More than just a weekend…

lady looking at a rail of vintage clothes

Some say that a weekend consists of a Saturday and Sunday –not in Plymouth! A weekend is so much more!

A city steeped in history and packed full of fun action, events and things to be part of EVERYDAY!

This weekend is no exception:

Bohemian Rhapsody Outdoor Cinema Experience |Fri 10 May –  Saltram House

Pirates Weekend | Sat 11 and Sun 12 May 2019 – Plymouth Barbican

Cheese Fest |  Sat 11 May 2019 – Plymouth Pavilions

Performance: The View From Behind The Futuristic Rose Trellis | Sat 11 May 2019 – Barbican Theatre

Worth The Weight – Vintage Sale | Sat 11 May – Plymouth Guildhall

Plymouth Comic Con |  Sun 12 May 2019 – Plymouth Life Centre

We hope you enjoy your weekend in Plymouth if you are staying with us. Alternatively, if you have a stay planned and would like to know more about all the fun happening during your stay in the city by the sea, we would love to hear from you.

Simply comment with the dates you are interested in and we will be sure to send you all of the action!

2020 Dates For Your Diary…

Mayflower 400  | 2020 | A Year Of Celebrations

As many of our guests book to return year on year; we thought we would share some exciting news and dates for 2020.

2020, the year of the Mayflower 400 Celebrations, a year set to be an exciting one for Plymouth and all who visit.

Within the hospitality sector, we are unsure of the ‘true’ impact it will have on Plymouth Tourism and the visitors economy, it’s a once in a lifetime celebration so we have nothing to compare it to!

We therefore don’t know how busy  it will be in comparison to other years that you have visited, but what we do know is it will certainly add value to your stay with us here in Plymouth.

Many of our guests have set times of the year that they visit us; but rest assure, no matter when you come in 2020, there WILL be things happening with a Mayflower spin for you to enjoy.

With all this in mind; I thought I would give you a heads up on what we know, and what is planned for the ‘remarkable’ year of history, culture and community!

What is it?

2020 is the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower voyage. One of the most integral journeys in global history and a defining moment in the shared history of Britain, the US and the Netherlands.

Plymouth is using this milestone as a unique opportunity to highlight Plymouth’s exceptional heritage; to promote our visitor offer to friends old and new; and to bring communities together to celebrate our city.

What will be happening?

The ‘Mayflower Programme’ will be a year of prime partnerships, of which Strathmore House Apartments will play a significant role. There will be 400 moments to explore all aspects of the Mayflower Voyage throughout the year of 2020, including: art, music, theatre, exhibitions, immersive storytelling, digital innovation, literature, crafts, sports, festivals, debates, business activities and much more.

Overview…

Major new cultural attractions will open in Plymouth for 2020, including The Box, new heritage trails and the Elizabethan House.

Although still not set in stone, the rough date for these things will be March 2020 for the launch of the trails, April 2020 for the opening of The Box and The Elizabethan House  early in the year.

The Box is a £38m project, the symbol of 2020, a high profile gallery and history centre that will hold all of the Plymouth and Devon archives; it will be a must see for anyone visiting Plymouth.

By January 2020, there will have been a huge investment in the public realm, with new signage, water taxis and literature for the years events. There is said to be almost £200m to be invested in Plymouth by 2020. For those of you that love it as it is, please don’t worry; you will not miss the old – you will simply celebrate the newly transformed Plymouth.

You may have noticed seeing Plymouth advertised in your home towns; this is due to the national and international marketing programme. The city has been working hard celebrating not only our history, but also our future.

Signature Events…

Mayflower Ocean Festival | 4th-10 May 2020

This will celebrate Plymouth’s status as Britain’s Ocean City, aimed to get people on the water (inc events such as Transat, OSTAR & TWOSTAR races and Pirates weekend)

Mayflower Week | 14th-20th September

A week of activities, including;

  • A visit from a replica 15th century tall ship
  • Daily fly-bys
  • International field gun comp
  • The Navy’s Rehabilitation Triathlon
  • PLUS – two headline events yet to be revealed!

Mayflower Ceremony – 16th September

A four nations civic ceremony. This will be a united, city event, with mass participation throughout sectors, communities, schools and all over the city.

Mayflower Muster – 19th – 20th September  

Celebration event of the world’s foremost Navel basis; there will be a host of activities that will be truly breathtaking.

Illuminate will be the book end to the events in November 2019 and November 2020

An there’s more…

Culture…

A production from the Theatre Royal Plymouth from the Wampanoag Tribe; this will be extraordinarily good as they are an amazing producing theatre,  plus Arts Council England are supporting  a series of events  throughout the year.

Culture Fund have also given investment to the city to create provoking experiences throughout the year. Settlement by The Consious Sisters and Cannupa Hanska are creating a large scale ‘radical’ installation in Central Park, it will run for 8 weeks in the summer exploring colonialism, migration and the deep effects of indigenous people.

A local favourite; Street Factory CIC will be bringing the city together with Hip Hop events. Le Navet Bete (a brilliant comedy/clowning theatre company) will be at the Barbican Theatre in August and September for a HILARIOUS production about 4 people trying to flee their past lives. They are BRILLIANT and a real must see!  There will also be three major artist events which will profile people of colour in the art sector.

In May, June and July there will be ‘Mayflower Music’ at historic venues in Plymouth, including St Andrews and The Guildhall.

There will be lots of film and video commissioned in art venues and community spaces and there will of course be Pride 2020 and lots more!

As you can see, the city that we all love will be full of vibrant and rich events and activities, many free to attend and all set to be totally inspiring.

We would love for you to join us in 2020, our apartments are listed on our website to give you time to book and plan your trip, and we will update everyone with as much information on the year as we can.

If you would like to keep in touch with the developments as they happen; follow them on Twitter and Like them on Facebook!

To a year of celebrations; to seeing you again soon!

Home Away From Home This Easter…

Everyone loves a family holiday.

There is no question, if we could all be guaranteed a couple of weeks a year when we can all diarise the time to take off together we would.  Ok, so we would also all diarise non-moody teenagers, tantrum free toddlers and partners with patience – but time at least is something most of us can manage!

Easter is the perfect time to get away; it’s a reward for getting through the first part of the year, and the springboard that connects us to summer being just around the corner!

Staying at the Strathmore House Apartments makes so much sense; it is the perfect home away from home for all the family!

 

New Continental Hotel’s leisure complex; swimming pool

PLUS…Strathmore House Apartment guests get to use Club Continental for FREE!

Meaning parents can have some chill time in the sauna and steam room; and children can have some fun time playing in the heated indoor pool.

 

Steve’s Brasserie is also just a moment away from the apartments and based in our sister hotel; the New Continental. Great for families, as they not only have an amazing pizza oven (see here for offers) they also have a great children’s menu.

Outside Strathmore House Apartments…

Plymouth as a city offers so much to see, do and be part of.  There are lots of free activities as well as theatre fun, the National Marine Aquarium and MUCH, MUCH MORE!

The Theatre Royal Plymouth has these amazing shows coming up this Easter, and it’s just a two minute walk from the apartments:

Pepperland | The Worst Witch | We’re Going on a Bear Hunt | Woodland Tales with Grandad

Saltrum House is an amazing National Trust House & Garden. It was once a home to the Parker family and is now a home to lots of wild animals.

You could easily spend one or two of your days in Plymouth exploring the park, dressing up in the house or finding out all about natures ‘Grand designs’. There is an infamous  Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt too.

Easter Egg Hunt | 24 March – 8 April | 10am to 4pm. £2 per hunt. Normal admission prices into the house and garden apply. There is no admission charge for Under 5s and National Trust members.

Plymouth by Foot & Bike  is an amazing FREE activity. Given our cities history; there have been many famous people walking the Plymouth cobbles. Follow in their footsteps of these infamous explorers, pioneers and artists and walk the Southwest coast path from Royal William Yard to the Barbican.

You will encounter iconic naval buildings, breath-taking views over the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound and the intriguing characteristics of the former towns and villages that make up this original marine city.

Also on route are lots of Cafés, restaurants and bars such as The Mission as well as  Smeaton’s iconic tower, the Mayflower steps and The Hoe Promenade.

Getting Here By Road…

A city that is easily accessible, the road trip here is good too! And if you want some tips on how to survive ‘The Family Road Trip’, staff at the New Continental Hotel have shared some of their own survival tips! They have added some great printable resources too!!

With so much to see and do; check our availability or contact us for more details?

We would love to hear from you.

Relocation Special | New Year, New Home

lady jumping with green trees either side in the sunshine

Moving To Plymouth…

The start of a new year can often bring with it big, bold, brave new decisions…like relocating!

They say that moving is one of the most stressful things; but fuse that with moving to an entirely new city and things can feel terribly overwhelming.

Fear Not!

Here at Strathmore House Apartments we have worked with individuals, businesses and families who are thinking about Plymouth being their new home.

Over the last 10 years, we have grown to understand all too well that it’s a big step to relocate for work or pleasure.  Whether you already have a job offer or are just taking the plunge and moving to look for work in another town or city – it can be really tough.

Yet still, even if you’re relocating for pleasure, to be with family or friends, it still can be hard; to lose the things you are familiar with. Not just friends but also the sense of routine, that scalextric track we all get far too used to driving or walking, the vista, the short cuts, the where to get your hair cut!

Yes, it can be tough, terrifying and totally daunting, but it’s also an extremely exciting time: a time we love to be part of.

Be it that you are striking out on your own, with your family or to start a new career; exploring a new city brings so much opportunity to explore you – as well as a new city!

Meeting new people, experiencing a different place, stumbling on hidden gems; there is so much to look forward to.

 

How Do We Help..?

A place to call home

In the past, we have had people stay for a month or two; to make sure that before any final decisions are made they are certain that Britain’s Ocean City, is the city for them.

As serviced apartments, we have a flexibility that really works for people relocating. We all know that moving house, be you buying or renting is never straightforward. A date can change three or four times easily. With our 2 nights to 2 year or more attitude we are open, willing and able to offer you a home no matter how many times the dates change. So although still annoying, we will be your safe place, where you can close the door and lock yourself away from the frustrations!

We arrived at the Strathmore in November, as the property we were purchasing was still not completed for us to move into! We were met by Ali, who from the first meeting was very welcoming and made our stresses much more bearable! Ali continued to support us even with the uncertainty of when we would actually leave, nothing was too much trouble at all. The housekeeping staff were extremely efficient, so lovely to come home to a beautifully cleaned apartment with an abundance of towels for our needs. The apartment we had was amazing, four good bedrooms with amazing views of the Sound and our new property! Would recommend for this accommodation for any use, business, holidays or simply temporary home, which was our situation. Thank you to all and especially Ali! Julie, Rik and Family

TRIP ADVISER

 

New Friends

With our friendly, local knowledge you will always be guaranteed a warm family welcome and a happy information centre for all your local knowledge needs! Doctors & Dentists but also places to eat, explore and learn about our beautiful city and its rich history.

Incredible location on the Hoe, very close to the Barbican, it has an express Tesco market next to it. Apartment is spacious and very clean with all necessary equipment. Very good and reasonable prices, spent almost 2 months there. I would recommend it to anyone as a family, friend or business trip stay, short or long. Excellent services and help provided from Ally is a wonderful host, manager and apartment operator. I came from Saudi with my 2 year-old.  Ally made sure everything was available and needed and pops by to see how your doing. She basically makes you feel home away from home (two thumbs up).

TRIP ADVISER

 

For you to be reading this, Plymouth has probably already captured your heart.  We know how easily our city can do that! Still haven’t made your mind up? Do you need a little taster of what living and working in Plymouth might be like? We can help.  Here are some links and clips that may just help make your mind up.

Plus, if we can help in any other way, we would love to be one of the first to help welcome you to our spectacular city.

Helpful Links 

Great videos with ‘real’ people telling their ‘real’ stories about Plymouth.

Visit Plymouth – useful guides and information.

Family Fun In Plymouth…

baby on playmat with toys

Family Holiday In Plymouth…

Sometimes, all you need is a family holiday. It can work wonders for your family dynamic to just take a few days out and have some down time. Some time to relax and unwind and reconnect with each other again.

Not only as parents do we need to step off the treadmill, but our children need to see us a little more care free from time to time too, at our best and at peace some might say.

Being free from the demands of a hectic schedule, housework and ferrying from club to club; quality time together, it’s a real tonic.

If you are thinking that it’s time in 2019 to reduce stress levels and connect as one again, we have just the solution.

Plymouth is an amazing city to enjoy some downtime in; and Strathmore House Apartments is the perfect location to kick back and relax…together.

With our one, two, three and four bedroom apartments, we are the perfect home from home; just without the everyday stresses and strains!

Cost doesn’t have to be high to have a relaxing getaway, and to safe the stress in the planning; we have done the hard work for you!

Below you will find links to some great family sites and family fun activities in and around Plymouth. With our low prices and so much to do; Britain’s Ocean City makes for the perfect family holiday destination.

Mum and son by the sea laughing

Useful Links: