Travel: The Townhouse Hotel, Manchester

Visitor numbers continue to break records as the city welcomes hordes of people eager to sample its many restaurants, bars, shops, museums, galleries and night life.

Having only experienced what it has to offer on short day trips while at university, I was keen to return for a longer visit accompanied by my boyfriend who was seeing the city for the first time.

Set in the heart of the city centre and within easy walking distance of all the major attractions is the historic Townhouse Hotel, which was our home for our two-night stay. Located on historic Portland Street, the Grade II-listed building originally served as a cotton warehouse during the Industrial Revolution.

Now it offers 85 elegant bedrooms, a modern brasserie-style restaurant and bar, and eight versatile function rooms.

Our executive king room had a comfortable seating area and a range of extras including a Nespresso coffee machine and a monsoon rain shower. It was both welcoming and stylish.

We had a table booked at the hotel’s 101 Brasserie which offers a versatile menu including light lunches, tapas and nibbles. For those looking to quench their thirst, there is a wide range of craft beers, exotic cocktails, and an expansive wine list.

My boyfriend was tempted by the risotto of the day, which was prawn and asparagus, and he proved to be very happy with his choice. He was delighted when he took the first mouthful and continued to praise the dish, which he said was full of flavour and contained plenty of prawns.

I was struggling to make my mind up as so many of the main courses on the menu sounded nice but I eventually chose a personal favourite – spaghetti carbonara – which came with crispy pancetta and garlic bread. The sauce was very creamy and extremely tasty. Definitely the best I’ve had outside of Italy.

Tempted by the dessert list but still slightly full from our impressive mains, we decided to share the healthier choice of a fruit plate and the more naughty forest berry cheesecake.

The fruit selection pleasantly surprised us, we’d half-expected it to comprise of mostly melon, which tends to be the case, but there were lots of other things to try, including strawberries and grapes.

The cheesecake was different to any we had ever had before, arriving at the table served in a gin glass. The fruity sauce, light cream cheese and crumbly biscuit base was a delight.

We went back to our room very full but happy.

The next morning we went down for breakfast to sample the hot and cold buffet. We were spoilt for choice with all of the full English items you would expect including sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, Bury black pudding and hash brown as well as field mushrooms and plum tomatoes.

For those wanting a more Continental breakfast there was again plenty to choose from, with an array of pastries and breads, fresh fruits, yoghurt, cereal and cold meats and cheeses.

It was all served with tea or coffee. It was a great selection and everything we sampled tasted lovely.

Then we went out to explore. Manchester has a really pleasant mix of old and new.

The cathedral, which has been central to city life for more than 600 years, stands next to an ultra-modern shopping and restaurant complex in Exchange Square, yet neither looks out of place.

There are plenty of things to see and do within easy walking distance of the Townhouse Hotel such as the National Football Museum, Science and Industry Museum and Manchester Art Gallery.

There is also The Printworks entertainment complex, which was formerly, as the name suggests, a printing house for publications such as the Manchester Evening Chronicle and the Daily Mirror.

Now it houses eateries and bars, the UK’s largest cinema boasting 23 screens, Treetop Adventure Golf, a rooftop garden and Hard Rock Cafe Manchester among others.

Walking around the city we discovered there were many unexpected delights to be found down side streets including independent shops, cafes and colourful murals.

Among the gems we found was Foundation Coffee, which has two outlets including one in the Northern Quarter serving up an extensive coffee selection in minimal but vibrant surroundings. We also enjoyed a couple of lattes while watching the world go by at Pollen Bakery at Cotton Field Wharf.

And when it was time for a spot of lunch we called in at the city’s legendary music venue Band on the Wall which offers freshly-prepared pizzas in the bar.

And very good they were too. My only complaint is that their sofas are far too comfortable – we didn’t want to leave.

With the country’s second largest Chinatown being right on the hotel’s doorstep, it would have been rude not to pay it a visit.

Without doing any research we chose to eat at Yang Sing Cantonese restaurant, founded in November 1977 by the Yeung family. We can definitely recommend the spiced lemongrass chicken with green beans and the lemon and honey sauce stir fry chicken.

After a good meal we wandered back to our hotel to relax for the rest of the evening.

The Townhouse Hotel offers stylish and comfortable accommodation, excellent food and is ideally located for exploring everything Manchester has to offer.

Fact box:

• Short walking distance to major attractions and shops

• Close proximity to Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly train stations:

• 30 per cent discount offered at the Q-Park Piazza across the road

• Rooms are larger than most hotels due to quirky design and historic building

• Luxury linen featuring a high thread count for enhanced comfort

• Separate bath and walk in rain showers in most rooms

• Complimentary luxury toiletries

• Complimentary tea and coffee-making facilities

• Nespresso machines and Bose sound docks in selected rooms

• Flat screen TVs

• Complimentary, high speed Wi-Fi access

See townhousehotelmanchester.com, facebook.com/townhousehotelmanchester or follow @hoteltownhouse on Twitter.