<Body Text>DISCOUNT DINING TIPS FROM LONDON SECRETS
<Body Text>
<Body Text>London Secrets, in their London guidebook, recommends three programs as a way to save money in London restaurants and pubs. The three discount programs are: (1) Entertainment Publication's Entertainment '95, (2) Entertainment Publication's Premier Dining, and (3) Transmedia's Discount Dining Program. The following is London Secrets' explanation of the three programs.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>ENTERTAINMENT '95 -- One of the best London secrets is a London discount book sold by Entertainment Publications. It is full of discounts, including a dining program that offers a 25% discount for up to 4 people, at many London restaurants and pubs. The discount includes: food, beverages, tax and service.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>On a December trip to London, four of us used the Entertainment '94 book for most of our dinners and lunches. After the discount, cost for dinners (including tax and tip) ranged from £7 to £54 per person, with an average cost of £26. Lunch costs ranged from £6 to £13 per person, with an average cost of £9. We included dinners at some of London's best restaurants, and we did not skimp on the wine. Using Entertainment '94 resulted in restaurant savings of over $400 for eight days, and we saved an additional $150 on theater tickets and sightseeing.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>One of the advantages of buying Entertainment '95 is that you also get two-for-one discounts (50% off) on some sightseeing venues, and 25% off on some theater tickets. The theater tickets may not be for the 'sold out' shows, but you can get your tickets from the theater box office, and won't have to stand in line at the Half-Price Booth in Leicester Square. The discounted sightseeing includes Thames cruises, museums, Frames Rickards half-day tours of London or Windsor, and Shakespeare's Globe Museum.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>Entertainment Publications prints their Entertainment '95 London books in England. If you order them there, their London telephone number is 0171-793-1510. You can order the books in the US by calling Entertainment Publications at 800-445-4137. The US cost is $45 plus $3 shipping and handling for delivery in 3 or 4 weeks. Express delivery is an additional $7, and will get the book to you in about 8 days. Entertainment Publications also sells books on many North American and European cities. If you have previously purchased an Entertainment Publications book in the current year, you may be able to buy the London book for only $25. Ask about it when you order the London book, to see if you qualify.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>If you do not live in the United States or Great Britain, you can FAX your order to 810-637-2035 in the US. Be sure to give your name (as it appears on your Visa or Master Card), the number of books you want, your mailing address, and your credit card number and expiration date.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>If you buy an Entertainment '95, please take one additional word of advice. Tip your server on the amount of the bill before the discount. He or she should not be penalized for your good fortune
<Body Text>
<Body Text>
<Body Text>PREMIER DINING -- US. Tel: 800-926-0565. Entertainment Publications also has a Premier Dining Guide that covers over 350 restaurants in the UK. About 90 of them are in London. This program will take 25% off your dining bills, for up to four people. You can now order the Premier Dining Guide before you leave home by calling 800-926-0565 in the US.. The price is $50, which includes shipping. If you need the guide quickly, ask about express shipping. Their London telephone number is 0171-793-1510.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>Some of the restaurants listed in the 1995 Premier Dining Guide are also in the Entertainment '95 London book. The major difference is that Premier Dining has a selection of restaurants all over England, Scotland and Wales, and has no restrictions on the number of visits to each restaurant. Some of the fine dining restaurants in the Entertainment '95 London book, only allow you to go to their particular restaurant once, with the current year's card. Unlike Entertainment '95, Premier Dining is for dining only. They have no discounts on theater or sightseeing.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>Premier Dining, like the Entertainment '95 program, reduces the total dining bill by 25%. This includes a discount on your food, cocktails, wine, tax and service charge. You should calculate your tip so that your server gets the percentage you think they deserve, on the bill before the discount. Like servers all over the world, they prefer cash.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>
<Body Text>TRANSMEDIA -- US Tel: 800-422-5090. Transmedia is another good source of discount dining in London. Their card cost $50 a year and gives a 25% discount on food and beverages (tax and tip excluded).
<Body Text>
<Body Text>One advantage of obtaining a Transmedia card for your discount dining in London is that it will also provide discounts in many restaurants in the United States. The areas of the country where they are strongest are: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, South Florida, Boston, Atlanta, North and South Carolina, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Connecticut, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The September 1994 Consumer Reports Travel Letter reported that some of the better restaurants in New York and San Francisco, honor their card.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>Their card is discreet and easy to use. Simply pay for the meal with your Transmedia card, just as you would with a credit card. Transmedia will transfer the total cost to your Discover, MasterCard, or Visa account, and at the same time, issue a credit adjustment for the discount.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>The Transmedia card is good for parties up to six people, and some restaurant will allow larger groups. However, if you have more than six, you must make reservations through Transmedia, three days in advance.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>You will receive a directory of restaurants, with your card. If you want to double check to ensure that the restaurant of your choice is still on the list, call their London customer service number, 0171-930-0704. It is manned; 9 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday, and 9 am to 4 pm on Saturday.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>LONDON SECRETS -- London Secrets is an information company that makes custom made, personalized guidebooks for travelers to London. Each book is individually researched for a traveler, couple or group, and covers their specific interests. London Secrets determines your interest from a questionnaire you completed and send to them. In addition to the special information they will research and print on your interests, London Secrets reviews the restaurants and pubs that honor the cards of the three discount programs mentioned above. They even have the capability to list the establishments by cuisine, by price range, by underground line or red bus route. They may even recommend a special entrée or wine that you should try, or perhaps the restaurant and pubs that are within walking distance of your hotel. All you have to do is ask.
<Body Text>
<Body Text>If you would like some information on London Secrets and their unique service, E-Mail them your fax number or mailing address. Their American Online address is: LONDONTOM.
