This summer, why not try a weekend break in Manchester?
The city of Manchester has wide appeal to people from all walks of life, from glamour girls and sports fans to culture lovers and music buffs, this is a city with an incredibly diverse offering of entertainment. Foodies can sample some of Manchester’s amazing restaurants and bars here.
Some of my personal favourite highlights and hotspots include:
Ladies after a girlie pampering break should head over to Kara’s Blow Dry Bar which is a New York Style hair-haven where you can sip on Champagne and have your tresses tended to by one of their master blow driers.
Shoppers will be overwhelmed by the sheer variety of shops in Manchester. There’s a huge vintage offering within the Northern Quarter in the form of Manchester favourite, Afflecks Palace. Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, House of Fraser and the Manchester Arndale ensure that pretty much all clothing brands are represented. A lesser known, but personal favourite store of mine is Laundry Boutique on Police Street (just off King Street) where they sell a variety of handpicked brands from Paris and beyond.
Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you can cater for every culinary craving due to the abundance of restaurants in the city. Home Sweet Home houses some absolute masterpieces with their cakes and sweet treats, Almost Famous has perfected the ultimate burgers, with fillings and additions that you would never have dreamed of (frazzles anyone?!) and Dimitris Taverna, situated near the Museum of Science and Industry, is our very own slice of Greece, serving amazing Greek tapas.
Manchester nightlife has a somewhat exaggerated reputation, with the ‘Madchester’ history of the Hacienda. Us Northerners are incredibly friendly and all music tastes can be accommodated for. Those after a high-end night out where you might catch a glimpse of a celeb or two should head to Neighbourhood, a party diner where dancing on the tables is not unheard of! Lammars is nestled on Hilton Street in the Northern Quarter and features a mirrored piano as the DJ booth. The music is an eclectic mix and I’ve never had a bad night there. For live music head to Revolucion de Cuba where their house band play chart music with a Cuban mix!
If sports are more your thing, why not head to the National Football Museum at Urbis, take a trip to the stadiums of our red and blue rival teams, or if you fancy whipping yourself into shape as a pretox for your weekend antics, head to Unique Physique Circuit Class on a Saturday morning at Elite Performance Fitness, located just outside of Manchester. You can work your weekend off before the damage is done, but bear in mind you might need to rest your head on your comfortable Travelodge Pillow after you’ve finished…
So whatever your reason for heading to Manchester, there’s something for everyone on these cobbled streets!
For more information about Manchester take a look at our Get Up & Go Guide
