susan earlam ~ horror author

By happy accident I recently had the chance to stay the night in the Macdonald Townhouse on Portland Street in Manchester.

The building is somewhere I’ve always noticed as it is rather grand and has a beautiful façade, its also on on of the busiest roads in the city centre.

Formerly a cotton warehouse which was built in 1870, it now has Grade II listed status and is a four star hotel. It has been a hotel since 1982 and had a £3.5 million renovation in 2011.

The entrance is tucked down at the side on Princess Street and is fairly subtle, but once you are inside it feels modern and boutique like, without loosing too much of the original features. The best of which I think are the stunning Victorian sash windows. Manchester architecture is full of history and some of the buildings are stunning- this one included.

This hotel feels luxurious without any of the pomp that can sometimes surround luxury hotels. I felt looked after without being smothered. My stay included breakfast and I must say it was one of the best I’ve had in a hotel- the bacon was gorgeous!

The room was generous and had great view of the bustling city below- without any of the noise. Those huge windows really frame any view perfectly and I could’ve easily sat by them to watch the world go by for some time. I love people watching and regularly makeup back stories for who they are and what they are doing… Do you do this?! Check out the view below!

The bathroom also felt very chic, all black tiling so was awful to photograph (blogger problems!) but the bath was so deep and felt like a real treat- I was staying alone so any bath undisturbed is a treat but this felt especially so. I’m including some photos I took whilst in the city that day on a photowalk with @igermcr.

The bed was like some big happy cloud I could climb into at the end of the day- so comfortable and did I mention big? I treated myself to a dark rum and finally watching Bridesmaids all the way through- I know, I’m so late to the party with that one.

I’d stay here again in a heartbeat!