Birthday Treats @ 42nd Street

During the summer I became another year older and part of the celebrations see me spend a lovely evening with M being wined and entertained in the West End.
I am notoriously difficult to buy for so along with a couple of gifts M booked to take me to see the biggest musical in the West End at the moment.
42nd street opened a couple of months ago and we were lucky to see it on one of the nights that my friends husband is tap-dancing his way across the stage.

Prior to the theatre we dined at The Savoy Grill . The restaurant is associated to Gordon Ramsey but sits within the beautiful Savoy Hotel. In stunning art deco splendour the restaurant is just beautiful.

With a 6pm booking we dined on the pre-theatre menu which offered a great selection of courses and variety of dishes at a very good price.
We both started with the Tomato Gazpacho, followed by the Chicken Liver parfait (T) and Ham Hock terrine (M). Beef Cottage pie with sauteed spinach and heritage carrots was the main and for dessert M chose Dark chocolate mouse with polenta shortbread and I had the Pineapple carpaccio with chilli, lime & mango.

This was accompanied by a glass of prosecco and coffee and chocolates. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious.
The ambience and the decor of the restaurant is real old school art deco British / Hollywood glamour. It was lovely to get dressed up on a Monday night instead of rushing home from work.

After dinner we made the short trip across the road to Drury Lane where we had tickets to see 42nd street.
This show is a spectacle from the point that the curtain rises to the finish. The show set in the post Wall street crash of  1930's New York it features a young wanabee actress who has just stepped off a train from Hicksville, she arrives late for her audition for the chorus line of the newest show on Broadway. With the Director having lost all of his money in the crash he is being funded by an tycoon who wants his ageing actress girlfriend (Sheena Easton) to take the lead. As rehearsals continue tensions grow which results in an accident the night before opening night which sees the novice step into the lead and take Broadway.

The song and dance scenes in the show are fantastic and anyone who has dreams or aspirations to tap dance in their childhood this is a must see show.... I loved it and now cant wait to take M to Broadway and 42nd Street later in the year.

Date Night at the Opera

Catching up on blog posts from Easter and April before May arrives and I disappear for 16 days on an epic adventure (more to follow on that!) - I have over the last few months alluded to being back out on the 'dating' scene and although not quite ready to tempt fate and completely spill the beans, I am happy to report that I have met someone and it looks promising!

One such date night on Maundy Thursday involved a lovely pre-theatre dinner at Balthazar in Covent Garden followed by an evening at The Royal Opera House watching Madame Butterfly.

M & I have known each other a little while now and have shared Bucket Lists's of things we would like to do, see and travel. We started working through the lists as friends and things have kind of evolved - the opera was on M's list and I was thrilled that I managed to book tickets for Madame Butterfly at its sell out performance at the ROH - we were in the nose bleed seats but still able to see and hear everything which was lovely. 

I wanted to go somewhere nice for dinner, we had already been to The Ivy Grill at Christmas when we went to the Ballet and as much as we loved it, I wanted to take him somewhere else, with Balthazar in close proximity this was perfect for a dinner. We both opted for the Pea and mint Risotto, followed by the Pork which was delicious. The pork was served with new potatoes, spinach and a medley of mushrooms.With the restaurant offering a pre-theatre 2/3 course menu this is a great way to eat in a nice restaurant without paying huge prices. The service, food and ambience was fantastic with no pressure to hurry you up.

Going straight out after work is always a balance and I am lucky to work somewhere that I can get my hair blow-dried, my nails paited and my make-up done. As you can imagine I took full advantage of this and felt fabulous i my gorgeous winter white DKNY trousers and black top. 

Not a huge Selfie fan but it was a must in the fabulous New York feel bathroom in Balthazar.💖

Date night continued at The Opera which was delightful. I loved that the 'words' were highlighted overhead to your seating areas so it was like watching a real live film with subtitles. On previous opera visits I haven't had this and have had to struggle along a little.

The performances were heartrendingly beautiful by the lead Butterfly and the Captain was a complete Cad. We loved it and started our Easter off perfectly.

A treat of an evening.....

Wow January has passed in a flash, but before we fall into February I am sharing one more post from my activities over the festive season. An annual tradition for me for many years is to see The Nutcracker Ballet, whether in New York of London, I always try to get to see a performance. This year I managed to get tickets for the English National Ballets performance at the London Coliseum, where I booked to take a friend for their 50^th birthday. (they had never been to the ballet and I was able to put a big tick against a wish on their bucket list)

To make the evening even more special I surprised them with starting the evening in The Savoy for drinks before moving onto The Ivy Grill Marketplace in Covent Garden for dinner. This was my first time at this restaurant and I loved it, ambience is gorgeous and the food was delicious. It was the perfect prequel to a delightful evening at the ballet.

The Savoy this year was a decorated opulently in pinks and silver and was just beautiful. The tree in the foyer was sponsored by the jewellers Boodles and was very pink but oh so pretty.💗

The interior of The Savoy was as equally as beautiful in greens and silver with a real art deco style and just quite magical.






The Ivy Marketplace was equally as gorgeous in a colourful cacophony of baubles, wreaths and a stunning tree outside in the courtyard which complemented the large baubles and mistletoe decor of Covent Garden.
This did nothing to distract how delicious the food was, a perfect venue for pre-theatre or a special dinner.

After a very lovely supper it was a short stroll to The Coliseum, where we were swept up in the magic and sparkle of a Christmas Ballet.
No matter how many times I have seen The Nutcracker I never grow old of it and it is a delightful treat to watch and see the delight on my friends face. 
The Nutcracker featured lots in my Christmas 2016 - from the fabulous Nutcracker Soldiers outside Liberty's that I walked past most days, to Candles burning on the fireside and tags on the tree I have lots of lovely memories to add to 2016's Christmas album and look back on in future years.

Theatre Nights ......

So I was lucky enough to get to the theatre 3 times over the festive season – twice in the West End and then again at my local theatre and loved every minute.

My first theatre night was early December where I was fortunate enough to have bagged a preview ticket for the much anticipated Dreamgirls staging. Those familiar with the movie (Beyoncé , Jennifer Hudson & Jamie Foxx ) will know that it follows a trio of girls who in the early 60’s embark on a journey which sees them taken from backing vocals to being the star act across the globe, based loosely on the story of Diana Ross and The Supremes, it is not without its back stabbing and jealousy’s and a fantastic soundtrack.

 Taking the lead role of Effie is the extremely talented Amber Riley (formerly Mercedes from Glee and currently part of the judging panel on Let it Shine) who was made for this part. With a ‘Full House’ board displayed outside The Savoy theatre there was much anticipation and excitement in the air before a note was sung on stage.  Staged a little different to the film it is the role of Effie that takes the lead and Amber Riley is just fabulous, having loved her voice in Glee I was interested to see how much of that was ‘real’ or just edited for TV. I can honestly say that this girl has the most amazing voice and belts out the soundtrack – it is the first time that I have been to the theatre and an actress has received a standing ovation as the curtain closed at half time.

With a great supporting cast, this is a fantastic feel good trip to the theatre and as good as the movie. Highly recommend seeing this before the cast move on to other things, I enjoyed it so much I came home and booked tickets for February to take a friend.

My second trip to the bright lights of the West End was to take a friend (M) to see The Bodyguard, and I bagged tickets for it penultimate night before it heads to Toronto. This also happened to fall on 12^th night after Christmas and felt like the final festive treat before saying goodbye to Christmas 2016.

 I saw The Bodyguard a couple of years ago when Beverley Knight was playing the lead and was thrilled that she had returned for its final run. Those familiar with the movie will know that the two lead characters played by Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner take on the role of famous singer / movie star and a bodyguard. Ben Lister (Casualty, The Bill / Footballers wives fame) takes up the role as The Bodyguard and plays it brilliantly. Again with a full house, this was a fun packed evening filled with lots of trips down memory lane and a soundtrack that you could sing and dance along to until the final curtain. Beverley Knight is fabulous and really doesn’t get the accolades that she deserves as a female British singer. Sadly The Bodyguard has now finished its run in The West End and I am glad that we caught it before it closed.

My final trip to the theatre was a little closer to home where New Year’s eve eve saw us take in the local pantomime of Cinderella. I haven’t been to the pantomime since I was a little girl, when my nan and gramps used to take all the grandchildren and I had forgotten how much cheesy fun it could be. Annual trip to the pantomime is a tradition of M’s and I am sure that it will become mine now as we laughed lots and got involved in all the banter of “booing” and  “he’s behind you”, I must hasten to say I was a little more reluctant than M! Obviously the Ugly Sisters stole the show with their double entendres which were wasted on the kids but loved by the adults.

For a local show the cast was great and super talented as they all at some point during the show played musical instruments on stage – it’s the first time I’ve ever seen Cinderella playing a trombone! I had a fun filled evening and now look forward to this Christmas delights.

Guilty pleasure .....

A few weeks ago I spent a lovely evening with my friend C celebrating her birthday with some fabulous food and then an evening of entertainment at the Royal Albert Hall. It is ages since we both have caught up in much detail and it was nice to spend some time chatting over dinner before we headed to what is one of my favourite venues in London. 

I had booked for her birthday tickets to see Michael Bolton, now those that know me well and have followed my blog over the years will know that this isn't the first time that I have seen MB and it a bit of a guilty pleasure for both me & C.

On arrival at the venue we had a little problem with our seat, and the lovely man was able to accommodate us by moving us and we ended up in a box for the night!...so much fun!

With Gabrielle warming up the crowd Michael opened to a lively audience of which he serenaded, rocked and crooned his way through an impressive set list. What I like about seeing MB in concert is that his sets are incredibly varied, an acclaimed songwriter he has the ability to cover multiple genres and generations with his songs that he has written for himself as well as others.

Set list for the evening included;

·         To Love Somebody

·         Sittin on the Dock of the Bay

·         Said I loved you but I lied

·         That's Life

·         You Don’t know me

·         Nessun Dorma

·         When a man loves a women

·         To make you feel my love

·         Time, Love & Tenderness.

We had a fabulous evening, singing and dancing along with many others and have no doubt that we will book again to see Michael when he tours again.

Don't Rain on my Parade....

This week, previews of Funny Girl started at The Savoy Theatre beginning its West End run after a successful staging at The Menier Chocolate Factory in South London.

It is here that I saw this fabulous musical at the end of last year, which sold out its run within hours.
Funny Girl is the biographical story of film star and comedian  Fanny Bryce and her tumultuous relationship with entrepreneur Nicky Arnstein. The film of the story was made world famous by Barbara Streisand and Omar Sharif and the characters have been owned by these since. It is hard to imagine that anyone else can step into Streisand's shoes and own this role as well as her, but there may after 50 years be a successor!... Sheridan Smith has taken this role and made it her own.
Those not familiar with the plot, Brice rises from the chorus line of the Broadway musical and vaudeville line after being discovered. Briefly she meets Arnstein after her debut performance and their paths cross as Fanny's success grows and their romance flourishes. Fanny and Arnstein marry after he wins a fortune in a poker tournament. They move into a mansion, and Fanny takes a lead role at the Follies, returning to Ziegfeld who made her a star. Arnstein's various business interests fail and he refuses to take any of his wife's monies, involving himself in a bonds scam which leads to him being jailed for embezzlement.
Sheridan is supported with a fabulous cast and Arnstein is played by Darius Campbell. This musical is fabulous, Sheridan Smith is a Star; if you have a ticket to see this then you are in for an evening of sheer entertainment. With songs as legendary as the stars; People, Don't rain on my parade and Funny Girl it is a treat for every musical fan.
 I am booked to see this again at The Savoy and I can't wait.

Hello Adele.....

Sometimes the most unexpected of things happen which result in one of the best things of 2016 so far!... I was very lucky to be given a ticket to see Adele in concert at one of her 8 sold out nights at the O2.
Having been a fan since the release of her debut  '19' album, which cemented further with the release of  '21' album. I was thrilled when she broke her hibernation from motherhood to record the fantastic theme tune to Skyfall and then subsequently come back with a huge HELLO with '25' at the end of last year.... What I love most about Adele is her ability so stay close to her roots, demonstrated with her slurping a mug of tea during her live set Friday.
Adele's set list was fantastic and she kept it moving with some great set and stage theatrics which lended itself beautifully with her songs.
There was only one song that Adele could open with and that was of course Hello...

From the opening bar, Adele held that audience in the plam of her hand for the entire 2 hour set.... she interacted with the crowd in her interminable style, fabulously leaking that she will headline Glastonbury this year. Talking of style she rocked a custom bad Burberry sparkly dress and killer red nails gloriously. Had complete hair and make-up envy as well! (yes the girl crush continues!)

Its hard to share my favourites as I had so many and You tube is full of great vidoes from the evening... here is my Bond favourite.. Skyfall

and one of my favourites from 25... All i ask

Adele was simply fabulous.... i had an amazing time, she took you on an emotional journey filled with love, laughter, heartbreak and fabulous memories. Definitely one of the best live performances that I have seen. Adele's back catalogue reads like a playlist to my life and this is one of the reasons why I think she resonates with so many.... breathtaking.... thank-you Adele.

Goodbye November ....

Well not sure where November has gone, but December is a sleep away and 31 days until 2016!.. eeek. For someone who didn't have much planned in November, I didn't get much blogging done and failed miserable with by BEDN challenge!

November was filled with lots of remembrance activities and the desk and Taylor were suitably styled.
I spent a night at the movie's watching Spectre and loved it.
Another night out saw me at the theatre watching Funny Girl, starring Sheridan Smith as Fanny Brice who is quite simply fabulous. This musical moved to The Strand theatre in April after its run at the Menier Chocolate theatre and urge all to grab tickets.
This kits also got to go out in Taylor for there annual check up and inoculations at the vet. Both were little stars and very good for the vet. They have been enjoying cozy nights in in November, cuddled up in front of their little fire.

November saw every retailer have a Black Friday frenzy... The big yellow store was no different. With a 5 day promotion of 20% which made for long days, lots of yellow bags and a big tick on my christmas lust & wish lists!!

Lots on insta love this month as the Christmas countdown began...

* Love Chalkedbymabz red cups chalkboard image... November kicked off the Starbucks red cups for 2015.

 *A special little boy turned 1 at the end of October and here he is skateboarding with his uncle! 

* Christmas adverts started to appear and Mulberry's is just lovely, how gorgeous does this mulberry bayswater look in the fire light... Dear Santa....

* ValerieMckeehan's hot chocolate chalk mugs are just delicious.

* Just loving Claridges Christmas styling this year and this little Nutcracker scene outside Paula Fitzherbert's room is perfect.

* Stunning image of the cenotaph from magic_moments1994 sums up the whole occasion.

* With a trip to NY pending, how stunning is Johnnyyonkers Lower Manhattan skyline.

* Loving Emily Quinton's fairy light styling and looking forward to trying some styling tips of my own this year. and finally Instagram love wouldn't e complete without an image from David Gandy .. this month at the Fashion Council awards!

November saw me attend an evening of Crime with Patricia Cornwell. It was an evening filled with mystery, forensics and fun. Here is more detail on the evening.

As November closes I am furiously packing for a trip to New York ... so farewell for now and see you when I am back ..... pop onto my Instagram feed to follow my adventures stateside!

... 

An evening with the Divine Miss M....

Most of us within our heads or on a piece of paper have a bucket list of things to do / see / achieve within our lifetime, one of my bucket list moments was fulfilled on Sunday night when I saw the divine Miss M in concert. I am of course referring to the fabulously entertaining Miss Bette Midler. I have been a huge fan of hers for many years, and thrilled to have finally seen her live in all her ballsy glory.

It's been 35 years since Miss M last appeared on stage in the UK, and that was a week's residency at the London Palladium, therefore tickets were in high demand when released early this year for a UK tour.

With an O2 filled to the rafters with an age range of twenties to nineties from gays to grannies and every camp in-between it really was a divinely fabulous audience to be within.

The show started with a bright pink whirlwind filling a huge video screen, culminating in Bette arriving on stage on a huge throne – a reminder to us all on what a huge force of nature this pocket rocket whirlwind is. Sashaying across the stage in a tiny pink mini dress Bette demonstrated what a remarkable women she is at the grand age of 69. With an opening line of "We're here to lift your spirits like a boob job for your soul" she did not disappoint. ( I had serious leg envy throughout)

Bette is not shy of talking her opinion and thoughts, with frank honesty and it is this that sets her apart from some of her contemporaries, she is ballsy, bawdy and incredibly funny, on introducing her backing girls "The Staggering Harlettes" she commanders them to "wave to the wankers in the luxury seats" pointing to the corporate boxes to much laughter from the audience.

This was the last night of the Divine Intervention tour in the UK and Bette was going home in style, veering from schmaltz to smut in seconds without breaking stride.

Bette resurrected many favourites during her 2 hour set, including the fabulous Winifred from Hocus Pocus, complete with huge wig and buck teeth and a great rendition of "I put a spell on you" along with her alter ego Sophie Tucker which made an appearance  during "A Bird in the Hand" whilst dressed as a cabaret corseted burlesque feathered bird. Her other alter ego Delores Delago the wheelchair bound mermaid also made an appearance in video form along with a little dig at Lady Gaga who in recent years has performed a similar character. It wasn’t just Lady Gaga that Bette shared her views on Miley and the Kardashians were also a key talking point…. Bette lamenting that Boobs were no longer in fashion and it was now all about bums now!... this led into much discussion of social media & sex tapes with Bette sharing some of her supposed steamy conquests… including Boris Johnson, Jamie Oliver and Jeremy Clarkson (0-60 in 0.5 seconds) much fun and banter!

Bette is brassy, bawdy and never less than brilliant, when introducing one of her most famous songs The Rose she deadpans; "I know you're all going to want to sing along to this one…. Please don't. There's only room for one diva in this room!... which is met with rapturous applause from the crowd.

The divine Miss M's set culminates with three show belters; The Rose, From a Distance and Stay with Me, followed by an encore of her spine tingling Wind Beneath my Wings, and then Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Bette then treated us to a further 2 encores before finally leaving the stage after a heartfelt thankyou to the audience, "I don't know why it's taken me so long to get here" she tells a crowd, who have for 15 minutes been on their feet giving her a standing ovation.

Over the 2 hours BM showcased why she can flip between Broadway and Hollywood so effortlessly …. Something that I don't believe that she has got the credit that she rightfully deserves; Miss Midler is not for the faint hearted but she is also one that shouldn’t be missed,… they don't make them like that anymore a living showbiz legend. It really was a slice of Broadway/ Las Vegas under the dome of the O2… perfect entertainment for a Sunday Night….
here is a video of part of The Rose and Wind beneath my wings

Thank you Miss M… a huge tick off my life's list.
Bette is a fan if social media and shared some images before arriving on stage and a gorgeous instagram of her and Adele.... 

An evening with Bradley Cooper....

twice in 6 months!... yes I have been lucky enough to spend an evening with Bradley Cooper both in the UK and state-side in the past 6 months!
Back in December I was lucky enough to get a preview ticket for this show just before opening night and was excited to see this play back on the stage that Bowie headlined back in its Broadway debut in 1979. The Booth theatre is an old Broadway theatre steeped with history and old school new york style, opening in 1916.
This visit was unplanned and was fantastic, I was blown away by Coopers performance
I loved this interview with Bradley where he talks about a famous actor who came to watch.... I may have just been there at the same time!

When I read earlier in the year that Bradley & co were heading across the Atlantic to London for a limited run of the critically acclaimed play I grabbed a ticket quickly. This play is not an easy watch; it is dark in places and can be uncomfortable at times, however this is exactly what is should be due to the subject matter and the manner in which John Merrick was treated.  For those not familiar with the subject matter; Joseph Merrick is born with debilitating deformities which see him as a point of ridicule, fascination and often as a 'circus' act freak show in the Victorian era. Rescued by Frederick Treves a leading doctor at the Whitechapel London hospital, Treves gives Merrick a home and looks after him away from ridicule and torment.

It is a moving and humbling journey and Bradley is simply stunning as Merrick. 

The play's success is built on that the play uses no prosthetics, trick lighting or gimmicks to portray this story. The floorboards are bare and set pieces are minimal. Coopers transforms on stage as Treves lists the deformities that Merrick had, and holds this for 2 hours a night on stage. He has in recent interviews detailed the back pain that he is suffering with since taking on this role.Supported by Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivalo it is a phenomenal performance and shows that he isn't just a pretty face.

The Elephant Man is only on for a short period and do think its one of the must tickets for the summer of 2015.
As well as seeing a great performance on stage it was also very lovely to see Mr Cooper in person as he left the stage door exit shortly after the performance finished..... I did think of my friend Ali, who is a huge BC fan and has had a starring role in a couple of her books!...

Christmas isn't Christmas without Buble...

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a sprinkling of Michael Buble!... along with his festive album's, he has over the past 4 years owned the holiday season special.  He is a much part of my holiday traditions, which is why I was very excited to get tickets for his London show in December.
I have seen Michael Buble several times over and is one of my favourite live acts.... an all round entertainer.

Michael opened the show in glamorous red lit stage to Fever complete with legendary slide action!... he had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand... Michael's set list comprised of 20 songs and 4 for an encore, including some Christmas favourites - owning the stage for 2 hours.
Set Listincluded: Fever, Haven't Met you Yet, All I want for Christmas is you, Try a Little Tenderness, Mack the Knife, Moondance, Come Dance with me, Feeling Good, Crazy Love,

I've got the World on a String, Everything, Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, White Christmas, Home, Let it Snow ,

Get Lucky, Ain't Too Proud to Beg,To Love Somebody, All you need is Love, Burning Love, Its a Beautiful Day.

To Love Somebody, All you need is Love, Burning Love, Its a Beautiful Day.

Michael crooned through many of his classics, fighting a cold and being very naughty with the audience!.... his opening speech promised a lots of fun, entertainment, some Christmas classics and to all the reluctant men in the audience a guarantee of some hot dirty sex when they got home!... much to the laughter and the camera crew zooming in on 2 very cute little girls in the front row!... this set the atmosphere for the night, which was fun, festive and fabulous.

Encore:
Cry me a River, Save the Last Dance for me, Christmas (baby please come home)
and my absolute favourite A Song for You

Michael put on a fabulous show and did not disappoint, the O2 was full to the rafters and every one was on their feet cheering at the end..... I loved it, he made me laugh, cry , dance & sing... the perfect night and a fabulous prelude for Christmas.... Christmas really isn't Christmas without a little Buble!

Boe & Burgers with friends...

4 weeks ago back in December part of my Christmas activities included taking some special ladies in my life out for the evening to see Alfie Boe. The golden girls as they are affectionately known are big Alfie fans and I grabbed tickets for them as a Christmas treat.
We headed to the O2 early so that we could make the most of the evening, the O2 has undergone a huge development of food offers and we were pleasantly surprised at the choices we had, opting for burgers at Byron.

A couple of us opted for the Holy Cheesemas  ~ 2 6oz patties, four kinds of cheese;mature cheddar, american, red leicester, monterey jack, double bacon, red onion , iceberg, pickles & cheesemas sauce. With sides of fries, onion rings & a Brooklyn Beer it was the perfect pick me up from from stateside slump having returned from NY that week.

Having been fed and watered we moved into the arena to be entertained by Mr Boe for the evening. We saw Alfie in Brighton in 2013 and expected a similar type of how, how wrong we were, this was a completely different show, complete with a fabulous orchestra & band.

Highlights of the evening were of course the gorgeous "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.

• Alfie accompanied by Rick Wakeman ~ Volare 
• Alfie singing Oh Danny Boy

At the end of the evening Alfie pulled a lady Emily out of the audience who asked to sing with him and this is what happened... Alfies reaction is just lovely

.

Myself and the golden girls had a fabulous evening and I am delighted to have ticked another box on their bucket lists!

A Sunday at the Savoy

This time last Sunday I had just checked into The Savoy Hotel for a day and evening of sheer indulgence. Having visited this gorgeous hotel for afternoon tea and a fabulous cake masterclass previously, I had high expectations of a stay. I was not disappointed.
Sweeping up the drive and through the revolving doors and being greeted by one of the Savoy's doorman into a world of old school glamour was everything I thought it would be. We were seated in the lounge to check in and then led into an express lift to our floor.

My friend and I were in the basic room, but even the Savoys basic room is sumptuous, with silk lined walls, murano glass chandeliers, Italian linens and marble floors from designer Pierre Yves Rochon.
I loved the desk space, complete with bespoke leather desk set designed by Bill Amberg.

We had a lazy afternoon, making the most of the room, I indulged in a very big bubble bath and book before getting ready for our evening out. The bathroom was small, but gorgeous.... complete with fluffy white Savoy bathrobes.

After a lovely relaxing afternoon, we headed out for our evening which included dinner at Simpsons on the Strand and then entertainment at the Theatre Royal with Tony Hadley (posts highlighted for each)
Our evening was fabulous, made even more so by not worrying about grabbing the last train and just walking a short walk back to the hotel for a nightcap. There is only one place for a late night nightcap at the Savoy and that is in its legendary American Bar. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, many American Bars opened throughout London. The American Bar at The Savoy is the longest surviving of these bars and one of the most iconic cocktail bars in the world. Having undergone a huge refurbishment the American bar oozes old school glamour, complete with baby grand piano, and photographs and memorabilia from its famous patrons of the by-gone years of old.

We had an indulgent hour sipping cocktails and people watching, I am sure if the walls of that bar could talk, then it would have a tale of two to tell! With great service and perfect ambience the American Bar really is one of the best of its kind. 

The hotel and lobby looked as inviting at night as it did during the day, with the fires lit and a feeling of cozy, the perfect place to come home to (even if for just one night).

This feeling of decadent cozy carried all its way through to the room, where housekeeping had worked their magic in our absence and turned down the bed and laid out our complimentary slippers.

The bed was a real 'princess & the pea' bed and I had to jump to get on it!... it was one of the most sumptuous beds I have ever slept in perfectly complimented by the very high thread count Mascioni bed linen. If only we could of sneaked it home with us! C had to be surgically removed from the bed, and even jumped back in when dressed to savour the luxury.

Monday dawned bright, and with notification of potential protests and disruption outside the hotel left on our TV the night before we were not surprised to disembark from the lift for breakfast and see secret agents & bodyguards in the corridor. (later found that the African investment summit was being hosted at the hotel and 3 of the African presidents were in the hotel)

We chose to take breakfast in Kaspars, which again was part of out Sunday package.

 



We opted for the 'Savoy' which was plentiful. Fresh juice, toast, coffee, pastries and a full English.... perfect way to start a Monday morning with a leisurely breakfast and a browse through the days news.
Kaspars is accessed through the Thames foyer, which is another breakfast location for the hotel and the perfect location for afternoon tea. The floral displays are beautiful and the orchids amazing.

With a last minute look at the American Bar, which is as lovely in daylight as it is in the candlelight.

 It was soon time to leave our little bubble of indulgence of The Savoy and head home. I had an amazing time at The Savoy, it was decadent but worth every penny that we paid for it. Throughout our stay we could not fault any part of it, service, standards and sumptuousness were in abundance. Now saving for a return visit........ Thankyou Savoy is was glorious. x