Hen & stag parties on a budget

How to have a great time without spending a fortune

£150 to £200 per person

• A cottage weekend. This is perfect for a hen or stag weekend -- but costs do tend to spiral. Although accommodation can be relatively inexpensive, you need to think of the extras such as money for the food and drink kitty, and at least one night out for dinner, or a lovely lunch. Be sure to ask your fellow hens or stags to bring along a selection of games, CDs and DVDs to while away the evenings.
• A day trip to France, possibly with an overnight stay. Costs vary enormously depending on how you want to travel and where you want to stay. A ferry crossing with the car and a night or two in Le Touquet or Bolougne, for example, could even work out as less than £100 per person, but you're likely to want to sample some French cuisine and a few glasses of vino. Those who can splash out a little more might take the Eurotunnel and stay in a chateaux, or even head to Paris for the day on the Eurostar. If you're prepared to party all night, you could even forget about the hotel and come home on the morning train!
• An overnight stay at a health spa. There's nothing more luxurious than spending the night at a health spa. Just as you've reached a total state of relaxation, you can fall in to bed, get up in the morning and be pampered all over again.

£200 to £300 per person

• A city break, perhaps to Paris, Barcelona, or Dublin. With a little more money to spend, you can organise a long weekend abroad. Plan your destination carefully, taking in to account what you think everyone will enjoy. Prague and Dublin make great destinations for stag weekend (sorry to generalise but men do tend to enjoy their beer) while Paris, Barcelona or Madrid might be just the thing for a girls’ weekend (plenty of glamour and lots of lovely shops!).
• A package week away to a sunny destination. If you're planning for a close group of friends, think about organising a whole week away. However, this isn't ideal for a large group that includes people who don't know each other that well -- you simply can't expect that everyone will want to spend a whole week together. Scour the Internet and travel agents for any offers where you can fly away to the sunshine and enjoy a great week. So long as it's not excessively alcohol-fuelled, this is a great idea as you get closer to the wedding -- sun tans and wedding photos are a great combination!
• Get active! If paintballing and go-karting don’t float your boat and you have a little more budget to play with, look out for other adrenaline-filled activities. You could be driving Ferraris around a race track or bungee jumping from a great height. Alternatively, organise to go and watch a sporting event -- perhaps a rugby cup final or a favourite football team.

Blow the budget!

• A long weekend (or a week) in Las Vegas. If the sky really is the limit, head to Vegas. Accommodation is remarkably reasonable and fabulous, so you can splash out on shows and in the casino. You never know, you might even win more than you spend!
• A week's holiday to a villa in the sunshine. A similar idea to the package week away -- if you have more money to spend, book a villa with private pool. You'll have a great time in the sun, with just a little extra luxury!
• The ultimate hen day. Oh yes, it's truly amazing what you can spend over the course of 24 hours. Arrange accommodation for your hens in a London hotel before meeting for afternoon tea at The Ritz. Spend the afternoon being pampered in your choice of hair salon or spa, before getting ready for your night out. Cocktails at The Sanderson could be a good start, perhaps followed by dinner in the chef's kitchen at Claridges. Enjoy a few after dinner drinks at The Blue Bar at The Berkeley hotel before collapsing in to bed. And, of course, you'll need a chauffeur to ferry you from place to place.

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