What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 11 November 2013

Welcome to another week at Cloud 9 and what a wonderful week it is.

We are now officially in moving mode and its all hands on deck as we say goodbye to our old office. We’re not moving far in fact we’re moving meters away however it’s the perfect space for our expanding team and business.

We’re ever so busy with the move however we didn’t want to neglect the blog so this week we’re going to talk about hotels but not just any hotels, unusual ones. You might be thinking ‘’what qualifies as an unusual hotel?’’ well from Treetop Hotels to a cabin in The Woods we’re never too far from something a little different.

Tree Sparrow House – Cornwall :This hotel or should we say Tree House is perched in an ash tree with sweeping sea and countryside views, the tree house accommodation offers a cozy and unique holiday adventure.

Spitbank Fort is an unusual and historic sea fortress in the Solent, off Portsmouth. Now a luxury exclusive venue and hotel, the fort was formerly home to hundreds of soldiers guarding the approaches to Portsmouth. The arms and ammunition have long been removed, making way for nine luxuriously furnished bedroom suites, three bars, three restaurant areas, and spa facilities.

Railholiday is a family company that has built a living providing self-catering accommodation in restored railway carriages. The family started with the restoration of The Old Luggage Van in 1995 and such was the demand that they added The Travelling Post Office to their St Germans station base. 

They have since added The St Ives Bay SK2 carriage at their second location in Hayle, about 5 miles from St Ives on the west coast of Cornwall. Each carriage has a different character, and perhaps the most historic is the 48 ft long Travelling Post Office No. 841, built for the Great Western Railway.  

It went into service in 1889, hauled by the City of Truro on its famous 100 mph run and was originally designed for broad gauge running. Converted to standard gauge in 1891 until its withdrawal in 1934, for many years the carriage formed part of a house in Wales. Now converted to sleep up to six in a combination of double room, sofa bed and bunk beds, The Travelling Post Office is a great place for families, friends and couples alike.

Beach Sun Retreat uniquely offers the ‘perfect beach and summer holiday’ with guaranteed sunbathing 365 days a year!  

The retreat is one of the first in the country, alongside The Wholistic Medical Centre in Harley Street and Grange St Pauls 5* Hotel, to have installed ‘Real Sunlight’s’ innovative health-giving sun simulators, so you've got sunlight at the flick of a switch.
Occupying the ground floor of this former hotel, the property has been refurbished with two themed bedrooms to provide a stylish, one off and spacious holiday retreat, nestled in a quiet location at the end of a private road, with a large lawned garden and direct access to the sandy beach. It is a perfect venue for small parties, family holidays and romantic getaways.

In other news we would like to say a big thank you for the hospitality at the Meet Birmingham Showcase last week.

Now in its third year, the Meet Birmingham Showcase, in association with M&IT, was the chance to explore Birmingham, and meet face-to-face with the people who can make your events happen. 

In the midst of some truly incredible changes, the city is seeing transformations unlike ever before. The brand new £188million Library of Birmingham not only offers a new city landmark, but also truly unique event spaces and this is just one of the venues we had the opportunity to explore last week as well as a great night at the New Hall Hotel and an overnight stay at the Radisson Blu. 

It's fair to report that the team had a thoroughly enjoyable and educational time with the great Meet Birmingham Team, and a whole host of venues - including the new facilities at Conference Aston on Friday.

So that's it for this week..enjoy!