A Night in the Lions Den
Wednesday 13 September 2017
The Venue Search London team were lucky enough to be invited to ZSL London Zoo for an overnight stay at the Gir Lion Lodge. We had such a great time that we wanted to shout about it from the rooftops...
On arrival, we were greeted by the wonderful ZSL London Zoo and Ampersand events team who escorted us to our cosy lodges within the Land of the Lions, complete with en suite, cosy beds, power sockets (to charge our devices ready for the great photo opportunities) and heating (to keep us toasty warm!).
With Prosecco in hand, we were then taken on a wonderful after hours tour of the Zoo, visiting the Lion enclosure where we were lucky enough to hear their mighty roar! We also had the opportunity to feed the Warthogs tasty chunks of sweet potato and beetroot and bundles of hay to Pygmy Hippos - you'll be pleased to know these amazing animal feeds are included in the overnight experience.
As a free-venue finding service, we couldn't wait to see the great event spaces offered at ZSL London Zoo, so began this part of our tour at the Mappin Pavillion, which overlooks the outback enclosure (complete with Kangaroos). With a capacity of 150 guests for a standing reception and 120 for seated dinner, as part of a Christmas Party package you can also opt for your guests to be greeted by Reindeers (the only event space we know of that offers this, how exciting!).
For larger standing receptions of up to 400 guests, we were shown the Terrace Restaurant, which features high ceilings, a beautiful mezzanine level opening out onto a upper terrace deck and views across the venue's grounds.
We finished our event spaces tour in the very grand Prince Albert Suite, but not before visiting the Reptile House, a perfect space to host a unique standing drinks receptions, with the opportunity to serve for bowl food or canapés by Ampersade catering. Our final destination hosts seated dinner for up to 260 guests and with an opening onto the terrace your guests will enjoy views over London Zoo.
Our final night time tour of the Zoo included two more animal feeding experiences and then we made our way back to our cosy lodges. After a comfortable nights sleep, we were awoken to the sound of the Lions roaring (which was completely surreal, as you can imagine!). Before returning to a busy day in the office, a fully cooked English Breakfast was the perfect end to the perfect overnight stay.
The versatile event spaces at ZSL London Zoo are ideal for Christmas and Summer parties, conferences or even awards dinners, so get in contact with the Venue Search London team today on 0207 8709303 or drop us an email at hello@venuesearchlondon.com and let us find you the perfect venue.