I stayed in the Roadster Penthouse apartment at Staying Cool on the 20th floor of the Rotunda in Birmingham (UK) city centre in July 2009 for the first two nights of my Summer 09 UK Blogging Tour, flying from Edinburgh to Birmingham with bmibaby.com.

I arrived at the Staying Cool apartments at dusk and was gobsmacked by the views over the city of Birmingham. There’s a large balcony accessed through three sets of doors in the wall to ceiling curved windows.

View from the Staying Cool Penthouse apartment at the Rotunda, Birmingham

The double beds are really comfortable, Both bedrooms have ensuite bedrooms, one with a bath/shower and the other with a large shower. There’s a wonderful array of complimentary aromotherpary toiletries in the bathrooms.

The kitchen is equipped with Gaggia expresso coffee machine, a dishwasher, washing machine and electric juicer (oranges provided)/ The lounge/kitchen area is spacious with a couple of sofas and a dining table with chairs. There’s a Apple Mac entertainment system, free wifi and Sky TV. I was sorry that I had such a busy schedule and hardly had any time to enjoy the apartment.

The Rotunda is a landmark building in Birmingham city centre, constructed in the 1960s as an office block, recently refurbished by Urban Splash and converted into living accommodation with the 19th and 20th floors becoming serviced apartments.

The Staying Cool apartments are a couple of minutes walk from New Street railway station, close to shops such as Selfridges and Debenhams and a selection of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Birmingham city centre at night

There are four types of apartment at the Rotunda Birmingham, ranging from studios to the two bed penthouse with prices from £115 to £450 a night.

My verdict: Absolutely fantastic views, trendy, comfy and extremely well equipped, ideal for a special occasion or celebration.

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