For an enjoyable night out in London, nothing beats a good old west-end show. Combine it with a stay in one of London's many hotels and you’ve got the makings of a fantastic weekend.
To get to London, the train is often the best option. Check out prices on www.thetrainline.com for an idea of costs, although if you do have a railcard this might be able to get you a good discount on a weekend.
Depending on the show and seats available, you can pay anything between £15 and £170 for a ticket. Much more on the budget end but by no means a budget production is the hit-musical Wicked. As 'the untold story of the Wizard of Oz', this spell binding performance will send shivers down your spine as you watch the excitement unravel on stage. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt even took their kids to watch it for Maddox's 10th birthday. Based at the Apollo Victoria Theatre opposite Victoria train station, tickets start from £15 per person for a matinee performance in a circle seat, although these are the front two rows and therefore do offer restricted views in terms of being able to see the stage floor. A £27 ticket, still in the circle, is further away from the stage although you will still get to see all the action.
So if you are just in London for the day, two tickets is £54 which leaves £46 towards dinner if you don't want to spend any more than £100 as a couple. If you are planning n staying in London for the night, you have a few options that you can take advantage of. Firstly, those on a real budget can make use of one of the many hostels in London. Not so romantic but if you stay somewhere like the Generator Hostel in Tavistock Place, you can be sure of quality hostel accommodation starting from less than £25 per night in a shared dorm.
If it's a hotel you are after, the London House Hotel near Bayswater underground station offers quality three star accommodation starting at £90 per room per night on a Saturday. Breakfast isn't included, however you would be able to pick up a few bits and pieces form Tesco and head down to Hyde Park to enjoy a lazy brunch in the park. Wifi is at a surcharge here but you have the whole of London to explore so you probably won't spend much of the daytime inside. So £45 for you stay, £5 for your breakfast, £27 for your theatre ticket and you still have £23 each for dinner (try a Pizza Express deal to keep costs low) and a few drinks at some of London's lively drinking establishments.
