Tag: Nottingham
Hilton Rediscovering Nottingham
I am originally from the borders of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. As I was growing up though, I always went to Nottingham City Centre for a night out. For me it has everything. Diverse and exciting, has great bars, places to eat and clubs all within easy distance from the centre. Now 15 years on, I am married with 2 children, so have little opportunity to get to the bright lights of Nottingham City Centre, to paint the town red. However I still recommend Nottingham, as a fantastic place for both young and old.
I was asked by Hilton Nottingham, if I wanted to rediscover Nottingham, and all its night-life last weekend, and I grabbed the opportunity. It was interesting as I was tweeting photographs of my night out, how many people who replied to my tweets and Facebook updates, saying Nottingham is such a fantastic place. So there are obviously lots of other people who agree with me.
The Hilton Nottingham
Hilton Nottingham places you in the heart of a city that blends medieval history with contemporary shopping, culture and entertainment.
When Tall Dad (my husband) and I arrived, there was a really large group of people being checked in. We had decided that we wanted to do some shopping, once we dropped off our bags and didn’t want to hang around. So spoke to the really professional and friendly concierge, who gladly took our bags and put them somewhere securely, so we could continue our day. This was the start of our experience with the Hilton, and its a touch such as this that really makes a hotel experience I think.
When we did check in later, it was done efficiently and professionally, we were asked if we would like to make dinner reservations, which we did. Also, if we needed a wakeup call, or newspaper. We were directed to the lift, as we were on the fourth floor. Even though I have passed the Hilton many times over the years, I had not realised how big it was. It’s not a foreboding size though, and it is full of charm. We soon didn’t use the lift, as the (original I think) staircase was so lovely to walk up and down.
The Room
The room, was tucked away in a corner of the hotel, and was very clean and tidy, the bathroom was too. I loved that they choose white bed linen in the softest cotton for the beds, and it felt really luxurious to sleep in. The lighting was good, with lights in various places in the room. There wasn’t air-conditioning in our room, but we didn’t need it anyway. It also had complimentary toiletries to use, tea and coffee and a hair-dryer We didn’t really have chance to watch it, but there was also a flat screen TV, with lots of channels, and a radio.
We both slept really well, the room was quiet, and we couldn’t hear other guests at the hotel. So we both got a lie in, which was a fantastic bonus!
Nightlife
The Hilton Nottingham is so well placed, within easy working distance, of not only lots of things to do in the day, but also in the evening too. You can walk a few hundred metres and be at the Corner House, which has a casino, cinema, bars and restaurants all under one roof. Across the road from the Corner House is the Theatre Royal and the Royal Concert Hall, if you would like a spot of culture or music. All less than a 2 minute walk!
A little further, but still in the city centre is the Capital FM arena, which is a great venue for both ice skating and concerts. There are even comedy clubs and my favourite Rock City, which is a great place to see a gig.
We decided to have a cocktail at one of our favourite bars Dino’s (Warser Gate – Lace Market) owned by Saff and Luis. I had an Espresso Martini, which is a favourite of mine.
We then headed back for dinner at Nicholson’s Bar and Diner back at the Hotel.
Nicholsons
We were both so impressed with Nicholsons. Both being foodies, we do have quite a critical eye when it comes to eating out. We were so impressed by Nicholsons. We had the best seats in the house, which was a large table, looking out on the hustle and bustle of the city outside. Our waitress, was really lovely, friendly, but professional and slick.
We each had a cocktail, from the great selection on offer, they were very potent!
The food was incredibly delicious, the highlights being a starter of three different goats cheese, with balsamic glaze.
Delicious sides, to accompany our main meal, I think the thick cut chips, must has been twice cooked…devine!
Tall Dad, really enjoyed, his rump of Lamb, with dauphinoise potatoes and asparagus. Apologies for the quality of this photograph, I think Tall Dad was enjoying the wine too much to bother focussing!
We also sampled the wine, during our meal, and opted for a bottle of the house wine, which we thought was well priced, and a very good taste.
Overall, both the service and the food were fantastic, we had a really lovely evening and left with smiles and promises to eat there again.
Breakfast is also served at Nicholsons, we arrived, fairly late, thanks to our lie in. It was perhaps a little over half full though. We didn’t have to wait for a table. We were both still full from the previous evening, but did have a small plate each. There were morning papers to read whilst drinking freshly brewed tea and coffee. It felt unrushed, and was a lovely relaxed ending to our visit.
Overall I would recommend the Hilton as a fantastic hotel, right in the midst of it all in Nottingham. It is definitely a hotel that prides itself on service, and I can’t wait to visit again!
Watch this space, as I will be giving away a £100 voucher to spend at
any Hilton in the UK very soon, so you can experience this too!
Disclaimer : This post is a review of my experience at the Hilton, therefore I received a room, breakfast and dinner in order to write this post. My post is 100% honest.
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Dreams Beds : Afternoon Tea Browns, Nottingham #winanhourback
Psst, I have a not so secret, secret to let you in on….
Do you use Twitter?
Well if you follow the wonderful team at Dreams Beds – you can do so by following THIS link, they have a fantastic ongoing competition offering dream worthy prizes. Each of the competitions helps you to get an hour of your time back. So far, there had been some really lovely things been given away, including dinner for two at a posh restaurant, watches, and even a weekend away in Paris…ooh la la!
Well the Dreams Bed team were kind enough to offer me an hour back of my time, and asked me to choose something as a treat. Did I want to curl up with a book and a cuppa, go for a facial? After lots of thought I decided that I would love to go to afternoon tea with my Mum. I love spending time with my Mum, but don’t really do it often enough and wanted to pass on giving of an hour to her, as she helps me so much.
Well we went to Browns in Nottingham for a Champagne afternoon tea. I’ve only been to Browns before for a drink in the evening, so I was excited to try the restaurant. Its the kind of place where the service is fantastic but keeping a laid back vibe, with a Piano player in the bar, really friendly staff. Its decorated really beautifully with lots of Art Deco touches.
Like this light:
We had a fantastic couple of hours, the food was delicious and it felt very decadent enjoying still warm scones with clotted cream, washed down with delicious loose leaf tea. Oh and a glass of champers each.
But it was over all too soon…
So go on, follow @Dreams_Beds and see if you are lucky enough to win one of these fab prizes!
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An Origins Facial : Nottingham House of Fraser

I was lucky enough to be invited to House Of Fraser Nottingham, by the Origins Team to sample first hand the free 30 minute Facial that they offer to customers.
I already use some Origins products in my routine, and I am a big believer in the ethos behind the brand. If you haven’t used them before though, I can sum them up as simply the most amazingly natural but hugely effective brand of products. They really do smell and feel amazing, but they have all of the research and science to back up that they are actually effective. All products are formulated with natural and organic ingredients, leaving out all of those nasties like parabens and animal ingredients.
I was instantly made comfortable by Nichola (my Origins skin consultant) as we chatted about my current routine, and what I would like to change about my skin. As a busy working Mum, I have a routine, its not that complicated, but needs to be quick but very effective. The thing that makes this so perfect, is once you have sat down and chatted, you then get a whole range of products recommended and then applied to your skin. You really can try before you buy!
It really is a non pressure environment though, and my skin consultant Nichola spoke with passion about the Origins brand with lots of interest anecdotes about how products were introduced to the brand. Even as someone who uses their products, I learnt so much, and came away with much more knowledge.
My main concerns were the ageing lines around my eyes, open pores and my very dry skin. Sorry quite a few really Nichola! In the facial Nichola used the Modern Friction Mask, which I have never tried before, and it was amazing. She also recommended a toner : The Make a Difference Treatment Lotion (I don’t use a toner, as I’ve always found them too harsh in the past) this toner was different and actually added moisture, rather than feel like it was stripping it away, brilliant! I also had been using a different formulation of the Make a Difference Moisturiser (my favourite), to the one recommended and I got to try one that was much more effective for my skin, that really made me realise the importance, of actually sitting down with an expert.
Overall, I really can’t recommend this service enough, you leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated with three sample products, that you can then keep trying at home. High performance, but natural skincare!
A huge thank you to Nichola and the Origins team, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Thank you for reading
The facial I received was free, if would like to experience this then please give the store a call to book: telephone 0115 911 5531. If you would like a completely private consultation in the exclusive beauty room, at House of Fraser Nottingnham, this costs £15 but this fee is redeemable against Origin products purchased.
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Minifolk Market : Winter 2012
It’s that time of year again, 26 stalls of handmade and recycled gifts and toys, this is a fantastic place to go to find something beautiful and unique. The very gorgeous Becky from BabyBudgeting will be story telling (she has a voice I could listen to forever) free crafts for the children too. The now well renowned Cafe Minimunch will be selling all kinds of handmade goodies.
I hope that Minifolk Market is another roaring success!
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