Category Archives: DUKES Hotel

THE CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW RETURNS TO LONDON

Posted on by
Reply

Why not come and experience the most iconic flower show in the world this May at London’s Chelsea Royal Hospital? The brightest new ideas and the latest gardening trends make this show the one everyone wants to see; and this year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chelsea Flower show with what is said to be an extra special event of magnificent displays and superb show gardens.

For the 2013 centenary show expect to see 15 spectacular Display Gardens, 11 Fresh Gardens demonstrating the best of contemporary garden design and eight Artisan Gardens. In addition, 150 exhibits from nurseries and florists in the Great Pavilion and up to 250 trade stands. This year’s gardening celebrations will be one not to miss.

The day isn’t just all flowers and gardens however; there will also be a ‘100 years in pictures’ presentation of historical photographs, capturing the growth of the Chelsea Flower Show, from a display of just 224 gardeners to the world famous exhibition it has become today. A concert, hosted with Opera Holland Park, will also be held on the Friday evening as part of the centenary celebrations. And don’t forget you can enjoy some sumptuous food and drink throughout the day.

Exhibits to look out for in particular this year include a garden modelled on London’s Olympic Park, ‘The Evolving Garden’ which shows how environmental issues have affected our gardens and relax among beautiful summerhouses decorated by top UK designers and artists, including Wayne Hemmingway, Cath Kidston and Rob Ryan.

Tickets are selling out quickly but are still available here, http://rhs.atgtickets.com from £28-55 per person, with discount for RHS members.

Just 10 minutes down the road, Dukes Hotel is the perfect place to stay whilst visiting the Chelsea Flower Show. Unwind after a day on your feet in our luxurious suites or treat yourself to a Martini in our legendary bar.

Chelsea Flower Show 2013

The world’s largest Egg Hunt ‘The Big Egg Hunt’ hits the streets of Covent Garden!

Posted on by
Reply

London’s annual and the world’s biggest egg hunt ‘The Lindt Big Egg Hunt’ is back due to popular demand and is set to finish its tour in Covent Garden on 22nd March. The event first launched in 2010 featuring some of the world’s most talented and leading artists coming together to raise awareness and money for the charity Action for Children. The charity runs more than 600 services across the UK, supporting more than 250,000 children, young people, parents and carers each year.

‘The Lindt Big Egg Hunt’ was so popular that last year alone it raised more than £1 million for the chosen charity, as well as captivating a million participants across the country and setting two Guinness World Records! The event is set to be even bigger this year featuring more 100 giant fibreglass Easter eggs created by designers such as Sam-Taylor Johnson, Alexis Harding and Billy Childish.

The eggs have been carefully placed in cities across the UK, and here is where you can get involved! The public can join in with the fun in a race to find the eggs whilst receiving goodies such as Lindt Gold Bunnies and Lindor truffles – courtesy of Lindt. With 101 eggs to track down, this is a great way to discover hidden parts of the city and a great opportunity for families, eggthusiasts and art fans to enjoy the hunt during Easter break.

The fundraising side comes in as participants can get involved with bids on their mobile phones and find out more information about the designer eggs. The online auction starts at prices at £300 and have been sold for as much as an astounding £40,000!

This Easter egg hunt is a really fun and engaging fundraiser bringing with it an opportunity to get the community together in a fresh and interactive way through the Easter period.

If you cannot get enough of the Easter hunt, here at DUKES LONDON we will be organising our very own Easter bunny hunt around St. James during the Easter weekend! As well as the egg hunt we promise to bring you great fun for all the family with chocolates and cool costumes for small children. We want to make it extra special for the kids so as if that wasn’t enough, kids are made especially welcome with a delicious kids menu in our THIRTY SIX restaurant, a cuddly DUKESY toy dog for under 6s and a story book at bedtime for the older ones. See you all down here for an eggtastic holiday!

 

The Phantom of the Opera hits London (Again)

Posted on by
Reply

Next month, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-renowned production of The Phantom of the Opera will be performed in the West End for a record-breaking twenty-sixth year.

Performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre, the iconic Haymarket venue which originally opened in 1705 before a redesign to its’ current guise in 1897, the Phantom has had outstanding success around the globe, being played to more than 100 million viewers in 25 different countries in addition to its’ spiritual home in the West End of London.

The Gaston Leroux novel, penned in 1909, has become one of the best known theatre shows in the world since it’s’ adaptation to the stage and debut production in 1986.

For those who do not know the plot, the setting is 19th Century France, where the masked and mysterious figure of the Phantom falls deeply in love with Christine Daaé, a beautiful Soprano singer at the Paris Opera House. Upon helping her rise to become the star of the show through his tutoring, events take a turn for the worse as Christine unmasks him and is horrified by what she sees. After his protégé falls in love with Raoul, her childhood friend and the Vicomte de Chagny, jealousy consumes the Phantom. He kidnaps her in order to make her his eternal bride, leading to a sinister and dramatic conclusion.

A truly unmissable production in a historic and beautiful theatre, it has been described by the Daily Mail as “Still the most exciting musical in London,” a sign of its timeless appeal.

After enjoying the show, why not treat yourself by heading our way and retiring to one of our exclusive suites, which currently have an amazing 50% discount from their usual price. Surely that’s a great reason to visit the capital this spring.