Manchester for a Minute: The Midland
February 6, 2023
Seems like we were just IN Manchester…because we were. The plan at the time was to go see Florence and the Machine at the AO. But Florence broke her foot in London the day before the show. So our main reason for coming to the UK was obviated. Dang.
We decided to return to see the Florence show if and when it was rescheduled. The show happened February 3rd, and it was magical. 21,000 fans singing along in an emotional outpouring of live music. Florence and the Machine shows are not to be missed!
Last time it was the Lowry. This time we targeted the Midland Manchester, one of those grande dame hotels of yore that has been updated to modern in a British kind of way. The best thing about the Midland is its prime location and a pretty decent bar.
We were assigned 541, a junior suite category room. The coloring is tasteful and yet has all of the life sucked out of it.
We spent most of our very limited time in the bedroom half.
Meanwhile the bathroom had lots of room for, well, we’re not sure. But the shower was quite nice indeed.
The under utilized sitting room. Turns out most of the sitting was in the downstairs lobby bar.
We arrived Thursday morning. Our room was available and ready, which was a very pleasant surprise! Wish more hotels would listen when you tell them you are arriving early from a transcontinental flight. Well done Midland!
It was off for lunch at the Ivy.
Followed by packing to depart (!!), some cocktails in the bar (during which an invasion of penguins occurred), and a fancy pants dinner at the French. Dinner at the French was very good indeed, but still seemed overpriced. The table space deserves some rethinking.
We slept in and headed to Bills for breakfast the morning of the show. Or more accurately, early afternoon. Bill’s is a great place to relax over a long breakfast with some Bloody Marys.
We spent a bit of time wandering Manchester, but before we knew it, we were off to the concert. We made a detour through Five Guys on the way over for a Maryland burger.
The concert was fantastic.
Late night drinks at the Midland bar were fun even when the ABBA clad Germans invaded. Each time we inhabited the bar, we found excellent bartenders willing to learn and a bit frustrated by lack of certain ingredients. We deleted the Fernet.
The whole trip, though a whirlwind, was well worth all of the flying.
Four showerheads for the Midland Manchester.
The Royal Crescent in Bath England: Old School Luxury Lives On
December 7, 2022
The Royal Crescent Hotel in the very gorgeous town of Bath in England is a beautiful place to stay (even if you are only staying for one night). We were in one of the back suites apparently adapted from carriage houses. This is room 51.
The sprawling sitting room where a note and some chocolate awaited our arrival. Personal touches from the old days are greatly appreciated!
And without further ado, the best shower in all of England. Really. Hands down. NPS wants this shower.
The bedroom with an absolutely comfortable yummy bed. We had to get up before we really wanted to in order to go on a guided tour of bath. BTW, the tour, arranged by the hotel and given by Fred Mawer was excellent in all regards. Fred is personable, knowledgeable, and fun to boot.
Ah yes, real flowers.
While Romey tried out the Spa (which she loved), I sampled a negroni at the bar. Nicely appointed with a good solid very young staff.
We enjoyed an early dinner out at The Circus restaurant. The restaurant was good but not great. Solid food on the less experimental side. The wine and drinks program is solid.
Here is a short video of the best shower in Bath and most likely the best shower in all of England. Yes please. Hot, lots of pressure, plenty of flow. You go!! NPS approved.
Our carriage house. The window is the window to room 51.
The grounds.
The sitting room where we had morning espresso was dressed up for Christmas.
All told, our abbreviated visit was top notch. Amazing place. Excellent town. Superb service. And the best shower in England. Five showerheads! We can’t wait to return.
Raining In Manchester: The Lowry
November 23, 2022
The Lowry is a business hotel of reasonable quality in Manchester, England. It rains every day. Manchester is a cool town.
Room 223 at the Lowry is a nicely spacious hamster cage that is just fine, thank you.
Though the shower could use some water pressure and the HVAC system is a disaster.
The view is nice, but short.
Florence will break her foot kind of putting a major damper on the whole thing.
On a rainy evening, head on over to Home and see a movie. If you’re lucky it will be as great as the Banshees of Inisherin.
Do some retail in the center.
Have breakfast at Côte.
Have dinner at 20 Stories (which sports not only a great view, but an excellent bar). Get Lisa to come up.
Visit Chinatown (open all night).
But maybe skip the Cloud 23 at the Hilton. No skill. Just view. (We went so you don’t have to.). An attempt at a CR#2 was just, well, just.
This cocktail should be renamed the “Lavender Yeah No.”
And by all means don’t go to the Lowry bar unless you must. (And just for the record, sometimes you just must.)
WTF?
We did make them try an industry sour.
Finally, sort out your ride to the train station the night before. Manchester traffic is a thing when it rains. And it rains!
We’ll be back when Florence heals. Can’t wait to do some dancing in Manchester.
Three showerheads for the Lowry.
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