Ever since I first dabbled into the world of Crazy Golf at Alton Towers, I have been hooked. There…read moreis just something about a group of adults with miniature putters and different coloured plastic balls walking around on fake grass that both amuses and entertains me greatly. When putting together a Weekly Yelp on fun things to do in the city, I spotted Mohamade A's review of this place and bookmarked it for something new to do on a Sunday. After a mad Friday night and busy Saturday, I just wanted to get out of house and do something fun (but not too intensive). Mini golf seemed to be the perfect low energy, silly activity for me and Dan to enjoy. First thing to note, Star City can be accessed by bus but offers plentiful free parking if you plan on driving. I haven't been here in a few years and was surprised to see quite a few newer businesses here (including at least a couple of independents). Adventure Island is at the front of the building and easy to spot with it's clear signage. As we had to get to the supermarket before it closed (ROCK'N'ROLL), we opted to do 18 holes instead of the full course. There are two different courses to choose from and you can do one for £6.45, the full 36 for £10.95 or there are combo deals for bowling and lazer tag as well. We decided on the "Lost Hut Trail" and off we went! Thus proceeded 45 minutes of frustration, fun and giggles around the course. In retrospect, we wish we had done both or opted for the "Hidden Cove" course (which boasts a volcano in the middle), but we will be back to try this at some point. It's of note that the venue has a bar (for golf/beer times) and does a 2-4-1 offer on a Wednesday. It would make a fun place for a date or a birthday party. Yeah, it's not high brow entertainment... but if you want to challenge someone to a duel - there are worse ways than with a miniture putter and a brightly coloured plastic ball. Recommended.

Since we always go bowling when in star city, we decided to try something else. We had amazing time…read morehere withgroup of friends. We thought it was going to be empty since it didn't look like anyone was going in or out by the entrance. We were suprised it was full of people. From couples to families. So many different crazy courses to keep you entertained and competitive till the end.

If there's one activity that my friends and family are mutually fanatic about, then its bowling! We…read moreoften head down to Bowlplex, which is in the Broadway Plaza complex. Underground paid parking is available, although you could be cheeky and look for side-street parking. Bowlplex isn't limited to just bowling. There's a restaurant area, bar, arcade and American Pool upstairs. So, in general there's something to keep all ages engaged. Parties can be booked here too, so don't be surprised to find a whole load of balloons and excited kids if you go at the weekend! They usually have offers available during the holidays, although it gets very busy at this time. Generally, the more games you play, the cheaper it is. There is also a "Munch and Play" deal where you can eat from the grill and bowl (although not simultaneously!) for £13.50 for adults. It's a fun-day out for the family, especially when it's too cold to be outdoors!

Who loves Bowling?? Then if you do, Bowlplex is somewhere you should go. It's situated in the same…read moreBroadway complex where AMC cinema, Frankie & Benny's, Subways and more are located. Bowlplex (Broadway Complex) is situated just before you get to Hagley Road and just after the big six ways roundabout near Broad Street. Bowlplex is a great place to take kids if you have any because of the fun factor. It's a brilliant way to entertain the family but also as a parent enjoy and relax in the bar area which they have- you can even treat yourself to a cold beer or maybe just stick to a J20 which your kids play. They also serve food in the restaurant/bar area but if I remember rightly there is an age restriction in the bar area, so you'll need to be aware of this. I don't have kids so it's something I didn't enquire about when I last went. Not to worry about that though, as there's plenty of activities kids can do; not just bowling. There are arcade type games which the small and the big kids will all enjoy.

If you're an enjoyer of local urban wildlife then I suggest a visit to this nature reserve. There's…read morearound 30 acres of natural open space, woodland, meadow and a number of pools. This is a natural attraction for all kinds of wildlife. There's a visitor centre manned by friendly and knowledgeable staff who take pride in their work. There's a Ranger Service too which is always on hand to help with education. Get children involved early with the Plantsbrook Young Explorers club which meet every third Saturday of the month, it's for 7 - 11 year olds and membership is absolutely free. Of course this area is used by the usual dog-walkers, joggers, strollers and so on but my advice when you pay a visit is to get involved, ask the staff about stuff, you'll be surprised what you learn.

I'm in tears after the distressing experience with the general manager and the PT Maya…read more We paid over £200 in joining fee which the woman told us would go towards 3 PT sessions and 4 week tennis course. A badminton coach was also promised. After paying it turns out the tennis coach, badminton coach, the first PT, the second PT, the head of PT have all left within 2 weeks. That's 5 people- how is this normal? First session was form filling for 45 mins. Second the guy had a family emergency and we turned up for no reason. Third ( shockingly!) also had a fam emergency and we turned up at 730am for no reason to be turned back around. Third one was the worst- Aggressive woman PT Maya Makluka. She wasn't there when I came in. Went looking and found her strolling in a different part of the gym she asked me to go back and wait. She came down 10 mins later and brought a form out. First question she asked was 'is this a free session?!' I said we paid joining fee for this. I also told her we have already wasted a session filling out forms with the first PT. She said she hasn't spoken to this PT. I said but my form should still be here she said there are no systems and I need to get my form from (her ex colleague who's left!). She spoke extremely rudely and aggressively and was shockingly unprofessional I couldn't believe it was really happening. Finally SHE fumed off after this. Literally ran to the front desk before I could reach to complain- I then spoke to the general manager who said the pt has come in to her office in tears ( lol the fake clown) and been with them for years (2) so can't be wrong. She would get dean who works for her to call me. The general manager has apparently joined 6 months ago and has already had her mind made up. Disgraceful that this can happen to a human being, let alone a customer

Birminghams David Lloyds…read more After being able to open up again from the pandemic it's REALLY gone down hill! Awful customer service at reception, you pay so much money to be treated like , the gyms been refurbished but it's still horrible no AC, the lady locker rooms are disgusting!, My wife hates it!! Anyone is allowed in when they're not on a membership as certain staff members let their own people in for free causing disagreements and noise in the gym. They quality and reputation of DL has just disappeared, it now seems like an ordinary gym with extremely high prices. I have left DL shady lane after 10years because there is not point paying so much for a service that is bad. All good reviews are from staff members and there relatives they make it out like they're a good gym when they aren't - an insider actually told me this! Please reconsider, your working team represnting David Lloyds as they are not keeping up a good reputation. I could name individual staff members who I can see have been mentioned in other reviews aswell so it must not be nothing new as they must be constantly disrespectful and think they own David Lloyds themselves, they must be reminded they are here to serve the customers and don't actually have shares in the business no remorse is shown if anything at times I do think racial profiling but others get the same treatment. An oldish lady who was at reception desk today andra or something like that absolutely disrespectful no help just laughing. Gym has gone complete terrible, they've signed up way to many members and can't even provide a good enough service, some staff should consider resigning and whoever actually is in charge of the club should change the staff and improve its facilities.

As a keen swimmer, I've always longed for somewhere that allows me to have a swimming only…read moremembership and access to a steam room, and yet I've never found anywhere that offers this. Personally, I'm not interested in using the gym; sweaty, horrible places full of grunting, depressed looking people, rather like 80's rock clubs (at least until the Jack Daniels kicked in). Anyway, I digress... Undeterred in my pursuit of a swimming only membership and determined that my days of being a human apple in a life size game of apple bobbing, which is how it feels to use the local council pool when half of Birmingham has the same idea, I managed to find a local venue that offered just what I wanted. North Solihull Sports Centre is part of Parkwood Leisure, and they offer something called Swim 23. Simply put, for £23 a month, you can use the huge pool (so huge you need hawk like eyesight to see the far end), the steam room, sauna and (drum roll please) Jacuzzi. Well, I was impressed, and went along just over a week ago to take a cheeky look and see if it was for me. Okay, I knew it was (they had me at steam room) but it's good to play a little bit hard to get! I went for the first time on Monday, and really enjoyed it. Okay, it's not a spa. The changing rooms are unisex but the showers are in cubicles, and they have plenty of them. The steam room whilst small and deliciously hot, the Jacuzzi the same, and just because I was like a kid in a brand new sweet shop, I ventures into the sauna too. With friendly staff and decent enough facilities for a very affordable price, I am delighted with my new membership! They also have a gym, and run lots of different classes. There's plenty of parking, oh, and a cafe (which I've yet to explore). It's a decent place with good facilities, and affordable memberships.

Visited this centre about a year back…read more. Chemsley Wood in general is a deprived area of Solihull (that's not be snobby) in parts but for the facility and the customers that go in there are generally friendly. For the pool I will say it probably has one of the best up to date pools in Birmingham and Solihull. The gym is big saw it but never used it, the site is run by Parkwood Leisure which also run Tudor Grange Leisure Centre which is a bigger facility. I like the pool, I don't know how much it accommodate for lane swimming so best to check with the site yourself, one thing you need to be aware is their deep end is very deep like 3.0m. and the deep end is in the middle of the pool which I find quite strange. I once had a go trying to get to the bottom of their pool I managed it but i ended up coming back up in the lane area haha. Must of travelled far. It looks like since Parkwood took over it has been refurbished a lot, so it is very nice, it has a big sports hall which i assume is popular with badminton etc. Their memberships don't come cheap its like £39 a month I was a member once at tudor grange where i'm paying £10 less than that with Birmingham Community Leisure Trust and some of their sites have big gyms as big as this one, so Parkwood maybe want to work on their pricing strategy. Also within the Solihull area their ain't enough public pool as there are 2... Tudor Grange and this one, plus a load of private ones at probably silly prices, so maybe Parkwood and Solihull Council want to look at building atleast 2 more around the Solihull area maybe in Marston Green and maybe one in the posher areas so they ain't enough in my opinion.

I went to watch the F1 movie I'm a huge fan of F1 and I took my niece with me who also loves F1 the…read moreperson who directs you were to go sent us to the wrong cinema we were already few minutes late and the movie was playing we assumed it had started so we sat down and watched not realising that we had been sent to the wrong movie and it was half way through already . This ruined the movie for me as we only realised at the end we were sent to the wrong one .

Affectionately referred to by some as 'Stab City' (doesn't take a wild imagination to guess why)…read morethis is a kind of a shell of an entertainment venue. Yes, the Vue cinema is fine and has loads of screens - so whilst it gets busy you can normally see whichever film you want without feeling rammed into the last seats. The restaurants are all chains - and very bland ones at that. There used to be a fairly decent Mexican, but even that has now gone and been replaced by a KFC/Nandos/McDs/delete as appropriate. There's a casino, but I have no interest in that, and there's a bowling alley / amusement arcade which is always rammed with tweens. When it was first built, there was a climbing centre spanning the interior dome of the atrium, and they installed a dry ice slope to sledge down alongside the escalators.. there was also shops to keep people entertained, but slowly and surely these have all closed down. Now it's just a large vacuous space with chain restaurants, a chain cinema, and a gaudy casino skirting the edges. I go to Star City on the very rare occurrence they're showing a film I want to see that isn't on elsewhere, or if I manage to score free tickets via showfilmfirst or a similar offer. Otherwise, there's nothing for me in the entire 'entertainment' establishment.

**AN UNSAFE AND UNHYGIENIC PLACE TO PRACTICE FITNESS AND WELL BEING**…read more Men's Toilets (upstairs and downstairs) I have recently joined this gym and I am extremely concerned about the hygiene of Fox Hollies Leisure Centre. The male toilets, specifically the ones upstairs next to the gym, have not been cleaned since I started my membership 3 months ago. The toilet bowls have heavy faeces stains stuck to the actual bowl which have not been cleaned nor sanitised in months. The urinals are in worse condition as they have no urinal balls/cakes in them which means they actually smell of stale urine. The urinals have yellow stains indicating that they have not been cleaned or sanitised regularly for a significant period of time. Ironically there is a notice above the sinks which states that the Leisure Centre cleans and disinfects the toilets regularly and that customers should contact them if this is not the case. Next, the sinks have not been cleaned in months and are stained dark brown with grime. The mirrors are dusty and stained with greasy marks. The air freshener in the toilets does not work so the whole room truly reeks of stale urine. As a parent I am extremely troubled that a leisure centre, a place of health, fitness and wellness is so unsanitary. I will be uploading images soon and will also be contacting Birmingham City council and various watchdog associations and of course the local government about these acute health and hygiene issues at a public leisure facility. Staff and Front Reception There is a wide variety of staff from all backgrounds and ages which is really nice to see as Birmingham is a multicultural city. Unfortunately the staff who are at the front reception desk are mostly rude, dismissive and unhelpful. This is certainly true of the more mature members of leisure centre staff. As a customer who brings their entire family to this leisure centre to improve their health and well being, I am exceptionally disappointed that the majority of the staff on the front desk look so unhappy, talk with such disdain, don't say please when asking you to scan and generally really give off a negative air. Personally I really do not like to ask the Fox Hollies Leisure Centre staff questions even though it is part of their job to answer them. Instead I ask other gym goers who are much more positive and significantly more helpful. Parking There are usually plenty of parking spaces, however one major point of concern is that the car park is continually used by driving schools and driving instructors to teach their students parking skills. This has led to my car and that of other leisure centre customers being scratched and severely dented when we return to our vehicles after a fitness class or session at the gym. Also walking around the car park is hazardous as I have nearly been backed into, and run over by learner student drivers doing their maneuvers. The car park belongs to the Fox Hollies Leisure Centre and is only to be used by people who are using the leisure centres' facilities. There should be a policy in place, including a car park security guard which enforces this. Security I have been witness to a few occasions in the gym where there have been physical instances of assault between specific gym goers. This has made me and many other gym users feel unsafe and indeed frightened to use the gym. I feel that there should be adequate security to protect members of the public at all times, who use the gym and that those who cause arguments, who are abusive or cause physical harm should be banned and the police called to remove them and bring forward charges. All of these above issues are far from being minor in nature and should be addressed as they certainly would not be accepted at any private gym or private health facility in the UK.

This is far from my favourite place to go for a swim, but it's much better than Stechford Cascades…read more The pools are a lot bigger and spacious, and staff are friendly and inviting. There is also a great selection of activities here for children, such as water slides to keep families entertained. However, if you're the sort of person that simply want to go for a casual or leisurely swim to keep fit, then I don't think this is the place for you. The pools are usually always overcrowded, and you'll struggle to find a time to go when they're quiet; Especially if you work from 9-5, because after this time, the pools become full of people, meaning that you can't really swim any lengths without bumping into somebody on your way. The changing rooms are pretty standard, as are the showers and locker rooms; you're likely to struggle to find an empty one.

As local leisure centres go, Haden Hill is pretty good. It doesn't have flashy changing areas or a…read morespa, but it does have a good range of fitness classes (the X-biking is INTENSE). I'm no gym bunny but my more sporty friends have told me that the gym is well equipped and in decent condition. The pools are no frills and more for "serious swimming" than playful splashing. I've played badminton there a few times and gone to several X-biking and Zumba classes. The booking systems has caused some problems in the past with them double booking badminton courts on a few occasions. That said, the staff have been helpful and rectified the mistakes.

As basic as they come, in terms of the gym…read more The gym is fairly small, with two floors, although the top floor is fairly restricted, mainly an abs area. Predominately a cardio gym, the weights section is limited, with dumbbells going to a fairly respectable 30kg, but the last time I visited, there was only one bench, and no barbell bench press. Definitely one for the fitness fanatic as opposed to those who want to build some serious muscle.

I tried to cancel my membership because the service was getting worse and the pools are dirty and…read moreold, but nobody was answering the phone for 2 days. I tried many times over a 2 day period. Eventually I get through to someone and they say because I missed the deadline I will be charged for a further month (which I wouldn't have if they had answered the phone when I first called). Awful service and a cancellation policy that shows they need to do everything they can to get as much money out of you as possible.

Cocks Moor is a great place to spend a few hours with the kids. The swimming area is just that,…read moreit's more about fun with water than vast swimming lanes. There are water chutes, sprinklers and even a small slide for the very little ones. The shallow end is lovely and safe with a gentle gradient that slopes down to deeper water. For children that are a little nervous around water it's great and feels very safe. During holidays and at weekends the wave machine operates as does the big slide. Also on offer during term time are stay and play sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. The price includes a swim session if you want to and at £2.35 per child is well worth it. There are loads of inflatables, and a safe area for the very young. It's a great and inexpensive way to spend a couple of hours and there are more structured activities available should you want to give them a try. Also, as a bribery for the way out, there's a new play area on the way to the car park, which works as an excellent incentive to leave if you're struggling to get the kids home.