Half of the country may be on holiday but for lots of us it's business as usual and we're having one of our busiest times ever with all of our apartments full. I'm not complaining though, I love being busy so it's just the way I like it. And we're not the only ones working through August, there's been lots happening on the thriving business, university and social scenes in Nottingham. Here's a round-up of some of the latest news...

Iberico World Tapas is opening a second venue
Possibly the most exciting news for us foodies is that Iberico – which is one of my favourite places to eat out in Nottingham and does AMAZING tapas – is opening its second venture, Bar Iberico, on August 22nd. It's going to be on Carlton Street in the trendy going-out area of Hockley, and will have the same gorgeous authentic tapas with a slightly more laid-back atmosphere. And I bagged myself an invite to the opening night in this blog so see you there!

Nottingham Trent University students are a happy lot
The recent National Student Survey found out that students at NTU are the 6th most satisfied students in the UK. And why wouldn't they be?! Nottingham is an awesome place to study, I moved here to study at Nottingham Uni a few (ahem) years ago. According to the survey, 93% of students would recommend NTU to others, which is pretty fantastic, well done NTU!

New office space + new jobs at NG2
Nottingham City Council has approved plans for more than 210,000 sq. feet of new office space at the NG2 business park on Queens Drive (about a mile from West Bridgford). Miller Birch will be developing the site, where Experian, Speedo and the Bank of England already have offices, creating about 1000 new jobs. If you're one of the people relocating to a business in the new NG2 offices you know where we are...

Gusto to open a new restaurant in West Bridgford
I did say I was foodie didn't I?! Well, we've been wondering what would happen to the site where the Monkey Tree used to be on Bridgford Road in West Bridgford for a while... and it's going to the East Midlands' first Gusto restaurant. According to the website, Gusto offers classic and contemporary Italian fare and aims to make the everyday "exquisite". Sounds good to me, I can't wait to visit, as well as being a very welcome addition to the fantastic selection of cafes and restaurants we have in West Bridgford it's going to mean a £1 million injection into the local economy and will create 50 new jobs.

Hub for technology businesses is opening in September
More good news for businesses... we've heard on the grapevine that Accelerate Places Nottingham is opening a new 22,000 sq. feet office space for growing technology businesses. The hub – on Wollaton Street, right in the middle of town – will provide office and meeting space for tech businesses and software developers. Accelerate Places see Nottingham as the perfect place to set up a new hub and create a technology community because we already have some very successful large businesses here, lots of new companies with great ideas, the Creative Quarter, two universities and loads and loads of talent. They want to put Nottingham on the map so that we compete with Manchester and London as tech centres.

So, even during one of the quietest months of the year there's still heaps going on, Nottingham really is thriving. If we've missed any great local business news feel free to share it below. And if you're relocating to Nottingham soon get in touch to book a serviced apartment or find out how we can help.

Hot from the jungle drums of Nottingham - you heard it here first...

We are getting very excited as the sun starts to shine here in Nottingham, because there are so many new and secret places for us to recommend that you go for a bite to eat or a drink....and some of them haven't even opened yet!

So, yesterday I went to my fabulous stylist Rebecca at Jazz Hair in Hockley - she is, of course, the fount of all Nottingham Knowledge so I have great info, hot from the jungle drums and if any of it doesn't come to pass in the next few months you can book a cut and colour with her and express your disappointment in person!
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I really don't know what to tell you first, it's so exciting, no wonder Thompson Reuters are relocating their hub to Nottingham! So here goes, in no particular order at all...

Edin's Kitchen, Hockley
I hear that our lovely Edin, of Edin's Kitchen & Edin's Cafe fame, has acquired a place on Heathcote Street and is developing it into another eatery for us to enjoy - I know nothing more than that, but I have it on good authority, and personally I'd like to bet that if Edin is behind it, and it's in Hockley, it's going to be very cool!
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Edin - care to comment? :)

Iberico - World Tapas
I've written about this place before, it's a big fave of mine. Very stylish in the evening, and equally stylish at lunchtime with a great value Prix Fixe menu. I just can't think of anything it does wrong - lovely staff, great atmosphere, unusual and elegant food alongside a well chosen wine list - what's not to love? They have even been given a "Bib Gourmand" by Michelin and whilst I won't pretend to know what that is - it sounds impressive to me and I'm certain that they deserve it!
 
They also have World Service Restaurant which is very smart and delightful too (especially on a summer's evening) but I am more excited by Rebecca's inside info that they are taking over the old Nash Interior's site on the corner, just a couple of doors down from Edin's Kitchen - and this is what they are planning to do...drum roll... The Iberico Relaxed Tapas Experience! I told you you'd be excited. It's a large building on many floors, so I can only imagine what that means but I can't think they'll do anything other than fabulous and I wish them good luck (no, I'm not on the payroll, but I'd love an invitation to the Opening Night - Iberico??)

Yes....there's even more...

The (Very New) Junkyard, as opposed to new and already established Junkyard 
Maybe I'm getting forgetful but didn't the Junkyard only just open? If you have not been partaking, then come on, join in  - this is a bustling real ale microbrewery style pub - you know the drill - barrels on the walls, chalk on the chalk boards and many bearded Granola-looking (in a very good way) staff.

SO, just to get your bearings in case you haven't found it yet, it's in the alley down from the Ibis Hotel, Fletchergate just by the bus stop for all the West Bridgford buses and the Tram stop actually, which makes it a small extension of NG2 really - or we like to think so.

Well I hear it on very good Jazz Hair authority that the old Rhinegold Restaurant (which must have shut down before I had children - who are now almost all adults!) is being taken over as a bar / restaurant / extension to The Junkyard - which means that they have cornered that whole little hidden courtyard at the top of the that alley - which I have just Googled and found it is called Bridlesmith Walk - who knew?

So watch this space for exactly what they are doing with it, and @TheJunkYard - if you'd like to comment, please keep us in the loop!

More as it happens from the Nook & Cranny super sleuth and Jazz Hair. Happy Weekend - please share and comment if you have any updates for us.

We are thrilled that our sporting neighbours down the road in Leicester have had such amazing success recently (if you've been on the moon for the last week, Leicester City completed their fairytale season by winning the Premier League having been close to relegation just a little over a year ago). As the UK city of sport we welcome a bit of healthy competition, and Nottingham has so much more to offer our visitors than just sport.

Recently I visited the Nottingham Contemporary museum of art to see an exhibition by Turner Prize-winning artist Simon Starling, once a Nottingham resident. As a student of art I found it fascinating. This type of art, in my opinion, cannot be defined easily and might be a bit tricky to understand. It is conceptual, industrial and crosses artistic boundaries but, trust me, it is certainly worth the effort to grasp. And the beauty of smaller galleries like the Contemporary is that smaller focussed exhibitions allow the visitor to spend time concentrating rather than flitting from one picture to the next. It is often a deeper more satisfying learning experience. I plan to return very soon to go even deeper. I recommend you check out the exhibition here (it's on until June 26th).

itsLocated in the heart of Nottingham’s historic Lace Market there is plenty else to do if art is either not your bag or you simply need to get some fresh air. Shops, restaurants and bars abound and it's only a short walk up to the superb Iberico Tapas, or if you are a lover of all things Italian, like me, a short hop across the road to Veeno’s. If you wish to walk for 5 minutes more you enter into Hockley where non-corporatised privately owned bars and restaurants hustle together and provide lots of choice at reasonable prices.
 
Around the corner is the outstanding Broadway Cinema, with its Paul Smith designer furnishings, it's my favourite cinema in Nottingham. Once again small but beautifully formed, it shows both mainstream and alternative films and presentations. The bar area is fun and you can grab a bite to eat before the film there too.

So back to the Contemporary. If you need something to eat sooner why not just stay where you are and try out the delights the Nottingham Contemporary cafe has to offer. And then you can get straight back to the art.

​For more information about what to see and do during your trip to Nottingham please get in touch, we're very happy to tell you about our favourite places and give you a few ideas.

They beat 440 other pubs to come out on top and were chosen as the best place to enjoy your Sunday roast by mystery diners and a judging panel, which included hard-to-please food critic Charles Campion.
 
The pub is worth visiting while you’re staying at one of our apartments – not just for the award-winning roasts but also if you enjoy real ale, fine wine, great service and delicious local produce. Or if you’re a sporting buff.
 
Larwood & Voce is on Fox Road, right next to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground (as you can see above) and a few seconds’ walk from one of our luxury serviced apartments and just minutes from the others in West Bridgford. The pub was named after two great cricketers – Larwood and Voce clearly – who were both Nottinghamshire born and bred, and played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and England. Which leads me on to more sporting news…
 
Two Nottinghamshire golf courses have been ranked in the Top 100 Golf Courses in England by the Top 100 Golf Courses website, which ranks golf courses around the world. Hollinwell, home to Notinghamshire Golf Club, at Kirkby-in-Ashfield is the highest ranked course in the county and came in 22nd place, down one from last year.