Win a London weekend?

Onmyway2

Hello,

My Son would love a short break in London but the prices are always a bit too high. In the past I've entered competitions to win weekend + attraction breaks but I'm wondering if anyone has ever managed to win separate parts of a break by entering many competitions separately (e.g. a night in a hotel, meal, attraction...)

If so, how long did it take? I know in the past I've had up to 6 months or a year to claim things...

Thanks in advance

Marg2k8

If I were you, I would try to win a hotel stay and anything included with that first, then, if lucky enough to win that, I would only try then to win tickets etc to events. (Not that I have been lucky enough to win a London hotel stay yet, but no harm in hoping). Good luck.

towser44

I think you would have to be very lucky in this day and age to win the prizes separately within a short enough time frame (if at all) to be able to use them on one trip, not impossible, but I think the odds are very much against it. I've won tickets to a concert at Wembley and Champagne London Eye tickets previously but they were about 18 months apart and it wasn't possible to make a trip coincide to use them both at the same time. Luckily, I did win a family weekend in London earlier this year with hotel, spending money, train travel and tickets to the Dreamworks tour on the South Bank, but the concert tickets and London Eye tickets would have run out a long time before I won that weekend prize.

judy2357

I won this, a fantastic prize and had a wonderful time a couple of weeks ago. It was a chance in a lifetime for us, a break that we will never forget thanks to my comping hobby and the person who posted the competition on here. There were a few variations to this list, we saw the painted ceiling instead of the skittle alley. We couldnt fit in all the afternoon teas, we had three opportunities but not enough afternoons to eat them all. Good luck to you. xx

The prize consists of fixed and variable elements. It includes but is not limited to:

• Round trip travel for two people to London in economy / standard class from the closest appropriately connected city to the prize winner's residential address. Subject to availability and up to a maximum value of £2,000 total. The decision as to the most appropriate form of transport for the prize winners’ travel will lie with London & Partners.
• Two-night hotel stay (Fri, Sat or Sun nights) at the luxury InterContinental London – The O2, based on two adults sharing one room on a bed and breakfast basis
• A spa treatment at the InterContinental London – The O2
• Dinner for two at one of the hotel’s fabulous restaurants
• Afternoon Tea at the Mercure London Greenwich hotel
• Tickets to visit Cutty Sark, the ship that brought tea to Britain
• Cutty Sark souvenir guide
• Afternoon tea underneath Cutty Sark
• Tickets to Royal Observatory Greenwich with audio guide
• Tickets to the special exhibition at National Maritime Museum (changes each few months)
• Tickets to a show at the Planetarium
• Tickets for Up at The O2
• A meal at a restaurant in The O2
• A return “flight” on the Emirates Air Line cable car
• River Roamer tickets for travel on MBNA Thames Clippers for the duration of the stay
• Free travel on Southeastern trains between Central London stations and Greenwich
• A behind-the-scenes guided tour of the Victorian Skittle Alley and Jacobean Undercroft at The Old Royal Naval College, where movies such as Cinderella, Skyfall and Les Miserables were filmed
• A meal for two at The Brasserie at the National Maritime Museum
• A hamper of goodies from Greenwich Market - ideal for a picnic in Greenwich Park!
• Tickets for a sightseeing cruise on City Cruises
• Two Oyster cards pre-loaded with pay-as-you-go- credit for travel on the London Underground and the DLR to the value of £15 each. If you exceed the value indicated you will be required to top up your card in order to continue travelling on public transport in London.

cte1111

I've been lucky enough to win 3 short breaks in the last year or so. The first one was 2 nights bed and breakfast plus cycle hire. The second one was flights, hotel and spending money in Paris for 3 nights (including transfers). The 3rd was one night in London, including theatre tickets and a pre-theatre meal at the hotel.

However I've been entering competitions for about 8-10 years and not won any hotel breaks previously, so just luck of the draw. I would keep entering lots of competitions, but don't enter for tickets to anywhere that you wouldn't want to pay to visit, so don't enter for London theatre tickets, unless you live nearby or would happily pay the travel costs if you won. Timing tickets and a hotel break from separate wins would be tricky I think.

Look at the competitions carefully though - all the ones I entered weren't listed as 'holidays' but as a "cycling trip", "Gig weekend" and "tickets to a great show", but all included the lovely extras I mentioned. Good luck!

deb2112

judy2357 wrote: »

I won this, a fantastic prize and had a wonderful time a couple of weeks ago. It was a chance in a lifetime for us, a break that we will never forget thanks to my comping hobby and the person who posted the competition on here. There were a few variations to this list, we saw the painted ceiling instead of the skittle alley. We couldnt fit in all the afternoon teas, we had three opportunities but not enough afternoons to eat them all. Good luck to you. xx

The prize consists of fixed and variable elements. It includes but is not limited to:

• Round trip travel for two people to London in economy / standard class from the closest appropriately connected city to the prize winner's residential address. Subject to availability and up to a maximum value of £2,000 total. The decision as to the most appropriate form of transport for the prize winners’ travel will lie with London & Partners.
• Two-night hotel stay (Fri, Sat or Sun nights) at the luxury InterContinental London – The O2, based on two adults sharing one room on a bed and breakfast basis
• A spa treatment at the InterContinental London – The O2
• Dinner for two at one of the hotel’s fabulous restaurants
• Afternoon Tea at the Mercure London Greenwich hotel
• Tickets to visit Cutty Sark, the ship that brought tea to Britain
• Cutty Sark souvenir guide
• Afternoon tea underneath Cutty Sark
• Tickets to Royal Observatory Greenwich with audio guide
• Tickets to the special exhibition at National Maritime Museum (changes each few months)
• Tickets to a show at the Planetarium
• Tickets for Up at The O2
• A meal at a restaurant in The O2
• A return “flight” on the Emirates Air Line cable car
• River Roamer tickets for travel on MBNA Thames Clippers for the duration of the stay
• Free travel on Southeastern trains between Central London stations and Greenwich
• A behind-the-scenes guided tour of the Victorian Skittle Alley and Jacobean Undercroft at The Old Royal Naval College, where movies such as Cinderella, Skyfall and Les Miserables were filmed
• A meal for two at The Brasserie at the National Maritime Museum
• A hamper of goodies from Greenwich Market - ideal for a picnic in Greenwich Park!
• Tickets for a sightseeing cruise on City Cruises
• Two Oyster cards pre-loaded with pay-as-you-go- credit for travel on the London Underground and the DLR to the value of £15 each. If you exceed the value indicated you will be required to top up your card in order to continue travelling on public transport in London.

Wow, fantastic prize! I grew up there- my dad worked at the National Maritime Museum and I actually did a work experience in their education department while at uni. Reading the details of your prize brings back many memories. Glad you had such a good time. Unfortunately I live hundreds of miles away now and no longer have family in the area but I'd love to take my kids to all those places.

I-Owe-You

Just as a side note from a Londoner, it's worth considering if you wish to buy the trip cheap-ish(!) rather than paying for a central hotel which cost an absolute fortune - staying in a Premier Inn in an area like Stratford. (by the Olympic park and Westfield shopping centre). It's a straight run on the tube into the West End (one train & takes about 15/20 mins) and will work out a hell of a lot cheaper.

Although of course winning would always be better. Just thought I'd offer my two pence worth as I know Central London hotels are extortionate.

Best of luck! x

judy2357

deb2112 wrote: »

Wow, fantastic prize! I grew up there- my dad worked at the National Maritime Museum and I actually did a work experience in their education department while at uni. Reading the details of your prize brings back many memories. Glad you had such a good time. Unfortunately I live hundreds of miles away now and no longer have family in the area but I'd love to take my kids to all those places.

Oh thats interesting, it was a fantastic opportunity, one which we would never have experienced without my hobby of comping. Even if we had visited the area we would not have been able to afford the Intercontinental O2 hotel which was by far the best hotel we have visited. Hopefully your children will enjoy it one day