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.

Went for a festival and came back to my room one day and all my merchandise was gone. Went to the…read morefront office area to let them know about this. They told me to make an insurance claim, not let me talk to housekeeping, let me do some investigating, let me call the police, make a claim. I paid over $300 a night to get that. Never again.

VIEW: 5/5 SERVICE: 5/5 (updated service to 5/5)…read moreAMENITIES: 5/5 TV CHANNELS: 2/5 INTERNET: 2/5 FYI #1: The hotel has a weight scale. I don't think this is common, so a big plus. FYI #2: They have the 10x mirror in the bathroom. FYI #3: They have a cover for the peep hole. I've never seen this before, but I really appreciate it! FYI #4: They have a trouser press. VIEW: Today is my 2nd night here. The hotel is beautiful. I am sitting here on the 21st floor, overlooking the canal. The view is SPECTACULAR (for me on this trip). SERVICE: I arrived yesterday. I came with 3 bags + purse. There were two concierge outside and they saw me approaching the hotel, but they did not offer to help me. They did not greet me. Nothing. Not cool. On the way in this afternoon (one concierge different from yesterday) was at the door and he opened the door for the man behind me because he had one small suitcase. He was holding the door open for the man (not me since I didn't have any luggage)... but if this was the type of service provided for one man with a small rolling suitcase, how could they not greet me? open the door for me? I had bags falling from my hands and had to drag myself through the rotating door. I kept getting stuck in the rotating door because I had so many bags. It was quite frustrating. I'm disappointed that the concierge didn't help out. However, maybe the concierge yesterday was no good. Today, maybe he was just better. It's tough with this type of ....service business.... I guess it's a 3/5 for the concierge. I gave the 4/5 rating because the housekeepers did a beautiful job of taking care of the room. They changed my bed sheets -- it's very obvious. I left my shoes next to the ottoman, but they placed my shoes closer to the door (with care). I also had my toothbrush and other supplies just laying around in the bathroom, but they tidied the bathroom for me. I really appreciated it. They did a fantastic job with the room. Very pleased. I believe my luggage/concierge is probably a one-off, so I can't bang this hotel too much for that one experience. Just thought I'd share ... but it's really no different from some other place. Sometimes, it's just a hit or miss. AMENITIES: Bathroom is nice. Not the most fancy, but definitely have no complaints. It's clean and well maintained. No complaints here. Nicer than the average bathroom. INTERNET: No free internet. For 1 hour, it's 5 GBP. For 24 hours, it's 15 GBP. I'm from the States and am used to having free wi-fi when I'm at a hotel, so it's not very ideal.... TV CHANNELS: Theres only 20 channels + 5 music channels (total of 25). Again, I'm not sure what the standard is here in the UK, but I'm from the States and am used to having many options (50 channels) with plenty of things to watch. Unfortunately, with the limited choices, there's not much to watch on tv. Sooo, if you're too cheap to pay for internet and can't find anything on TV, there's really nothing to do while here. All in all, nice hotel. I would come back again. I will have to deal with the tv channels and paying for the internet - unfortunately.

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.

Fazeley Park is a rehearsal space and recording studio in the heart of Digbeth. It is just a small…read more5 room place with rooms for bands to rent long term and one room dedicated as recording studio which could also double up as a social club with it's silver curtains and dingy lighting! It is run by musicians who have been a part of the Birmingham music scene for almost 20 years so they know what they are doing. While it doesn't have the facilities that a bigger studio might have you get a much more homely, personal vibe and if you record there you get a very distinct sound with the recordings, something that is becoming a trademark of the place among the garage rock and indie world. They also occasionally have private parties there as part of ColdRice which are also things of legends now too!