Last year, more than half of our guests came from overseas, most of them were relocating to Nottingham to start a new position and stayed with us for anything from a month up to a year. People have come to stay from all over the world, including the EU, Australia, the U.S. and pretty much anywhere else you can think of. The only continents we haven't had guests from yet are the Arctic and Antarctica, so if you're reading this in one of the poles and thinking of relocating to warmer climes drop us a line!

We're really proud of our international connections and our ethos is to make everyone who stays with us feel welcome so we try to cater for everyone's needs and expectations.

Catering for different tastes
Very quickly we realised that GCSE French wasn't going to cut it in the language stakes so we found software that sends out booking confirmations and invoices to clients in their mother tongue to take care of the language barrier. Sometimes global guests arrive with different expectations and social norms, so we've equipped our luxury apartments accordingly to make sure we take cultural differences into account, which has been great fun.

For example, our Italian guests love to have a large pasta pan to use, and North Americans expect good quality coffee, none of this instant stuff. So all of our apartments are kitted out with a range of pans and they all come with a Nespresso machine (and we've not had a single complaint about the coffee!). 

In most places around the world these days, people think that white linen and towels are the most hygienic so last year we changed every single sheet, pillowcase, duvet cover and towel in our apartments to a crisp, brand new white one.

We're definitely an international company but we also like to provide a “flavour of Britishness” for our visitors. Once our guests are here we'll show them around gorgeous West Bridgford and recommend quality local restaurants and shops (of which there are many!) to go to, other local businesses that are in-keeping with our brand of localness, and provide the same quality and high level of service we do. We're also really happy to introduce guests to other local folks we think they'll get on with and help them settle into the area, so before they know it they'll feel like a local.

We're so proud of our international community of guests and love that they want to move to Nottingham and come and stay in our wonderful town so we recently shared our story and entered the East Midlands Chamber Excellence in International Trade Award, we'll let you know how we get on...

In the meantime, don't forget to get in touch to ask us anything about our gorgeous apartments or to check that we've got what you need for a perfect stay (especially if you're moving here from the Arctic or Antarctica!).

In recent years, Nottingham has become somewhat of a musical and cultural hub of the Midlands and even the UK as a whole. The emergence of Jake Bugg in 2011 followed by the success of Dog Is Dead, Indiana and Saint Raymond has reignited a once struggling music scene. Our city's venues are amongst the best in the land - and I'm going to take you through them, from the big to the not so big so by the time you arrive in Nottingham, you'll be the first down the front!

Obviously Motorpoint is the biggest venue in the city,  the National Ice Arena (which seems to change its name every ten minutes) is the home to the Nottingham Panthers Ice Hockey team but also regularly hosts big gigs from world renowned artists and also some of the biggest names in comedy. Not the most scenic place in the world and a pint will cost around the same price as an all inclusive holiday but if you get a good sound man you will have a great time - unless you're sitting of course!

Without doubt Nottingham's most famous music venue, for over 30 years Rock City has been hosting some of the biggest names in world music. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has recently called it one of his favourite venues on earth, and that is a justified remark. Big sound, big atmosphere, VERY sticky floors, VERY sweaty. Highly recommended.

Rescue Rooms is a fantastic venue situated next door to Rock City, and is usually the destination of choice for bands on the way up (and quite a few on the way down to be fair). With a capacity of 450, you get the intimacy of a small gig combined with the Soundsystem and set up of a big gig, and with a great bar and restaurant next door, you will have a fantastic time. Rescue also hosts a great pub quiz on a Wednesday night followed by a karaoke night if anything you've seen at a gig inspires you!

With a capacity of just 250, The Bodega is home to a brilliant atmosphere and attracts bands from all over as well as a full range of local bands and club nights. I've been to shows here where the floor is literally bouncing and the huge soundsystem will leave you thinking you've seen something special. Bands who have passed through here in the early stages of their careers include Coldplay, The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, so if you are into discovering brand new bands who will go on to be huge, head to a show here, and take advantage of the dirty cheap happy hour, a happy hour that for some reason lasts four hours, but no one is complaining.

The Chameleon is potentially my favourite venue in the city - it's completely independent and completely barmy. Essentially a glorified living room, this venue is the home of the Nottingham DIY scene, with independent promoters putting on gigs here almost daily, for dirt cheap and it can often get wild. Also includes some of the wackiest beers you've ever seen. Recently the toilets were renovated, which for many regular attendees is one of the most important developments ever in the city of Nottingham (trust me if you had seen the previous state of them you would understand why!!)

Another of Nottingham's independent venues, The Maze is one of the pillars of the local music scene. Many a local band start their careers here. The Maze is renowned nationally for its reputation amongst acoustic music fans, with a young Ed Sheeran appearing here a few years back in his busking days. Take a trip up Mansfield Road to visit and enjoy some great local beers too.

For you dance music fans out there.  Stealth is a legendary venue amongst the dance community and puts on some of the best club nights in the UK including Dollop and Detonate. Recently refurbished with a new system, you will be able to enjoy the delights of local, national and international DJs on an almost daily basis.

One of the city's quirkiest outlets, The Jam Cafe is simply delightful. If Jazz is your thing then head down here on a Friday night for a brilliant atmosphere. The food here is great and the drink ain't bad either. When in the Jam Cafe you will feel as if you are out of the UK, in something almost Parisian. Recommend this venue greatly.
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Finally in our whistle stop tour of the city's venues, we arrive at Nottingham's newest and coolest venue. The legendary Rough Trade, a record shop with homes only in London, New York and now Notts, has a great little gig venue and cafe located above the shop, a place that hosts gigs, signings, film screenings, fairs, debates - the list goes on. Situated in the heart of Nottingham's Creative Quarter in Hockley, it is already becoming a figurehead of the local scene and you simply MUST check it out.

One of Nottingham's only surviving original Victorian Musical Halls, the Malt Cross is brimming with history and atmosphere and the presence of regular music adds to it. Recently refurbished and offering tours of the below caves and the music hall itself, grab yourself a beer and sit on the balcony and party like it's 1899.

​We LOVE making our guests feel welcome and providing them with a bespoke personal service, that's what Nook & Cranny is all about. And we'll always do our best to help – whether that’s helping guests find a school, introducing them to other families staying nearby, telling them about the great stuff going on in the area, or giving them some insider tips for relocating to the UK.
 
The truth about viewings!
Lots of our visitors ask to view the apartment they might stay in before they book it, I would do too if I was moving to a new area and potentially spending a few months or more somewhere. We always do our absolute best to show someone their possible new lodgings, we book viewings in 7 days a week not quite 24 hours a day (but at least 12!). So it really pains me that a lot of the time we can’t arrange viewings and we HATE disappointing people but there's a really good reason for it: we’re nearly always full!

Even now we've got 21 apartments they are nearly all booked all of the time! And just like I wouldn’t want someone looking round my house we don’t arrange viewings in apartments with guests staying. We’re really happy to show you other similar apartments and we’re happy to meet up and show you the area (because we know you’ll fall in love with it!), we just can’t guarantee that we can show you the flat that you’ll be staying in.

But do not worry. All of our apartments have the same high standard of décor, the same gorgeous furnishings, and they've all been kitted out with the same luxury mod cons. If you're thinking of staying with us and we can't set up a viewing (sorry!), hopefully these videos will give you a pretty good idea of what your apartment is like. 

This is a video of one of our lovely one-bed flats:

All of our apartments are light and airy, they're freshly (and tastefully!) decorated, they're all fitted and kitted to a really high standard and have:

• a Nespresso machine
• a washing machine/dryer
• a fridge & freezer
• a dishwasher
• private parking for 1 or 2 cars
• unlimited fast, free WiFi

They're all close to the centre of West Bridgford with its park, the river, pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops, and excellent transport links to Nottingham City Centre, East Midlands Airport, Leicester, Derby and Loughborough.

Now you know why we may not be able to show you your apartment before you book it, we hope you can understand! We're always happy to answer any questions about your booking or West Bridgford so get in touch any time, and here are lots more snaps of our flats (click on a name to see more pics) and the area – enjoy!

Having been born and bred a Londoner, but having moved to Nottingham in my 20's I thought I'd try to give a flavour of life up here for those execs at Reuters who've been offered the opportunity to move here but are really not sure what life might look like north of Watford. So here goes, please add your comments and suggestions if you are a local reading this, or post a question if you're sitting in London just wondering about something specific, we're happy to help. Or just email me if you're shy!

I help to relocate people for a living, I like them to be happy and settled, not just into their new home but also into their new life - whether they are a family moving here from overseas for a few years or a young person embarking on a new life in Nottingham. 

So we can either do it the hard way, or the easy way. I initially look after accommodation for people. Usually they are living in short-stay serviced apartments until I help them find their longer-term home. There's a reason that I only look after property in West Bridgford – it's because it's the most affluent and enjoyable place to live in Nottingham – just one mile out of the city, it's a 25-minute walk or a hop on one of the frequent buses, or a short cycle down cycle route, along the canal, or down by the river, depending on your particular destination.

There are other nice places to be:

• Mapperley has some lovely large family homes, but in my opinion, neither nice cafe culture or a place to walk to in the evening or at the weekend.
• The Park, a very smart private estate in the middle of Nottingham, also has fabulous housing stock, but it ironically lacks the open usable green spaces that its name suggests. Again, if you want to shop, eat or relax you have to head into Nottingham city centre, which has its great pockets but like any city isn't really where I'd want to have to go every time I wanted coffee or a glass of wine with a girlfriend.

So, I usually end up saying to my clients - "Look, don't take it from me, I'm clearly biased. Go and ask your colleagues at the office / hospital / university where they live, and let me know what you glean from them". My client rings me back and usually says words along the lines of 'most of the my future colleagues live in West Bridgford, and the ones who don't are either moving there, or wish they could move there'.

That makes my job easier, because we then stick to finding a fabulous short stay apartment or a long-term home in West Bridgford, where the walk to work in Nottingham is via the river, Saturday morning brunch can be eaten in a number of places to choose from, either inside or Al Fresco on "The Avenue" whilst watching the farmers market hubbub on the croquet lawn, and there are a plethora of places to meet for cocktails or coffee whilst watching the world go by. In London terms I think it's a little bit Northcote Road, Clapham plays Wimbledon Village but at less than the cost of Colliers Wood. 

We have three large gyms to choose from in West Bridgford and a boutique gym which is happens to be my fave:
Roko and David Lloyd have good facilities, an indoor & outdoor pool, saunas, large well-equipped gym, classes and a cafe. The only real difference is that David Lloyd has tennis courts (inside and out) as well as squash and badminton, and seems to have more facilities for children.
Virgin Active is nearer to town – has a large variety of fitness classes, is in a beautiful light building, the staff are good, they also have a pool and separate mens and ladies gyms!
My personal favourite is the boutique gym - The Fitness Space, as it is walkable (runnable?) from most of our West Bridgford properties, and has very high-tech equipment and excellent staff - it is small and very focussed on results and motivation but has none of the frippery – no coffee, no toddlers, no pool, just great classes, lots of equipment, and results.

So we rise, shine, go to the gym at 6a.m., out by 7, back to your flat just round the corner for a shower and a healthy breakfast. At 8a.m. you can leave the flat and walk through the park and over the bridge, down the canal having grabbed a coffee in whichever your fave coffee haunt is, mine would be 200 degrees because it's owned by two lovely guys who have created a really great vibe in there and you'll be on your way into work and at your desk by 8.30 feeling great, ready to power through the day.

Next time I'll blog about what you might do after work but until then, feel free to ask anything and share of course!