An evening on the Thames with Ladbrokes Party Life

My goodness it’s been a busy year so far! This weekend was no exception as I had a weekend in London planned.

Friday night’s event required me to “dress to impress”. After a major panic as I tried on every single dress in my wardrobe and then tossed each on the reject pile, I found a little black dress which seemed like it could be perfect if only it fit properly! I rushed over to my mum’s house who performed a minor miracle by altering it for me on the spot. What. A. Star!

Racing back home, I slung the entire contents of my dressing table and bathroom into a suitcase and made my way to London.

I met Pippa on the Victoria Embankment at Temple Pier. (By the way if you don’t follow her blog Clashing Time, you really should!) We were soon joined by Lisa and Kim and excitedly made our way onto the Ladbrokes Party Boat!

If you’ve read my Valentines day post (link here if not!) you’ll know I love a flutter on the casino tables. Strictly for fun mind with no actual money involved as I’m not really a gambler! Ladbrokes had come through in style with the offer of an evening cruising along the Thames on their river party boat the Golden Jubilee.

There were casino tables where we could learn to play craps and roulette using ‘fun money’. The other girls weren’t all that keen on the gambling element though so we headed out onto the deck first to take in the stunning London skyline at night. The views were incredible. Especially of Tower Bridge which we passed under twice in the end, plus the Eye and The Shard. London in the daytime is beautiful. London at night is magical.

Unfortunately, the boat was bumping and rocking along and the wind made
it impossible to get decent shots, so you’ll have to take my word for it!

We headed back inside as we heard that food had been laid out. We were late getting there though so a lot of it had gone. I spotted bagels which seemed an odd choice for a night time cruise, but actually mine was quite delicious with it’s cream cheese and smoked salmon filling. We ended up taking the fruit platter back to our seats to accompany our wine stash.

Pippa and I already knew each other but we had only met Lisa and Kim (and later Lucy too) that evening. However we all got on like a house on fire! We all shared a slight confusion as to whether Ladbrokes were actually going to be launching a Casino Party Boat for paying guests and grilled Simon from the organisers Brit Bloggers about it. He confirmed that this was a one off that Ladbrokes had laid on just in aid of showing us all a good time. He told us to relax, have fun and make the most of the free bar.

Oh. Had I not mentioned till now that there was a free bar?!

What proceeded was a fantastic relaxed night of laughter with new friends in which we shared stories on everything from career aspirations to blogging and the woes of house prices. All the while we made our way through the numerous bottles of Rose wine that Pippa had convinced the bar staff to let us take back to our comfy seats so that we didn’t have to keep going to the bar.

Halfway through the merriment Pete Doorey the Magician (who became known as Magic Pete!) appeared to entertain us.

We were transfixed as he made whole decks of cards disappear from our
hands in a puff of smoke, turned cards into pom pom balls with a flick
of his wrist and more besides. We were screaming “how did you do
that?!!” with each new reveal.

Img src: @petedooreymagic  / @samuelridge

Img src: @petedooreymagic  / @samuelridge

Img src: @petedooreymagic  / @samuelridge

Img src: @petedooreymagic  / @samuelridge

We even managed to bet a few hands before the casinos closed and I was in profit by the end of the night (even if it was only fun money!). One lucky lady won an Ipad mini for having the most winnings.

At the ended of the night we were in fits of giggles as we made our way back on the tube. I do recall shouting loudly “I love you!!” to my fellow bloggers as we parted company at the tube station. I think I may have had a tad too much wine. Just a bit.

Trains from London on a Friday night are decidedly lacking
after midnight, so I had spoiled myself by booking into a hotel with a big queen size bed all to myself! I collapsed into it still giggling and didn’t awaken till very late Saturday morning, with a massive hangover might I add.

But I have no regrets, it was a great evening. Thanks girls, you’re the best!

Thanks also to Ladbrokes for hosting the event and to Brit Bloggers for organising it. We were on that boat for a good 3 and a half hours cruising around the Thames, Ladbrokes really did go all out. You can see Ladbroke’s post on it here: ladbrokes.com/winning-on-the-water.

I stayed at the Club Quarters Gracechurch hotel which is a conveniently placed 3 minute walk from both Bank and Monument tube stations. It’s a lovely 4* hotel with everything you’d expect. I was excited that you could request that exercise equipment is delivered to your room! In the end though I just didn’t have time to test this particular feature – boo!

I love the financial district of London, it’s loud and vibrant during the week and filled with luxury brand shops to entice in the bankers. At the weekend, however, all the shops close down and it’s a quiet haven. You can take a leisurely stroll to St Pauls, The Tower of London, or even across the bridge to the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s The Globe Theatre. Or do as I did: just stroll through the streets looking at the historical wall engravings and street signs, as you slowly head back to the tube station.

My final highlight of the trip was seeing this pug! He sat on his owners lap all the way back to Kings Cross and I just wanted to go over and cuddle him!!

Anyway, that’s my Friday and Saturday all summed up… stay tuned for what happened when I went back to London on Sunday for another adventure… with chocolate!