Only one word perfectly sums up my experience of The Midland Manchester, EXCEPTIONAL. It appears that with every spa and hotel I attend; I am always met with perfection. The venue, facilities, customer service and overall experience all fall under this word, The Midland Manchester was faultless.
The hotel itself holds a profound history with it being over 100 years old. It was impressive to learn that since its resurrection, The Midland has played host to Prime Ministers, Kings, Queens and Presidents. In-spire LS, had just been added to the list.
When pulling up to the building, I was impressed straight away by its intricate designs. The building itself was in no way modern, due to its heritage, however it didn’t need to be. When entering, the interiors were that of sheer decadence and class. The reception was adorned with tall marble pillars, vibrant up-lighters, glassed ceilings and beautiful floral centrepieces. The outside of The Midland was decorated with gold detailing which also added to the ‘WOW’ factor. The regal building stands in the heart of Manchester’s city centre and with numerous transport links it is undoubtedly the perfect spot for travelers and those who want to explore the city in all its entirety.
The only criticism I would add is that I was not aware that The Midland didn’t have any on-site parking, which was problematic as myself and my guest Sabire were extremely exhausted by our lengthy drive from London. However, on the plus side, there was situated, 2-3 minutes away a 24 hour car park which cost £22 to park in overnight.
After being given a great introduction by the reception staff to the hotel and being given our room cards, we then proceed upstairs via the lift to check out our room. For me, the room is always one of my highlights. As it’s a room away from my own, I am always focused on the comfort factor. Will the bed be soft and easy to sleep in?, will the room be warm? particularly because it’s Autumn and very cold in the evening. I’m also pretty pedantic when it comes to the bathroom facilities. Does it have a power shower and the ever essential bathroom gels and soaps?
I am pleased to say that once again The Midland came up top trumps on this. The room was clean, the facilities were also as expected and the decoration; although not overly extravagant, presented a homely feel. The TV came with additional features including Netflix and YouTube and an extra special surprise came from being greeted with bottled water and additional snacks, just in-case we got peckish.
Once we finished exploring our room we then ventured down to the hotels official restaurant Mr Coopers. I was reminded the evening before that we had a reservation and I got extremely excited as I am a major foodie and would eat out everyday. (if my body allowed it!)
We decided to dress up for dinner and this was a good decision to make as when we entered inside we were met with a gorgeous setting. The decoration was unlike anything I had seen in any other restaurant as there were trees and umbrellas inside so it automatically felt like you were eating outside. It was the perfect set up and was complimented with lights all around which enhanced the atmosphere.
The service throughout the evening was perfection, seamless and absolutely faultless. My guest for the evening Sabire informed the section manager that she had an allergy to eggs and it became evident quite quickly that the entire menu from the starter right down to the dessert contained eggs. The section manager then asked her what she wanted to eat and proceeded to speak with the head chef who then agreed to create an entire menu meeting her specific needs. From my observation of how attentive the entire waiting staff were to diners within the restaurant, I would expect that they would give the same level of service to everyone. They were all professional throughout the entire night and were attentive to our every need.
For a starter, I opted for beautiful deep fried prawns, mango and chorizo marmalade which was mouthwatering, crispy and cooked to perfection. It was complimented with a continous flow of white and red wine.
For my main, I had minted chargrilled courgettes, lamb rumps and spiced lentils. For my dessert I opted for Chocolate Pavlova, pear and hazelnut. The starter, main and dessert was out of this world. Aside from my main being a tad too salty, I thoroughly enjoyed all of my dishes and so did my guest. They were full of flavour and cooked just right.
After an evening of exploring the hotel, we had an early night so we could fully use all of the other facilities. In the morning we went to visit the gym which was adjoining to the spa. It wasn’t that large in size, but it made up for that by encompassing all the necessary machines needed for a thorough workout. What also helped was aside from one man, we were the only ones in the gym. Separated into two sections with the running machines, cross trainers and cycles on the top level and the weight machines, mats and other weight training machines at the bottom.
After a major workout, we then revisited Mr Coopers and went for what was one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time. It was an A’ La Carte breakfast with cereals, muesli’s, bread and fruit on display with the option to eat as much as you wanted. I couldn’t resist having a fried breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, fried tomato, mushrooms, sausage and toast. The food wasn’t only picture perfect, it tasted amazing too.
After what was a splendid breakfast and dining experience we then took more photos of the hotel before going to explore the phenomenal Spa at The Midland.
On entering the spa area, we were met by a friendly smile at the reception. We were handed clipboards with attached forms which we had to fill in to note down any previous beauty treatments we had had prior. Once we had the initial consultation we were given a tour of the facilities and then given free rein to roam the rest of the spa. Although, not large in size; The Spa at Midland is the perfect place to immerse yourself in complete calm. It comes with a fantastic sized Jacuzzi with additional buttons to add bubbles which are a massage in themselves. The pool is of a reasonable size and the water was heated. The spa also had a wood sauna, a shower with numerous settings including tropical rain which was amazing. The spa also included: a steam room which was perfect for clearing out my lungs and was filled with aromas which were refreshing. We moved between the different saunas and steam rooms which left my skin feeling super soft.
It is no surprise that The Spa at the Midland has been nominated for a World Luxury Spa Award 2017 as it is the perfect setting to get away and get pampered for a reasonable fee.
After chilling out in the relaxation room we then progressed onto our booked treatments. We were given a number of options to choose from but in the end we both opted for a deep muscle massage. Priced at £65 for 55 minutes. This massage is highly recommended as it helps to alleviate deep seated tension and muscular stress and focuses on specific areas of the body which can become tense including the neck, shoulders and back.
I work around a computer and the pain in my shoulders and neck can sometimes be unimaginable. However, I found this massage helped to alleviate the pain and my therapist kept me feeling at ease throughout the session. I felt totally relaxed after and the knots that had formed in my shoulder felt automatically better after my treatment.
If the spa treaments and spa access wasn’t enough, before we got back on the road and headed back to London, we were able to also have a scrumptious and healthy lunch. The superfood lunch was a mix of sushi, cereal with natural yoghurt, salmon with rye bread, fresh fruit, cous cous and the tastiest pumpkin soup I have EVER consumed, it was amazing.
Travelling from London to Manchester to review The Midland Hotel and the Spa at The Midland was a great call. The facilities were exceptional, the attention to detail was second to none. The building itself was intricate and situated in the perfect place. The spa at the Midland although not the biggest in size made up for that with the diverse steam rooms and saunas and the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere throughout. The staff were exemplary, taking care of our every need and it was clear from outset that The Midland pride themselves on delivering stellar service to all who visit.
One night spa breaks at The Midland start from £129 per person.
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W| By Sasha Shantel #SpaLife
