Accommodation | Bede Serviced Apartments

We stayed at Bede Serviced apartments for 3 nights in order to attend the Allergy and Freefrom Show at the NEC Birmingham and the German Christmas Market in the city centre. The apartments are around 20 minutes from the NEC and 40 minutes from the City Centre.

The apartments are well designed with an en suite shower room, small dining table with 2 chairs and a well equipped kitchenette. Food preparation equipment includes a good sized under counter fridge with small freezer section, a microwave, a small two ring hob, a kettle and a toaster. All the appliances and especially the fridge were exceptionally clean. We choose to stay in apartments over hotels as having the cooking facilities makes my life with coeliac easier. It's far more convenient (and cheaper) to make my own food than rely on eating out.

I was really impressed by the standard of cleanliness throughout the apartment and despite being a bedsit style (all in one room) it felt quite spacious and wasn't claustrophobic. There were 3 windows, all of which opened to let in some fresh air and two radiators that provided lots of heat. An electric heater was also provided for an extra boost of warmth. The window coverings did a good job keeping out the daylight when closed. This is important for my partner as he is a very light sleeper. 

The shower room doesn't have a window but does have an extractor that worked well. The shower is electric and a little disappointing as it's not very powerful. There was plenty of hot water though. The towels provided were adequate and did the job though perhaps not the cosiest. The toilet is a little difficult to access as it's so close to the sink but overall it's a functional shower room which is all we needed.

The location of the apartments is fantastic for the NEC. It's an easy 20 minute ride. The city centre is further at 40 minutes but again, it's an easy ride and not too complicated. Birmingham City centre is a little more complicated and finding parking can be a bit of a nightmare. I don't have any car park recommendations as it cost us £18 and I don't want to talk about it lol.

The apartments themselves aren't immediately identifiable as being accommodation as they are situated in a residential area. At the time of our visit there was a lot of construction going off at a property just to the side of the apartments and due to that there was no on site parking. This actually really annoyed us as it hadn't been communicated to us in advance. We were told to park across from the property which meant parking on the residential street. This made us quite uncomfortable as it felt disrespectful towards the residents. I've been informed that once the construction work is complete there will be a car park for guests.

The apartments are situated just off a busy road which has lots of amenities including an Aldi store and a large bingo hall alongside many takeaways and newsagents. Despite the property being in such close proximity to a vibrant area the apartments themselves are really quiet and we enjoyed a great nights sleep in the comfortable bed. The bedding was clean and fresh and the quilt was soft and cosy. The pillows were less comfortable and probably due to be replaced. 

We booked our apartment via booking.com and paid £183 for a 3 night weekend stay in November (actually bonfire weekend). We were happy with the price paid and found communication from the property manager to be easy and quick. The only cause for concern is that a £50 damage deposit was required on top of the rental price. Something that is common but in this instance it was required to be transferred directly to the property owners bank account rather than taken via booking which was a bit of a faff especially as it then required me to text across our bank details to get the deposit back. We did receive our deposit back immediately though.

Overall we enjoyed our stay at Bede Serviced Apartments and once the car pak is reopened this place would certainly be out top choice for visiting Birmingham again and particularly the NEC. The apartments are comfortable, cosy and practical as well as being affordable and clean.

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