Cavendish Hotel - Winter Deals and Cocktails

Welcome back to Access London and Thank You once again for supporting disabled access in London.

Today's post is dedicated to the Cavendish Hotel - Access London's recommended hotel. Located on Jermyn Street, a stone's throw from Piccadilly Circus, The Cavendish is ideally placed to visit theatres, galleries, shops and attractions. The accessible entrance is via the hotel's drop off point on Duke Street where there is level access into the reception area and lifts up to the lounge, restaurant, lounge bar and rooms.

For those wishing to catch a show whilst staying at The Cavendish, the nearest theatres include: The Criterion Theatre (The 39 Steps), Her Majesty's (Phantom of the Opera), Jermyn Street Theatre (check their website for latest show - this theatre has no step-free access though), Theatre Royal Haymarket (currently - The Lion In Winter), Gielgud (currently The Ladykillers), Queens (Les Miserables), Lyric (Thriller Live!).

Other attractions close to the hotel include The Royal Academy of Art, just 2 minutes away on Piccadilly, Royal Parks (Green Park and St James'), National and Portrait Galleries, Buckingham Palace, Fortnum & Masons, the shops of Jermyn Street and Regent Street.

The Cavendish has some beautifully designed accessible rooms available that include an accessible roll-in shower room. For those with more mobility, treat yourself to a stay in an Executive room - includes a seperate shower and bath, but not a roll-in one - the room however is plenty big enough to accommodate wheelchairs and scooters.

The Cavendish has some fantastic, festive Winter Deals on right now, lasting through to the end of January, you can find out all the details HERE . If you do require an accessible room though, you will need to ring the main reservations number on 020 7930 2111 and check the rooms are available for the dates you require before booking them online. The Petrichor restaurant at The Cavendish is offering a special Christmas lunch and dinner menu which can be seen HERE .

Petrichor can be accessed using a ramp if you are a wheelchair or scooter user or there are 3 shallow steps with a handrail. Once inside, the restaurant is spacious with a choice of different types of seating and ample room for wheelchairs. You can make a booking or enquire further by calling the Petrichor on 020 7930 2111. The Cavendish have also created a festive twist on their traditional afternoon tea for the holiday season - their lounge is a great place to stop off after Christmas shopping to relax and enjoy afternoon tea for under £20 per person! For details on all the festive deals and goings-on at The Cavendish SEE THEIR WEBSITE HERE

Finally, I recently went to a cocktail evening and masterclass at The Cavendish, led by cocktail experts Gabor and Warren. I would definitely recommend a trip to one of the two bars at the hotel to try one of this season's delicious cocktails, all at very reasonable prices. The lounge bar is fully accessible if you are a wheelchair or scooter user and is on the 1st floor - accessed via one of the 3 lifts from the ground floor reception area. The lobby bar can only be accessed by several steps but there is a handrail if you are able to manage a few steps. However you choose to, enjoy The Cavendish Hotel this festive season!


COMING SOON: Billy Elliot, Pippin, Jersey Boys, The Ladykillers

The Royal Academy and Access

Firstly, I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has been supporting this blog and Access London.

Today's post is on the Royal Academy of Arts and one of its current exhibitions - The Glasgow Boys.

The Academy is located in Burlington House, Piccadilly. It is open 10am-6pm everyday with late night opening on Fridays (until 10pm). The pavement outside on Piccadilly is particularly wide and accessible for wheelchairs and scooters. When entering the courtyard at Burlington House, there is a choice: either the smaller archway to the right that takes you onto the pavement that circles the courtyard (there is a lowered access onto the courtyard halfway round). Or, through the large main arch and across the cobbled courtyard, just watch out for the fountains that come up from the ground. Watch the video below to see more!

There is both ramped and staired access to the gallery. If using a wheelchair or scooter, head to the left and use the large door, rather than the revolving one. Inside the foyer, there is level access to the cloakroom, ticket desk, toilets and cafe. For the lift, head behind the main staircase where an operator works the glass lift to all floors. I recommend booking tickets in advance for paid exhibitions.

The Academy offers the following for those with disabilities: touch facilities, access guides, tour guides, large print lists, thermoforms, ability to bring in guide dogs and BSL and lipspeaking tours. The gallery also has 5 wheelchairs which are available to hire and 2 parking spaces (for badge holders) which can be booked in advance. For enquiries use: 020 7300 8028 or access@royalacademy.org.uk

The exhibition, Pioneering Painters: The Glasgow Boys 1880-1900 is on until the 23rd January 2011. The gallery describes the exhibition as: "the first major exhibition in London for over 40 years to celebrate the achievement of the Glasgow Boys, the loosely knit group of young painters who created a stir at both home and abroad in the final decades of the nineteenth century".

The exhibition is spread through 6 rooms and showcases pictures from almost a dozen artists. Although each quite distinct in their own style, they painted with a mixture of impressionist influences and realist touches in their landscapes and portraits. The paintings show landscapes and cultures as diverse as Scotland, mainland Europe, Northern Africa and Japan. The majority use bright colours and a combination of brush strokes. The exhibition showcases work from the Glasgow Boys as a group and also some of their later works when they split up to persue their own interests and specialisms. I would thoroughly recommend this exhibition which runs for another month. Afterwards, don't forget to check out what else the Academy has to offer.

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For more information on the Royal Academy and to book tickets to see the Glasgow Boys and other exhibitions, go to:

COMING SOON: Her Majesty's Theatre and Phantom of the Opera