I booked this stay out of necessity, we had to pick up an eBay purchase and it seemed a good idea to turn it into a mini-break. We last visited Birmingham twenty five years ago, taking the children to CadburyWorld. I remember Birmingham seemed then to consist of a series of grey tower blocks with rubbish blowing around at street level. Hopefully the regeneration I had heard of had improved things? We headed off up the M1 to find out. This Jurys Inn is located in Broad Street. It’s a stone’s throw from the canalside area which is pretty and packed with lively cafes and restaurants. I was initially worried that our room might be noisy at night time but as it is a tower block style any noise at street level doesn’t make it very far. We found free parking in the side streets but this might have been down to it being a Bank Holiday weekend. Having checked in we went off for a wander and were amazed at the transformation that has taken place in this city. The 20 year transformation plan is well under way, the old Victorian buildings have been cleaned up and everywhere you look there are new and exciting additions like New St station and Birmingham library. Being suburbanites it was really nice to wander out from our hotel and find everything within easy reach, it felt great to be in the heart of the action. We walked to the Jewelry Quarter, stopping off along the way in bars and a restaurant. On our return Broad Street was thronged with Saturday night revellers and it was great to soak up the lively atmosphere before heading up to our room. The next morning we were relieved to find that a full buffet breakfast was served up to 11am and check out wasn’t until noon. Our room was large and comfortable but what really made this a good choice of hotel was the friendliness of the staff. We had a great weekend. After this stay I’ve definitely got a soft centre for Birmingham!
