Hello Manchester!
Upon stepping out from Manchester Oxford Road Train station the tower of the Palace was in full view. Big red letters illuminated the city’s skyline and we raced across the road to see what lie in store for us. Outside were a group of men all tuxed up and immediately made me feel as if we was under dressed! But they were attendees at an event taking place in one of the Palace’s many conference suites. And we needn’t worry, though palatial and grand the hotel is still welcoming and friendly not pretentious. The reception has the wow factor with high rounded dome ceiling and beautiful intricate tiling.
On exploring the hotel we were surprised at just how big it was and provided lots of surprise rooms and suites down winding staircases and hidden corridors, it’s like a secret world. Even with the number of rooms the corridors feel quiet and felt like we were transported back in time, into a regal time of the Victorians! There is a room named ‘The Grand Room’ and this actually sums up all the general areas of the hotel. The detail of the building really make this hotel exceptional, tiles, arches, mixture of old and new pictures, artwork and photography, lead light windows, and high ceilings. The Victorian design is still breathtaking and translates well into the 21st century.
The tempus bar and restaurant continues this and with dim lighting creates a relaxed and trendy ambiance, the room lined with full length luxurious curtains framing the seating area. The food beautifully presented like at a 5* restaurant, and tasted just as good, with a wide selection of meals available. The staff here at both breakfast and dinner sittings were exceptionally friendly, and made us feel really well looked after. Breakfast served until 11am on weekends which was great for us, and still enough food left at the buffet at that time. We must mention Nasr who made us laugh both mornings with his brilliant Essex impersonations!!
We were in a double exec room at the front of the hotel. The room was AMAZING! The most comfy bed I have ever slept in, we actually looked forward to going back to sink in that mattress! The room was immaculate, beautiful clean sheets, plump pillows. Real luxury and beyond spacious for two of us. The dark wood windows were nearly floor to ceiling and were a real feature of the room, accentuated by the thick curtains draped across. The bathroom was clean and modern with an amazing shower which left us feeling very refreshed! We had strawberries and a box of chocolates awaiting us on arrival – the most perfect welcome! There was noise from the road outside and late night revellers but not enough to stop any sleep, and is what you would expect from a metropolitan hotel.
Brilliantly located, we walked everywhere and had the Oxford Road Train station opposite. Having never been to Manchester before, we headed out early Saturday and went exploring. The city centre itself is great, we went on the wheel (and saw the couple next to us get engaged ) and stumbled upon the funeral of Betty Driver (Corrie) and all the cast arriving.
Manchester offers plenty to do, with lots of galleries and libraries and LOTS of shops! We took full advantage of this and even jumped on a tram and headed over to the developing Salford quays where we had a look around the outlet village.
On returning to the hotel we got ourselves ready for our Tempus experience. The staff were great and we looked after very well. The food was delicious ,particularly the Jaffa tart! After our gorgeous dinner we headed out to explore the Manchester nightlife. Canal Street is just down the road with lots of gay bars and clubs playing cheesy pop. We also headed over to China town, which as you would expect, offers a variety of oriental cuisine.
We ended up in Tiger Tiger in the Printworks, in the centre of the city and after a good dance were very happy to fall into our comfy beds!
In the morning, after another delicious breakfast, our checkout was swift and easy. Martin Hall in the reception area helped us to print off our boarding passes for our flight home and also stored our luggage until the evening; we were all done in less than 5 minutes!
Overall, a fabulous hotel set in a magnificent building with fantastic staff, who show that they care about their guests. We will definitely return to The Palace and can recommend this as the perfect place to stay for a trip to Manchester.
