Category: Manchester Days Out

Manchester is a fantastic city with so much to do and a place where it’s virtually impossible to run out of new things to try out. As the clubbing capital of the UK, it is home to high profile clubs such as Sankeys as well as long-running nights like Funkademia; not to mention being the birth place of the legendary Hacienda.

Manchester restaurants are top class too, and while the city might have lost its only Michelin star last year (putting it someway behind Tokyo’s staggering total of 261), the eateries that line almost every street of central Manchester are among some of the finest in the North West. Last week I went to one of my favourites, Shimla Pinks.

I heard a rumour that they were supposed to be moving this year but so far (with four weeks to go until 2010), it doesn’t seem to have materialised. Nevertheless, they’re still serving up fine dishes (their onion chutney is the finest in the country) and my number one choice – the South Indian Garlic Chilli – went down a treat.

My girlfriend is always one to try new things (she picks a different thing off the menu every time we go, but refuses to eat Korma – good girl) and she had an interesting special involving little pots of various Asian dishes, beautifully presented with rice, salad and nan.

Another new thing she tried out recently involved 80 balls and some nice little prizes. Did you know that our fair city is home to Buckingham Bingo Manchester, along with all those clubs, restaurants and bars? My girl went there recently with a few of her mates.

Apparently it’s like a more local version of the nationwide chains like Mecca (as well as ones in Didsbury and Trafford, Buckingham have got a few Liverpool bingo clubs too), but you can still win the big cash prizes including something called The National, which I thought Peter Kay had invented for that episode of That Peter Kay Thing.

I asked her if bingo wasn’t a bit of an older lady’s pastime, but she was adamant that the place had a good mix of age ranges inside. I wasn’t convinced, so I ended up going along to see for myself. True enough there were all types of people in there, not the normal stereotypes you think of when it comes to bingo clubs, but the first thing that blew me away was the prices in there.

Can you believe I got a pint for £2 and a plate of chilli and chips for less than £3? Amazing. True it wasn’t the same as Shimlas but not even Wetherspoons can beat those prices! As it goes we won £50 on the night we went down – I joked to my girlfriend that I was her lucky charm but she was having none of it. She took the money and banned me from going back (apparently I talk too much during games).

If you’re looking for a different sort of night out that’s a bit of a laugh – and one that won’t break the bank like going to a top club – you could always give the local bingo club a go.

Serviced apartments Manchester offer a genuinely superior experience to staying in a city centre hotel, whether you are visiting on business or pleasure. They are fast becoming a far more appealing alternative to hotels, offering considerably more space, as well as the added benefit of separate living, dining and fully equipped kitchen quarters.

Manchester itself is a hotspot for corporate travellers and leisure visitors alike, with both massive industry links and an abundance of entertainment.

Deansgate, Castlefield and the Northern Quarter all offer fabulous upmarket recreational bar and dining-out options for anyone staying as a guest in serviced apartments Manchester, while Salford Quays and Manchester’s newly developed Spinningfields area are two of the most vibrant business districts in the ever-growing city (the former hosts the massive new MediaCityUK development while the latter is home to several new serviced apartments Manchester blocks).

Serviced apartments Manchester are extremely cost effective, providing largely the same benefits you would expect to find in an elite hotel, such as room service, welcome packs including tea and coffee, plus extras like bread and cereals, concierge, laundry services and health club access.

However, most guest find that many serviced apartments Manchester do in fact offer that little bit extra in the way of optional luxuries such as private chefs, chauffeur-driven cars and VIP club entry, all of which mean that a stay in a serviced apartment is a cut above what you can expect from a hotel.

The time limit on stays in serviced apartments Manchester varies, but is usually incredibly flexible, making it the ideal hotel-replacement option, whether it’s for a couple of nights or part of a relocation plan. Most serviced apartments Manchester offer stays from as short as one night to an entire month, with some even offering accommodation for up to a year.

Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Commercial EPCs Manchester are now legally required upon construction, sale or lease of all non-dwellings. Buildings included in the enforcement vary from simple retail units to large scale public buildings such as airports and hospitals.

Those in need of Commercial EPCs Manchester should locate an accredited commercial energy assessor. The consultant will consider the lighting, heating and ventilation within the building and evaluate how they are maintained and controlled.

This allows the assessor to provide the building with an EPC that rates it on an A-G scale, with A being the most energy efficient and G the least. Commercial EPCs Manchester also include a document which details possible amendments that could be made to improve energy efficiency.

Commercial EPCs Manchester allow prospective buyers and tenants to compare buildings in terms of their energy consumption and what can be done to enhance energy usage. When a commercial property is being rented or sold, Commercial EPCs Manchester must be provided no later than at the time of a request for a viewing or upon release of marketing material.

Valid for 10 years, Commercial EPCs Manchester are enforced by Building Control in newly built properties, and by Trading Standards departments in existing builds. Either way, Commercial EPCs are a legal requirement, and should be attained as soon as possible when there is the intention to sell, lease, or build a new commercial property.

Attaining Commercial EPCs Manchester may appear to be a daunting process and a chore that must be undertaken prior to marketing a non-dwelling. However, a professional commercial energy consultant will be able to draw up the documentation required legally after one full consultation visit.

It is advisable to ensure Commercial EPCs Manchester are arranged early to avoid the penalty fee for non-production of an EPC, which is 12.5% of the rateable value of the build up to £5,000.

Commercial EPCs Manchester are given to “conditioned” buildings, whereby the building is encased with a roof and walls, and the interior atmosphere is maintained by way of lighting, heating etc. However, places of worship, temporary builds with less than two years of planned use, and low energy consumption structures such as barns are exempt from the Commercial EPC requirement.

Manchester is renowned as a centre of sporting excellence. Whether it’s football, swimming, cycling or squash, the city has hosted or given rise to countless sporting success stories.

The town is home to many sporting landmarks and famous venues. Indeed, the City Of Manchester Stadium was built especially to host one of the pinnacles of sporting achievement, the Commonwealth Games. Since then, the stadium has become home to Manchester City football club, who moved there from their Maine Road base after the games.

Over on the other side of Manchester resides one of the world’s most famous sporting venues, Old Trafford, home to Manchester United, and scene of much sporting history made not just in football but also rugby league, which is regularly hosted there.

Nowhere is the relationship between Manchester and sport more evident than at the aptly named Sportcity, the sprawling development that lies to the east of town. The area was built around the world famous Manchester Velodrome and the City Of Manchester Stadium in order to provide the city, and indeed the north west of England, with a hub of sporting excellence.

At Sportcity you will find the English Institute of Sport, which provides training facilities for world class athletes and potential future stars. Nearby is the National Squash Centre and the Regional Tennis Centre, both of which are famed for their outstanding racquet sport facilities.

Finally on the roll call of sports venues is the Manchester Aquatics Centre, which was built at a cost of £32million and today provides athletes and the public with world class swimming facilities.

Nestled at the heart of Manchester’s ‘Educational Quarter’ – a mass of university buildings, colleges and offices which starts at Piccadilly and sprawls across Oxford Road towards Hulme and Moss Side – is the Manchester Aquatics Centre.

Like many of the city’s finest sporting venues (including the City Of Manchester Stadium), the Aquatics Centre was built especially for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, which saw more than 3,800 athletes from 72 nations converge on Manchester for 10 days of world class sport.

Manchester Aquatics Centre was constructed on waste ground that lay empty as a result of old terrace houses being demolished to make way for the relentless spread of business and education in the city, making it an emblem not only of sporting excellence but also urban regeneration.

Inside the centre are two 50-metre pools, both of which can be altered to varying depths and lengths with the use of moveable floors and partitions. The ‘main’ pool is the most impressive, capable of being configured in a vast number of ways to allow for training sessions or top level sporting events. Overlooking both swimming pools is a bank of 1000 spectator seats.

Downstairs in the basement is a dedicated 16 x 50 metre training pool, which lies beneath a curved ceiling designed to convey the effect of waves on water. The Aquatics Centre’s impressive facilities are completed by a dive pool, leisure pool and a health suite (including sauna, fitness centre and sunbeds), all of which make the centre a focal point of local pride.