The Mousetrap theatre breaks http://theatrebreaks.theatre.travel/details.php?d=0&a=532

This week, The Midweeks Breaks blog is happy to publish a guest article by Nisha who will entertain and inform you with an alternative suggestion for UK based short breaks on the Inland Waterways system. It turns out that the big companies offering canal boating holidays whether on traditional narrowboats or modern cruisers, while mostly organised on a weekly hire basis, also offer weekend and midweek short breaks which, if you pick your dates carefully, can present a great opportunity to book your accommodation and relaxation in one affordable package. Midweek Canal Boat Holidays Everyone loves to go on holiday. Picturesque scenery, adventures, shopping and more are something to look forward to. A holiday once a year is nice, but sometimes people need a short break, so whether it’s to a local family holiday park or further afield, here are some recommendations. A short break, from a weekend or mid-week break can alleviate stress and re-energize body and soul. Take an especially relaxing holiday on a part time hire canal boat. Also called narrow boats, they are a wonderful way to have an affordable holiday or short break. Canal boats are built for the locks on the canal ways. Since the locks are only 7 feet wide, the boats are 7 feet wide as well. Although narrow, they can be up to 70 feet long, which is the longest lock length. It may sound like the boat has no space and the passengers would be packed like sardines, but canal boats are equipped with all modern conveniences, such as toilets, cookers, ovens, central heating, beds, showers, television, dining room tables and more. They can accommodate up to eight people or more. The boat hire company will teach you how to handle the boat, or you can hire someone to do it for you. It is suggested that two people travel in the canal boat. This allows one person to manage the locks from the shore while the other steers the boat. Where to go, what to see and what to do are questions everyone asks on holiday, even on short breaks. Depending on the starting point and the destination, there is something for everyone in the canal ways of England, Scotland and Wales. The Norfolk Broads is a wonderful place to visit. Villages, thatched roofs, and wildlife are abundant on these canals. The floating Broads Wildlife Centre Ranworth Broad is home to many species of birds. Fields of wildflowers abound on either side of the canals affording the holiday-goers opportunities to take magnificent pictures. The landscape is like no other anywhere. Norwich City centre is home to pubs, theatres, shopping centres and more for those needing supplies or a chance to stretch their legs. Great Yarmouth has horseracing, grey hound meetings and a seaside amusement park. Arriving by canal means you will not have to find a parking space. Fishing is an activity enjoyed by many, and the boat does not have to be stationary. Pike, bream, perch, rudd and roach are abundant. A fishing license is required, but the cost is nominal. Fresh fish for dinner is always a treat during holidays. Take a short break on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal in Wales. Pony trekking, shops, restaurants, pubs, climbing, fishing and more are available on the canal. Take quiet walks in scenery that one only dreams about. Cruising Scottish canals is a short break worth taking. Stop at one of many canal side restaurants or bars for something to eat. Shop at different villages for quiet walks and shopping. Visit ancient castles and take pictures from angles impossible anywhere else but on the canal. Visit and ride the Falkirk wheel. The entire canal boat rides the wheel while you and your family are inside. Since the water in the canals is calm, seasickness is non-existent. Falling overboard is seldom an issue with adults, as the water level is seldom deeper than approximately 4 feet. Swimming may or may not be allowed in the canals. It is best to check before hiring the canal boat. Of course, cruising down the canal ways without going ashore is also a great short break. Driving the boat by day, and enclosing one’s self inside while moored for the night is a soothing alternative to noisy hotel rooms.   My name is Nisha I work as the editor for Holiday365. I have been representing the business for the last 2 years now.

Theatre breaks by Coach http://theatrebreaks.theatre.travel/filter.php?f=HC_COACH

Theatre breaks are one of the best ways of seeing the top London shows, even if you live near London. It might seem a bit mad to spend a night in a London hotel when your own bed is only 50 miles away but please hear me out
Theatre Breaks to Warhorse I was chatting to some folks in deepest Essex the other day and it soon became clear that for them, an evening trip to a West End show was not really a viable idea. They had been to see Warhorse and couldn’t speak highly enough of the show. But they said they’d think twice before going to the West End again. They live just over 50 miles from the centre of London but getting in and out of the city at night is no easy matter. Usually they drive to a train station, park the car there and hop on a train. Driving in the city means congestion charges and parking nightmares so they try to avoid it if at all possible. However, travelling into the city centre by rail at the right time means going against the flood of commuter traffic and paying the peak time fare (4pm to 7pm). You don’t really want to battle with the peak time tubes either so a black cab also adds to the cost. Most shows start around 7:30 but you want to be there a little early to pick up your tickets, maybe have a pre-theatre drink and order something for the interval.  This means you need to eat early (a special pre-theatre menu in one of the West End restaurants perhaps). If you try to wait till after the show to eat then you’ll have much less choice and you may well be rushing to catch the last train home.  The trains do run quite late but it can be 1am or even later before you get home. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Here’s a glimpse of what Warhorse does best – some amazing life sized puppetry:

I gently suggested they might be better booking a theatre break next time and that was when I discovered people have some funny ideas about theatre breaks! Three Myths about Theatre Breaks 1. Expensive! My friends went to see Warhorse. A theatre break with top price tickets to see Warhorse a central hotel with breakfast the next morning starts from  around £120 each. Most sites will let you book your rail fare with a good discount. With  a hotel near the theatre you can  walk and avoid paying for a cab and  most sites offer a special price on a pre-theatre supper. By the time my friends had paid for all their little extras there really wasn’t much in it. 2. Bad seats My friends could only get single seats that were not next to each other. They were top priced seats and very nice, but not together. Most theatre breaks websites have better access to seats than the general public. You can often choose from a range of seat prices. You always get to sit together. The lesser known fact is that these sites often have tickets for top shows (like Warhorse!) that are reserved for theatre breaks customers. 3. These internet sites are dead dodgy! Buying stuff online is part of all our lives these days. My friends are sensible. They bought their tickets from a well known site that they have used before and trusted. That same site also sells theatre breaks!  If you are worried about how secure a site is check out this advice. (Book Theatre Breaks On Line with Confidence) So next time you are thinking about booking theatre tickets for the West End do check round first before you assume that theatre breaks aren’t a better idea.

There’s still a small amount of time left to book  Christmas or New Year theatre breaks but the choice of shows left will keep getting tighter the longer you leave it. Theatre Breaks in the Holidays January is a peak time for West End theatres in general but specific dates around the school holidays always have a high demand and booking tickets only will very soon become impossible for most of the popular musicals and plays.  Not everybody realizes though, that theatre breaks packages will still be available for top shows with good seats and plush central London hotels, long after the scramble for individual seats has subsided. That’s because the holiday and theatre breaks companies block book seats in advance and have priority arrangements with the hotel groups, In this way they can still offer top  seats for London theatres and best affordable rooms in the most convenient hotels for a price that is nearly always better value than that you could put together yourself, even if the dates you wanted were still available. Top Musicals for Theatre Breaks So which are the top five musicals for theatre breaks in London this season? Top new musical for 2011 is GHOST with fabulous rock music by Dave Stewart Ghost

musical: Ghost

starring: Richard Fleeshman, CAISSIE LEVY, SHARON D CLARKE

Book Now: Ghost theatre breaks

opening night:24 June 2011 booking until 13 October 2012.

Top Family Musical, also new for 2011 is MATILDA Based on Roald Dahl’s dramatic novel.

musical: Matilda The Musical

starring: Paul Kaye

Book Now: Matilda The Musical theatre breaks

opening night:25/11/2011 booking until 12th February 2012

LAST CHANCE! Priscilla Theatre Breaks  

musical: Priscilla Queen of the Desert

starring: Ray Meagher

Book Now: Priscilla Queen of the Desert theatre breaks

opening night:March 10 2009 booking until 31/12/2011

Perennial Favourite Wicked Theatre Breaks  

musical: Wicked!

starring: Rachel Tucker

Book Now: Wicked! theatre breaks

opening night:2006 booking until Open Ended

More Wizards and Witches in the West End Wizard of Oz Theatre Breaks  

musical: The Wizard of Oz

starring: Danielle Hope

Book Now: The Wizard of Oz theatre breaks

opening night:March 1st 2011 booking until Sunday October 28th 2012

UK Cheap Breaks by Road or Rail? We started thinking about the question of cheap breaks by road or by rail, the respective merits and downsides toward either train or private car travel here on the cheap breaks blog and I’m afraid it has turned out into something of a monster blog post! Once we got going there were  so many factors to take into consideration that the decision is now, if anything, more difficult than ever unless there are specific circumstances for you which point to one or the other modes of transport, which there may well be, but often isn’t. So here below, for the benefit of anybody looking for cheap breaks in the UK are some of the main issues involved with two of the main options, namely rail and road breaks. Whether to book train tickets or take a car. ‘Staycation’ It seems to be all the vogue these past few years to make a bit of a thing about staycations, the act of taking a holiday within the UK rather than going abroad. Sometimes this could be an extra break added into the busy year, and for some it’s a way of saving money as inflation and exchange rates have made foreign holidays more expensive while people are on ever tighter budgets due to wage freezes, cuts and growing utility and food bills. But we don’t want to look on the negative side of things here at cheapbreaks, we like to make the most out of any situation and discovering more of the UK is a worthy aspiration for any citizen in good times or bad. Decisions Before deciding where to go, how much to spend and where to look there are some basic decisions to be made about the type of breaks that will best fit the bill and one of the first decisions is often going to be about the travel mode. Whether to go by car or by train is the question we’re looking at today, and the answer of course is always going to be “it depends” but we can certainly point out a lot of factors that are going to make that decision easier to make for you. Comparison So what we’ve tried to do is to list some of the advantages and disadvantages of both modes of transport, so you can do a reasonably fair comparison of the two main types of cheap breaks available. 1. Advantages of Self Drive Breaks Let’s start by considering cheap breaks by road, and by that we are not looking at coach trips in this instance, that will have to be for another blog, so we are talking about self drive breaks in the UK either taking your own car or else hiring one for the duration of the holiday. Door to door One of the main advantages of going by car is that you can travel literally door to door. You don’t need to change trains, get a bus to the station or worry about arriving at your eventual destination late in the evening perhaps. So there is no walking involved, no steps or lifts or waiting rooms, no underpasses, overpasses, bridges, pedestrian crossings or any of the other obstacles that can take up as much of your times as the actual train journey. You just have to get that car from your house to the location where you’ll be staying. The luggage travels from door to door too, so you won’t be dragging it around the town and stations. If you own a car, you might as well use it No matter how the price comparisons work out between car travel and the railways, if you need to own a car anyway, perhaps for work, or the school run,  then it’s easy to come to the conclusion that you might as well get the use out of it, in part to justify the considerable overheads of ownership. Be a bit careful with this one though, because you still need to look at the advantages of rail travel which will be described in just as much detail a bit later on, and also consider the hidden expenses of racking up the mileage on a private car, such as depreciation and maintenance costs. It’s not just the petrol. Tax, insurance, maintenance, depreciation all fixed costs The fixed costs of car ownership cannot be denied though, and once you have paid for the annual motor vehicle tax, insurance and maintenance and depreciation based on age of the car, then the cost of NOT making use of the car for more than a couple if days can seem like a bit of a waste.You can’t claim the expenditure back again and put it towards the train fare. 4 passengers plus luggage

How many people will be in your entourage? Even a small family car can carry three or four passengers plus luggage in relative comfort so if you have that many in your party it’s most likely to be more economical by car, but if it’s a family with a family railcard then there are often deals to be had such as 2 kids go free with 2 adults which can tip the balance back towards the train again. Air conditioning, own entertainment Modern cars have air conditioning systems, heating, and in-car entertainment centres so even if you get stuck in a traffic jam there’s no need to get all hot and irritable. You can just sit in comfortable surroundings listening to your favourite music with the windows wound right up so that nothing from the outside world can disturb you. Off the main tracks

The thing about cheap breaks by car, is it’s not just about choosing a particular mode of transport in order to get to a chosen destination, the choice of mode actually affects the possibilities open to you for choosing where you can visit at all.  Rail travel by definition keeps you on the main tracks, where everybody else goes, from population centre to population centre and there are huge tracts of the British Isles which are only really accessible by road.  It’s a great shame, because it wasn’t always like this, but since the Doctor Beeching cuts of huge numbers of smaller branch lines back in the 1960s and 70s, the rail network is really only serving the cities and major towns. And one of the main purposes of going away for a break may well be to get away from such places! By taking a car you can explore quieter back roads, wilderness areas, coasts and estuaries, uplands and depopulated areas where life is very different to the hectic pace of the  city. If the last thing you want to do is be surrounded by other human beings who are travelling or going about their business then taking the car out to one of the rural backwaters may be just the ticket. Flexible itinerary Then when you get there, if you don’t like it you an always go somewhere else! A party in a car can decide when and where to proceed, without being bound by timetables or tickets. Stop when and where you like, take a diversion, go on a long circular or triangular tour, change your mind as many times as you like. It doesn’t matter because with a car you always have that flexibility, whether you use it or not. No Sunday engineering works If you’ve ever endured the misery of the rail replacement bus service on a Sunday due to planned engineering works then you’ll appreciate the fact that never happens if you travel by car. Oh no, there’s just the permanent road works, cones and counterflows from the Hanger Lane Gyratory System onwards to contend with! Sitting next to other passengers The train may be more relaxing than having to drive a car in many circumstances but at least with your own family car you are only sharing the compartment with your own passengers, with whom you have presumably chosen to share your holiday. That should greatly reduce the risk of ending up stuck next to somebody unbearably noisy or irritating, we hope. No waiting around on cold drafty stations Yet another advantage of cheap breaks by car  is really again, just another way of pointing out one of the downsides of rail travel. In a car, you choose your own schedule and depart when everybody is ready, so there’s no waiting around for a late train, or indeed one that is on time when you arrived at the station deliberately twenty minutes early because you never know when you night get stuck behind a tractor.

Useful to have a car with you when camping or picnics

A car can really be a vital part of the holiday when you use it for camping and picnics. It’s a relatively safe place to lock things away such as valuables, and the boot can carry all sorts of useful equipment and provisions which may come in handy for an ad hoc hunger stop or delightful meal with a view. Shelter and comfort And if the weather turns nasty, well you have a nice dry place in which to sit on padded reclining seats, you can even sleep in the car if some disaster happens like a flooded sleeping bag or hurricane force winds.   2. Advantages of Breaks By Rail So now, at last we come to examine the advantages of rail travel for away breaks. It cannot be an exact cost-for-cost comparison, because the economics and benefits are complicated, so you have to weigh up the benefits and challenges of each mode of transport in terms of the overall experience and dependencies. You don’t need to drive For example if you are the person who would be driving, then the journey by train should be less tiring on your eyes, nerves, back, neck and temperament. You may actually enjoy driving in some circumstances, when there is little traffic and the roads are good – but planning a holiday by train allows you to get much further afield more quickly, so can take you to places beyond reach by car. The journey is part of the break Once you’ve found your seat and settled down in the carriage you can enjoy the train journey as part of the holiday. Fields, hills and rivers whizz past the window as you travel in straight lines and gentle curves quietly towards the destination. Non drivers can travel alone There is one category of travellers for whom rail travel affords a particular freedom and they are the non-drivers. As a train passenger, you are free to travel alone if you wish to, or with a party of non-drivers who wouldn’t be able to go away at all otherwise without being totally dependent on somebody else, a possibly less than enthusiastic car driver. View the landscape instead of the traffic ahead

The view from the train will almost always be better than that from a motor vehicle, due to the massive nature of multi-lane roads compared to railway lines, and because both the embankment and the seating position within the railway carriage are much higher up than that of a vehicle on the motorway, so you get to see far more than just the traffic ahead and to either side. Faster There’s only one ultra high-speed railway line within the UK so far, and that’s High Speed One, the line the Eurostar and other trains use from London St Pancras through Essex and Kent towards the Channel Tunnel and beyond, but any of the main intercity routes will be much quicker than the car as well. London to Edinburgh in four and a half hours for example, would reasonably take two days by car if you don’t want to risk the danger of driving while dangerously overtired. City to city So if your planned sojourn is going to be a city-to-city break then the train is by far the best option. It will still be faster, thus allowing a longer time on the actual break itself, provided you have reasonably good transport to the nearest city station, and if you don’t it’s probably because you already live somewhere wonderfully remote and exotic so you don’t need to go away in the first place! If you do live near a station you may also own a car for shopping, local trips and touring type breaks but the train would naturally be the first choice for breaks away from the area. Cheaper than petrol if booked well in advance The trick with getting the best price rail tickets is to book in advance, online, and to check both the period return and two single journey prices. Supersavers superadvance and supergroup saver tickets are all restricted to certain train services so you need to be flexible with your dates and times and plan forward at least three weeks to get the best bargains.  But if you do manage to snag the lowest prices then even with a party of only two people it can work out a lot cheaper than the equivalent cost of just the petrol for a private car, let alone all the other costs involved in  running a car on a road journey. No parking charges or problems With local authorities’ budgets being constrained by local business recession and national government cuts, they are all looking at motorists as a source of revenue these days, and that means ever restricted parking and increasing charges, in addition to congestion charges in some areas such as London. The train of course relieves you of all parking, navigation and traffic problems. Dinner on The Train

Motorway service stations are dreadful places, and all the time you are refueling your own personal tank with low-grade and expensive snacks you  aren’t getting anywhere  closer to your destination. But when was the last time you ate in a good intercity buffet car service? No longer are there stewed tea urns and curling up at the edges sandwiches, those days are gone. Now you can get healthy nutritious wraps and salads, freshly grilled steak hache and high-end branded potato crisps with an interesting selection of regional beers and continental wines from the minimarket style onboard shop. So you can eat and drink in comfort without interrupting your progress towards the holiday destination of choice. Read a book, or use the wifi or power Five hours spent driving a car is just dead time. You’ve covered the miles, but done nothing else of value, but on the train you could have read a whole novel, watched a couple of DVDs ( with the headphones plugged in of course) or indulged in some web browsing or online social networking using the onboard wifi or ambient 3G mobile broadband and taking advantage of the power supply sockets next to most seats on many of the modern intercity train services. Catch the Sleeper, Sleeping Carriage or Couchette Finally, did you know you can still book sleeper carriage rooms on some services, such as Euston to Glasgow or Paddington to Penzance? It’s a premium rate, first class service but you do get to steal almost a whole day onto your break or save one nights hotel bill, whichever way you like to look at it. Paddington Station   So there we have it. A lit of no less than twelve reasons to take the car for cheap breaks in the Uk followed by eleven reasons to take the train. Now I’m sure we’ve left out something equally important to you when making your mind up, and probably you can see alternative points of view which would influence the decision differently so we’d love to hear what you think after all this. Does anything you’ve read make you want to make some new plans or alter your thoughts in any way? What are YOUR main reasons for choosing the alternative you like to take most often?

I tend to bang on about rail travel as preferable to driving, but theatre breaks by coach offer a different kind of experience altogether. People over a certain age may well have bad memories of coach journeys back in the bad old days when there were no onboard facilities, long uncomfortable journeys around bendy trunk roads with groups of badly behaved people and children. I know I do. But modern coaches have air conditioning, plush comfortable seating, traffic news by radio and sat nav, personal entertainment and are a fast and relaxing way to travel hundreds of miles from city centre to city centre. When you arrive in London on a theatre break by coach, you are not left to yourself to find the hotel and the theatre because you are part of a coach party who are all going to the same show and you usually get picked up outside the theatre by the coach which then drives you all directly to the hotel after the show. That can make the whole stopover a lot more manageable for some people. Theatre Breaks by Coach - Theatre Breaks Magazine Another thing I’m really excited about being able to offer now that we have Coach Theatre Breaks available through the Magazine Readers Offers is the opportunity to book a theatre break for one. Yes, there is a single room supplement to cover the extra hotel costs, but it’s a lot better than being confronted with a booking form that asks you to select the number of tickets required starting at two! And if you go on a coach trip to London’s West End as a single person then you have the perfect choice as to whether you want to keep yourself to yourself or socialise a bit with other people who are coming from the same town as yourself and will be around at the hotel and on the coach journey home again after having seen the same show.

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Related posts:Theatre breaks in London Theatre Breaks Magazine London theatre breaks by rail

This article by Andy contains a brief review of Enlightenment at the Hampstead Theatre. We’re always on the look out for new plays and venues for visitors here on London breaks to add to the possibilities for an extra evening out at the theatre, and it doesn’t always have to be in the West End by any means. There are theatre pubs, fringe theatres, off-west-end theatres and regional theatres all within the M25, many within central London itself. The play that was brought to our notice is called “Enlightenment” written by Shelagh Stephenson and directed by Edward Hall, Hampstead Theatre’s new Artistic Director. So Monday night took us to see the venue for the first time, right next to the Swiss Cottage roundabout and tube station. Arriving inside Hampstead Theatre felt more like visiting a leading performing arts centre for one of the major UK cities, like Canterbury or St Andrews, or Exeter. Not knowing anything much about ‘Enlightenment’ beforehand, I was able to deliberately keep an unprepared mind for the unfolding emotional drama as the plot weaved its way through the minefields of improbability. There was a small scientific thread in there somewhere, citing a theory akin to or possibly preceding chaos theory which needs further investigation but the big story was a classic human tragedy investigating the nature of identity and touching themes designed to disturb the audience’s sensibilities particularly poignant to parents. As a father myself, I feel particularly well placed to understand the two main characters anguish at not knowing the fate of their missing son.

The Hampstead Theatre is an impressive modern theatre venue, small enough to be intimate and with perfect acoustics and yet large enough to stage quality serious theatre productions, drawing in audiences from all over the capital, with excellent transport links on the fast Jubilee line and all the central connections just a few stops away, so this would be a sensible logistical addition to any London Breaks package. Enlightenment is a traditionally constructed play in two acts with a beginning, middle and end, realistic characters, a straightforward time line and just about believable events. There are moments where the sanity of everybody is questioned, but that is a reasonable thing for a play to do. The staging is impressively modern and effective with good use of additional sound and video, back projection and slick scene changes with transparent rising and falling furniture. Maybe it was just me but upstairs and downstairs became strangely confused, or was it deliberate? Nothing is quite as it seems with this play which has been running since September, so the acting should be well bedded in by now. There were times when I though the playscript was possibly a class above the performance, but in the second act I dropped that misgiving, particularly with all three female characters who worked well together, and the addition of a sixth character in the second act pulls the whole play together and leaves you on the edge. Cast: Daisy Beaumont Richard Clothier Paul Freeman Julie Graham Polly Kemp Tom Weston-Jones

Love Never Dies By the time many people read this the free tickets competition will be over, so I’ll write about why I think you might like to consider Love Never Dies theatre breaks anyway. I guess you may have already seen The Phantom of The Opera ? The most successful piece of live entertainment ever, it’s been on long enough. Or maybe your parents enjoyed it thirty years ago when Michael Crawford played the Phantom. Well Love Never Dies is a continuation of the story, but with completely new twists. The scene is set ten years after the incident at the Paris Opera House, and the Phantom is now presiding over a huge entertainment complex at Coney Island, New York. He manages to manipulate Christine and Raoul into sailing across the Atlantic and into his lair. But there’s much more than that…

Some of the music in Love Never Dies comes from the operetta genre, some from light entertainment and some even from a rock background. This is the fusion which Andrew Lloyd Webber does so well. The staging, sets and costumes are magnificent, so you really do see a big musical theatre event up there on the big stage. This is certainly not one of your small cast and minimalist aesthetics plays, like many even in the West End, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess are both star quality singers in the lead roles and it’s nice to hear the full orchestra getting a proper work out. Did I mention the free tickets? Love Never Dies Tickets Competition One pair of top price tickets have been donated. That’s worth around £180 normally. Now, you’d need to be able to get to the London Adelphi Theatre for tomorrow night, Saturday 9th October 2010. So if you are in London anyway, and can clear out all of your prior engagements to be free then you’d do well to nip over and quickly enter the simple competition on the Love Never Dies blog. The odds are not against you! Here’s the link again… http://www.loveneverdiesphantom.co.uk Love Never Dies Theatre Breaks If you don’t have easy access to the capital then buying London theatre breaks packages with the tickets and convenient hotel room plus optional discount rail travel is nearly always the best way to go.

Other London Theatre Breaks to see West End Musicals

Theatre Breaks The Wizard of Oz The Phantom Of The Opera Les Miserables Ghost

Thanks for subscribing to Andy Roberts blogLove Never Dies London Theatre Breaks

Related posts:7 Best London Theatre Breaks Theatre breaks in London Theatre Breaks

Midweek Breaks are cheaper than weekend breaks The cost of travel by train, bus or air is always a bit more at weekends and holidays, while the best discounts are always reserved for midweek and off peak travel only. While business hotels may have spare capacity at weekends, all the best Hotels in areas popular for tourism and holidays will charge extra from Friday onwards, with some adding as much as the same amount again to the nightly rate. Everywhere is busier at weekends, particularly on the transport system where reduced services are offered because of the lack of commuters, who pay for the midweek service through season tickets. With so many extra people around, everything seems to tale a little bit longer and is more stressful. Delays are a more frequent occurrence too, which takes all the fun away. Midweek breaks beat the weekend I’m sure you can recall the downsides to travelling when it’s busy, as outlined above. Higher prices, busier travel connections, less relaxation or fun. But there is a very simple way to overcome these problems, just by arranging to take midweek breaks instead. I know it means juggling around work and study priorities perhaps, but the benefits are  many  so why not try and be a little more flexible with your dates and then bag a much better bargain mid week. Less people travelling makes the journey ticket prices lower. You can travel against the commuter flow and have loads of space to yourself as well as easier through connections and onward journeys. That means you can choose your own seat, or maybe even a whole compartment around a table. Hotel and theatre deals will be offered at the best discounts for both the theatre tickets and the overnight accommodation. That’s because midweek for theatres is a quieter time, and there are more likely to be spare seats available. The weekends and children’s holidays always get booked up first. Delays and Weekend engineering works are just not going to happen if it’s Monday Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday. Friday morning can be good too, but watch out for Friday afternoon because that’s no longer considered to be mid week – the weekend starts here. By now you must be sufficiently convinced to book UK  midweek breaks – stay tuned to the midweek breaks blog for all the best special offers and mid week deals.

Here’s the news today, Theatre Breaks have launched their summer offer with a 10% discount off everything on the website! Theatre Breaks site wide Summer Sale kicks off today, June 15th and lasts for the whole of June. Every theatre break booked will be at a saving of 10%… All Shows, All Hotels, All the Extras… All at 10% Off. Here’s the link for the 10% discount: Theatre Breaks with 10% Off Everything So you can tailor make your break as usual with your choice of show, hotel and dates and create yourself a bargain! *Book today for big savings – Theatre & Hotel Packages from just £55.80 per person! *Book today and upgrade to a 4 or 5 star hotel – with the money you save. *Book today and plan ahead – secure your Summer Holiday, Half-term getaway, Christmas do or New Year’s bash – all at a great reduction. The discount will run until 1700hrs GMT, June 30th – leaving you only a few days to take advantage of a great saving on your next trip to London, whenever that might be. Theatre Breaks Here’s the link again for the 10% discount: Theatre Breaks with 10% Off Everything 10% OFF all Theatre Breaks was originally posted at London Theatre Breaks blog

Happy New Year for 2010 from all at the Cheap Breaks blog. The last year has seen some fallback in cheap breaks abroad from the UK due to the Strength of the Euro against the pound whilst there’s been a resurgence of cheap breaks and short city breaks within the UK. Next year will see further developments and small changes but one things for certain, with modern life the way it is there’ll always be a need from time to time to get away from it all somehow, somewhere. Happy New Year everybody wherever you are, and may your 2010 dreams all come true.

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Weekend theatre breaks in London Weekend theatre breaks in London are a good way to fit in a mini holiday. You may not be able to afford the time or money for a full blown break but a weekend in London with a show can be enough to make you feel that you have actually had a holiday. It is all down to very careful planning. Choose your travel times You have to choose your travel times with care so that you make the most of your weekend. If you decide to travel by rail you need to watch out for any planned engineering works that could add frustration especially to your return journey. These are often planned for Sundays so if you can take an extra day and travel back on Monday you can avoid the problem all together. Hotels often offer an extra night for a very reasonable amount and you get an extra day in London. See below for more about Sundays in the city. It would be a shame to spoil your relaxed mood with a disrupted homeward journey. Luckily you can easily check using the trainline.com and find out if there is any work planned for your chosen dates. If there is then it might be best to re-think your dates or travel to London by car. How many days are there in a weekend? Friday If you travel on Friday and return on Monday you can have 3 nights and 2 full days in London. This is ideal if you can manage it as for just 1 extra day off work you can turn a weekend into a mini-break. Travel on Friday afternoon and you can arrive at your hotel, freshen up and go out for a nice meal, or an evening’s entertainment. Saturday Then you have all day Saturday for shopping, galleries or what ever takes your fancy. After an early (5:30-6:30 ish) pre-theatre meal you can get to the theatre in plenty of time, pick up your tickets from the box office, have a relaxing drink and be settled ready for the performance. Most shows finish around 10 – 10:30pm so after the show you will have time for a stroll round the West End, a light supper, a nightcap somewhere or even a club if  that’s what takes your fancy. Then make your way back to your hotel, which, if you were wise when you were booking, will be only a short walk away. Sunday London is a different place on a Sunday. The tourist ‘traps’ are less busy, especially in the morning. London isn’t a city that wakes up early on Sundays so if you are an early bird you can see the sights before most people are even awake. London is famous for its street markets and these are great fun on a Sunday morning. Try Covent Garden’s Jubilee Market or, if you are feeling adventurous, try Brick Lane or Columbia Rd Flower Market. There’s lots of street food available and most of it is very good, so lunch won’t be a problem. After lunch you’ve got the luxury of a relaxing afternoon ahead of you. If you are into art you might try having a look at Tate Modern and if you are really energetic why not take the Tate to Tate ferry that runs between that and Tate Britain?  Or just have a stroll along the Southbank. There’s usually something going on and it’s a great spot for people watching. If the weather is not so good there is lots of indoor entertainment too, maybe even visit the TKTS booth in Leicester Square and fit in an extra show! More shows are doing matinees on Sundays so it is definitely worth checking.  You could even just find a good pub and settle in. Fullers pubs are quite traditional, have very nice real ale and are famous for their pies. If you are near Covent Garden you could try a real Cornish pub, complete with pasties and Cornish beer. Monday morning After the rush hour, and a good breakfast, you check out of your hotel for a leisurely journey home. So you can see how weekend theatre breaks in London really can work for you as a mini holiday if you plan them carefully. a

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I wonder if you’ve ever considered cheap breaks to Ireland, and specifically the North? The reason is because I’ve heard that hotels in Belfast are slashing their prices in a bid to attract more people to the region, so that’s good news for  anybody planning holidays to the North of Ireland in the near future. According to one website, various hotel chains are offering good deals, including the Travelodge, which has rooms from £17 between February 1st and June 6th, if accommodation is booked at least 21 days in advance.  Value breaks across the country are also being promoted by the Irish Hotels Federation for two-night stays at hotels with three stars, which may be tempting for people interested in city breaks, with best prices at weekends. The Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast is ideally located in the city centre, formally the Gasworks area. The hotel is close to the city and out of the way of its hustle and bustle, allowing our guests to have a good night’s sleep and a good time out. Here are some of the best Belfast Attractions to get the most out of cheap breaks to Northern Ireland

The Odyssey Arena Grand Opera House Botanic Gardens- Belfast City Hall Ulster Folk and Transport Museum Queens University The Lagan Look Out Harland and Wolfe Belfast’s ship yard Belfast Zoo Belfast Castle

Arriving at Belfast for cheap breaks by Ferry Belfast Harbour The Port of Belfast is Northern Ireland’s principal maritime gateway, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. About 60% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and 20% of the entire island’s is handled by the Port which receives over 6000 vessels each year. The Port is also a major centre of industry and commerce – its Harbour Estate is home to some of Northern Ireland’s most important urban regeneration projects and it is the region’s leading logistics & distribution hub. With 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast is Ireland’s busiest ferry port. It is also the island’s leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds, coal, fertilisers and cement, and exports of scrap and aggregates. Over 95% of Northern Ireland’s petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port. http://www.belfast-harbour.co.uk Larne Harbour Belfast can be reached by ferry from Liverpool in England and Stranraer in Scotland. Norse Merchant Ferries operate the Belfast to Liverpool route and the journey takes around 8 hours. Stenaline runs the Belfast to Stranraer route and the journey takes less than 2 hours by fast ferry, and 3 hours 15 minutes by slow ferry. Larne, 23 miles north of Belfast has ferries from Troon (Summer only) and Cairnryan (near Stranraer) operated by P&O while Stenaline have a service to Fleetwood (near Blackpool). http://www.portoflarne.co.uk Bangor Marina Bangor Marina is situated on the south shore of Belfast Lough, close the Irish Sea cruising routes. The marina has become well known since it opened for providing a safe berth in the centre of Bangor, a highly attractive town with many places to visit. Bangor Marina is operated by Quay Marinas under a 15 year licence granted by North Down Borough Council. The Marina Manager, Andrew Jaggers, and his friendly team are there to make your stay at Bangor Marina as enjoyable and safe as possible so please speak to a member of staff if you need any help. The Marina is staffed 24 hours a day so there should always be someone on hand to provide any further information. Carrickfergus Marina The marina area at Carrickfergus boasts excellent amenities for berthing, setting sail and relaxing. The impressive marina building hosts the customer service team, who are friendly, confident and experienced, ready to greet any visitor 24 hours a day. Carrickfergus Marina’s excellence has been reflected by receiving the prestigious quality accreditation of 5 Gold Anchor and European Blue Flag Status as well as designation as an RYA Sailability Centre. There’s always a warm welcome from the staff at Carrickfergus Marina and the exclusive amenities provided in the Marina building will make your stay all the more enjoyable. No detail is overlooked in the exclusive berth holder facilities. Immaculately presented showers, and personal laundry service, together with a bespoke marine services area and state of the art meeting/conference facilities, are just some of the facilities available. The area around the Marina is a hub of activity, with a modern complex that offers restaurants, a childrens’ play facility, a hotel, a multi screen cinema, convenient superstore and a vibrant sailing club. There are inviting bar/restaurant facilities overlooking the marina and harbour – the ideal way to laze away a long summer evening or enjoy a hot drink on a winter’s night. The customer service team, located at the marina local information point, will also be delighted to provide information about other activities and places of interest in the town and beyond. There are also ferry services available from Holyhead in Wales, and Liverpool in England to Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire. Other ferry routes to Ireland include Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare in Co Wexford; and Roscoff and Cherbourg in France to Rosslare. For details on routes and schedules please visit: P & O Irish Sea: Troon & Cairnryan to Larne Dublin to Liverpool http://www.poirishsea.com Stena Line: Stranraer to Belfast Fleetwood to Larne Holyhead to Dublin & Dun Laoghaire Fishguard to Rosslare http://www.stenaline.co.uk Irish Ferries: Holyhead to Dublin Pembroke to Rosslare Roscoff & Cherbourg to Rosslare http://www.irishferries.com Norfolkline: Liverpool to Belfast & Dublin http://www.norfolkline.com

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Theatre Breaks Roundup for 2009 Winter 2009 is here and I’m just wondering what sort of a year this has been for theatre breaks. There’s been a recent survey that assures us reality TV has actually boosted ticket sales. The  box offices are claiming the credit crunch has had little effect on bookings with theatre usually full. So what’s been the reality? Theatre Breaks Shows In terms of shows one or two have closed early but the old favourites like We Will Rock You carry on. Avenue Q was saved from oblivion by popular demand and has moved to a new theatre. The Lion King is as popular as ever and proudly boasts that it is so well booked that it has NEVER released tickets to the reduced ticket agencies. Some good shows reached the end of their natural life and wonderful though Spamalot was it really was time for it to say goodbye. It’s been replaced by Priscilla and that has been a fair swap. Carousel never really quite hit the spot and its closure wasn’t any great surprise. It was sad to see the end of Cabaret and a shame they couldn’t take a leaf out of Chicago’s book and find a constant stream of new familiar faces to keep us going back.  Joseph went too and no doubt was mourned by thousands of Lee Mead fans but it was another one that seemed ready to go. No doubt it will be back someday. One show I thought should have done better was Spring Awakening, which I just loved. All that energy and a theatre full of young people the night we went. I felt positively ancient, and that’s a good thing! (honest!)

Oliver has of course been a total triumph with Jodie Prenger making a real name for herself. Who would have thought she’d still be there doing 8 shows a week nearly a year later? What a star. I saw her at West End live this year and she has a super voice and a lovely stage presence. She managed to upstage Christopher Biggins, to great comic effect and that takes some talent for comedy! I think we’ll see more of Jodie once she moves on but for now she seems happy where she is. She’s on her 3rd Fagin and this is the one I’d really like to see. I think Griff Reese Jones will make a great Fagin and be well worth seeing. Hairspray has seen some major changes with the departure of Micheal Ball. Still Phil Jupitus is doing a grand job and Brain Connely was very well received in the part. I wonder how long Micheal will stay away, I’m sure I heard somewhere that he’s thinking of coming back to Edna. We hope! Wicked is going from strength to strength and is the most popular musical at this witchy time of year. Kerry Ellis is just a distant memory now and Alexia Kadhim has made her own interpretation of Elphaba. I think she has a lovely voice, quite different to Kerry’s but wonderful all the same: Click here to view the embedded video. New shows coming in include Legally Blonde which I was less than keen on when first announced. Since then I’ve had a good look at the videos on youtube and listened to the cast recordings and I might just change my mind. It might be fun and has the sort of casting that makes me want to see it. What to say about Love Never Dies (apart from “I can’t wait!!”)? Well it’s definitely going to be a huge event and it should be a spectacular in the best Lloyd Webber tradition. The Coney Island setting should give it a great atmosphere, you know how creepy fairgrounds can be. We’ve all seen Scoobydoo   It’s got two fabulous stars in Sarah Boggess and Ramin Karimloo (I’ve been doing this so long I can now spell these names without flinching!) In the next part of this series of posts I’ll look at the travel aspects and prospects for theatre breaks in London 2010. a

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On Tuesday Nov 3rd 2009 many West End Musicals favourites will be helping light up the city as part of the switch on of London’s Christmas lights. At 3 main venues in the centre of London stars from major productions will be involved in the switch on. Sister Act – Oxford Circus It’s the 50th Anniversary of the Christmas lights in Oxford St and the Sister Act cast will be there in force to make sure the ceremony goes with a swing. The switch will be flicked by Jim Carey (no really, Truman himself!),  the girl group The Saturdays, Taio Cruz will also entertain the crowds. Sister Act Oliver! – Regent St Oliver! star Jodie Prenger and the London Community Gospel Choir will be at Regent St. Colin Firth (down girls!) will be doing the switch on. The Noisettes and  Daniel Merriweather will also be performing. Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Oliver Hairspray – St Paul’s Cathedral The cast of Hairspray will be at St Paul’s Cathedral, along with Spandau Ballet, Little Boots, St Paul’s Cathedral Choir and Bob Hoskins doing the honours. St Paul's Cathederal, London More stars will no doubt soon be announced and I’ll keep you posted here on the Theatre Breaks blog a

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In our first Theatre Breaks video story production two theatre fans are having a discussion about what to do for the weekend… Click here to view the embedded video. If you go online you can get really good theatre breaks deals…

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Jersey Boys Theatre Breaks in London I watched theatregoers young and old coming out of the Prince Edward Theatre into Greek Street one summer evening and they were all oozing with enthusiasm for the show. So what may have seemed an unlikely musical for the London audiences has in fact turned out to be a strong favourite for theatre breaks. The Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons which captures the heady rush to stardom of a group of ordinary boys, and that’s the kind of story which, when done well, can take the audience on a journey that pulls all the emotions in succession. For people of the right age, just the sound of the music is highly evocative but for those too young to remember, the catchy tunes and rich harmonies quickly provoke the same, fingersnapping sense of fun.

Soho Theatre Breaks with the Jersey Boys The fabulous Art Deco Prince Edward Theatre is right in the centre of London’s theatreland, by old Compton Street and Greek Street in the lively Soho area where the nightlife buzzes and a myriad of different cultures converge in the streets, shops and pavement bars.

You might try and get a hotel as close to the centre as possible, to take advantage of the freedom afforded by being able to stroll back to the quiet comfort of your private room at whatever time feel inclined to retire. The Strand Palace down by Charing Cross, St Giles Hotel up at Tottenham Court Road or any of the Drury Lane hotels would be perfect. The whole area is brimming with little bistros and restaurants all doing pre-theatre and post-theatre menus as well so whether you book in advance to eat at the hotel or else wander the streets until somewhere takes your fancy you’ll be guaranteed to find something to suit all tastes. Try not to spend too long making your mind up though! Jersey Boys Cast The London cast of Jersey Boys are all very talented singers and performers in their own right, and have got the Four Seasons’ sound down to a tee. They do also have a strong following amongst female fans who seem to split along lines of opinion as to which Jersey Boy is the best looking, but don’t worry – there are plenty of very attractive Jersey Girls in the stage show as well, and there are many more than just the main stars on stage for the breathtakingly choreographed set pieces. Jersey Boys at West End Live This promotional video follows the Jersey Boys backstage as they prepare for the West End Live event in 2008 and gives a great idea of the rapport and fun between the cast that undoubtedly helps to make the show the success it has become, putting Jersey Boys Theatre Breaks at the top of the London visitors choices. Click here to view the embedded video. ** book Jersey Boys Theatre Breaks  **

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Michael Jackson at the O2 Arena ** book Michael Jackson O2 Concert Breaks ** Concert Breaks from July 2009 to February 2010 The O2 Arena, Docklands is now the premium venue in London for huge international superstar concerts and shows.

Michael Jackson returns to the stage for a historic series of shows at The O2 Arena, performing in London for the last time ever. The controversial but undisputed ‘King of Pop’ performs his greatest hits and dance routines for the biggest gig in town which has now extended right into 2010.  If you’ve enjoyed  “Thriller Live!” in London’s theatreland, then this is a chance to see the real Michael Jackson as well!

Michael Jackson hasn’t played a series of concerts since he last toured the UK 12 years ago, and these huge shows promise a sensational return to the limelight with a high calibre band, state-of-the-art stage show and great support acts. Hotel and Concert Package Breaks You can get one or two night hotel packages for these unique shows, with

Overnight Hotel Accommodation Included 4 or 5 Star Hotel 1 or 2 Night’s Stay Second price Lower Tier Seats (not way up in the balcony!)

Book a concert break to see Michael Jackson at the O2 - July 2009 to February 2010 online via Superbreak.  Package includes tickets to Michael Jackson at the O2 - London Docklands with overnight hotel stay all in the price. Please note that the concert tickets may be for the first or second night hotel stay, depending on hotel, dates etc - just so you know what you want when checking availability.

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London Theatre Breaks in Summer Do you head for the beach in the summer or enjoy the city life at its best? Are you a Sun lizard or a culture vulture? Newquay rave parties or London theatre breaks? Well I like both really, always have done. Wide open skies, summer breezes and casual attire are not only to be found at the coast though. Modern London is full of outdoor seating, cafe terraces and the numerous parks and green spaces are appreciated by people of all ages just enjoying the warm sunshine, with city workers on their lunch breaks joining the tourists, families and digital nomads. ** book London Theatre Breaks **

Riverside Theatre Breaks I know I tend to bang on about the riverside quite a lot but that’s because it’s such a cool place to be and nearly everything happens within a half mile or so or the Thames in London. The Thames is big, and it’s tidal and salty.

The National Theatre is on the Southbank for example, next to the Royal Festival Hall within a short riverside stroll of London’s Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Maritime Greenwich is always worth a visit and so is the London Bridge, Borough Market, County Hall and Tower Bridge area. You’re in a huge metropolis but Ice-creams, picnics and sitting on the sea wall are the things to do, as well as people watching and Pimms. Theatreland in Summer In the theatreland area of London, around Soho, you can have a restaurant meal or drinks served at a little pavement table, just like in Paris or Barcelona and the choice of cuisine is actually wider. For the real night birds there’s at least one street where the bars and clubs stay open all night. You can easily get away from all the fuss if you want though, just dive down a side street and walk ten minutes and you will often find yourself in a quiet mews area with with a leafy square and shady benches. Top Shows for Summer Theatre Breaks

Musical Theatre Breaks London theatre break deals combine top tickets to one of the big West end musicals or a play, with at least one night’s hotel stay plus any optional extras such as discount rail fare, London Eye reservation etc. So the first question is which show to choose. The chances are, you already have something in mind that you’ve always wanted to see on the London stage such as Les Miserables, Grease, Chicago or Phantom of The Opera. Perhaps the new Oliver or Wicked. There are a couple of less well known show you could also pick, such as Sister Act ready for the sumer season, and Spring Awakening which has been throughly recommended. For something that’s already been proven elsewhere you might go for Priscilla the musical, if you like that sort of thing - and who doesn’t? Favourite musicals are probably going to be Hairspray, We Will Rock You, Dirty Dancing and Jersey Boys. West End Plays

Musicals dominate the West End but there are a few more plays to choose from this year, although usually for shorter runs so it depends more on your possible dates for drama theatre breaks. Look out for short runs of Alan Bennet plays, Harold Pinter, Shakespeare’s Othello with Lenny Henry and Samual Becket’s Godot. Calendar Girls runs until September 19th 2009 while Woman in Black, The 39 Steps and The Mousetrap seem to run and run forever. Check Theatre Breaks Availability 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. Or use the following link to begin a new search from London Theatre Breaks: ** book London Theatre Breaks **

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