I Found My New Best Friend Traveling to London: Part 10 – Phantom of the Opera and London at Night

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Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.  Emily:   I love to travel, and my mom does, too!

When I was growing up in Ohio, we could only afford road trips to local amusement parks.  But collecting miles and points has opened up a whole new world of travel neither of us thought possible!

She and I decided to go to London and Paris for a mother-daughter getaway.  We flew Business Class and stayed in 5-star hotels.  I paid for this trip for a fraction of the retail cost by using airline miles and hotel points.

I’ve never traveled so long with my mom before, and at the end of the trip, I felt like I had a new best friend!  Without the miles & points hobby, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience the joy of traveling with my mom.

Take a Stroll Through the City at Night to Enjoy the Illuminated Architecture

In this series, I’ll show you how you can get to Europe, too!

I Found My New Best Friend Traveling to London Trip Report Index:

Phantom of the Opera and London at Night

My mom and I had never seen a show in London before, and we knew it was something we did not want to miss.

We decided to see the Phantom of the Opera!  We got our tickets through the London Box Office website.  They were ~$100 each.  I’ve seen the movie once before, but never a live performance.  This show would be a first for the both of us!

I’ve Never Seen This Play Before!

The show was held at Her Majesty’s Theatre.  It’s a gorgeous old building.

I’m Not Shy About Asking Strangers to Take My Picture. There’s Nothing Wrong With Being an Enthusiastic Tourist!

We arrived a few minutes early, got our seats, and began to enjoy the show.

We Couldn’t WAIT for the Red Curtain to Part

I don’t have photos of the performers, but the show was the best show I’ve ever seen!  The level of detail in the sets and costumes were amazing…

Even the Stage Had Unparalleled Detail. It Almost Felt Like a Movie Instead of a Play

The story was so moving, and the voices of the performers were breathtaking.  I especially loved Celinde Schoenmaker, who played Christine.  Her voice was so soothing, powerful, and hypnotic!

Happy That We Experienced the Play, Sad It Was Over

The show has been running at this theatre for a long time, and it’s clearly something they know how to do very well!

Her Majesty’s Theatre at Night
Connie:  Seeing the Phantom of the Opera play for the first time at Her Majesty’s Theatre was awesome.  A high and beautiful chandelier from the stage was brought out by cables and lowered right above the audience!  So cool!

Westminster Abbey

After the theatre, my mom and I walked to Westminster Abbey.  We passed the underground on the way.  How cool was it to see the Piccadilly Circus station!!  I’ve always heard about these places, and it’s so cool to actually be there experiencing it.

Renting a Car in London Isn’t Worth the Hassle for Me. I’d Rather Navigate the Public Transportation Than Spend Half My Trip Looking for a Parking Space

I’ve been to London twice, and still have not been inside the Abbey.  Oh well, maybe on my next trip!

The City Lights Were Beautiful at Night

My mom loved seeing the historical buildings.  I love traveling with her!  She’s always so upbeat and curious.  Gee, I wonder where I got those traits from?! 🙂

Our Interests Are Very Similar – We Were Made to Travel Together!

Across the street was the Central Hall Westminster, a conference hall and famous filming area.

Many Areas of London Are Recognizable From American Movie Scenes

You Can Do It, Too!

We used British Airways Avios points to fly to London.  But we ended up paying a lot in fuel surcharges.  And we stayed at the Intercontinental London Park Lane.

But there are cheaper ways to get to London on miles & points!  And plenty of options for hotel award stays.

Here are my top recommendations for booking award flights to London.  And some ideas for where to stay!

Flights

1.   American Airlines

Using American Airlines miles to get from the US to Europe costs:

  • 30,000 miles one-way in coach (22,500 miles between November 1 and December 14, and January 10 and March 14) + taxes & fees
  • 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees
  • 85,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees
Note:   Make sure you don’t fly on British Airways planes, because American Airlines will pass along the fuel surcharges!  Try to cross the ocean on an American Airlines or Air Berlin plane.

It’s easier to earn American Airlines miles than you might think!  Right now, Citi American Airlines credit cards are offering:

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Redeeming American Airlines miles is simple, too.  Look for flights on your desired dates by logging into either your American Airlines account.  Make sure you click on “Redeem Miles” and then Show Full Calendar” for the fewest number of miles needed if your dates are flexible.

Check out my guide on how to book American Airlines miles!

2.   United Airlines

You can fly from the US to Europe on United Airlines for:

  • 30,000 miles one-way in coach + taxes & fees
  • 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees (70,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)
  • 80,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees (110,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)

You can earn United Airlines miles quickly by signing-up for these cards:

  • Chase United Explorer – 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase United small business card – 50,000 United Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1:1 ratio with:

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase Ink Business Preferred – 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Check out my ultimate guide to booking United Airlines miles!

Note:   Remember, Chase has changed their application rules.  So if you’ve opened 5+ cards from any bank (except these business cards) in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for new Chase cards.

Hotels

1.   IHG

You can book IHG hotels for between 10,000 and 60,000 IHG points per night (or just 5,000 IHG points per night during IHG PointBreaks!).

I stayed at the 5-star Intercontinental London Park Lane, which costs 60,000 IHG points per night.  But you can stay at cheaper options, like the Holiday Inn Stevenage30 minutes north of London, for just 10,000 IHG points per night.

2.   Hyatt

Hyatt charges between 5,000 and 30,000 Hyatt points per night.  I’ve previously stayed at the Hyatt Regency London – Churchill and loved it!  The hotel costs 25,000 Hyatt points per night.  But you can also stay in cheaper hotels, like the Hyatt Place London Heathrow, which costs 12,000 Hyatt points per night.

3.   Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, & Starwood

Marriott and Starwood have merged!  You can link your accounts, and transfer points between your Marriott and Starwood accounts at a 3:1 ratio.  And Marriott and Ritz-Carlton essentially have the same rewards program, just with different branding .  So if you collect Marriott or Starwood points, you’ll have lots of options in London!

It costs between 7,500 and 70,000 Marriott points to stay at a Marriott or Ritz-Carlton hotel.  And Starwood hotels charge between 3,000 Starwood points (2,000 points on weekends) and 35,000 Starwood points for a free night.

You could stay at The London EDITION, a 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel, for 50,000 Marriott points (or convert 17,000 Starwood points into Marriott points).  Or you could stay at the Aloft London Excel for 10,000 Starwood points (or convert 30,000 Marriott points to Starwood points).

4.   Hilton

Hilton has lots of hotels to choose from in London!  You can stay at the incredible Waldorf Hilton, London for 60,000 Hilton points per night.  Or you can stay at the more affordable Hampton by Hilton London Croydon for 20,000 Hilton points per night.

Bottom Line

Seeing The Phantom of the Opera was one of my favorite activities while in London!  Every time I visit, I would love to see a show.  Maybe even the same one again (yes, it was that good!).

Walking around London at night was also gorgeous.  My mom and I felt very safe walking by ourselves, too!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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