Premier Apartments, Birmingham

Advantages: Central, stylish, affordable and just downright cool
Disadvantages: You have to make your own fry-up in the morning

...I am sitting at my computer with an aching head, my hands clasped desperately round a glass of Alka Seltzer. I have just returned from a hen weekend in Manchester, and I don't think I can ever drink again. However, through the haze of an Easter weekend full of laughs, late nights, food and drink, I think I can recall enough about this establishment to give you a decent insight in to staying in apartments in the city. While looking for a venue for my hen's last weekend of freedom on the internet (if you have read any of my other reviews you will see the organization side of things often falls to me when it comes to hen weekends!) I came across the Premier Apartments. We had decided on Manchester as the city venue for the two nights of debauchery, but as it is only an hour's drive from where we live, we wanted something a little... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Plenty to see, a relaxing escape from the city.
Disadvantages: Expensive for a one-off visit. Disappointing restaurant.

...Every city need its green spaces. The architecture may be spectacular and the shops fantastic, but finding a place to escape the traffic and bustle is a necessity for most city dwellers. Picture Birmingham and what do you see? The Bullring, New Street Station and Spaghetti Junction would be the first things that come to my mind. Although I've never lived in Birmingham itself, I worked there for several years. During that time I went to the Botanical Gardens regularly, but for the purposes of this review I will focus on my most recent visit which was August 2008. A Brief History Celebrity gardeners are not a new phenomenon. In the nineteenth century J.C Loudon was an influential writer on gardening and became part of London's high society. He designed the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in 1830 to provide a place where keen... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Big enough to get the destinations, small enough to care
Disadvantages: Complex road system to get there

...There's a theory that says every opinion on a site like Ciao is valuable and so we should post as much as we like on whatever topic takes our fancies. However, Ciao don't actually reward an opinion once there are already a bunch on a given topic. So this won't earn me a penny - even with the special bonus. Double nothing is ...... er.... nothing. But since there hasn't been a review of Birmingham International Airport for several years, much of the information on Ciao is outdated and well overdue for an update. So pennies or no pennies, here are my thoughts on BHX. When I was a kid, I loved going to airports - any airport, it didn't matter - it was all just so exciting. Strange exotic people, big shiny shops and lots of static electric shocks from the nylon carpets - there was nothing quite like it. But as I grew up the whole... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful