“Oh yes we do...” love pantomime!

If you ask any child in Britain what is the favourite activity that they are looking forward to doing at Christmas time, most of them will say with excitement that this must be seeing a pantomime. Watching pantomime is a very nice British tradition, this is not a normal theatre performance that you got used to, a “panto” will involve a lot of interaction with the audience – expect the snowballs being thrown at you, performing some dance moves and songs or even being called up on stage. Not only kids are anticipating the pantomime but adults are waiting to see one with pleasure too! Here is Short Let London list of the best pantos shown in London this Christmas.

“Beauty and the Beast” is London most central panto, staged in Shaw Theatre that is in Euston, and is a classic fairytale about a girl who needs to live with a beast to save her father. “Cinderella” at Lyric Hammersmith this year takes on the lead as its boss Sean Holmes is directing the show himself, the cast features panto veteran Steven Webb and West End star Julie Atherton in the main role.  Hackney Empire theatre has von a reputation for producing the best and foremost pantos in London and this year Susie McKenna`s “Dick Whittington and His Cat” proves that once again, despite totemic dame Clive Rowe leaving the Empire.

“Aladdin: A Wish to Come True” in The O2 is one with the largest panto in London with capacity of 1900 seats and big star names like Savage, Jon lee (“Jersey Boys” star as Aladdin) and Issy van Randwyck. “Robin Hood – A Pantomime Adventure” is on in Greenwich Theatre, this is a nice children`s tale with a feel-good factor and in the best old fashioned traditions. “The Three Musketeers” at Rosemary Branch Theatre in Old Street, “Mother Goose” in Millfield Theatre, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” at New Wimbledon Theatre or “Jack and the Beanstalk” in Theatre Royal Stratford East are also worth seeing family-friendly shows.

Do not miss this amazing Christmas tradition if you are in England, you will be charged with positive energy and get a lot of joy. After unforgettable performance you can stay in Short let London apartments and holiday rental flats. Please contact Short Let London team if you need to rent a flat in London for short let stay, our short term apartments, vacation rentals/holiday lettings are located in Central London and North West areas, we offer competitive cheap prices and budget accommodation in London www.shortlet-london.com. Have a very happy Christmas holiday and enjoy your short stay in London!

Short Let London administration

www.shortlet-london.com

Thorpe Park adventure

For those of a nervous deposition do not read any further but for everyone else who likes scary rides and rollercoasters you can do no wrong with Thorpe Park. A bus runs from Staines station to the park and trains go to Staines from Waterloo station in London. Recently opened is a new ride experience called the Swarm a winged coaster which there are only 4 in the world. Stealth is also another one in the tick box of the thrill seeker with an acceleration from 0-80mph in less than 2 seconds then it`s over 200ft up and then back down again. Beware of the beyond vertical drop on Saw and escape from the beast on the inverted coaster Nemesis Inferno. Thorpe Park also has one of the UK’s wettest rides Tidal Wave if you like getting a ton (probably should say ocean) of water on you then this is the ride for you.

With over 40 rides and attractions there is something for everyone. Check online for the best deals otherwise on the door expect to pay £40. This can also be an amazing day out for the family as there are not only scary rides for parents and teenagers, but simple marry-go-rounds for the little ones. Short Let London advises not to miss out this adventure if you are on holidays in London. You do not have to worry about your short term accommodation; we will help you to rent a vacation flat in London, while you are having the unforgettable exciting time.

Halloween in London, a night of horror

Have you got your costume ready, as the Halloween is approaching London this weekend? Whether you are going to become a witch, a sexy vampire, zombie or whatever else your imagination can come up with, Short Let London would like to suggest some ideas for you to spend a really spooky Halloween night in London.

You could throw a house party and decorate the room in eerie style, as Halloween inventory such as spider webs, skeletons, bets, chopped fingers etc are easy to find in any supermarket, or for more special fun accessories and costumes visit fancy dress shops, there are many of them in Camden Town, especially we would recommend “Escapade”, or “Beyond retro”, “Angels”, “Prangsta”, “Charles H Fox”, you can even rent a costume from The National Theatre. Think about what food and drinks you will be serving for Halloween party, of course it should include dishes with pumpkins, creepy cupcakes with decorative popped-out eyes or other body parts, ghosts and spiders, surprise candies, caramelised apples, alcohol cocktails with some orange juice and “Bloody Marry” cocktail. To send chills down your spine watch a horror movie, preferably in the dark with all lights off, here is Short Let London list of the best movies for Halloween: “Paranormal Activity”, “Frankenstein”, “Halloween”, “Contagion”, “Saw”, “Poltergeist”, “The Silence of the Lambs”, “The Exorcist”, “Rosemary`s Baby”, “Psycho” and “The Shinning”.

But if you do not want to stay at home on the All Saints Night and want to go ghost hunting, there are many places in London that will host special events and Halloween parties, such as Zombie Horror Camp at the Old Vic Tunnels that will include voodoo doll making, various DJ sets and grotesque strip. A lot of bars and pubs are getting into a spirit of Halloween and put on fancy dress nights, visit some of the most haunted bars in London, such as Bow Bells in Bow, or any underground clubs, there are many of them in London. Some great parties are taking place at XOYO – “XOYO Halloween Special”, “Ultimate Power” at Electric Ballroom,  Halloween – “The Haunted Mission” at Pacha, “Satan`s Rout Halloween Ball” at The Coronet, £For the Love of Mic” at the House of Wolf and many others.

For a really spooky experience visit London Dungeon, London Bridge Experience and London Tombs to explore the underground world of the capital with its haunted tunnels. To do something completely different take a boat trip from the London Canal Museum (Camden), or go behind the scenes to see how the magic was created and brought to life at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

As you can see London is definitely the right place to be on Halloween night, as it has number of haunted pubs, castles with ghosts, underground venues and tombs that hide the mystery of London`s history, very often dark and cruel. Short Let London wishes you to have a very frightening and scary night on the All Hallows` Eve and we will be happy to accommodate you during your short stay in London in one of our holiday apartments for short let. Please contact us www.shortlet-london.comfor more information if you need to rent a short term flat in London.

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Frieze Art Fair

Each year in October London is a host to one of the biggest events in the contemporary art world – Frieze Art Fair. Taking place on the 11^th – 14^th October 2012 in Regents Park, the fair bring together over 170 art galleries from around the world – from London to Tokyo, New York to Berlin, so if you are passionate about visual arts you need to be in London that October weekend. It`s better to get your tickets early, you can book them on the website, prices for adults for 1 day start from £20.00 per person (if you are in a group) or £27.00 for 1 person without concession. Additionally you can even buy a professionally guided tour for extra £14.00 for a full overview and better understanding of the fair.

Frieze Art Fair will represent around 1,000 leading artists whose artworks can be not only appreciated and even bought by visitors. You will also have an opportunity to experience the fair`s acclaimed programme of talks, discussions with artists, curators and critics, lectures and debates, and special Frieze Projects. Within 3 minutes walk from Frieze London a Sculpture Park lies, where new sculptures are exhibited by both emerging and established artists, including some big names like David Nash, William Turnbull, Thomas Scheibitz, Yayoi Kusama, Sean Landers, Damián Ortega and others. Frieze masters project is also taking place the same time in Regents Park, and it represents the connection between ancient masters and contemporary art, showing over 90 world famous galleries. You should have a ticket to Frieze masters, but for £35.00 you can get a 1 day pass to both exhibitions including Frieze London. Please note, you are not allowed to touch the artworks or bring any food in and large bags/buggies.

Located in the heart of London Frieze Art Fair is within the easy distance to Short Let London apartments in such areas as Swiss Cottage, Marylebone, Bayswater, Kilburn, South Hampstead and Willesden Green. Please contact Short Let London for more information on our holiday flats, rental apartments for short let in London for rent: www.shortlet-london.com and we will be happy to accommodate you during your short stay in London.

Notting Hill Carnival success and sheer joy

Despite the rumours that Notting Hill Carnival would not happen this year because of with how many arrests and incidents it ended up last year, the festival did take place this bank holiday in London and was successful and sheer joy. Although there were a few arrests this year, Notting Hill Carnival still remains the biggest and most famous in England. This Caribbean culture inspired carnival is the largest in Europe that takes place every August bank holiday in London since 1966 and takes its route from the Ladbroke Grove to Westbourne Grove.

Londoners and the guests of the city enjoyed the vivid dancers` parade in striking costumes, colourful floats, and powerful sound systems that was playing not only traditional motive of calypso, alfresco and pan bands but contemporary DJ tunes from all around the world, including different international styles – Reggae, Samba, Funk, R&B, Latin House, Dub step and more. The visitors and participants were protected and looked after by 7,000 police officers, the sunny weather also allowed to fully admire lively party atmosphere. The celebration gathered around 1 million spectators, including young people and families with children, who could not only observe but be involved in the street dancing. Sunday is more suitable for family with kids, while the main parade is developing on Monday; the traditional Caribbean meal is also available in numerous food stalls. 

Short Let London has got apartments and holiday flats for rent in the areas around Notting Hill and Central London: Bayswater, Queensway, Paddington, Marylebone, Swiss Cottage, Kilburn Park, South Hampstead and others. We would be happy to provide you with budget accommodation and short let apartments in London. Please contact Short Let London team www.shortlet-london.com for more information and special offers.

Olympic Torch Relay

For sport lovers this summer 2012 has prepared some real good celebrations. Euro 2012 is taking place in Poland-Ukraine now, Tour de France in July, and then Olympic Games are coming in London July 20th - August the 12th. Olympic Torch Relay arrived to the UK from Greece on the 18th of May, and soon you can welcome it in London, Olympic torchenters the capital on the 26th of July 2012.London 2012 Olympic Torch will be passing some major London landmarks and streets. The Olympic flame will start its London route at Camden Borough, expect the celebration ceremonies at the Roundhouse, where the torch launches, St Pancras Gardens, Granary Square, St Pancras International and other venues. After that the flame will start its journey to the Olympic opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium, passing Shakespeare`s Globe theatre, Battersea Dogs Home, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Downing Streetand Hyde Park. The Olympic flame is carried by 8,000 torchbearers during the torch relay across Britain in 70 days. Make yourself proud and join the crowd to line the streets and see the flame being carried around London. The tenants of Short Let London apartments will particularly advantage as many of our flats for rent are situated in London Borough of Camden, where the Olympic Torch relay is kicking off. Join the London crowds and make it count, meanwhile Short Let London will provide you with the London Olympic apartment rentals right amidst these celebrations (visitwww.shortlet-london.com for properties for rent and flats in London on offer).

Short Let London's photostream

Short Let London's photostream on Flickr.

Ready, steady... cook!

Do you want to savour the taste of the traditional English meal? Then we would like to share few tips here about how to make the Full English Breakfast. It is very easy to cook a healthy breakfast yourself, which will be even better tasting than the one from a cafe. Traditional English breakfast usually consists of fried or scrambled eggs, rushers of bacon, sausages, toast, grilled tomatoes or mushrooms and baked beans. However, it can vary in different regions, for example, it can include black pudding, the bread can be substituted by potato cakes, tomatoes and mushrooms can be omitted.

  

A key to successful and enjoyable recipe is to cook only ingredients that you love. So if you are not a fan of baked beans – don’t be afraid that English breakfast will not be full  without them. Besides, baked beans were not a part of classic original breakfast, they are a cheap alternative to tomatoes and mushrooms and were introduced by roadside cafés and B & B's to ensure the lowest possible expense. Also to avoid the breakfast being too fat and fried, try to grill the sausages and bacon, instead of frying them, so they will release a fair amount of fat. Sausages and bacon should be of good quality though, and if possible from the butchers. For a healthier option you can also put the mushrooms and tomatoes in the oven, and toast the bread.  The eggs can be scrambled instead of fried, for an interesting variation you can even make an egg omelette, or toss them with spring onions or dill, but this depends on the personal preferences. Of course to finish with you need a nice cup of white tea (or coffee), to go with toast and jam if wanted.

Follow these few easy steps and recommendations from Short let London and enjoy the taste of the best English traditions! 

Always yours,

Short Let London (www.shortlet-london.com)

Enjoy your weekend at our newly renovated properties in London!

Short Let London has been working hard this week, renovating its` new properies. Here we are proud to share the results of our work. Spacious just refurbished self-contained apartments, with new furniture, separated fully equipped kitchen and all neccessary facilities for your comfortable stay. Have a wonderful weekend ahead, we will be taking care of your comfort while your are enjoying your stay in our properties in London!

Truly yours,

Short Let London (www.shortlet-london.com)

Shortlet London's photostream

Shortlet London's photostream on Flickr.