For a city break with style, art, culture and vertigoinducing views, Ruth Addicott got the train to Manchester

IF you don’t want the hassle of flights and a hectic airport this summer and are looking for a city break that offers luxury, culture and cocktails ‘in the clouds’, try Manchester.

The Northern Echo:
The Lowry has its very own spa for guests

Little more than two hours away by train, we were booked into The Lowry, Manchester’s first five star hotel, and arrived in time for lunch.

With its sleek contemporary design and prime location in the heart of the city, the hotel has won more than 60 awards and welcomed guests such as Kylie, Robbie Williams, Beyonce, Bono, the England football squad and Tony Blair.

Overlooking the river and Calatrava’s contemporary Trinity Bridge, the River Bar and Grill is perfect for lunch on a summer’s day with a 50ft terrace (the longest in the city) to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

To start, I had confit duck rondelle with goats’ cheese cream, beetroot, plum and walnuts, which came with tiny flower petals decorating the plate.

It looked almost too good to eat, but was absolutely stunning. For a main, I had grilled sea bass fillet with wilted greens, buttered new potatoes and orange caper dressing, which was also amazing. My sister opted for the lemon and thyme risotto with grilled asparagus, followed by pan fried chicken supreme with creamed potatoes, green beans, lardons and peppercorn sauce, which she also enjoyed.

Although the dessert options felt slightly more limited, in terms of style, service and quality (£19.95 for three courses) it couldn’t be beaten.

Intrigued to discover more about Manchester’s best known artist, after lunch we headed to The Lowry theatre and arts centre in Salford Quays. It houses two main theatres as well as an art gallery, with some of Lowry’s best work from his famous mill scenes and industrial landscapes to portraits and seascapes inspired by the North Sea.

Also exhibiting (until 29 June) was Jonathan Yeo.

Yeo taught himself to paint while recovering from Hodgkin’s disease in his early 20s and is now regarded as one of the UK’s best portrait painters. The exhibition features work from the National Portrait Gallery, in London, with familiar faces such as Michael Parkinson, Tony Blair and Grayson Perry as well as a particularly unique take on former US president George W Bush.

The Northern Echo:
The River Bar and Grill has a 50ft terrace overlooking Manchester

After a walk around the waterfront, it was back to the hotel. The Lowry has 158 rooms in total, said to be larger than any hotel in the city. With cosmetics and toiletries by cult favourite Ren and freshly cooked buns (it’s Easter) waiting for us on arrival, the service didn’t disappoint. A further browse at the brochure reveals you can even arrange for a “Bath Butler” to come to your suite and draw your bath at the perfect temperature, complete with candles and rose petals.

There’s no time for butlers in our schedule, unfortunately, and after a quick change we head out to the Cloud 23 bar, on the 23rd floor of The Hilton, Deansgate. Occupying the highest point in Manchester, the views are spectacular – as long as you don’t suffer from vertigo. The guest list on Friday and Saturday nights gets booked up well in advance, but if you arrive before 6pm (or earlier to avoid the wait), entry is free.

CLOUD 23 occupies a restaurant as well as a bar serving wines, champagnes and signature cocktails such as Dalton’s Atomic Experiment, inspired by the city’s industrial heritage and 19th Century physicist John Dalton.

We’re here for the Zacapa Experience and are led through a plush velvet curtain into the Zeus Lounge, where head bartender Matthew Soares explains the concept.

The Northern Echo:
A stylish place to bed down

The Zacapa Experience is based on Ron Zacapa, a 23-year-old rum from Guatamala which is aged 2,300m above sea level in a distillery known by locals as “House in the Clouds” (hence the 23 and cloud connection). It’s an innovative concept, pairing food with cocktails designed to excite the senses –a bit like an edgier version of afternoon tea.

We were served warm, salted almonds “atmospherically smoked under a cloche” to start with a cocktail consisting of Zacapa rum, bittersweet Italian amaro, dry sherry, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur and orange bitters. Next, it was rare roast beef smothered in chilli and chocolate powder, with sherry, spiced vanilla liqueur and a dash of salt water, and a separate glass of neat rum. Dessert was a homemade spiced syrup custard tart and cocktail of Zacapa rum, spiced syrup, coffee liqueur and toffee ice cream. The food options were more like tasters than mains, but we did feel surprisingly full by the end.

Whether it was the purity of the Guatamala mountain air or comfy beds, we woke up with clear heads for breakfast the following morning and, without wanting to sound over-complimentary, the American pancakes were out of this world. Next, it was time to check out the spa.

There’s no pool at The Lowry, sadly, but there was an extensive range of treatments including The Ultimate Aromatherapy Experience designed to relieve tension, ease muscles and clear the mind.

The Northern Echo:
The Lowry overlooks the modern Trinity bridge

Recharged, we hit the shops and had a quick wander around the Northern Quarter with its quirky boutiques and cafes, before stumbling upon Evuna, a tapas bar and restaurant. With an authentic feel, good choice of Rioja and packed out with locals, it had just the right vibe to conclude our trip.