Valentine's at The Langham

Here at the Great Date Guide we obviously love Valentine's Day! So, we thought we'd share with you all the info we're being sent about special Valentine's events in London. We'll be keeping you updated as soon as we hear things, but first off, it's The Langham, London with it's incredible Valentine's afternoon tea...

Enjoy sugar, spice and all things nice in the dazzling Palm Court this Valentines from £42.50 per person. Their award winning Pastry Chef, Cherish Finden, has created something special to tantalise your taste buds including a Saint Valentine Macaroon, Puppy Love Cookie and more. These pictures have us swooning in the office - especially the heart shaped scones and macaroons!

Available on Valentine’s Day. 

p.s. If you fancy making a day, or even a weekend of it then The Langham also offers...

A Magic Rose cocktail in their bar, Artesian. Created by award-winning Head Bartender Alex Kratena, Magic Rose is Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne poured over a raspberry, lychee and rose sorbet.  Available from 11th – 17th February and priced at £16. 

For dinner experience Roux at The Landau’s 7-course Valentine Day menu including Spit-roast fillet of aged Hereford beef with truffled hollandaise and Yorkshire rhubarb pavlova with coconut chantilly and alphonso mango dressing. Available Valentine’s Day only priced at £95 per person.

Stay ‘Happily Ever After’ and take the elevator home. Savour a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne and Charbonnel et Walker pink Champagne truffles in your room, the perfect start to a romantic evening before enjoying a pre-dinner martini or aperitif in the glamorous Artesian, recently voted the ‘World’s Best Bar’. The Happily Ever After package includes a rose petal turndown, full English breakfast, a complimentary late check-out until 2pm plus a souvenir gift from The Langham Book Butler and is priced from £443 per room per night. 

What makes a great dinner date?

New Year's Resolution 1: Dinner out at least once a month.

Well we're over half way through January now, so it's clearly time for me to get booking if I'm not to break this one in the very first month. But it's got me thinking, how do you make a dinner date, well, great?

I've always found it quite hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about a restaurant that makes it work for dates. It sort of either has it or it hasn't, doesn't it? Think of your absolutely favourite dating spots, and I bet they're all totally different from each other. It's something about the 'vibe' that needs to be just right, and I've been trying to work out exactly how that's done...

1) Lighting & Decor: It's amazing how many restaurants look really quite terrible in the daylight, particularly some of the more 'industrial' themed spots. Given the right lighting however, almost any decoration can be given 'the vibe'. Warm, intelligent lighting, clever division of space (little alcoves work brilliantly for creating that dating atmosphere) and space between you and your neighbours are all pretty key. It's got to feel cosy and inviting yet still sleek and chic. Hard to do.

2) Food: Clearly this is pretty important. It's got to be good or really, what's the point? The very best date restaurants in my book are ones where the cuisine on offer enables an element of sharing, like tapas for instance. We love Wahaca for this kind of thing, or El Pirata DeTapas.

3) Drink: Cocktails. Cocktails are always a winner if you ask me. Pre or post-dinner, they add a sparkle of excitement to even the most boring of dates. Yes, a good cocktail menu is a must.

4) Hip factor: The old fashioned, smart, 'white table cloth' type of restaurant just doesn't tick the boxes for dates in my opinion, unless they really are particularly good, and even then I'd never choose one for a first or early days date. What you want is the kind of place that you walk into and feel instantly cooler for doing so. Ideally you want somewhere a little dressy, a little trendy and a little seductive. We love Eight Over Eight in Chelsea for this sort of atmosphere.

5) Service: Yes, we all want to be treated like a favoured local wherever we go. Some places pull this off brilliantly and the results really can be dramatic. It gives you that warm feeling of being wanted and valuable, just the sort of sentiment you need to conjure up on a date.

6) Loos: Nice loos are weirdly high up my list of importance when it comes to restaurants. Nice loos and flattering mirrors. Or is that just me…?!

Miss Mary x

What's on in January 2013

Yes, Christmas is over  and once again we find ourselves, with a hangover, in that grey grizzly month of January. But never fear, here at The Great Date Guide we've cherry picked some real corkers to lift your spirits this month, so break open that brand new diary and put some 'dates' in it!

We've got a full list over on the website (here) but one of our favourites for London this month has got to be the amazing new Cirque du Soleil show - Kooza!

The incredible Cirque Du Soleil returns this month with Kooza - an adrenaline rush of acrobatics in a zany kingdom! The new show tells the story of a melancholy loner finding his place in the world and marks a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil, combining two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning.

Kooza is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills and audacity. Whether you're a Cirque regular or have never been before, we guarantee you'll be amazed! 

Having started on Saturday it runs until the 10th Feb so grab some tickets before they're gone...

Miss Mary xxx

P.s. If one of your New Year's resolutions for 2013 was to be more adventurous (I know mine was!) then make your way to the inspiring Adventure Travel Show at Olympia. Tickets start at a budget friendly £8 and you can book them here.

Great Christmas Shopping Ideas

Now that Bonfire night has been and gone there is no denying that Christmas is well and truly on it's way...

Here at www.thegreatdateguide.com we love getting in the festive spirit with a spot of ice skating, Christmas markets, carol services and even the dreaded Christmas shopping!

If you don't love Christmas shopping as much as we do - don't panic! We've put together some helpful gift guides to give you much needed inspiration, not to mention the chance to shop from your computer rather than pounding the streets along with everyone else.

In an extra helpful sort of way there's a festive shopping guide for the girls and one for the boys...

From personalised Christmas stockings to luxury coffee making machines (via what has got to be THE coffee table book of the year) there should be something for everyone.

HAPPY SHOPPING!

The Best Ice Skating Rinks in London

Scarves and hats, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts, pink cheeks and (if your skating skills are anything like ours) pink bottoms! Whether you're Torvill and Dean wannabes or complete novices, London's outdoor ice rinks make a truly great date. It's romantic and it's fun, it'll make you giggle and fill you to the brim with festive cheer… in fact, it's basically our favourite winter date! 

Click here to read our guide, which features seven of London's best ice skating rinks:

1. Canary Wharf
2. The London Eye
3. Hampton Court
4. Hyde Park
5. Somerset House
6. The Natural History Museum
7. The Tower of London 


Have you got a favourite that we've missed off our list?
Let us know...

Halloween in London

Wednesday night is Halloween and we reckon it's the perfect occasion for a spookily inspired date! Take a look at some of our scary suggestions below... 

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1) After Hours at The Natural History Museum - The Terror Tour 

We just love these brilliant after hours sessions, and wouldn't you know it, the next one is on 31st October. Keep close to your date for this eerie night time tour of the Iconic Central Hall, with scary creatures around every corner and a drink at the bar at the end - we think you might need it!

2) Climb of The Cursed - Up at the O2

These day and night time tours will be held for a week over the Halloween period (27th October - 4th November). Climb to the very top of the O2 and explore London's gruesome past with a birds eye view of the city. Make sure you go at night for full effect.

3) Wandsworth Common Halloween Beer Festival 

Not sure there's much more to say on this one. It runs from 25th - 27th October and in addition to all the beer, there'll be cider, wine and live music!

4) London Dungeons

You probably aren't instantly convinced by this as a date venue, but you really shouldn't judge it until you try it. It is a proper giggle and sometimes that's exactly what you need for those 'early days' dates. Halloween gives you the perfect excuse to give it a go.

5) The Crypts

Recently rescued from administration (we'll gloss over that...), a visit to The Crypts takes you deep underneath London Bridge for the truly terrifying 'Ultimate Evening Scare' from 26th - 31st October. Tickets available via Ticketmaster.

Got any "Fright Night" date suggestions of your own? We'd love to hear them....

Not your ordinary book club!

We sent the lovely Alana off to review The Book Club for us. Here's what she had to say…. 

A cup of tea, cake and a copy of Jayne Eyre this is not!  Expect a warehouse conversion filled with vintage furniture, crazy art and great music.  If you don’t book, then be prepared to scramble for a seat because this place gets busy pretty quickly.  If you’re lucky, you’ll get one of the G-Plan sofas to snuggle down in, and if you and your date are at ‘that stage’ then maybe you can snuggle together!

With a choice of Mexican slash bar food at very reasonable prices, and a personality that doesn’t take itself too seriously, The Book Club is perfect for a first date. Order your food and drinks at the bar - they’ll happily put on a tab for you to settle once you’ve had your fill.  Or, if you’re not going Dutch just pay for what you’re having there and then to avoid any awkward sideward glances when the bill comes!

Downstairs they host events most nights, which usually kick off around 10.30pm.  They also have a pool table AND I think I saw a table tennis table too!  The perfect opportunity to play the ‘I can’t play this, can you teach me’ card, or whoop your date’s behind!

The night we were there it was the "Through the Floor/Tweetbox event" downstairs (just one of the many they put on)  which was the perfect way to continue our evening.  The music upstairs should get you in the mood for some dancing so when you feel it's time to move on, pick up your drinks and head to the basement.  Not the usual mainstream sounds but something which you can shake your tail feathers to... and a great way of seeing how seriously your date takes themselves! 

The Book Club ticks many boxes; if you and your date don’t want to cook then the food is quick and will agree with most budgets.  If you just fancy drinks in a place with a great atmosphere then it's the perfect venue.  Or if you’re after an all in one; food, drinks and dancing later on, The Book Club can offer that too.

My only tip; a sharing platter really is big enough to share.  It took me a dish too many to get out of my starter-main-pud comfort zone!