Contemporary Arts in Bristol

Advantages: Good variety of events, many of which are free
Disadvantages: Hard to say

...My second visit to Bristol was on a decidedly damp Saturday afternoon, so we were looking for places to spend some time inside. Having walked down the steep slope of Park Street and not being in any hurry to go back up, I suggested that the Arnolfini arts centre might not be too much further to walk. Situated on Bristol's Harbourside, it is easily reached by walking along the quayside from The Centre. From the south you can get there by crossing the swing bridge on Prince Street. Admission is free, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the arts. The Arnolfini has no permanent collection of artworks, so exhibitions change from time to time. There is currently (August 2008) a display described as an 'interactive shopping experience' entitled 'Far West'. Although not exactly my cup of tea, there was a degree...

denella 20.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Arnolfini, Bristol

BRISTOLS AHOY

Advantages: Big enough to be good
Disadvantages: Small enough to be friendly

...So people, this will be my last op for a couple of weeks after I move on Sunday and have to wait for a new phone line, etc, I've decided to write an op on my native city. This will be my 10th move and I wouldn't dream of living anywhere else, so heres the low-down on the South West's funkiest city. Bristol is the 7th biggest city in the UK and has around 400,000 people living in it. Due to the two universities in it, they being Bristol University and the University of the West of England (my own beloved uni!), the population can move around about, UWE has 24,000 students alone. That's not to say that Bristol is just a student city, there's definitely much more to it than that. I could concentrate on the bad things, like the rising crime rate, one of the highest council taxes in the country, highest homelessness population outside...

Emma1973 18.05.2002 · Read review
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Review of Bristol (England)

Quality Hotel at Bristol

Advantages: Well located and pretty cost effective
Disadvantages: Busy in the Summer

...has 1,708 hotels and 145,872 rooms. EXPRESS by HOLIDAY INN (commonly called Holiday Inn Express) at BRISTOL NORTH The full address is: Express By Holiday Inn BRISTOL-NORTH BRISTOL PARKWAY BUSINESS PARK BRISTOL, BS34 8SJ The Express by Holiday Inn at Bristol North is situated close to the M4, M5 & M32 motorways and it provides the ideal base to visit Bristol & the West Country. It?s location also makes it a good stopover point for those heading on holiday to destinations further afield. In addition to the good road connections, Bristol Parkway Railway station (with regular connections to London, the Midlands, South Wales and the South West) is only half a mile from the hotel. Bristol Airport is 18 miles away. The hotel has over 130 fully equipped en-suite rooms over four floors. Each room features an en...

MumCC 09.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Holiday Inn Express Bristol - North, Bristol

  Bristol Museum: Much More Than Boring Old Plates

Advantages: Educational, fun and free.
Disadvantages: Long, long queues until the end of August 2009.

...I was about four years old when I paid my first visit to Bristol Museum. Sadly, it turned out to be a major disappointment. My grandmother took me, having told me that we were going to see Alfred the gorilla, who had retired to the museum after gaining national fame as the star attraction at Bristol Zoo. She had been lucky enough to see Alfred at the zoo, where he would be paraded amongst the public on a collar and chain and delight them with his tricks, such as making and throwing snowballs in the winter. He would sometimes be dressed in human clothes, she told me, and he hated men with beards. I believe that much was probably true but my grandmother couldn?t resist embellishing the story: Alfred would sit down to lunch with a knife and fork; Alfred would put on a pair of glasses to read the newspaper, that sort of thing. She may...

Mitsudan 23.08.2009 (31.08.2009) · Read review
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Review of Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery

  The Wilder West

Advantages: Unspoiled wilderness, fascinating sights and sites
Disadvantages: Persistent rainfall, persistent sandflies

...Having crossed the Southern Alps and reached the coast at Greymouth, you may be tempted to head south straight away. This is, after all, the direction in which the highest mountains, the deepest rainforest and the remotest tracts of wilderness are to be found. And if you haven't come to see mountains, forest and wilderness, you've come to the wrong place. Resist the temptation. First, cross the Grey River and take a small diversion up the coast to the north, just an hour's drive to the Paparoa National Park. You will thereby ensure that your first taste of the west coast is not the relatively drab and developed stretch immediately south of Greymouth (only relatively, since nothing along this coast is drab or developed by European standards). North of the Grey River the country is hardly touched, and the drive takes you round...

torr 21.04.2005 (29.09.2008) · Read review
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Review of West Coast & Glaciers (New Zealand)

Triumphant Thistle Bristol

Advantages: luxurious, friendly, great location
Disadvantages: the price!

...Broad Street, Bristol, BS1 2EL Phone: 0870 333 9130 Fax: 0870 333 9230 www.thistlehotels.com 4 * Check in 2pm Check out 12pm Prices from 80 per room per night I first came across Thistle Bristol on a romantic weekend away with my boyfriend in 2001 We chose it because it was on special offer in the Daily Mail, and it looked fabulous in the photos. Since then we?ve been back every October to celebrate our anniversary. Located around 1 mile from Bristol Temple Meads station, this Thistle hotel sits right in the heart of the town centre ? 3 minutes walk from the main shopping centre, and 3 minutes from the nearest pubs and restaurants. Great for us because we don?t drive. Car parking is available at an extra charge. At first sight I was very impressed! A charming Old Victorian style building. The rooms are equally...

funphobic2 19.08.2004 · Read review
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Review of Thistle Bristol Grand Hotel, Bristol

Thistling in Bristol

Advantages: Very nice service
Disadvantages: Very NOT nice prices

..., Bristol, and Birmingham and have typically found the same service up and down the country and the hotels are pretty much identical! The service and rooms up and down the country are all a mirror image of each other. Initially I found this bizarre but now I’m used to the same spiel I get and automatically answer “no” to “Would you like a wake up call?” and “Ok then” to “Would you like a complimentary paper?” This time I stayed a Thistle Hotel in Bristol Temple Meads. I didn’t see much of Bristol but the city centre, which is where the hotel is located, is very pretty and parts of it have a village atmosphere with its little personal shops as opposed to the big bustling commercial streams of department stores. I arrived in the evening and entered what was a pretty grand looking...

Miss-D 31.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Thistle Bristol Grand Hotel, Bristol

Gordano Services Days Inn- Excellent!

Advantages: inexpensive, easy to find, same standard everywhere, good standard of comfort
Disadvantages: no variety

.... Overall, a very good place to stay, either on your way down the M5 to the West country or on the way to Bristol. I would go again!...

ginger59 14.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of Days Inn Bristol West, Bristol

Good Hotel for exploring Bristol

Advantages: Clean, comfy, modern
Disadvantages: Very expensive restarant and bar, rather sad swimming pool and gym

...This hotel in in the centre of Bristol within waling distance of Temple Meads Station. If you know Bristol then you will know that this location then might mean convenience but it's not gorgeous - a lot of Bristol was bombed in the war and rebuilt in the 50s and 60s and it shows! The hotel itself is newer than that though, but when you arrive it does look a bit tired and in need of a facelift. Parking is available and not difficult, though like most city centre budget hotels you have to pay extra for it, but I thought the £3.50 a night quite a good rate. It seemed a secure car park. . I checked in swiftly and the receptionist was helpful and friendly. I paid £104 a night for two people for an executive double (i.e. one grade up from the standard one) over the internet before we went. The hotel has a lot of floors (we were...

sadoldbag 27.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol

Excellent Exhibits in Bristol

Advantages: World-class collections; great displays for children; free of charge
Disadvantages: Needs easier access to upper floors

...Gallery Queen's Road Bristol BS8 1RL Tel. 0117 922 4749 www.bristol.gov.uk/museums Open Daily, 10am-5pm (hours may change in 2009) Lifts to some floors; space to leave buggies in front hall; baby-change; toilets' wheelchairs; highchairs available in cafe. Car parks are situated five minutes' walk from the museum in either West End or Trenchard Street. On foot, the museum is ten minutes from the city centre and twenty-five minutes from Bristol Temple Meads railway station. There are several bus services....

denella 30.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery