Review - The Midland Hotel, Manchester

The past few years I've stayed in quite a large amount of hotels, both in and out of the UK. I have become fairly fussy over time, ensuring I choose the right hotel to meet my (ever-growing) standards.

If any of you are regular readers, you will know that 2 weeks ago my boyfriend and I ventured to Manchester to celebrate his 30th birthday. We don't live near Manchester (in fact we are over a 2hr drive away) but we started going here 4 years ago and always return when we have the excuse to, there's just something about it that we both love.

I came across The Midland Hotel after doing many hours scouring the internet for the best deal. After admiring the photos and reading lots and lots of positive reviews (in fact I don't think I came across one negative one!) I finally booked 2 nights here, and got SUCH a good deal (half price in fact).

We had a bit of a turbulent journey across to Manchester, breaking down on the M62 (my car never fails to amaze me!), so we arrived at the hotel 4hrs after my planned schedule.

The hotel lobby was so pretty and grand looking, with a gorgeous pink orchid tree placed in the middle. The whole grandness actually reminded me of Las Vegas hotels, everything was impressive. It immediately relaxed me from our stressful journey here (one that I didn't think I'd actually make but instead be in the passenger seat of an AA van on the way home!).

A lovely guy named Richard served us (the only reason I remember his name is because he reminded me of another friend of ours, also called Richard!). He asked if we were celebrating anything (although I think he already knew this in advance because I'd already stated on the booking form that it was for a 30th). When we told him he said he had upgraded us to a Superior room, which I was excited about (I've never tried to get upgraded before!). Our booking was dealt with efficiently and within minutes we had the card to our room. Due to us arriving late because of the car, we were running late for a 7pm restaurant booking elsewhere. I asked Richard if I could have the number to the restaurant so I could ring it to re-arrange, and he provided me with this without hesitation. Nothing could have been a problem for him.

The room was fantastic - a 'chill out' sofa area (which I think was the difference between a standard and superior), a huge bed that was extra comfy and a unique dressing table that I wanted to take home with me! It was like old-skool school desks where the lid lifts up and you cram everything inside (it was fab for hiding all my cosmetic clutter!). The inner lid had a huge mirror and a hairdryer within the desk, which saved me lugging one with me (hair-dryers are something I always look for in a hotel!).

There was also a complimentary box of chocolates (and no cheap crap either!) and a (handwritten!) birthday card to my boyfriend which made him feel extra special! haha.

We don't normally have breakfast included in our hotel stays but it was included in the price with this one, and not a bad word to say about it. There was a huge variety of things to choose from and all food tasted of high quality. The only thing I disliked was risking the chance of having to sit/share a table with strangers because they were lacking 2/4 seater tables. I'm quite personal and like to have my own space when I'm out. I do think they were refurbishing the original dining room though so this was just a temporary room till that was complete.

We didn't spend a great deal of time in the hotel unfortunately because we were out in Manchester doing things, but from start to finish, this hotel impressed us (especially hours before we were due to leave and my (Liverpool supporting) boyfriend bumped into Peter Beardsley - Liverpool fans will hopefully know who this is). I think that rounded his break off nicely!

I love to sample things, including hotels, so its not often I re-book the same hotel twice, but I wouldn't hesitate with this :-)

I'll leave you with a few photos from our stay.

How comfy does this bed look?!

 

Nice chill out area..

 

Scrummy complimentary Chocs!

Everyone loves a freebie!

Have you stayed anywhere fancy in Manchester? I'd love to know!