a part of celebrating Fleming’s legacy and indulge in a James Bond London Break or else add the exhibition as an additional attraction to a show as part of a Theatre Break.
This exhibition celebrates the centenary of the birth of Bond creator Ian Fleming, exploring his wartime career and work as a journalist and travel writer and how, as an author, he drew upon his experiences to create the iconic secret agent and his adversaries. The show includes Fleming’s desk and chair from his Jamaican home, Goldeneye, where he wrote all of the Bond novels, as well as props and gadgets from many of the Bond films, including Rosa Klebb’s flick-knife shoes featured in ‘From Russia with Love’ and a working model of the famous Aston Martin DB5.
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