good stuff: things to do this christmas

November 20th, 2009

If you’re keen to get into the Christmas spirit, there are loads of things to do this year in the run up to the big event.
 

The European Christmas markets are great places to do your gift shopping

4* cologne fr £135

4* dusseldorf fr £111

4* brussels fr £120

4* vienna fr £144

Here’s our pick of the festive theatre

the nutcracker fr £10

the snow queen fr £10

last night of the xmas proms fr £16.50

peter and the wolf fr £16

christmas spectacular fr £25

a christmas carol fr £15

the snowman fr £25

santa’s magical kingdom fr £25

And some top places for festive dining

babylon, london 3 course fixed price christmas lunch menu fr £35.50

tuttons, london 3 course fixed price christmas lunch menu fr £29.95

kettner’s, london 3 course fixed price christmas menu including amuse bouche, petit fours + cracker fr £45

the international restaurant, london 3 course fixed price christmas lunch menu fr £17.95

sound london 3 course christmas party package, including half a bottle of wine + exclusive club entry fr £39.95

livebait, london 3 course christmas menu including coffee + chocolates fr £29.95

kings road steakhouse + grill, marco pierre white, london 3 course christmas menu + coffee fr £35

marco, london 3 course christmas menu fr £24.95

egypt: lisa’s underwater adventure

November 19th, 2009

Our Site Executive Lisa Conjoice has just returned from Egypt and here’s her great story.

It was mid October and winter was well and truly on the way.  Fancying a bit of winter sun we looked at lastminute.com for a good late deal.  We found a fantastic 5* all inclusive deal in Sharm el Sheikh on one of lastminute.com’s 24 hour Countdowns which take place every Thursday.  Digging out the summer clothes we were packed and ready to go.

Egypt was a first for us and an all inclusive holiday was also something we had not tried before.  Having done quite a lot of backpacking, the thought of putting our feet up for an all inclusive week in the sun was definitely something we were looking forward to.  And what a relaxing week it was.

We spent a lot of time on the private beach at the hotel resort, making the most of the all inclusive package at the beach bar and discovering the amazing snorkelling Sharm el Sheikh has to offer.

As keen divers, we knew Sharm el Sheikh is famous for its diving so we made sure to book our trips to some of the local dive sites for later in the week.

The Egyptian people are really nice and friendly, always going out of their way to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. 

We visited the popular town of Naama Bay where there is lots of shopping and stalls selling everything from local teas and ‘hookahs’ (water pipes) to Egyptian clothing and jewellery.  Haggling is a must to get some great deals.  Naama Bay is nice to visit for more nightlife with some great outdoor bars and restaurants where we sampled the local Stella beer and Egyptian food!

The diving in Sharm el Sheikh is excellent with endless amounts of sea life of every colour imaginable.  Diving here is accessible for everyone so even if you have never dived before there are lots of dive schools that will take you for introduction dives or if you are certified there are lots of excursions and dive sites to experience. 

All in all Sharm el Sheikh was exactly what we were looking for – a great week of winter sun!  We would definitely go back to Egypt to do more good stuff and would like to visit Cairo to see more of ancient Egypt and the pyramids.

Egypt has sun all year round so if you’re looking for a winter getaway this is the perfect place!  Take a look at lastminute.com for great deals on Egypt holidays.

good stuff 24 hour countdown – 5* Morocco £229 and more

November 18th, 2009

It’s Thursday tomorrow so that means only one thing, the weekly countdown starts at 10am so make sure you visit lastminute.com/countdown to check out our greatest offers.

Do you fancy a short break? Why not try out our 5* Morocco mini break, from a staggeringly petite £229 and treat yourself to a colourful tagine in the souks.

We have a great selection of UK and European 5* hotels for under £100 per night and our other deals include:

- Michelin star 4 courses £19.50
- Calendar Girls and dinner £20
- Two beauty treatments £12.50

Happy shopping to you all!

But remember, these deals will only be around for 24 hours, so it maybe an idea to get along early so you don’t miss out.

Our Top 10: the most fabulous Beauty and Spa Blogs

November 17th, 2009

It’s been quite a journey around the blogosphere to find the most stylish and sleekest of blogs and we’re delighted to present our latest Top 10: the most fabulous beauty and spa blogs. They’re not only gorgeous to look at but they’re a great read and brilliant resources for tips on shopping, styling, spa treatments, male grooming, new products, industry gossip and of course, great reviews of the top spas.

Kiss and Make Up is the place where beauty experts talk the talk on trends, products and offers, with in depth reviews on spa days as well.

Beauty Junkie London is a blog about beauty, beauty and beauty. Plus it features all that is related to pampering, with anything from make-up, to body care and salon treatments. All products mentioned or reviewed on the site are tested by the editor – so you get to know about what works and what doesn’t.

The Wahanda Blog is truly passionate about spa, wellbeing and beauty and its sister web site is named ELLE’s Best Online Beauty Websites for this year. The blog is chock full of reviews, competitions and news.

Montpellier Beauty Blog has indepth articles on spa and beauty products and is written by the team at Montpellier Beauty, a family run beauty accessories company. It’s a really good glamorous read and mixes high street and designer news.

Ape to Gentleman is a really fabulous male grooming and style blog which puts the man into manicure. It takes a sartorial look at mens’ style and reviews all the latest products on the market.

The Grooming Guru discusses the pros and cons of manscara and guyliner on his blog and interviews a the leading lights of the burgeoning male grooming industry, so you get the news first on what’s hot and what’s definitely not.

Beauty Woo Me has a fabulous Spa Watch section so jump in and check out the reviews there. It’s well worth taking a good look around the blog, it’s packed with lovely beauty ideas.

Good Spa Spies is the blog of the Good Spa Guide. The writers travel in search of great spa experiences and they believe, a “good” spa isn’t necessarily an expensive spa – we like that philosophy a lot!

The Beauty Blog Cosmo has great tips for makeovers and offers on beauty products and treatments all over the UK so it’s definitely worth a look, especially if you want a daily blast of beauty.

And last but not least is Cult Beauty and my favourite not just because it’s really well designed but also because it has an eclectic mix of spa, beauty and stylist views, plus it makes me giggle.

And we’d love to see blogs from Dove Spa, Bannatyne Spa and Handpicked Hotel and Spas too please!

For all your spa days, weekends and vouchers, please feel free to browse our pages at lastminute.com/spa.

lastminute.com hosts the globe trotters’ goodbye lunch

November 16th, 2009

It doesn’t seem that long ago that we offered the chance for three globe trotters to have a brilliant adventure over the Summer and go on whirlwind tour of a series of destinations, experiencing new and fantastic places every day, and reviewing the best of the good stuff lastminute.com has to offer – including flights, hotels, gigs, restaurants and theatre shows – reporting back via the lastminute.com blog.

And over three months – they’ve had trips to far flung destinations, how about Dubai, New York, Egypt, Paris, Barcelona, and Las Vegas. They have travelled over 32,000 miles with over 60 nights away visiting eight cities across three continents. Sounds like a dream come true doesn’t it?

It’s really been One Heck of a Summer for our three globe trotters; Richard, Craig and Paul, who have had a life changing experience and travelled the world in pursuit of the best of the good stuff. In fact, we were sad to say goodbye to this lucky lot.

And just to recap…

Yes, those lucky people have been away to great places for 60 days.

And yes, those lucky people have been away to great places and partied for 60 nights.

They’ve visited 8 cities all over the world and have been wined and dined in all the great restaurants. And we took them out for a goodbye lunch to wish them the best in the future. And funnily enough, they all have made plans to travel again and will continue blogging in one way or another. I’m sure you’ll be spotting a cheeky post or two from them here on the lastminute.com blog in the future and there’s a big thank you from everyone here at lastminute.com to them for sharing their great experiences too. Bye bye!

globe trotter in new york: richard has a bite of the big apple

November 15th, 2009

With so many skyscrapers in New York it was almost hard to decide which one would be the best to go to the top of. I luckily had a tip that the best views are from the ‘Top of the Rock’ on the Rockefeller Centre. The amazing Central Park seems to stretch out for miles and yet still seems out of place in such an urban jungle. Then 10 steps over to the other side of the platform and you can see the huge Empire State building and in the distance, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

We took a quick trip downtown to get the ferry trip over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island which is of particular interest to me as my great-grandparents both came through it to settle in America. What many of the immigrants had to go through just because of the rumours of a better life in America was an incredibly humbling experience. I was extremely glad that I did get to visit the memorials so I can describe it all to my grandma when I get back home.

As I sit at JFK waiting for my flight back to Heathrow I realise that my One Heck of a Summer is over. It has been a completely amazing three months and I have had the opportunity to see and do so many. Being the lastminute.com globe trotter has been the best career break I could possibly wish for, my only problem now is going to be trying to get back into normal working life – somehow I don’t think a normal 9-5 office job is for me anymore!

With that in mind I’m already looking forward to my next adventure: a short trip to the Far East taking in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Vietnam. I’ll keep on blogging and who knows maybe I’ll be able to carve out a full career as a travel writer one day.

birmingham globe trotter finishes his summer

November 14th, 2009

When Toni and I were told we had won the Birmingham Mail/lastminute.com ‘One heck of a summer’ search for a globe trotter we decided from the start that we would make the most of every trip. We tried to fit in something new, a culinary experience, something cultural and a bit of fun everywhere we went.

For each of our trips there are special memories

Birmingham – Millennium Point (pride in our industrial heritage); Sealife Centre and a Balti lunch

Barcelona – Great tapas; a crowded beach; Gaudi architecture; air-conditioned Metro system; Picasso Museum; views from the top of the hill and ‘people watching along La Ramblas’.

London – Cleanliness of the streets; our first West End show (‘Sister Act’ – fantastic); The Tate Modern; London Eye and a boat trip.

Paris – ‘Rock en Seine’ festival’ (this is how all festivals should be); Eiffel Tower and trip on the Seine; ‘Mona Lisa’ in the Louvre; a meal with a friend; EuroStar.

Tunisia – relaxing on the beach and in the pool; quaint blue mountain villages; evening ‘cultural’ entertainment; the bustle of the market.

London II – St James’s Park; Albert Roux Brasserie; lunch at ‘Babylon’; the roof gardens (surreal); ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

Edinburgh – The Royal Mile; The crown jewels at the Castle; The Royal Yacht Britannia; Comedy night

Alton Towers – The Water Park; evening cabaret; behaving like kids; white-knuckle rides; keeping breakfast intact.

New York – Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow (we could have spent all weekend there!); meeting friends; Ground Zero Workshop museum (the most emotional time); another show (‘Altar Boyz’); Central Park and Macy’s

Spa – Relaxing treatments, great food and a time to reflect on our experiences.

We have had a wonderful time the weather has been kind and we have learnt that it is possible to fit in so much into short weekends away (or at home). On many occasions we have been treated like real VIPs and must confess we could get used to that.

We know we have been very privileged to have experienced this and all good things come to an end. However, we have already started to plan more travel and are trying to keep to the philosophy of maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Would we do it all again? Of course!

one heck of a summer: craig finishes his trip

November 13th, 2009

‘One heck of a summer’ has come to an end.
It’s finished nearly as quick as it started but has left me with a treasure chest of memories and unforgettable experiences which I will hold for a lifetime.

Along the way I’ve visited places that I wouldn’t have previously contemplated and tremendously enjoyed. I have made some great friends along the way and hold some memories that perhaps should not be recounted publically!

After living abroad for so many years, the opportunity to take a different friend with me to each location proved a great way to catch up on the past.

So many memories stick to mind, but my top 10 would have to be:

10. The view of the London Eye from my balcony at the Park Plaza County Hall.

9. Fellow globe trotter Paul’s wife – nothing was ever quite straight forward for Toni! I was highly entertained from trip one from this great lady!

8. Being ushered onto the coach for a Tunisian desert safari at 6.30 am. Everyone was so proud of me thinking I’d got up especially for it. Needless to say, I was just arriving back to the hotel from the night before.

7. The rather grand balcony at the Hotel Cervantes, Paris. Eva Peron didn’t stand a chance to my serenading and performance to the streets of Paris after a night out.

6. Being treated to Business Class by American Airlines on the flight to NY….‘More champagne sir?’

5. Experiencing the pampering treats of New Hall Spa, Birmingham, an exquisite meal with Caroline (in an evening gown and huge heels), and then me insisting she climbs over the turnstiles down the dark country lanes to go and have a drink at the local.

4. After only the second ride at Alton Towers watching fellow globe trotter Paul’s face as he had to take time out to compose himself and regain his balance (and stop his breakfast from returning). Some people just can’t hack it.

3. Dining Al Fresco at Babylon on the rooftop terrace of Kensington Roof Gardens. Drinking cocktails with an old friend from Spain, it brought back memories of life in the sun (surprisingly enough it was a sunny September day in London).

2. Topping up that tan to a lighter shade of black in Tunisia. Combined with the Arabic tattoo it’s unsurprising they thought I was a local with the typical blonde girlfriend in tow.

1. My birthday in Paris with my friend from Texas. Rock en Seine, Moulin Rouge (free champagne all night) before a night of partying. ‘Désolé pour mon ami’ could be heard all night!

All in all it will feel strange having to make my own bed again, pay for meals when in restaurants and have to go onto lastminute.com to book the theatre tickets for myself! What a great summer I’ve had!

the good stuff 24hr price countdown

November 12th, 2009

It’s Thursday so that means only one thing, the weekly countdown starts at 10am so make sure you visit lastminute.com/countdown to check out our greatest offers.

But remember, these deals will only be around for 24 hours, so it maybe an idea to get along early so you don’t miss out.

this week’s top 5 hot tickets

November 9th, 2009

Fancy a night out on the tiles or getting some great expert help on creating some culinary delights? We’ve got some great and very hot ticket offers this week.

Get some inspiration on how to cook and entertain at this show – BBC Good Food Show – it’s at the NEC Birmingham and has up to £2 off.

And another great foodie show, formerly the BBC Good Food show and now known as Masterchef Live – it’s on soon at London Olympia – and we have up to £2 off too.

Cirque du soleil celebrates its 25th anniversary with a special return visit to the Royal Albert Hall in January, 2010. Deep within a forest, at the summit of a volcano, exists an extraordinary world – a world where something else is possible. A world called Varekai – and no booking fee through lastminute.com.

For more breath taking performances, there’s Ben Hur – we have up to £10 off tickets. The production is accompanied by an emotional symphonic soundtrack created by Hollywood composer Klaus Badelt, an English speaking narrator, as well as 400 performers and 100 animals including horses, camels, donkeys, chickens, falcons and eagles.

The star of Black Books, Shaun of the Dead and Run Fat Boy Run is back with his own show, What It Is. His legendary stand up rants have sold out across the world cementing this unkempt wordsmith’s reputation as one of the foremost comics of his generation so well worth checking out
Dylan Moran – and also up to £15 off.

For full details – just click on the links and they’ll take you through to the ticket information.