WHERE: Hotel du Vin, 25 Church Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 2NR Tel: 0121 200 0600 Email: info@birmingham.hotelduvin.com Website: www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/birmingham WHEN: Whenever you like, really. Britain’s second city, Birmingham, is a 90-minute to two-hour drive from Swindon along the A419 and then straight down the M5. It is a fantastic city, where there’s plenty to do and see. If you’re going to a gig or an event at the NEC (we went to Crufts on the night we stayed), a football match at maybe Aston Villa, Walsall or West Brom, or a trip to Cadbury World – why not make a short break or weekend of it by staying for a night or two?

WHY: Built in 1833 and prominently situated in the heart of the city, this architecturally eye-catching red brick structure was once the Birmingham and Midlands Eye Hospital. And it immediately strikes you that they don’t build ‘em like this anymore. With its sculptures, mirrors and pillars, the du Vin Birmingham oozes elegance and style. It’s comfy too, with sink-in chairs and sofas situated in and around the bar. The hotel boasts a secluded in-door courtyard with an air of classical Greece or Rome. A gym, sauna and a handful of therapeutic treatment rooms form part of a health club-cum-spa complex WINING AND DINING: Judging by the number of people enjoying its bistro and bars on the Wednesday night when we stayed, the du Vin is popular haunt for locals as well as guests. If champagne is your particular poison, then there’s a choice of more than 50 varieties in the aptly named Bubble Lounge, which is styled on Venice’s Café Florian. The Cellar Bar, meanwhile, has more of a bohemian feel and specialises in tequila and rum. A typical meal at the bistro would start with smoked salmon and traditional garnish (£7.95), followed by pan-fried fillet of red snapper, mushroom and fennel duxelle with tarragon beurre (£14.95). There is a separate vegetarian menu and sample menus can be viewed on-line. The du Vin’s “unquestionable devotion to wine” has also resulted in an impressive 500-strong wine list.

WHAT TO DO: Birmingham is a shopper’s paradise which considers itself “the bold new shopping capital of Europe”. It certainly has its fair share of top name establishments – from Harvey Nichols to Selfridges – while its once horribly out-dated Sixties-built Bullring shopping centre has undergone a dramatic £500 million revamp, earning it the tag of “an all round shopping experience.” The city’s sparkling Jewellery Quarter also rivals London’s Hatton Garden, where some of the finest jewellery in the world is produced.

PRICES: Rooms at the du Vin Birmingham start at around £100 ANYTHING ELSE: Brum, as it is often referred to, was once known as the “the city of 1001 trades” due to the multitude of industries which thrived in the Capital of the Midlands. The former powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution has now been short-listed to become the UK’s City of Culture in 2013. – PAULINE LEIGHTON