by Jenny Lewis
Ring? Check. Dress? Check. Groom? Check. Night of vodka-fuelled abandonment with your best mates, some L-plates and a male stripper? Well...
Whilst the Hen Night is the traditional last night of freedom, it doesn't have to be spent with the predictable bar crawl, nightclub and oiled-up stud scenario. We've found 10 alternative hen nights to suit every group of girlfriends.
The London Eye
Champagne, the London skyline and your own private capsule; the London Eye is a great start to a Sex And The City-style hen night, mixing drinks, gossip and a night on the town. For £40 per person, you and your friends will have exclusive check-in, priority boarding and a glass of bubbly for your 30-minute 'flight'. If you have loads of close friends, book the Champagne Cocktail Capsule, a private capsule holding up to 25 people, with your own personal barman. To book, contact www.londoneye.com or call 0870 220 2223.
Spa Pampering
Head-to-toe towelling, comfy slippers and a pile of trashy magazines - doesn't sound like your usual hen night, but it does sound like heaven. With a spa visit, all the girls can enjoy pampering with facials, massages and specialist treatments. Plus, there are spas all over the UK to suit every budget. For the traditional country pile health farm, there are Champneys at Henlow Grange, Tring, Springs (Leicestershire) and Forest Mere. Forget the out-of-date images of carrot juice and 5am power walks - you can just come to relax and indulge yourselves. Day packages start from £69.95, including basic treatments and lunch. For more information, go to www.champneys.com
For a day to remember in London, you might try the famous ladies-only spa, The Sanctuary - you know, the one with the swing over the swimming pool. A day's entry to the Sanctuary is £65 per person, Monday to Thursday and £75 per person Friday to Sunday. Use of the pool (and swing!), sauna, steam room, whirlpool and relaxation areas is included. Treatments are extra and start at £50 for one hour and £33 for half an hour. You can also book a package that includes entry, lunch and loads of extras, starting at £110 per person. Contact The Sanctuary on 0870 770 3350 or visit www.thesanctuary.co.uk. For more spa ideas, check out our list of London's top spas.
A Day at the Races
Feeling lucky? Then how about taking your hens to the races? Choose from Cheltenham, Chepstow, Aintree or Ascot. If you can, time your outing so it coincides with the Grand National or Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot. Or organise an outing to any of the country's racecourses with www.a-day-at-the-races.com. They can arrange for a private box, with champagne and lunch, or a simple picnic. Prices start from £50 per person and go up to about £200 per person. So you can make it as lavish as you desire!
The Great Outdoors
If you're a bride-to-be with bundles of pre-wedding nervous energy to burn off, it's time to get physical! Paintball, quad biking, go-karting, clay-pigeon shooting, golf and even bungee-jumping should take your mind off table linens and seating plans for a while. For something to stimulate your brain (don't worry, not too much!) as well as your brawn, try a treasure hunt. Be a Bond girl with a land, sea and air hunt that takes you on power boats and helicopters, or go back to nature with a weekend of pony-trekking and canoeing in the Brecon Beacons, via Urban Adventures (www.urbanadventures.co.uk). For dancing queens, www.lastnightoffreedom.co.uk can organise two nights' accommodation in a converted mansion house with its own nightclub for £145 per person. On Saturday, after spending the day trekking, you have dinner at the hotel and free entry to the club. On Sunday, you canoe away the cobwebs (or just have a lie-in).
Surfing
Whilst it may not quite be Hawaii, Newquay is still the surf capital of the UK, with its fair share of cute, shaggy-haired boys and the chance for you and your hens to learn to surf in a weekend. From March through to November you can book a few hours or a few days of tuition. If you have any energy left at the end of the day, there are plenty of clubs and bars for a glass of wine or two. Two days' surfing instruction, all equipment and accommodation for two nights will set you back £90pp through westcoastsurfari.com.
Gambling Gals
Choose highballs, highrollers and cocktail dresses for a glamourous hen night. You don't have to have wads of cash to enjoy low-stakes betting in casinos around the UK. London Clubs International (www.clublci.com) has casinos in towns and cities across the country, as does Ladbroke Casinos. With good restaurants and cocktail lounge areas to relax in, you can play as much or as little as you want. Many clubs are in rather swanky hotels, making it possible to book a stay and make a weekend of it. And with minimum bets on roulette between £1 and £5, it doesn't have to cost the Earth, either. Anyone can play, but one of your party does have to be a member of the casino. Simply join online or at the casino itself. Legally, you have to wait 24 hours before you can play, so make sure you get someone to join in advance. Membership is free and the member can bring up to six guests.
Salsa Night
Every hen likes to shake her tail feathers, or get up close and personal with snake-hipped Latinos. A night of salsa fits the bill on both counts. You can shake your thang at salsa clubs all over the country. Bar Salsa in London is typical of most in that you can have dinner and an hour's dance lesson before being let loose on the dancefloor. Prices start at £10.95 for dinner, with your dance lesson thrown in free. Try www.barsalsa.info if you're in London, or visit www.salsa.co.uk to find your nearest club.
Orient Express
If you fancy a hen party with a bit of timeless style, try the Orient Express. Take a day trip to your favourite city for sightseeing and shopping or simply settle into the dining car for lunch or dinner. A four-course lunch trip with champagne and wine is £145pp, with group discounts for parties over 12 people. Trains depart from all over the UK. Find your nearest departure point and destinations at www.orient-express.com.
Be Amused...
Theme parks are a great way to get your group in touch with their inner child, and scream their heads off while doing it. Start with the white-knuckle roller coasters: Blackpool has Revolution; Flamingo Land in Yorkshire has The Bullet; and Alton Towers has Nemesis and Oblivion - the most famous roller coasters of them all. Make a weekend of it by booking into the Alton Towers Hotel. Lots of themed rooms are available, but it's hard to resist the Princess Suite, with pretty pink furnishings (naturally) and its own jacuzzi. The park is open from April to November with rooms at the hotel starting from £56pp with four sharing. Visit www.alton-towers.co.uk or call 08705 00 11 00 to book the hotel.
Strip Club
Oh, go on then, get 'em off! If you just want flesh, flesh, flesh, book yourself front-row seats for some hunky male strippers. The Dream Boys are still going strong, so if you fancy an evening watching fit men bump and grinding in G-strings, then visit www.dreamboys-uk.com. Alternatively, at The Adonis Cabaret Show in Brighton, Drag Comedian Davina Sparkle introduces 'erotic dancers' Tristan Tristar (as seen on EastEnders) and The Joker (as seen on Graham Norton). At £29pp, you get more benefits than you could shake a stick at, including a buffet, a cocktail and entry to the club afterwards. Book online at www.henpartynight.co.uk.