manchester - been there recently?
Aug 2nd, 2004, 04:07 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 669
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
manchester - been there recently?
OK - so who out there has been to Manchester (UK) ever? recently? Where did you stay and how was it?
Looking for somewhere on the budget side - preferably not part of a hotel chain.
Hope u can help.
Taa
Looking for somewhere on the budget side - preferably not part of a hotel chain.
Hope u can help.
Taa
Aug 2nd, 2004, 04:40 AM
#4
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I spent several weekends there last year and really enjoyed it - it has become quite a happening place in recent years. Sorry, can't recommend any budget hotels, though. You must visit the Lowry Centre, where you can take a guided tour at something like 10am each day - see www.thelowry.com. The new Imperial War Museum (North) is a pretty amazing building too (by Daniel Libeskind), but I haven't been inside. You can get a tram to both of these. Juniper at Altrincham is an absolutely amazing restaurant and you can get a tram there too. There are lots of great old fashioned pubs, notably Mr Thomas's Chop House and Sam's Chop House, both of which do good oldfashioned British food, e.g. great steak and kidney pudding. I thoroughly recommend a visit to Manchester !
Aug 2nd, 2004, 04:47 AM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Will you be there on business, visiting friends, or as a tourist?
It makes a real difference. For business you want to be somewhere near your meetings/business calls. If visiting friends, it is a large city and you need to ask them what is near their home (or tell us where they live and folks can help). if there as a tourist I would not stay in Manchester. I'd stay somewhere outside the city in the Peak District or near Chester. You'd be in a lovely area and could still visit Manchester as a day trip.
It makes a real difference. For business you want to be somewhere near your meetings/business calls. If visiting friends, it is a large city and you need to ask them what is near their home (or tell us where they live and folks can help). if there as a tourist I would not stay in Manchester. I'd stay somewhere outside the city in the Peak District or near Chester. You'd be in a lovely area and could still visit Manchester as a day trip.
Aug 2nd, 2004, 04:50 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,137
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We are going there for one night before our return trip to the States. I looked up some recs in Lonely Planet and decided to stay at Britannia Sachas on Tib street for 58 GBP. It looked like a great central location IMO. I think Manchester looks interesting. JUdy
Aug 2nd, 2004, 05:07 AM
#7
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you're there for a night what are you going to do?
There's the bog-standard club+bar culture, which is as ghastly as anywhere else in Britain, unless you're addicted to being deafened.
Or do what Mrs F + I did a week or so ago. Go to Belle Vue Dogs (www.bellevuestadium.co.uk). All the -er, unusual - sartorial standards of British young people at play. But a lot less noise, the fun of judging dogflesh, and a real possibility (assuming the betting's not rigged) of winning your fare back.
Food not QUITE up to the standards of Lyons or Brussels. But the people are a lot odder.
There's the bog-standard club+bar culture, which is as ghastly as anywhere else in Britain, unless you're addicted to being deafened.
Or do what Mrs F + I did a week or so ago. Go to Belle Vue Dogs (www.bellevuestadium.co.uk). All the -er, unusual - sartorial standards of British young people at play. But a lot less noise, the fun of judging dogflesh, and a real possibility (assuming the betting's not rigged) of winning your fare back.
Food not QUITE up to the standards of Lyons or Brussels. But the people are a lot odder.
Aug 2nd, 2004, 05:14 AM
#8
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,657
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Right then Alice. More info please. Age? Interests? Reason you looked at Manchester in the first place? There may be many good reasons for going to Manchester, but they may not interest you in the slightest.
Aug 2nd, 2004, 05:31 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,137
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Geesh, I thought it looked interesting...Lonely Planet made it sound so. Maybe I should rethink this whole thing. We are leaving from a 4 day stay in York and will be flying out of Manchester at 11:30 am. Thought to stay nearby the airport. Will be staying in Chester for one night on arriving in the UK. We are "youngish" baby boomers, who like good restaurants and good atomosphere. Will be there on a Tues.
Aug 2nd, 2004, 10:52 PM
#10
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 251
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Manchester is a living city which has recently cashed in on the increasingly popular habit of Brits to do weekends away, as well as trying to offer more to its own residents.
Thanks to the IRA bomb, which destroyed much of the shopping area, a complete restyle was launched. It's now bearing fruit. You can stroll around St Ann's square, with its lovely church, window-shop at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, or Marks and Spencer if you are more down-to-earth. Have a pint at one of the pubs in the Shambles, just behind Marks and Spencer. (The pub was moved from a location a short distance away, brick by brick>
All three of the above shops are iconic names in the UK. Have a look inside the glorious town hall, which has been used in countless TV shows and films as a stand in for the Parliament in London. Walk down to the renovated Castlefiesd area, perhaps taking in the Science and Industry museume, and have a pint at the canalside Duke's 92. If you fancy hedonism, trot along Canal Street, home of gay and gay-friendly crowds who like to party hard. During the day it is quite pleasant, with v little traffic and tables on the pavement. There's a good cinema near to Oxford Road that shows art films, and which has a cafe/bar attached too. If you are a soccer/football fan, take the tram to Old Trafford.
There is a good tourist information centre at the town hall, near to the library.
The centre is compact, meaning you can walk most places. There are also 2 free mini-buses that allow you to hop on and off along two set routes. Both end up at Piccadilly station.
You'll be able to get the train to the airport very easily and cheaply. The station is about 10 mins' walk from your hotel. (I would suggest trying another hotel. Tib Street is slightlty grimey. When I was a kid, it was where all the 'dirty bookshops' (pronounced to rhyme with Luke) were found. It is not that bad, but try Malmaison or Rosetti, which should be about £99. Or you could stay at the airport and get the train in. SAS Radisson is nice and is very near to the airport train station.
Eats - Try Grinch, near to St Ann's square, or Croma just off Albert Square. There are places around Deansgate, such as La Tasca. Old fashioned pubs include the Chop House.
If you fancy a night at the theatre, go to the Royal Exchange. Imagine a very alrge, glass lunar-landing module placed inside an old Vicorian building. It has a good pedigree and will allow you to interact with lots of M/car people.
Good for you for choosing somewhere slightly different. York is lovely, but is definitely tourist-central.
Thanks to the IRA bomb, which destroyed much of the shopping area, a complete restyle was launched. It's now bearing fruit. You can stroll around St Ann's square, with its lovely church, window-shop at Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, or Marks and Spencer if you are more down-to-earth. Have a pint at one of the pubs in the Shambles, just behind Marks and Spencer. (The pub was moved from a location a short distance away, brick by brick>
All three of the above shops are iconic names in the UK. Have a look inside the glorious town hall, which has been used in countless TV shows and films as a stand in for the Parliament in London. Walk down to the renovated Castlefiesd area, perhaps taking in the Science and Industry museume, and have a pint at the canalside Duke's 92. If you fancy hedonism, trot along Canal Street, home of gay and gay-friendly crowds who like to party hard. During the day it is quite pleasant, with v little traffic and tables on the pavement. There's a good cinema near to Oxford Road that shows art films, and which has a cafe/bar attached too. If you are a soccer/football fan, take the tram to Old Trafford. There is a good tourist information centre at the town hall, near to the library.
The centre is compact, meaning you can walk most places. There are also 2 free mini-buses that allow you to hop on and off along two set routes. Both end up at Piccadilly station.
You'll be able to get the train to the airport very easily and cheaply. The station is about 10 mins' walk from your hotel. (I would suggest trying another hotel. Tib Street is slightlty grimey. When I was a kid, it was where all the 'dirty bookshops' (pronounced to rhyme with Luke) were found. It is not that bad, but try Malmaison or Rosetti, which should be about £99. Or you could stay at the airport and get the train in. SAS Radisson is nice and is very near to the airport train station.
Eats - Try Grinch, near to St Ann's square, or Croma just off Albert Square. There are places around Deansgate, such as La Tasca. Old fashioned pubs include the Chop House.
If you fancy a night at the theatre, go to the Royal Exchange. Imagine a very alrge, glass lunar-landing module placed inside an old Vicorian building. It has a good pedigree and will allow you to interact with lots of M/car people.
Good for you for choosing somewhere slightly different. York is lovely, but is definitely tourist-central.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 02:04 AM
#11
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you like good restaurants can I stress you *must* go to Juniper - it's the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the area but a lot more than that - see the article from the Guardian newspaper at http://travel.guardian.co.uk/print/0...1573%2C00.html : we had very much the same experience and loved it. Nice people too. If you stay in the city centre it's easy to get a tram there, with about a 5-10 minute walk at the other end. trams back run until c.00.30 I think.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 02:21 AM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
If you like Indian or Chinese food, then Manchester is a good place to get it.
Chinese friends have taken us to the Yang-Sing
http://www.yang-sing.co.uk/
but I'm sure that there are other good restaurants in Chinatown.
For Indian food, Rusholme has what is called "The curry mile" an area with lots of sari shops, Indian jewllery and restaurants.
Chinese friends have taken us to the Yang-Sing
http://www.yang-sing.co.uk/
but I'm sure that there are other good restaurants in Chinatown.
For Indian food, Rusholme has what is called "The curry mile" an area with lots of sari shops, Indian jewllery and restaurants.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 02:30 AM
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Another nice restaurant in Manchester is the Market Restaurant http://www.market-restaurant.com/
It has a very small menu, but I rather like that. It has a sort of 1930s feel about it and the service is professional but friendly.
It has a very small menu, but I rather like that. It has a sort of 1930s feel about it and the service is professional but friendly.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 05:21 AM
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 669
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, some fascinating replies - thanks all. But I was just asking about somewhere to stay. Seems many repondents assume I don't know what I'm doing. As it happens I was born in Manchester, but not bred having only lived there for a few years in my twenties. I do remember passing Belle Vue on the trolley bus when I was about 6 and there was still a zoo there. Have been to the Royal Exchange Theatre many times. My visit there is not part of a whorlwind holiday - it's a trip down memory lane for me and my 80 year old Mum (who lives in England - should have said - I may be coming from overseas but she is not).
And of course our trip up north won't be confined to the city.
Manchester was becoming a happening place when I left in 1979. I guess it's not high on the list for foreign visitors - but, hey, if you are pinned into going I'm sure you will enjoy (see above comments re eateries, museums, etc) and if you are into the history of how the world got to where it is (talking industrial revolution here) then Mancester contributed a lot.
OK - tribal loyalties shining through here. Still looking for a 'real'place to stay - any ideas? GBP99 is expensive in my book - gbp55 closer to the mark.
Any suggestions in the same vein for just outside m/c in any direction, and near Settle, Yorks, or the Lakes, also welcome. Need somewhere plain and clean with 2 single rooms. Doesn't have to be in the happening heart - we can always take a bus or a taxi (no language problems for us, ducks!!).
Taa.
And of course our trip up north won't be confined to the city.
Manchester was becoming a happening place when I left in 1979. I guess it's not high on the list for foreign visitors - but, hey, if you are pinned into going I'm sure you will enjoy (see above comments re eateries, museums, etc) and if you are into the history of how the world got to where it is (talking industrial revolution here) then Mancester contributed a lot.
OK - tribal loyalties shining through here. Still looking for a 'real'place to stay - any ideas? GBP99 is expensive in my book - gbp55 closer to the mark.
Any suggestions in the same vein for just outside m/c in any direction, and near Settle, Yorks, or the Lakes, also welcome. Need somewhere plain and clean with 2 single rooms. Doesn't have to be in the happening heart - we can always take a bus or a taxi (no language problems for us, ducks!!).
Taa.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 06:00 AM
#15
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, you did say you didn't want a chain hotel, preferably - but for that price I would go for the Travel Inn. I haven't actually stayed in the Manchester city centre one, which is on Portland Street, but I've stayed in others and always had a spacious, very clean and nicely decorated room. You can book online at www.travelinn.co.uk : I don't think you've said when you are going, but I just randomly entered 1st October and got a price of £105.90 for 2 singles.
Aug 3rd, 2004, 08:44 AM
#18
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,885
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good move on the Britannia. I did stay at the Sachas and it was acceptable at best, but I had no choice at that time. The Manchester Britannia is a dump. You should see the one in Liverpool, the one that was on the reality BBC show few years ago. What a dump that place is.
I've learned to save my money for other things when staying in Manchester, so the last few times I've been staying at the Ibis Portland Street Manchester. It's a cookie cutter as they get, the rooms are simple, little on the small side, but majority of the rooms in the "old" hotels are no bigger. Nothing fancy, but exceptionally clean, which many of the old hotels can't say. Nice restaurant for breakfast. Location is outstanding and the best part? the rates, under 50BP for a double room. For a night or 2 that I need it serves the purpose.
If you want something in the luxury line, try Crowne Plaza, Renaissance, Marriott Victoria and Albert and few others but expect to pay almost London prices.
For a nice inbetween place try the Place Apartment Hotel in Central Manchester. They have 1 and 2 bedroom fully furnished apartments (very recently refurbished) as well as some beautiful suites. They also provide the regular hotel services such as 24 hour front desk, room service, etc..
Another great option is the Holiday Inn Express Salford Quays. Very nice property.
Personally I don't mind a place with character, but I also like modern conviniences and cleanliness. Many of these middle or the road old hotels don't provide either. So if I want character, history, I usually go for the higher priced ones, but if I just need a nice, inexpensive place to stay I tend to stick with the new cookie cutter hotels, expecially in the UK.
I've learned to save my money for other things when staying in Manchester, so the last few times I've been staying at the Ibis Portland Street Manchester. It's a cookie cutter as they get, the rooms are simple, little on the small side, but majority of the rooms in the "old" hotels are no bigger. Nothing fancy, but exceptionally clean, which many of the old hotels can't say. Nice restaurant for breakfast. Location is outstanding and the best part? the rates, under 50BP for a double room. For a night or 2 that I need it serves the purpose.
If you want something in the luxury line, try Crowne Plaza, Renaissance, Marriott Victoria and Albert and few others but expect to pay almost London prices.
For a nice inbetween place try the Place Apartment Hotel in Central Manchester. They have 1 and 2 bedroom fully furnished apartments (very recently refurbished) as well as some beautiful suites. They also provide the regular hotel services such as 24 hour front desk, room service, etc..
Another great option is the Holiday Inn Express Salford Quays. Very nice property.
Personally I don't mind a place with character, but I also like modern conviniences and cleanliness. Many of these middle or the road old hotels don't provide either. So if I want character, history, I usually go for the higher priced ones, but if I just need a nice, inexpensive place to stay I tend to stick with the new cookie cutter hotels, expecially in the UK.
