Jaine Blackman soaks up the atmosphere in a Manchester hotel with an opulent style and a vibe that encourages a ‘romantic’ visit

You know the image a hotel is going for when as well as the usual complimentary toiletries in your atmospherically-lit, well- appointed bathroom you get a bottle of massage oil.

I could be coy say romantic but, let’s not beat about the bush, sexy is the overwhelming vibe at Malmaison Manchester.

From the moment you walk in to the lobby, in the one-time elegant warehouse built in 1904, you know what this boutique hotel is all about.

Dimmed mood lighting, plush velvet sofas and heavy drapes create an opulent, sultry mood which continues as you make your way to your room.

Wall art along the corridors leading to our room – one of 167 bedrooms and suites – gave another heavy hint: with arty naked body shots and embracing (yes, still naked) couples.

Our corner suite on the fifth floor continued the theme with more sensual fabrics and a wooden panel above the bed so shiny it might as well have been a mirror.

Unfortunately the deep purples and mood lighting didn’t have quite the desired effect on my partner.

“It’s a bit like a boutique undertaker’s laying out parlour,” he quipped.

Romance has never been his strong point!

Hmm, perhaps I should have steered him towards the bathroom for there, after admiring the swish fixtures and fittings including a massive shower head, I found the toiletries which left no doubt to the atmosphere Malmaison was aiming for.

Gettin’ jiggy wit’ da figgy is the motto on the back of the massage oil bottle which is provided along with the more usual (and generously proportioned) toiletries. Unfortunately, I couldn’t resist emptying a whole bottle of shower gel in the tub and enjoying a soak.

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in one of the hotel’s white, fluffy robes, he’d taken full advantage of the hugely comfortable bed with its crisp white linen, and feather and down pillows and was happily snoring away in a pre-dinner nap.

Oxford Mail:
The lobby

Yes, all that mood-setting was wasted on us.

Not that we didn’t thoroughly enjoy the luxury, and refreshed and rejuvinated headed to the Smoak Grill.

Passing through the bars, the place was buzzing.

The hotel is located in the city centre, two minutes from its Piccadilly Station.

An early-evening Thursday crowd was enjoying drinks at the bar and there were also plenty of diners in the restaurant which has an open kitchen and specialises in, you’ve guessed it, grilled meat.

Huge steaks of every variety you can imagine, or at least any I could. I picked the smallest I could find on the menu – a 250g prime aged Black Angus New York strip steak (£22) – which was still a good-sized portion.

Committed carnivores would love it but our favourite dishes were on the lighter side.

Both of us raved about our starters. I couldn’t see how a caprese could be so special but perhaps it was the heritage tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella that had the partner proclaiming it was the best ever. For my part, it was the chilled gazpacho of crab, chopped spring onion, cucumber, avocado and chilli that had me enthusing wildly.

Yes, our foodie passions had definitely been inflamed.

Both the starters were off the Mal Summer Classics menu – available for lunch and dinner before 7pm weekdays – for £19.95 two courses and £24.95 three courses.

The summer fruit sampler from the classics menu was also of note – blackberry mousse, peach Eton mess, strawberry milkshake and vanilla shortbread.

And the good news is you don’t have to travel north to try the menu – it’s also available closer to home at the Oxford Malmaison in the Castle Quarter.

But if you do fancy a night away, Malmaison is offering all inclusive summer staycations from £199 for two people until August 31 (subject to availability) at any of its 13 intimate hotels.

It includes an overnight stay, full breakfast, lunchtime sandwiches or bar bites, speciality coffees, dinner from the a la carte menu and a choice of cocktails, spirits, beers and wine.

All that and a bottle of massage oil too!

ESSENTIALS
Malmaison Manchester, 1-3 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 3AQ
Telephone: 0844 693 0657
Website: malmaison.com/locations/manchester