Covent Garden, WC2E: theatre nights, Strand hotels and good company

The Piazza is the heart of it, with the Apple Market under its iron and glass roof and the Royal Opera House filling one whole side. Drury Lane and Catherine Street hold the great theatres. Neal's Yard, a small painted courtyard off Monmouth Street, feels like a secret even when it is busy, and the seven streets of Seven Dials meet around a single column crowned with sundials. Down towards the water, Somerset House opens its courtyard for concerts in summer and an ice rink in winter.

The district is built for the before and after of a performance. Diners watch the clock in the early evening, the streets empty as the curtains rise, then fill again when the shows come down. A companion here understands that rhythm and plans around it.

The Savoy on the Strand, with its famous steel sign over the forecourt and two of the best known hotel bars in London. One Aldwych, on the corner where the Strand meets Aldwych, bright and contemporary, with its own small screening room. St Martins Lane, the hotel named after its street, with a tall glass front and a playful lobby. NoMad London on Bow Street, set inside the former magistrates' court and police station opposite the opera house. The Resident Covent Garden on Bedford Street, a smaller and more relaxed choice a few steps from the Piazza.

We name them as landmarks on the route and nothing more. No hotel has any arrangement with London Babes; a companion simply arrives as your guest, as she would at a flat on Long Acre or a private home near Lincoln's Inn Fields.

Covent Garden station, a Piccadilly line stop, is just a minute from the Piazza, though its lifts can queue on a busy evening. Leicester Square, a 4 minute walk along Long Acre, adds the Northern line to the Piccadilly. Charing Cross, around 6 minutes' walk down to the Strand, brings in the Bakerloo line and trains south of the river.

Over WhatsApp or Telegram, give the desk four things: who, where, when and for how long. A pre-theatre booking deserves a few hours' notice, because she will want to be dressed for the stalls. Your name, hotel and room are verified a single time, and 25 percent sent by bank transfer holds a standard booking. Overnights and events are held at 50 percent, and whatever of that covers her travel is non-refundable.

For a same evening visit to a Covent Garden hotel, arrival typically takes around 40 minutes. Should plans change, three hours' notice cancels a standard booking at no cost, while cancelling inside two hours carries half the fare. The balance can be cash in hand or a transfer.

Half past five, an early dinner at Balthazar on Russell Street, the room bright with mirrors and the clatter of plates. Seven, the house lights fall at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. At the interval, a glass of something cold and a lively argument about the leading performance. Afterwards, a nightcap at the Lamb and Flag, tucked down a narrow alley off Rose Street, before the stroll back to the Strand and the calm of the hotel.

The whole of it counts as a dinner date, four hours for £1,300. For company only once the curtain is down, two hours at £750 allow supper and talk, while £2,400 keeps her with you overnight.

Opera and theatre lovers who have booked a pair of seats and want the second one filled by someone who will enjoy it. Guests at The Savoy or One Aldwych who like to end the day with good conversation. Business visitors working near Holborn and the law courts, who want a relaxed dinner instead of room service. Most share a wish for evenings planned around a clock and a companion who is always on time.

Karolina, tall with sleek black hair, plays the piano, loves opera and takes long architecture walks through the city. Nancy has golden blonde hair and sea blue eyes; she swims, loves a road trip and will always suggest sushi. Tina, with long espresso brown hair, is passionate about fashion design, cocktails and vinyl records.

They live close to the Piazza, which usually makes them the quickest to arrive. The rest of our companions come to WC2 on the same fares.

West across Charing Cross Road lies Soho, smaller and louder after dark. The theatres continue into the West End around Leicester Square, and a walk down past Trafalgar Square brings you to Westminster and the river. For the whole route in one place, see central London.