Category Archives: Travel

The Lowry Hotel, Manchester

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The Lowry is Manchester’s only 5 star hotel, located a little outside of the centre it is nonetheless easy to reach by foot or taxi from Manchester Piccadilly Station. The dramatic glass exterior is very striking and contemporary against the city backdrop. Walking into the modern building, I felt like I was arriving for a conference, the design is geared towards business rather than leisure.

Staff immediately relieved us of our bags and escorted us upstairs to our room, which was spacious and stylish overlooking the River Irwell. Noticing the quirky, colourful furniture and a trendy assortment of magazines, all thoughts of business were soon banished… I felt completely at home. The combined bedroom and living area boasted an Olga chair and writing desk, and a luxurious super king size bed. The spacious bathroom was finished in Italian porcelain with a big bath and shower, bright white towels, shining mirrors and a selection of REN toiletries. The rooms are very quiet and the soft furnishings have a calming effect on your mood, after a relaxing bath I spent a while flicking through Wallpaper magazine and admiring the impressive views.

It is easy to reach the eateries and bars of central Manchester, and there are plenty. We chose to stay nearby and after a fun evening at nearby cocktail bar, Under New Management (which I highly recommend for masterful mixology) I slept soundly below the Salford skyline. Next morning we enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant. All my favourite things were on offer: French toast with berries and crème fraiche, fresh orange juice and a creamy cappuccino. The food was swiftly delivered to us, fresh and flavoursome.

A lovely spa and great dining facilities are available for all guests to enjoy, so if you don’t want to leave the hotel, there is no need to. The Lowry can also cater for business needs. There is a dedicated Conference and Banqueting floor with a wide range of flexible meeting rooms. They can host all kinds of occasions and pride themselves on top quality facilities with exemplary service and attention to detail.

Despite its highly regarded position as part of the Rocco Forte hotel family, the Lowry stands strong with its own individual style and modern features. It is a much loved home from home for tourists and Mancunian celebrities alike.

More information and book here.

Many thanks to Manchester Tourist Board for their help with this trip, more information here.

Thoroughly Modern Milly travelled with Virgin Trains.

Typical journey time between London and Manchester is just 2h 7m on one of the state-of-the-art tilting trains, six days a week. Engineering works slow things down a little on Sunday mornings, but by lunchtime they’re operating services – at 2h15m – just a shade slower than Monday to Saturday. Trains every 20 minutes, six and a half days a week.

Booking in advance and travelling off-peak is the best way to get great deals – including some fantastic First Class bargains. Single fares start at: Advance Standard £12.50  and Advance First £38.00, book here.

Zalacain, Madrid

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Zalacain is located in a quiet part of Madrid, yet this doesn’t deter it’s loyal and elite clientele. We seemed to approach by the back door… hesitantly we followed a dark leafy path peering through the windows to see white-jacketed waiters busy polishing cutlery and adding the finishing touches to the ornate dining room. At 9pm when we took our seats at a discreet corner table as the first guests of the night (the Spanish eat very late, we learned) we had the waiting staff’s full attention.

Zalacain celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013 and there is still very much a feeling of proud achievement amongst the staff, they serve with a smile and obvious enthusiasm. Traditional and grand, it is clear to see why this restaurant is favoured by the King and Queen of Spain. We found that the staff ensure every guest is treated like royalty. Over the years Zalacain has accrued a series of prestigious awards, is included in Le Grande Tables du Monde and has retained a Michelin-star for many years.

The decor reminded me of a grand stately home. The formal dining room is decorated in heavy, luxurious dark red, with silver plates and autumnal floral centrepieces adding colour to the tables. On the walls the restaurant showcases their impressive art collection. Those guests desiring more intimacy and exclusivity can choose to dine in one of the private rooms, which are equally beautifully dressed.

Alongside the 40th anniversary set menu (which they have kept in use), there is a seven course tasting menu or a full a la carte. Highlighted on the main menu are the Zalacain Classics, specialities of the chef. Wanting free reign, we chose from the a la carte. Ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms and fresh goose-liver with “Melansporum” truffle was a petite but rich dish with a woody flavoursome filling and thin but creamy sauce. Seasonal vegetable stew was a much healthier option, a simple peasant dish, softened vegetables with a touch of saltiness from the tiny chunks of pork.

For mains, beef steak in red wine with marrow of young veal was the star dish. Perfectly marbled meat cooked exactly to specification and served in a tasty red wine jus, every mouthful was savoured. The little grain roast chicken was a lighter alternative, crispy salty skin and white tender meat. As is customary in the restaurant, the dishes arrive with a sharing plate of hot homemade puffs of potato, airy and delicious.

Of the wines we sampled, the Cava aperitif and Zalacain’s carefully selected Rioja stood out.

My dessert was a little odd, described on the menu as coconut cake it arrived as layers of cream separated by thin chocolate slices, all sitting in a pool of pale green minty sauce. In contrast, the hot chocolate volcanic with four spices and pistachio ice-cream was very successful, a gooey chocolate fondant and refreshing nutty ice-cream.

Zalacain is a place the Madrileñas come for a special meal out; for us tourists it was a wonderful insight into the culinary and dining traditions of this gastronomically exciting country.

More information and book here.

Many thanks to the Madrid Tourist Board for their help with this trip, more information here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 205 – Bangkok

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Chatuchak – This weekend only market is North of uptown Bangkok. It is the largest market in Thailand covering over 27 acres with over 15,000 stalls. You can find everything here, Section 6 is particularly good for vintage finds, whilst other areas focus on accessories, jewellery, phone covers and gifts. I recommend wandering through and browsing the colourful array of goods with a freshly squeezed orange juice in hand. When you are feeling weary, stop for a 30 minute foot massage (150THB – £3).

Open Wednesday and Thursday for plants and flowers 6am-6pm, Friday for wholesale 6am-6pm, Saturday and Sunday whole market 6am-6pm. Best to get the Skytrain to Mo Chit station (exit 1) as traffic can be bad.

Propaganda – Now located in two venues (The Emporium in Sukhumvit, and fourth floor of the Siam Discovery Center) this design led boutique sells a range of intriguing items, most memorable perhaps are the witty plastic pieces, like the molar shaped stools.

MBK Center – This futuristic shiny building is home to many familiar brands both authentic and fake. If you are looking for a good quality imitation this is the place to spend your cash. 2000 stores and services spread over eight floors, it is heaven for shopaholics, and just across the walkway from Siam Discovery and Paragon shopping centres.

Almeta – Most dash to Jim Thompson House for their silk tailoring in Bangkok, however Almeta offers the highest quality luxury handmade silk and has an impressive Silk a la Carte service. Customers can choose from over 1000 iridescent silk colours, yarn types and weights. Almeta are also the creators of Lazy Silk, the only machine-washable Thai silk. If you want something tailor made try to leave time for a couple of fittings.

Find the shop on Sukhumvit 23 and walkable from Asok Skytrain station.

It’s Happened To Be A Closet – A mad and eclectic retro bohemian clothing store, that also serves as a tea room and nail salon. You could spend hours rummaging through the pretty floor-to-ceiling piles.

For more Bangkok shopping ideas, look here.