For a fun day out, get up close to the meerkats and red pandas at the nearby Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park. Get tickets for an international test match at Edgbaston Cricket Ground, or spend a lazy afternoon picnicking by the fishing lake in Cannon Hill Park. If you’re craving a culture fix, head to Mac Art Centre to watch a foreign film, listen to live music, or shop for artisan food and crafts at the centre’s monthly markets. In the evening, meet your friends for fragrant pad thai at Sabai Sabai, or for tapas and cocktails at La Plancha.
Step outside Calthorpe Court and stroll across the street to the bus stop, where you can catch buses that will take you to the University of Birmingham and Aston University in 15 minutes. If you’re keen to keep fit and save money, keep a bike in the property’s safe storage racks and cycle to class in around 10 minutes.
However you spend your free time, you’ll love coming home to your comfortable, fully furnished apartment. Stop on your way through reception to check for post, then grab a seat on the sofa in your shared living area and chat to your flatmates about your day.
When you need some time to yourself, go straight to your room and curl up on your comfy bed; if you’re feeling chilly, you’re free to turn up the heating. Use the high-speed internet to stream your favourite series, or spread your books out on your desk and get stuck into your college work. With work out of the way, head to the common room to catch up with your friends over a game of pool.
When hunger strikes, take a five-minute stroll to your local supermarket and stock up on ingredients for dinner. In winter, get everyone together for a hot meal in the kitchen; when the weather turns warmer, grill out on the courtyard barbecues at Calthorpe Court. After dark, freshen up with a quick shower, then pick an outfit from your clean laundry pile and meet your mates at The Prince of Wales bar for cocktails in the heated garden. When you get home, you’ll be sleep easy knowing that there’s 24-hour CCTV to keep you safe.
