Something For The Weekend

Free fun for the whole family...

So, you need to show someone a good time this weekend but your wallet's so empty it echoes. The great thing about heading to London is that you can not only dazzle people with the sheer weight of stone-clad history all around you, but there's also always something free going on. Here are just a few suggestions of how to titillate your weekend guest:

Nan
If your Nan likes a good nose round a market as much as mine then the Past & Present Antiques & Crafts fair will be the perfect place to take the her for a Saturday stroll. It’s in Wanstead Place (off  Wanstead High Street) and ok, it’s not completely free, but I’m sure you can find 50p behind the sofa.

Discover London Trails – Nans love that Trevor MacDonald off the telly. Take her to discover some of London’s forgotten gems with the venerable Sir Trevor’s dulcet tones to accompany you both. Download the guides from the website. There’s even info on where you can stop for a cuppa  half way round.

Bessie mate
Disco Brasil – You and your mate can boogie the night away to axé, forró, samba, funk rio plus R+B and soul classics. Free entry before 9pm. Corks, Bond Street.

Hootenany at the Big Chill House – music, comedy and all sorts of fun sundries with a New Orleans feel and plenty of Southern Comfort splashing about. Charity donations go to help the musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina - 2pm to 11:30pm. Perfect if you danced a little too hard on Saturday night.

Auntie Wilma
Indian food tour - take her on a walking tour in Fulham to learn about the food,   dance, fabrics and culture of one of the world’s most colourful nations. Saturday 2:30 starting at West Kensington tube station. One of a series of cultural walks.

Sunday night jazz – let her reminisce about her beatnik days with the Chris Saunders Quartet. Sunday at 7pm - Park Tavern, 212 Merton Road, Southfields (020 8488 8855).

Niece
Getting a bit mucky is always fun when you’re a kid – how about one of these creative workshops?
The Plot Thickens – let her get her imaginary fingers green and design her own seed and magical plant. Suitable for children from 5+.
The Building Exploratory, Hackney - 10:30-12:30 Saturday.

Chinese characters workshop –  she'll learn all about the Chinese calendar animal for her birth year and make some calligraphy art for mum to put on the fridge.
Sunday at the National Maritime Museum

Uncle Roger
Born to rock – The life and times of the electric guitar.
Harrods has gone rock and roll – hosting a free exhibition on the history of the guitar. Take Unky Rog for a bit of fret-fondling fun.

So don't worry about this weekend, we've got it covered. For loads more free stuff to do in London check out London Free List.

Roll on payday - that's what we say!

It's hip to be square

   

Sloane Square has to be one of the most prestigious of London addresses - slap bang in the middle of everything. It's only fitting, then, that The Sloane Square hotel is a pretty prestigious looking place. It's all about luxurious surroundings with a friendly, personal touch. You get that impression straight away from the pretty, fashionably-floral lobby, which has an open fireplace flanked by two quirky, life-size dalmatians. There are also reading seats and shelves of books for when you have an hour or two to kill.

In fact, one of the nicest things about The Sloane Square is that despite being a big place, it manages to steer well clear of the impersonal, uniform look that you get in so many 100-room hotels. The compact rooms are all very cleverly laid out with maximum use of the space: 32 inch flat screen TVs adorn the walls without being too obtrusive, bay windows looking out onto the square are used for cosy window-seats and the gleaming, chrome and porcelain bathrooms have a bespoke feel with not a plank of MDF in sight.

I was amazed by how quiet the rooms were for such an old building - even those facing out onto the square - evidently the new double-glazing is doing its job! You get a choice of views, depending on your room, either the people-watching perfection of Sloane Square, the tranquillity of Holy Trinity Church behind or, if you can stand the temptation, Tiffany's on Sloane Street. The rooms also have very large windows and great light - particularly in the conference room.

The hotel restaurant, Chelsea Brasserie, is tucked towards the back of the building - a calm mix of crisp linen, bare brick, decorative mirroring and soft, bottle-glass lighting.  The chef has come from Racine in Knightsbridge, which, I'm told, was recently voted Best French Restaurant in an ITV poll. With dishes like Confit de canard, oregano glazed turnips, kirsch and griottines sauce (mains £13-19 approx) I think it's fair to say you won't be disappointed if you're looking for some Gallic delights.

All in all, The Sloane Square is a lovely spot to lay your head after a night out in London Town. If you fancy a trying it out for free, enter our competition to win a two nights there.

Alternatively, if you'd rather not leave it to chance, book here from £126

Sara Sha'ath

come to the Cumberland

Bournemouth is the gem of the south coast, with golden, blue flag beaches to stroll in the daytime and a bustling town with plenty of nightlife to keep you busy in the evening. But, after a day’s shopping and strolling, wining and dining, where will you rest your weary (and slightly woozy) head? Well, there’s a soft, white pillow at The Cumberland Hotel that will do very nicely! Ten minutes walk from town in the East Cliff area, overlooking the sandy, kid-safe beaches and the pretty promenades (in fact, there’s a pathway or a cable car you can take down to the beaches) it couldn’t be in a better spot.

It’s a stunning Art Deco Hotel that’s been refurbished recently to an amazingly opulent standard – we’re talking Italian marble floors and Italian slate fireplaces here. You’ll feel like a twenties film star relaxing in the opulent lounges and sipping glasses of champagne in the chic Ventana Bar. The Mirabelle dining room is completely stunning in stylish black with carefully placed beveled mirrors that give it a grand, designer feel. The food’s delicious; they have a constantly changing menu, which their chef designs using fresh local produce.

In such a gorgeous spot by the sea, the views from the front facing rooms are amazing (see the main picture at the top) – if you pick one of the balcony rooms you can listen to the distant waves, breathe the fresh sea air and even get a little sun on your face if Mother Nature’s in good spirits. Even if you don’t go for a balcony, there’s one of Bournemouth's biggest outdoor swimming pools to laze by with a book and a spritzer. The Cumberland is also associated with the neighbouring Suncliffe and Cliffeside hotels meaning that there are even more facilities available; the Suncliffe, in fact, has an indoor leisure complex complete with indoor pool, spa tub, sauna, minigym, tournament size squash courts and rooftop helipad (ok, maybe I’m fibbing about the last one).  The Cliffeside has another outdoor swimming pool too. 

So the Cumberland is pretty much the ideal Bornemouth retreat, glam and gorgeous interiors,  spotlessly clean and super-comfy rooms and prices start from just £60 per room bed & breakfast or £80 with dinner.

If you're feeling lucky, though, we're giving away a weekend stay for two in The Cumberland. We'll even throw in a couple of tasty breakfasts - just head here to enter.

free love

January was a very long month and if, like me, you’ve been living on a diet of jacket potatoes and fish fingers (mmm... frugal staples) then taking that special someone out for a slap-up meal might be a bit too much for the overdraft to bear. But, as the queen of the music-screen proclaims so convincingly, love don’t cost a thing – there are tons of great things you can do in the nation’s capital without spending a penny (not that kind of penny, you can do that as much as you like). 
And, as a girl who hates all things corny and floral-scented, not going to the usual bars and restaurants also means you’re guaranteed not to be accosted by some old hag with a bucketful of cheap, cellophane-coned roses (guys, we hate having to carry those around all night). So what cool things can you do with your guy or girl this Wednesday night?

1. Go for an quiet Thamesside walk from London Bridge to Tower Bridge. It’s always amazing how much calmer London seems by the river at night and, if you think you’ll need a conversation piece, they’re lighting up the buildings round there in all sorts of spectacular ways this week. Check it out here.

2. While we're on the subject of romantic strolls, there are tons of great spots in London to wander with a picnic and watch the sun disappear behind the skyscrapers. Try Alexandra Palace or Primrose Hill, (though if you choose the latter make sure you've got your trainers on for legging it to the gates before they close the park).

3. If you’re lucky enough not to have to work in the daytime on Wednesday, why not Head to the Horniman Museum (not quite as risqué as the name might suggest) to check out the beautiful aquarium and take a stroll until dusk in the gardens.

4. Avoid the cringe-factor altogether by heading out for a night of comedy – ok you might have to buy a couple of drinks, but Wednesday is a free open mic night at the comedy café.

5. Or, if you’re looking for something totally gratis, why not head to the BBC studios to be part of the audience for Danny Wallace’s School’s Out it might not be the most romantic thing you’ve ever done but at least it’s original.

Failing all that, if you’re really stuck for something to do and you haven’t two fivers to rub together, you could always attempt the school-kid classic of dumping your boy/girlfriend days before a present-buying event and then just asking them back out again afterwards. (It’s best to leave a cooling off period of at least a week I find – especially if you used one of the old "emigrating to Australia"/"think I might be gay" excuses.) It might seem a bit extreme, but at least you’ll get the chance to dance the night away at lastminute.com’s FREE Anti-Valentine’s singles party.

Step aside, Cupid. We're sorted.

Sara Sha'ath

win tickets to London Fashion Week

It's all about the fashion darlings. We know as well as anyone that you can get the latest catwalk creations in Primark for a snippet of the price, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't spend it like Beckham if we had the dosh!

If you can't go out and splurge, you can still ogle in delight at the fanciful creations coming to a copycat store near you next season. Enter this great competition to win ‘money can’t buy’ tickets to a catwalk show at the prestigious On|Off event during London Fashion Week, thanks to your coconut rum chum, Malibu.

Stocked in all the leading bars across the world Malibu is now a huge hit with the fashionistas of Sunset Strip and Tribeca in the US being served with cranberry and a twist of lime. This season, Malibu continues its commitment to fashion in the UK by supporting On|Off.

London Fashion Week returns to the capital on 12th February 2007 and Malibu is giving one lucky reader the chance to attend Bérubé one of the coveted Autumn/Winter ’07 catwalk shows being held at On|Off by arrangement of the Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, W1, on Tuesday 13th February at 2.30pm. 

The normally invite-only catwalk show will give you the chance to view exquisite collections from one of London Fashion Week’s most celebrated young designers and also rub shoulders with the fashion elite. There ain't no Primark in this collection, but you can guarantee they'll have a spy there taking notes. On|Off is a key part of London Fashion Week and is internationally renowned as the life-blood of fashion, art and design talent in London. The three day event will feature exciting shows from both new and established designers, an on site boutique run by Marylebone store Jezebell, and an exclusive art exhibition featuring a collaborative piece by Izima Kaoru and Erin O’Connor. Trust us, you don't want to miss this prize.

ENTER THE COMPETITION NOW

Priscilla, Queen of Sydney...

I forgot to mention last night that Sez took me past the pub that features in the start of the movie Priscilla! Now, I have a little thing for our lady Charlene, so this was very VERY exciting to behold. I didn't go in of course because... well...

a) it was late, and

b) I'm not transexual.

Although, on that subject, Dad's friend Brian who we're staying with in Wellington does know a transexual man who now has a girlfriend. A transexual lesbian. He runs a music shop and is apparently very nice, so we're going to say hello when we get there.

But anyway, The Imperial was very flash from the outside. It sits on a corner in a Sydney suburb called Erskineville, which is where Sez lives, near Newtown. I think they filmed the opening and closing scenes in there, all in one day.

So I've now been to Erskineville everyone. How cool is that? Shame I've still never been to Me.

For more of Becky's travels down under head here

The Critic's Circle Theatre Awards...

It was all go this week when Alistair and Mark dressed up nice and smart for The Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards at the Prince of Wales theatre. As well as the champagne, other highlights were Rock ‘n’ Roll winning two awards (one for best new play and one for best actor) and Connie Fisher winning her first major theatre award – go Connie! We knew she was a winner from the moment she blubbed about her grandma in front of Graham Norton. Bless.

The Awards were hosted by the Prince of Wales theatre’s Chairman, Charles Spencer, who’s also a top theatre critic at The Daily Telegraph. Comedian, broadcaster and award-winning playwright Arthur Smith was the guest speaker and yours truly, lastminute.com, sponsored the event. And no, not just so that we could get a good seat, (although it helped of course, daaaahling).

As ever, the ceremony was quite an informal gathering of award recipients, the drama critics, theatre practitioners, and the media luvvies who relished the excuse to take another afternoon off work, much like Mark and Alistair, obviously. The critics’ personal choice of the best in theatre from throughout the whole of the UK were rewarded for their talents, efforts and contributions, and because there was some truly fabulous theatre in 2006, nobody really knew who would scoop what until they were announced. Edge of your seat stuff, folks.

In the end, here’s what happened:

Best New Play: ROCK ‘n’ ROLL by Tom Stoppard
(Royal Court Theatre, London / Duke of York’s Theatre, London)

The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical (new or revival): CAROLINE, OR CHANGE - (National Theatre, London)

Best Actor: RUFUS SEWELL in Rock ‘n’ Roll
(Royal Court Theatre, London /Duke of York’s Theatre, London)

Best Actress: KATHLEEN TURNER in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
(Apollo Theatre, London)

The John and Wendy Trewin Award for Best Shakespearean Performance: TAMSIN GREIG in Much Ado About Nothing
(Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon / Novello Theatre, London)

Best Director: JOHN TIFFANY for Black Watch
(National Theatre of Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

Best Designer: THE PUNCHDRUNK FAUST COMPANY            
(21 Wapping Lane, London)

Most Promising Playwright: NINA RAINE for Rabbit
(Joanna Morgan Productions at the Old Red Lion Theatre, London / Trafalgar Studios, London)

The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer (other than a playwright) awarded jointly to:  ANDREW GARFIELD in Beautiful Thing, Burn/Chatroom/Citizenship & The Overwhelming
(Sound Theatre, London; National Theatre, London & National Theatre, London)
    
&  CONNIE FISHER in The Sound of Music at the Palladium

See them all in action. Book your theatre tickets here

Win Dumb Waiter press night tickets...

Fancy seeing funny man Lee Evans in action? We've got five pairs of tickets to the press night of great new play The Dumb Waiter next Thursday (8th Feb) at 7pm. Email us now to win, with the subject line DUMB WAITER.

This is your chance to see The Dumb Waiter before Joe Public. Be there with the critics and journos, have your say and tell your mates (and us) what you think before the reviews come out.

This is a major West End revival by Nobel Prize-winner Harold Pinter - The Dumb Waiter is actually celebrating its 50th anniversary!  Even if you don't win, make sure you treat yourself to a viewing of this rarely performed one-act play. Not only will you get to see the hilarious Lee Evans (The Producers, Endgame, Mousehunt, Funny Bones) but you'll witness Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter, The State Within, Black Hawk Down) treading the boards in London.

So, what's it about? Well, here's the blurb: In an airless basement room, two killers await confirmation of the identity of their next ‘hit’. They’re a team from way back but today, something has disturbed their normally efficient routine. Unseen forces bear down on them in their precarious and darkly funny world. Meanwhile, increasingly bizarre orders keep arriving via a serving hatch...

Intrigued? Book your tickets and get up to 50% off