London - need ideas for 50th celebration

[Tigger71]

My husband will be 50 early July and has suddenly gone from ”I dont want to do anything special on the day” to ”lets go down to London for a celebration weekend” (his actual birthday is on a Saturday).

It just us and our two sons 15 and 8 yrs old. Please can you recommend:

1. Restaurant for his birthday meal (suitable for special occasion but also not so fancy that the 8 yr old wouldnt fit in)

2. Different/unusual things to do or see

3. A fabulous hotel

Obviously not expecting everyone to answer all 3 :-) - I am grateful for any ideas you have

[COL41]

I’ve just posted asking for ideas for my 50th in November and London is one of my options! I would personally recommend a boat trip or trip up the Shard maybe?

[FloRidaLvr]

No.2 ... Cross the Thames on the Emirates Cable Car , did it for my special birthday . I found it quite scary , lol !

[Gaja]

We went to London a few years ago, have a look at thamesribexperience

It was a lot of fun and well worth doing.

[Vanillapod]

Originally Posted by FloRidaLvr

No.2 ... Cross the Thames on the Emirates Cable Car , did it for my special birthday . I found it quite scary , lol !

See more...

It does look like it’ll be a steep
Climb when you first set off doesn’t it?!

OP, if you do this, make sure you pay by tapping in and out with a debit card as you would on the tube. It’s considerably cheaper that way.

[Disney Dizzy]

The Shard is expensive for what it is. I would suggest going to the Sky Garden - you can book to go in free and you will get similar views to the Shard. There are a couple of restaurants there as well but can be expensive.

what about a trip to the theatre? School of Rock would appeal to all ages.

Thames lunch or afternoon tea or Hard Rock Cafe.

Something that we did last year was get a Treasure Trail around Covent Garden - we ended up near an ice cream parlour that does the flower ice creams - my 13 yr old son was happy to eat a flower when it was made of ice cream. We also did a trail around the London parks.

[Disney Dizzy]

If you are thinking of the emirates cable car and you like an experience you could do 'Up at the O2' where you climb to the roof of the O2. I've just checked and your 8 year old can do it too.

[FloRidaLvr]

Originally Posted by Vanillapod

It does look like it’ll be a steep
Climb when you first set off doesn’t it?!

OP, if you do this, make sure you pay by tapping in and out with a debit card as you would on the tube. It’s considerably cheaper that way.

See more...

It was steep , dangly and very high !

[Tigger71]

Thanks so much for suggestions! Will definately check out Sky Gatden and the cable car ! O2 sounds good too - I couldnt go myself (dont like heights and have some health issues preventing) but my DH and DSs might like it.

[smithlane]

Rules is the oldest restaurant in London and serves typically British food so should appeal to the whole family. It's close to Covent Garden so very central and is nice for a special occasion. Failing that the Big Easy is just opposite and is a great Lobster and Steak BBQ restaurant that would definitely appeal to kids.
I agree the Shard is expensive for what it is but on a clear day the views are amazing but it gets ridiculously busy up there especially on a weekend.
Tower 42 is another option. It's been quite a few years since I've been up there but there is a Champagne bar on the 42nd level called Vertigo 42, lovely views from the other side of the river to the Shard. It's in the city not far from London Bridge