Please can you help me to plan DH 30th Birthday in London?

[LoveMyGirls]

Dh asked ages ago if we could go to the comedy store in London for his 30th birthday, we're on a budget of around £80 per night but it is during the summer holidays so it's going to be tricky, there will be a group of us, probably between 6-10 of us.

We plan to travel on the Thursday (his birthday) and stay somewhere just the two of us (don't mind changing hotels so could go somewhere possibly with a pool/ massage for a bit more money?) and go for a nice but not stupidly expensive meal (any reccommendations would be good please?)

During the day while we wait for friends/ family to travel down what would you suggest we do?

Thank you

What does your £80 budget include - fares, meal, hotel, Comedy Store tickets? and is ot £80 each or for the 2 of you.

Sounds a tall order tbh - maybe look at lastminute.com?

£80 is for the room for both of us.
Tickets for comedy are about £18 I think.
We'll probably travel by train.

I've looked on last minute but tbh I've no idea about where we need to be near etc

Dh has never been to london btw and I went briefly last year, before that I went when I was about 14.

I'm afraid you'll never get a decent hotel for that amount in London.

Ah ok thanks, what sort of price is minimum?

Why don't you google 'hotels for £80 a night near the Comedy Store, London Uk' and take it from there?

I'm now thinking maybe we could do the manchester one because it might be cheaper?

Right have spoken to DH and it does need to be London and budget can be a bit more, does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

I don't want to rain on your parade but this is going to be a VERY expensive trip and I'm worried that you're going to be landed with an exorbitant bill. If you live in a nice part of the country/have a half decent house, have you thought about coming houseswap withhere for a week and doing a houseswap with another family? You wouldn't necessarily have to bring your dc if you have gps or similar for them to stay with. It would cut down the accommodation costs. Otherwise you could try hostels or b+Bs in London but their quality is very variable and you would probably feel you had been ripped off plus they are usually in fairly downmarket areas. You may find some clean, basic ones around the main line station terminals, but it is always best to go on personal recommendations .
Alternatively try travel lodges or premier inns which are usually of a quaranteed good standard but not necessarily in the heart of
London and don't have restaurants or even breakfast supplied.

To get the most out of your trip and be within walking distance of the Comedy Store location you would be best to stay in Covent Garden or Picacadilly - both expensive areas. Covent garden is an exciting place with lots of bars and restaurants and you can go to the market and see the outdoor (free) entertainment plus have a coffee at the Royal Opera House

Have any other got any advice for the OP?

Sorry - I meant have any other Londoners got any advice for the OP?

Try the yha type accommodation on that bugdet. there are hostels near Victoria station I think and if you have a big group of you you might be able to book a room for your exclusive use - not a romantic option tho! There's loads to do in London for free try signing up to the le cool London newsletter to find out what's on.

Thank you Crystal for taking the time to try and help me, I stayed in Holborn nr Covent garden last year and it is lovely so i understand what you're saying, I think we're going to have to accept it's going to cost a lot, I'm trying to keep the price down for us as well as the other people who will want to come, DH said he'd be happy if it was just us but I know his sister and brother and their dp's also want to come and probably at least another 4-5 friends too.

His priorities are:
Comedy Store (he loves comedy!)
London (because he has never stayed in London and it's our capital city so he wants to have had that experience once in his life)
To be with me (aww)

So if this is what he really wants I want to make it happen for him, he is so lovely and hardly ever gets anything for himself, I also think he's having a bit of a wobble about getting older, I'm turning 30 this year too but I'm happy about it where as I think he is starting to feel his egg timer might run out iykwim, he's started eating better, taking up exericse etc to try and be healthier so he can live longer He's starting to think about things he wants to do and experience in life and I want him to be happy so if this trip costs us a bit more than planned then I think he's worth it and works hard enough.

I have found St Giles the reviews are not fabulous but it would be ok I think?

Yes, St Giles looks good for your budget. It is in walking distance of Oxford Street (the shabby end but never mind) and you will be able to walk back from the Comedy Store (although quite a long walk). As this is London University student land there are some small Italian restaurants nearby which are fairly reasonable (and can be quite romantic) bearing in mind London prices. I've been to one or two so I know.

On the face of it the hotel looks a good choice and if it were me I'd put in a reservation asap because London is always booked up well in advance. You can always unbook if need be because most hotels don't take a non returnable deposit unless you cancel late in the day.

Hi, have you tried gumtree.com? Or if it's during summer holidays, all the universities rent out their dorm rooms b/c the students are gone. Hope you've sorted it all out, but I live in London let me know if you need other tips.

Can you clarify how many nights you'll be there on your own and how many with the 6-10 other people? Are they all adults?

Just walking along the South Bank from Shakespeare's Globe theatre/Tate Modern towards Waterloo (where you'd go across the footbridge to walk to the Comedy Store) is very pleasant and interesting in the summer.

oh God somebody with a babysitter to give them a weekend away

I'd better leave before my jealousy ruins your thread

Look on www.laterooms.com. There are quite a few small hotels in town houses which may be an option.

I recently went to London in a group and we stayed in citidines ( I think that's the name ) near trafalga square which are studio apartments sleeping up to 6 and is very cheap !

Unless you wnat the hotel to be a key part of the experience just check into one of the central Travelodges or PremierInns - not luxurious, but clean, central and budget orientated.

What sort of things does he enjoy for the daytime, and what sort of meal do you think you would enjoy? Loads of nice things to do - on Friday walk down the riverbank fro the London Eye to Borough Market, past the Globe, Tate Modern, enjoying sights such as the beach on the S Bank. Or get a boat down the Thames to Greenwich and go to the Maritime Museum or the Astronomy Museum at the Observatory on the dateline.

Carluccios is a nice small chain of tasty food, or the Brasserie in the Royal Festival hall with great views over the river, or we can suggest some of the more good value / good food places near Covent garden?