IT'S A FREE WORLD:London's Kids Week - which in fact runs for over three weeks from August 12th to September 4th (kidsweek.co.uk) – offers free and half-price tickets to many of the West End's hit shows, including Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables, Shrek: The Musical, The Lion Kingand Thriller: Live. With a paying adult one child can see a show for free. Two more come along half price.
Children under 16 can stay free at the well-located four-star Mercure Hotel near Paddinton Station (mercure paddington.com). The hotel’s new executive family rooms have a king bed and a sofa bed that can accommodate up to two children under 16 for free.
Take note:booking for Kids Week is operated by Ticketmaster, so there may be additional booking charges. The Mercure offer is limited to families with up to two children under 16, and is available is during the month of August only. At time of writing, rooms cost £249.35 per night for the weekend nights of Friday August 12th.and Saturday August 13th. To book, call 00-44-207-8352000, e-mail stay@mercurepaddington.com. Breakfast is served downstairs in Garfunkel's restaurant on the ground floor. As part of the promotion the hotel is also offering a full English breakfast for €1.14pp. Children under 16 can eat for free. A full English normally costs €11.40pp.
Catch:Demand for free and half-price theatre tickets is so high that the festival has been extended, and now runs from August 12th to September 4th. This means ticket numbers will be limited.
- Freebies are beingthrown in with wedding packages from Joe Walsh Tours. Couples who want to say "I do" in sunshine should check out the company's overseas-wedding packages with Sandals Resorts. It's a rising trend, says the company's long-haul operator Jean Claffey, who estimates numbers are up 25 per cent on last year.
The Sandals Beautiful Beginnings wedding package, which normally costs an additional €700, includes flowers, music, a sparkling wine and chilled hors d’oeuvres reception for the bride and groom and two guests, a honeymoon dinner for two at one of the resort’s restaurants, a cake, a wedding photograph and breakfast in bed the next day. The offer is available at four Sandals resorts: at Negril Resort Spa in Jamaica from €1,899pp; at the Halcyon Beach on St Lucia from €2,009pp; and at the Grande Antigua Resort Spa in Antigua from €2,069pp. (All three are four-star properties.) The offer is also available at the five-star Sandals Emerald Bay in the Bahamas from €2,614pp. Prices are valid for departures from Dublin or Cork.
Take note:There may be two to three other couples getting married on your special day.
Catch:You must book before August 30th.
- Travel to Mozambiqueon the southeast coast of Africa for a beach escape and stay five nights for the price of three. It is known for its dolphin swimming and whale watching, so you could spend the extra free time looking for leviathans. Sleep at Londo Lodge, a boutique lodge with villas set on a private beach.
For landlubbers there’s bush walking in the Quirimbas National Park. There’s a dive centre to help you explore the coral reefs, plus kayaking and game fishing around Pemba and the Quirimbas archipelago.
Prices start at $500 per person per night, so you will save at least $1,000 per person. londolodge.com
Take note:The offer is only valid on travel completed on or before August 1st, so get booking. Overnight flights with Kenya Airways (kenya-airways.com) depart Heathrow for Nairobi at 8pm and arrive at 6.30am. The flight costs £1,376 including taxes (high price due to high season).
There are connecting flights from Nairobi to Pemba with Air Mozambique on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. You will be met by a rep at the airport, and transfers are included in the cost of your stay.
Catch:It's a long way to go for a mini-break – so why not spend a few days also exploring Nairobi?
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