Something For The Weekend

Let London take your breath away this weekend

It’s not often that you’re literally left open mouthed with wonder or surprise, but if there’s one place that can inspire slack-jawed amazement it’s London. We’ve picked out our seven wondrous ways that London can leave you breathless this weekend:

1.    Lord of the Rings on stage – this is by far the most visually stunning show you can see on the West End. Possibly the most visually stunning show of all time. If seeing an actor disappear before your very eyes doesn’t inspire a gasp then nothing will. Tickets still available for this weekend* from £20.

2.     St Paul’s Cathedral – we don’t care if you’ve been a Londoner all your life, there’s no reason to leave the best bits of our city to the tourists. Looking up at the grand domes of this awe-inspiring building will make you marvel at the man’s capabilities. Visit for evensong at 5pm and you’ll be struck dumb by the floating beauty of the acoustics.

3.    Thames Speedboat trip – see London with an extra injection of adrenaline. There’s nothing like a bit of high-octane, super-speed fun on the river to re-invigorate your love for London. Be warned, you’ll need to hold on to your hats when it corners. Tickets from £9*.

4.    View from the London Eye – it’s always surprising how tightly-knit London seems when you’re high above it all. The gherkin looks close enough to reach out and touch from the top of the wheel’s arc…bit smaller, mind you. Tickets available this weekend – adults £19.75, kids (5-15yrs) £11.20*

5.    Asia de Cuba – one of the most beautifully designed restaurants in London, loved by critics and diners alike. Everyone who walks into this east-meets-west fusion restaurant stops in their tracks when they see the stunning décor. Enjoy a three course meal for just £25*.

6.    London Zoo – you might think that zoos are just for kids, but it’s good for us all to see something outside of our cooped-up, highway and high-street lives once in a while. Watch the gorillas’ social grooming and remember that there’s much more out there than deadlines and the 9 to 5. Adult tickets for this weekend from £16*.

7.    Amora Academy of Sex and Relationships – ok, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it will definitely make you wonder. Explore the seven interactive zones on the journey through a relationship. If it doesn’t make you gasp out loud it might well make you blush.
Tickets for this weekend from £8*

*at time of writing, prices and availability are subject to change.

Abroad in Britain

It’s a little known fact that a bag of soggy chips on a windswept bench are not, in fact, the compulsory ingredients of a British weekend. No one needs to stay prisoner to the crummy weather and predominantly grotty tourist attractions. (Oh come on! The London Aquarium is one thing, but Bognor petting zoo is quite another.)  It’s possible, in fact, to spend a whole weekend in the UK without stepping foot in a pub. No, really!

Here some bites from abroad to be found in good old Blighty:

Festival: Tour de France
Check out the spectacle of dozens of international cyclists competing in this year’s Tour de France. They’ll be parading round Trafalgar square at 6pm tonight and there’ll be live music to follow. On Saturday there’s a carnival of floats circling the route round London that the cyclists will be taking from 1pm and then another chance to see them ride as the “prologue” sprint starts at 3pm. Finally, on Sunday the Grand Depart of the actual Tour de France will start at the Mall. Get down there to check out the champions.

Exhibition: Ice Station Antarctica
Do you have what it takes to survive the coldest, windiest and most remote place on Earth? Pull on your long-johns and brave the freeze at the Natural History Museum.

Film: Golden Door
Emanuele Crialese’s story of a Sicilian family emigrating to America is steeped in the magic and superstition of their rural homeland. Salvatore, head of the family, takes his family’s life in his hands, holding them together through the chaos of the journey and the baffling immigration process beyond. Two hours of poetry and adventure with bizarrely surreal interludes… go with an open mind and you’ll love it.
Buy tickets for Golden Door at a Vue cinema near you.

Gardens: Mediterranean Summer at Kew
Sod the rain, you could be wandering through balmy olive groves, sniffing scented pine woodlands and watching the palms sway on a sandy beach. Kew are hosting a summer long homage to all things Mediterranean and from similar climates as far afield as Australia. It's the closest you can get to that sunshine-and-sangria feeling without fishing out your passport. Dip your toe in Kew's Med.

Win a weekend at the Church Street Hotel

The hotel industry has realised, at long last, that people would rather stick hot pins in their eyes than stay in a characterless chain hotel. So we’ve seen dozens of smaller “boutique” hotels springing up in the last few years. But it’s not just size, or lack of it, that makes a hotel feel warm and inviting. You can’t just chuck in the odd patchwork quilt and call a Travelodge quirky. A real boutique feel takes time and effort, and the Church Street Hotel has had just that.

Bought by brothers José and Mel Raido, what was once a shabby, south London hovel is now a beautifully decorated haven of Mexicana. The transformation has been a labour of love on José’s part; he’s put a skilled hand to everything from the vibrant lacquer-effects on the walls to the 100-year-old reclaimed tiles on the lobby floor.  Each room has its own bold colour scheme with original artworks on the walls chosen for the purpose and brought back from Mexico by Mel. The dark hardwood and cast iron furniture contrasts really well with the bright colours. Hand-made touches everywhere give the rooms an authentic, homely feel while the vivid artwork, traditional Mexican ornaments like Lupita dolls and hand-painted bathroom tiling lend a really strong character to the place (no Ikea-cloned “style” here).

The communal spaces also double up as art galleries. In the lounge they’re currently exhibiting a set of Romanian icons. It’s here that you

can breakfast on organic bakes, Neils Yard yoghurts, organic juices and Guatemalan roast coffee while you flick through the ample selection of reading material or 
just watch the world go by out of the window.

Aside from the totally unique décor, though, it’s the little touches that make Church Street really stand out from the crowd. Like the choice of bedside reading material, in my case, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and De Niro’s

autobiography, which for returning customers, Mel adapts to taste. There was also a pot of their father’s 10-year matured hot pepper sauce in each room for those who really want a taste of Mexico. Though be warned, José told me that the reason you have to wait 10 years is that it will blow your head off if you eat it too young - so handle with care!

The rooms at Church Street Hotel are compact, but they really have that wow factor. Not only will you have a lovely stay, but if you’re anything like me you’ll go home with an itch to re-decorate your whole house Mexican-style.

Think you like the sound of Church Street Hotel?

To be in with a chance to win a weekend at this hotel, email us with the subject line "Church Street" and include your name, address and phone number.

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Better than strawberries and cream

We might not boast the world's greatest tennis players, but if there's one thing we do have in the UK it's an absolute abundance of fabulous food. Alright, we might have borrowed from other cultures here and there (there's only a certain number of ways you can serve up roast lamb after all), but isn't that what it means to be British? Let's celebrate our great restaurants and drown our Wimbledon sorrows:

Love-£15:

Imli, London - four dishes lunch menu with a complimentary glass of wine or blended fruit beverages and a dessert £15 per person. A new Indian tapas food concept offers a casual but sophisticated dining experience. Imli guests will experience a variety of tastes, textures and ingredients of beautifully prepared dishes for sharing with friends, family and colleagues.

mybar Bloomsbury, London - three course set lunch menu with a complimentary glass of wine or a yummy wellbeing smoothie £15 per person. An informal and enjoyable environment to eat, drink and chill. The space is flexible enough to accommodate your rock star girlfriend or your conservative grandmother. Either way both will have the opportunity to sample light snacks, meals and memorable cocktails.

Check out all our Love-£15 offers

Love-£30:

Archipelago, London - three course menu with a complimentary glass of house Bordeaux wine £30 per person. A chance to be adventurous and try some exotic dishes: crocodile, peacock and kangaroo or standard classics like chicken, fish, lamb and an array of vegetarian options. Amazing dining experience to remember.

Stanza, London - three course dinner menu with a complimentary cocktail of your choice £30 per person. A vibrant British restaurant and bar on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the heart of London's West End. Located at the site of the former Teatro and under new ownership and management, this art deco inspired space promises to be a fantastic addition to the area.

Check out all our Love-£30 offers

Love-£40:

Asia de Cuba, London - three course menu with a complimentary glass of Mojito cocktail £40 per person. A stunningly beautiful restaurant. The tasteful decor includes giant golden reception stools, teeny bar tables on stilts and toilet doors that seem to appear from solid walls. All done with style beyond imagination. Even budding architects will be impressed.

Cinnamon Club, London - three course set menu with a complimentary Cinnamon Bellini and paired wines £40 per person. A popular place that has it all. Beautifully designed indian cuisine that will tingle your tastebuds with fabulous flavors, traditional ingredients and spices with a western twist.

Check out all our Love-£40 offers

See Orlando in the flesh

The lastminute.com girls can barely contain themselves. Our homegrown Kentish boy turned Hollywood superstar is back in the UK and... gulp... on stage in the West End too. Join the ladies swooning in the aisles and the real thespians who are here for the gritty, very human drama of In Celebration (ok, maybe for a peak at Orlando too). Tickets from £40.

Check out the video blog:

Cathy meets Ash…

  In summer 1995 things were very different. Britpop ruled the world, everyone was watching Peak Practice and it was actually sunny (we think). Best of all, everyone was humming a sunny fuzz-guitar pop diamond called Girl From Mars by three 17 year olds called Ash. 12 years later and Ash are still only 30, but are now veteran rock ‘n’ roll stars, with awards, albums and a Charlotte Hatherley in their back catalogue.

Our intrepid reporter, Cathy Elves met up with bass player, Mark, to talk New York, saving the planet and why new album Twilight Of The Innocents is their last.

You’ve built your own studio in New York. Tell us about it.

Basically we’ve built our own energy efficient studio in New York where we know all the energy is supplied from renewable sources. We also produced the whole of Twilight Of The Innocents there ourselves. I’m really into doing everything we can about global warming and I even wrote to Richard Branson asking him to offset Virgin Atlantic’s carbon emissions. He hasn’t replied as yet.

So you’ve moved to New York now?

I just got sick of London and had felt I’d lost my passion for things. When our tour to America finished that year, I kind of just ended up staying. I’ve definitely found a deeper political interest now I’ve moved here… I’m passionately against Bush and his cronies.

Where do you go out?

To the Lower East Side as that’s where all the bars are but I generally like to stay in Brooklyn as it’s so much cooler than Manhattan – and loads of places to go for drinks.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

I’m far more influenced by American music than British music. The stuff I’m listening to on my MP3 player at the moment are A Brand New and Muse.

Where do you go on holiday?

I go snowboarding and I particularly like the West Coast and Tahoe.

So what are these rumours about this being your last album?

We just think that downloading is the future and definitely the greenest way of releasing records. We will only do singles in the future. We just don’t want to get stuck back in the three year cycle of releasing an album.

Click here to win tickets to go and see Ash

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The couch potato's guide to the weekend

When you open those curtains and there seems to be a leak in the sky, it’s time to get those stretchy pants on and chill at home. Let Vicky show you how to slouch with the best of the recent releases:

Get some snacks, sit back and relax with a…
1) DVD: Hot Fuzz. If you loved Shaun of the Dead then Hot Fuzz is for you, it's another essential piece of British comedy this time poking fun at the cop movie genre.
Simon Pegg plays Nick Angel a police officer who is so good at his job that he makes everyone else look bad. So instead of being praised for his efforts, Angel is sent packing to a West Country village where a swan escaping from the local park is classed as some serious action. He is paired up with excitable, action-movie junkie constable Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). He sees Angel as a chance to see some real gun-blazin’ action, except nothing seems to happen in Sanford, or does it? A series of surprisingly gory deaths leads Angel to believe this quiet town may not be so quiet after all, it might just be time for these cops to get their guns out...

2) Busy yourself with a book:
For the ladies – If your feeling sorry for yourself because your stuck indoors then A Piece Of Cake by Cupcake Brown will make you grateful for your situation.
Cupcake turned her life around and this is her brutally frank, startlingly funny story. Unlike any memoir you will ever read, A Piece of Cake is a redemptive, gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contemporary urban life and survived it. It is also the most genuinely affecting rollercoaster ride through hell and back that you will ever take.
For the fellas – A Spot Of Bother by Mark Haddon. Like a lot of guys out there George Hall doesn't understand the modern obsession with talking about everything. This is the kind of book that you will want to read out loud to whoever is around at the time, if you're at home with your partner then fine, but try not to do this when your on the tube – mind you the crazy man on the tube does get the pick of seats.

3) Time for some tunes:
Depending on your mood, Maroon 5 – It won’t be soon before long could be your new CD to do your dusting to or you could pop Calvin Harris – I created disco into your CD player and dance around your living room like a crazy person with a hair brush in one hand and the words in the other.  You're in the comfort of your own home so why not? Go I on, I dare you.

4) Bring on the games:
We all know old school's cool, so why don’t you get that dusty guess who game down from the attic? Or if you need a little more technology then why not look daft with your family and friends and have a play with a Wii, you can look ridiculous and have a bit of a work out at home rather than the gym.

Win a weekend in the Fota Island Resort

Welcome to Your own Private Island...

Fota Island Resort is Ireland’s newest luxury destination, nestled at the heart of a peaceful island, surrounded by gorgeous scenery in County Cork, and lying in a 780 acre estate which is included in The Inventory of Outstanding Landscapes in Ireland. A unique combination of championship golf courses, a stylish hotel and spa, luxurious residential lodges, a world class golf academy and a proposed marina, Fota Island Resort is a marriage of style, fine design and workmanship set in an idyllic coastal landscape. This is a special place – relaxed, indulgent and beautiful – somewhere you will never want to leave.

The Sheraton Fota Island Hotel and Spa is the welcoming hotel at the heart of the Resort, with 123 en-suite rooms and 8 private penthouse suites with warmly inviting interiors. Offering superb views of the woodlands or golf courses, the spacious bedrooms are supremely comfortable, with the renowned Sheraton Sweet Sleeper beds.

Sheraton Fota Island Hotel and Spa has a tempting selection of restaurants with excellent food to choose from, including The Cove, a gourmet grill room specialising in locally caught seafood, fine Irish meat and organic produce. Fota is the delightful all-day dining venue with an outdoor terrace for balmy summer days, and the more casual surroundings of the Amber Lounge provide a wonderful mellow setting for a coffee during the day, a traditional afternoon tea or perhaps sample one of over 75 whiskeys by the fireside after dinner, including some from the nearby Midleton Distillery. 

The sensuous and indulging Fota Island Spa is a world-class destination spa, spread over 1600 square metres. Fota Island Spa has 18 treatment rooms offering over 60 treatments. With couple’s suites, a hydrotherapy suite - including the first ‘walking river’ which uses water currents and reflexology to revitalise - plus the Acacia thermal suite with tepidarium and hammam, there are also three luxurious beauty rooms, affusion showers, floatation baths, a thalaxion room and conservatory.  Fota Island Spa has recently become a member of the Starwood Spa Collection, a portfolio of 50 of some of the world’s most prestigious full service destination spas. What better way to wrap up your weeeknd?

To be in with a chance to win a weekend at this amazing resort, email us with the subject line "Fota Island" and include your name, address and phone number.

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Win a weekend at Tigerlilly...

Tigerlily is Edinburgh’s most exciting boutique hotel, bar and restaurant and we're offering you the chance to win a weekend in its luxurious confines. Just email us with the subject line Tigerlilly to be in with a chance.

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Situated in the city’s historic George Street, the five storey, A-listed townhouse offers award-winning interior design that fuses opulent Georgian features and innovative post-modern detail. 

The 33 individually-designed bedrooms, with choices such as the pink suite and the black room, all offer a luxurious experience and exquisite detail, such as the fine Egyptian cotton sheets, giant shower heads and hand-made chocolates.

Guests love the sumptuous surroundings of the restaurant and two chic cocktail bars, which feature a giant mirrored mosaic, cloud lighting and a rotating disco ball, while club Lulu is a hit with grown-up revellers. 

Cool, glamorous and fun, Tigerlily has fast become the hotspot of the Scottish capital among locals and visitors alike, offering ground-breaking standards of innovation, service and style.

Lee Mead speaks to Becky on the Lord, loincloths and keeping his head screwed on...

Having been gripped by the BBC battle that had my friends and I clutching the arms of the sofa and spilling ridiculous amounts of red wine on white soft furnishings for the past few months, it was a pleasure to finally speak to the man who emerged triumphant. Granted, I had to wait about three days to catch Lee Mead. As his PA called me up for the twentieth time and explained that he’d just been dragged in another direction by another film crew, I was beginning to think I’d never get to tell Lee, phone to phone, how it was my vote that pushed him over the finish line – (although clearly the 7 million people who’ve been rooting for him had a say, too).

It’s all been Go-Go-Go for our new Joseph, so how’s the West End’s latest steak-eating sex symbol dealing with it all?

“Well it’s all a bit mad really, I’m rehearsing 10-7pm and I have to fit the gym in too….” (That’s for the loin-cloth, ladies).  “On the Sunday after the final, I recorded the pop video for the single which was amazing - all a bit surreal - and I’ve just gone straight into rehearsals with the cast.”

The single is a recording of Any Dream Will Do, with the B side a version of Close Every Door featuring all three finalists. What’s it like to have a single out within a week of winning the show?

“It’s great, and all the proceeds are going to Children in Need so it’s just nice to be able to do this for charity. I’ve done some charity recording before, back in college, but Any Dream Will Do is at number 18 in the charts already through downloads, and went on sale in the shops yesterday.  I don’t know what I’ll do if it makes number one!”

Throw a big party perhaps? Although there’s probably no time for that these days. Tell us more about the rehearsals – how are you working to become the next Joseph in such a short space of time?

“Yeah it’s not long – the first preview is the 6th of July and then we open on the 17th!  We’ve all been learning the score for a few months though, so now it’s just really learning the stage directions and trying to put a stamp on the role. I’ve played lead roles before, Chris in Miss Saigon and Raoul in Phantom, but I was the understudy, so it was always like I had to give the role back – it was never really mine. Now, playing Joseph I can figure out little ways to make it my own. It takes time to find your feet. I just saw the theatre too, yesterday. They’re building the sets at the moment. There’s going to be a huge story book that opens out - it looks amazing actually!”