Christmas in the West End

Dec 19 2008 By Kathryn Quayle

The decision to spend a weekend in the heart of London’s vibrant West End during the run up to Christmas was a good move.

This bustling district is a hive of activity and with the help of our guides from the New West End Company we managed to cram in some of the best shopping, dining and entertainment experiences.

Our hotel, The Langham, was situated in the ideal spot to sample the delights that the West End had to offer. This luxury hotel, just moments from Oxford Circus, offered exemplary service and beautifully presented accommodation. The first phase of The Langham’s multi-million pound refurbishment was completed in 2007 and has seen the opening of Artesian, the chic and glamorous bar, and a stylish restaurant, The Landau, where you can walk through a vaulted wine corridor and browse a selection of rare and unusual wines from around the world.

Outside the hotel there are 17 Michelin star restaurants, 40 world renowned theatres, 30 art galleries and museums, and 600 shops all waiting to be explored. All the usual high street names can be found but here they are bigger and better, offering the buyer more choices. Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street form the largest concentration of retail in Europe and together equal four miles of shopping streets – perfect for finding the ideal Christmas gifts for family and friends.

Shopping at Selfridges’ flagship store on Oxford Street was an experience in itself. Take a moment to look around this world famous store and take in the beautiful displays and uniquely themed rooms, which are brimming with hot-off-the-catwalk trends. From top designer brands such as Chanel and Prada, you are guaranteed to find all the handbags and gladrags you could ever dream of.

Selfridges’ sparkling Wonder Room is located on the ground floor and is stocked with the finest brands of jewellery, watches and luxury gifts – you can even book a trip to space with Virgin Galactic for a truly cosmic, outer-space experience.

No matter what your budget, Selfridges offers something for everyone. The novel Credit Crunch, a £3.99 bag of chocolate covered honeycomb with the tag "a different kind of sticky situation", is the perfect stocking filler this Christmas. And it won’t break the bank!

Next on the list was a visit to Hamleys. This wacky Regent Street trove left us wide-eyed with the excitement of seven floors of toys and games to explore. We left with a remote controlled helicopter which I am told is one of its best sellers this year.

Not only is the West End a fantastic place for flagship retail, but also for exploring some hidden gems such as the Handel House Museum in Brook Street.

Visitors can tour the composer’s restored 1723 home which was where he compiled the Messiah, and where he died 249 years ago. Next year the museum is planning a number of special events to mark the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death.

This was followed by lunch at Vapiano, the newly opened restaurant on Great Portland Street. This Italian eaterie serves up delicious pizza, pasta and salads, and has a unique, self-serve system, without the need for waiters. Each diner is issued with a plastic swipe card which keeps track of their spending. When you have finished you simply take the card to the till point where your total will be printed off and you can pay your bill. This was the perfect lunch stop and left us feeling refreshed and ready to spend the rest of the day shopping.

In the evening we enjoyed pre-theatre cocktails and canapés at the brand new Kingly Club, on Upper St Martins Lane, before finishing our trip with a visit to the London Hippodrome to take in the unique – and slightly naughty – mix of cabaret, burlesque and circus acts that is La Clique. We watched in awe with morbid fascination at acts including Captain Frodo, who can dislocate his arms and squeeze his body through two stringless tennis racquets, and Ursula Martinez’s mischievous magic act with a disappearing red hanky.

This survivor of last century's variety circuit, like all good circuses, touches on freak show and provides an evening of dangerous comedy that is guaranteed to warm you up this winter.

For further information or to plan your own Christmas getaway to the West End, log on to the website www.westendlondon.com