I first heard about The Space in May of 2014 and knew that it would be a very cool venue for an…read moreevent. Looking around at the places in the city, I wanted to have a Launch event for #BrumHour at a creative and fresh venue. The owner, Chandeep has been a great champion of BrumHour, so it felt right that the venue would be the best host. I went down to The Space for the first time at the start of August 2014 and the three rooms vary a lot in size. However, they are all painted a brilliant white with high ceilings and huge windows to let a lot of natural light in. The main room is the carter room and can host around 50 people. When I came to host my event at the start of February 2015, I had 30 people and 5 tables with creative businesses from around Birmingham to share their project work on them. Chandeep was very clear about pricing, and timescales and this gave me a huge confidence boost that everything would run pretty smoothly. I hired the venue for 4 hours and used it for a 2 hour event including setup and going live. It can be used as a dance and drama rehearsal space, a creative gallery, a small theatre room or even a board room! Check out the website for more photos.

Amazing service. You know a great business when all the tiny details, from initial enquiry all the…read moreway through to completion are perfect. I am a really fussy bu**** and like things just so. I like businesses that go the extra mile. I like people who anticipate what will make my life easier. The Space scored massively on all these counts. So, we needed a small meeting room away from our busy office to strategize and plan. All our usual meeting options where full, other venues either couldn't be bothered responding or were to pricey or not quite right. Normally a local coffee shop or similar could fit the bill, but not for this kind of meeting. I knew of The Space through Twitter, as another Jewellery Quarter business, so I dropped them a line. I quick response confirmed everything I needed to know and prices where very competitive. Booking was super easy. We all arrived to be greeted by the helpful and friendly owner (I think) and shown around. Our room was perfect. Tea and coffee and biscuits provided, self serve. The tea mugs were neatly arranged, the tea spoons were ready in clean water, water jug and glasses all arranged on the table, the heater was on, the chairs and tables just right. What this attention to details means is that we could simply relax and focus on the business of the day. It was a great meeting and the venue and service received went at least some way towards allowing that to happen. Worth noting that although The Space is kinda in the middle of an industrial estate it's also very close to the bus routes on Great Hampton St, the JQ station and maybe 5-6 minutes walk from Snow Hill. You can also grab a nice lunch at the equally excellent The Lord Clifden if you need to, tho the venue does do meeting catering upon request. Highly recommended all 'round!

A magnificent looking pub from the outside and on the inside if you're into a rowdy atmosphere…read moreinduced often by booze-fuelled football viewing then this is a place you may want to visit. It's a spectator pub really - drink up, watch and shout. I quickly adjusted my expectations, cut out the small talk, and I commenced drinking and watching the football too. It's nice not having the burden of saying anything to anyone for 90 minutes, it offers time for self-expression through other mediums that aid in the release of suppressed emotions accrued after another week of life's rich tapestry. A pub full of grunting, shouting and bold characters - go here if you want a predominantly non-verbal experience but nonetheless still one with a lot of self-expression.

Top little boozer If…read moreyou're after a decent cheap pint and/or food in a venue without loud music this is pretty good unless there is a 'match game' or something on. Even then on the weekend its quieter than other places. They show football. rugby and horse-racing here and there. The place is a bit of a step back in time compared to the 'trendy' places nearby, and it's nice if you just want something simple in an environment that's easy to warm up to. In the nearby JQ or Colemore business district most places have moved upmarket in their interior design and moved their prices up to match. It's good to a place sticking to the basics and getting it right. There is a function/lunch room upstairs with booths and stuff you and hang about in if it's open at a lunchtime, usually is though the week. Oh and this is the place ol' Queen Victoria stayed in when she resided in Birmingham... so if it's good enough for a queen ... ;)

A large conference centre in the city centre of Birmingham, inside it, is pretty modern and…read morefeatures a few stores including a WHSmith, Subway and Starbucks - do take note of the opening hours of these though as some might not open on Sunday's and/or close early sometimes. It's now served by the Library stop on the West Midlands Metro, following the tram extension which goes onto Broad Street. It is also next to The Library of Birmingham, while the building isn't as stunning as the aforementioned, it still remains rather modern and cool. The conference auditorium has a capacity of 1,500 which is quite impressive. I do think the staff didn't seem too helpful, I originally asked where the Starbucks was and felt the need to explain myself as he seemed rather confused. It is pretty expensive inside with one of the most expensive Starbucks' locations I've seen ever outside of a travel location (airport, station or motorway services). 3*

A well designed events complex with additional pop-up stores including an art gallery.read more

Lots to see and do at this 15-acre botanical garden: a koi pond, aviary, butterfly house, bonsai…read morecollection, glasshouses, and many trails winding through various gardens. I was also witnessed a poor wild peacock being chased by children across the Main Lawn. Tickets are low-priced at £7.50 per adult. A 15 to 20 minute bus ride from the main city stops right by the garden. We didn't explore every nook and cranny, but covered the highlights in the hour that we stayed.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a medium-sized and well-maintained gardens a bit outside the…read morecity center. They have pleasant fields for strolling, a small area with some bird houses for your bird-watching enjoyment, plus some indoor greenhouses with plants from different climates. It's not that large, but you could enjoy an hour or two here. Come when the weather is nice to enjoy some greenery.

I came here once for a course and this venue was perfect. It's very clean, feels new and modern…read morewith spacious rooms, rooms with large screens for lectures as well as a coffee break room. The studio is perfect for hosting courses, lectures etc. and is very centrally located in Birmingham city.

The Orange Studio, now renamed 'The Studio' has to be one of my favourite restaurants. I love how…read moreit's hidden away, even though it's right in the middle of the city centre. It's situated above the old Orange store on Cannon street, where there is now just an internet cafe on the ground floor. Below the restaurant are conference rooms and the restaurant sits on the top floor. The setting is modern and the atmosphere cool and relaxing. The outdoor seating has some pretty plants decorating it and it's really lovely to sit outside on a sunny day. The food is good and well presented. Perhaps slightly pricey, but not unreasonable and staff are friendly and attentive too!

Yesterday I finally visited the vaults by attending the Visit Birmingham instameet (Instagram app)…read more Though you can go as general public through out may 2016. While the international dance festival is on, cherry reds have a pop up coffee bar open. As part of the instagrammers group we were allowed a free coffee (yeah I know I like freebies) which was great for me but not my 13 year old nephew who wanted to go on an instameet with me... As he didn't like coffee but free coffee was what was booked for igers. I said its for him and said he would have to have water or milk.. But the lady said she would make him tea... That was so sweet of her to do! Nephew was pleased and enjoyed his tea! Visit Birmingham did a great job of organising us around and the municipal bank staff were too, taking groups of 10 people to the vaults at a time. We too many pictures and allowed 10 mins in there. Nephew and I chatted to one staff who told us alot bout the vaults history and possible future.. That the council have asked HSBC if they will take over the building to look after it, as the HSBC HQ will be built around this building. On the ground floor we found an exhibition which nephew explored and took many pics, it was great. We really enjoyed exploring in there!!

In Birmingham we have streets without cars and a Library where most people don't actually touch the…read morebooks. For the last fifteen years we have had a bank without money and here it is. Birmingham Municipal Bank is owned by Birmingham City Council and managed by film Birmingham where it is used as a filming location and for the few times I've been there a event and urban exploration space. I went here on the Film and TV tour of Birmingham in 2014 and this year I've been here twice for Hidden Spaces which is taking place over June 2015. The banking hall is a huge area with many small meeting type rooms off the side corridors. It's got stained glass windows by the entrance and there's a revolving door that I've been too afraid to use. Downstairs is an amazing bank vault with thousands little safety deposit boxes which are ALL EMPTY. I looked through twenty and there's nothing! Beautiful building that smells like its not been used in 20 years.

Wonderful building with so much to offer to anyone who walks in! Cafe that is open every day…read moreserving hot and cold food and drinks, bar open every day of the week for the dads, enclosed playground for children and huge ground for older kids to play football and enjoy being outside! Add that to the main hall where you can book anything from a 1st Birthday party to a full Weeding Ceremony and Reception Party and this place has everything!!

Great cafe currently open every day except Thursday. Home made cakes, sandwiches and soup, with…read morecooked breakfasts at the weekend. Friendly.

A good traditional style venue…read more I've been to this place many many times, role-playing on a Thursday night and it always been a place to hang out for the eve. The staff are very helpful and the prices are very reasonable. They have two function rooms both with their own bars and then two separate small bar areas. The function rooms could probably cope with around 100 downstairs and 50 upstairs. They hire them out at a very reasonable price I believe. Entry is via a door which is released from the bar. I think that has something to do with it being a 'social club' and the rules around that. I've never had a problem getting in at anytime though. It's nice to have that little bit of security I guess if you're having a function. They do have live music and shows at various times as well. I'll get some pics up sometime.

I have been going to the club for over a year, the club itself is nice, however many members of the…read moreclub who are also in the committee are passively racist. There are several incidents where they address you by your racial profile even though they know your name in front of a large audience and it id seemingly not discourage by other members of the committee and when brought to attention no apology was offered just a smug laugh from the members.

This is a relatively new addition in a former office block on St Philip's Square (front rooms get a…read moreview of the Cathedral). Location wise, it's around five minutes from New St or Snow Hill stations and very central. It's as close as you get to a leafy spot in central Birmingham. The reception is stripped down, with self check-in and an assistant to help. Breakfast and dinner are provided in the adjacent Beefeater (named "Bar & Block"). The rooms are pretty standard, but quite well soundproofed, and I didn't suffer from external noise or that from other rooms. Free wifi was perfectly adequate for email and messaging. The beds are very comfortable, though neither the 'soft' or standard 'hard' pillows quite do it for me. The problem for sleeping, however, was the noise of the heating/cooling unit fan - an irritating whine which meant I had to turn it off to go to sleep and then awoke at 4am too warm. There was also a peculiar, intermittent watery noise, which I presume was someone flushing or washing elsewhere in the building, though it may have been the air-conditioning. Breakfast was ok, a fairly standard buffet, though Europeans would bemoan the lack of cheese and cold meats. I returned from getting a second cup of coffee to find the waitress clearing away the toast I had just buttered, although she apologised and offered to get me another. So, ok for the price (£118 including breakfast on a weeknight) but not outstanding value given the imperfect sleep.

Premier Inn is considered to be a budget chain hotel. However, having stayed at several of their…read morehotels in the last year, I have to say that I'm most impressed. The website is clear, comprehensive and it's easy to compare several nearby hotels to choose the most suitable one. My family and I stayed at this Premier Inn in Birmingham city centre earlier this year to attend the All England Badminton finals at the National Indoor Arena. The hotel is perfectly located in the city centre, close to all the shops and restaurants but only 20 minute walk along a pedestrianised route from the NIA. There is some metered parking outside the hotel but for longer term parking, it's best to use one of the many public car parks nearby. We used the Brunel Street car park which is a 5 minute walk away and cost around £8 for 24 hours on a Sunday. Check in is a funny affair with self service machines to enter your details but with very eager staff hovering to help. This hotel is very well staffed with helpful people and I'm not really sure why they don't just use a traditional check in system. The rooms were big and like other Premier Inns I've stayed at, quite modern and updated. There was a problem with the shower door in one of the rooms but we were given a new room immediately. The beds were comfortable. There was a nice looking on-site restaurant but we chose to eat out. This hotel satisfied both the CTG (Chinese Thrift Gene) and the CQG (Chinese Quality Gene)!