Manchester sits in the North West of England and has just been voted England’s second city after London. It is a mixture of medieval and modern; from its roots and architecture to its musical geniuses. This is the place where the atom was split, the Industrial Revolution was born and home to the first programmable computer. It’s the home of Oasis, Elbow, the Smiths and the Hacienda.
With a compact city centre and good local transport links, getting around the city and environs is easy. Not surprisingly it has a thriving restaurant and bar scene where you can sample over 300 different types of cuisine. Sports fans? we have premier league football, cricket and rugby clubs along with International stadiums as part of the Commonwealth Games legacy. Television is still a big part of the City with Coronation Street and the BBC housed in Salford’s Media City.
Home to Festivals from the prestigious International Festival to Jazz; from literature to food and drink and from theatre to Dig in the City, Manchester also has a number of live music venues including the Arena and smaller clubs. To paraphrase Ian Brown (Stone Roses) ‘Manchester has everything but a beach’
Female friendly hotels
Citysuites
CitySuites offers accommodation more liveable than hotels, more personal than serviced apartments and more desirable than residential apartments. The building features 237 properties designed to allow residents to work from home, cook for friends or simply chill on their sofa. Guests can stay from as little as 2 nights and up to 12-months. All guests benefit from the use of excellent leisure facilities, including a pool, on-site gym, valet parking and 24hr manned reception.
Member Offer! Exclusive for Maiden Voyage members. Quote Maiden Voyage at time of booking to qualify for a complimentary upgrade and exclusive preferential rate.
Edwardian Manchester
The Edwardian Manchester is a stunning five-star hotel in the centre of Manchester offering enticing food options and a spa to enjoy whilst not relaxing in your luxury room. A fantastic location for exploring the iconic city of Manchester and all it has to offer.
Click here to book.
Hotel Football
Nestled between Old Trafford football stadium and Media City, and just a short drive
away from Manchester city centre, Hotel Football is a hotel like no other. Offering unparalleled views of the stadium and Salford Quays, whilst complemented by exceptional, award-winning levels of service, the hotel holds female traveller safety in high regard. Room floors are only accessible via key access from lift/floors. The rooms also have double locking doors, well-lit corridors and 24-hour manned reception to promote comfort throughout your stay.
Travel and transport
Manchester has an International Airport 10 miles south of the city centre with a bus and train station situated close to Terminal 2. The metro tram system crosses the city from north to south and east to west and ends around midnight, some bus services continue throughout the night. Intersections for the metro lines are in the city centre.
There are two main railway stations in the city centre, Piccadilly and Victoria. There are 3 free bus services around the city centre linking the stations and main shopping areas. Buses 1 and 2 start and end at Piccadilly. Bus 3 starts and ends at Victoria.
Black taxis are the only ones licensed to pick up off the streets. There are a small number of black taxi ranks but between 2am and 3am you may struggle to find a black cab and have to queue. Black cabs have meters but some will negotiate for longer journeys.
Private hire cabs need to be booked in advance and most restaurants and good bars will be happy to order one for you whilst you stay on the premises. Private Hire taxis are always cheaper than black cabs. You can ask what the fare will be on booking and confirm with the driver on collection.
There are occasional stories of rogue private hire drivers which is why booking is essential for your safety.
Safety and emergency services
Manchester is largely a city full of friendly and helpful people. In the past 10 years, city centre living has boomed making it more cosmopolitan. As in any large city there are still some areas that single women might not feel comfortable in late at night.
Bars and nightclubs vary in closing times but from midnight onwards some areas will start to fill with ‘revellers’ who may have enjoyed a few too many!
Manchester City and Manchester United football clubs attract many overseas visitors as either away fans or foreign supporters. There are a number of weekends during the football season (August to May) where city centre hotel rooms will become hard to obtain or prices rise.
Women’s network and events
Maiden Voyage’s partners, IWant2Network offer membership for the best professional networking groups and meetings, locally, nationally and all over the world. See what’s happening in Manchester and join IWant2Network here.
