REDISCOVERING THE HILTON + £100 HILTON VOUCHER GIVEAWAY

Recently I was kindly offered a stay in the Hilton Doubletree in Manchester to review the hotel and what it has to offer, in a bid to 'rediscover' Hilton hotels, and the city they are in. With a couple of days booked off work with initial plans to visit the Manchester Christmas Markets, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to make the most of the trip, so on Monday, Dan and I hot footed it to the train station for a speedy trip to Manchester. We were pleasantly surprised at how close the hotel was to the station, with no more than a two minute walk to reach the hotel itself. We had arrived a couple hours earlier than the check in time of 3pm, after ringing the hotel the day before to see if we could leave our luggage with them whilst we ventured out. On arrival we were greeted by the lovely reception staff, and told that our room was not yet ready but they would check us in in advance so that the procedure would be quick and easy on return. They looked after our luggage as promised and off we went to hit the shops. 

We arrived back at the hotel to find our room was now ready for us, and were quickly handed our keys, luggage and two very welcoming, fresh from the oven, complimentary chocolate chip cookies. Being two people who love our food this was a lovely treat and set the stay off on a very good note indeed! 

Our room was on the eighth floor, a quick lift ride away. I had already had a nosey online at what the rooms would be like, but to see it in real life was even better! Sleek decor and furnishings, floor to ceiling windows, modern technology (Hi Apple iMac TV!) and a gorgeous bathroom.

 

The bathroom was fully stocked with lovely Crabtree & Evelyn products that I loved so much I now want to buy, and there were plenty of clean fluffy towels. It also had one of the best showers I have ever used which was much needed after a tiring day of shopping in the City Centre.

After unpacking, we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening out at the Christmas Markets. As well as rediscovering the Hilton, this trip was all about rediscovering the parts of Manchester that I love, and the Christmas Market is definitely one of those things. We had a lovely festive time strolling though the lit streets, eating lots of lovely food and drinking yummy hot chocolate, which you will see in a separate blog post tomorrow. I did plan on putting everything into one post but we took so many photos that one post would be miles too long! Another place I wanted to check out was the Northern Quarter, my favourite part of the city, full of Vintage shops, craft shops and lots of quirky independent retailers. Dan spoilt me to a few Vintage pieces which Im sure you'll be seeing very soon!

After all the shopping (and food) we eventually got back to the hotel at 7.30, and decided we were too tired to go and have a proper sit down meal in the restaurant, so opted for room service. This was quick and speedy, and so delicious! I went for a steak ciabatta with all the trimmings, and Dan chose a 6oz steak, but as the restaurant had sold out he was offered 8oz instead at no extra cost! Bellies full and eyes batting, we got tucked up our comfy Queen sized bed, and had a great nights sleep.

The next morning we headed down for breakfast in the City Cafe, the hotel's restaurant, and were spoilt for choice at the amount of food on offer at the buffet. We both decided on a cooked breakfast, which hit the spot and set us up for another busy day. The great thing about the hotel was that check out wasn't until 12pm, so there wasn't the usual rush to get your bags packed and get out on time. We had the whole morning to go back out and explore some more. 

When it was eventually time to check out, the receptionists were lovely and everything was sorted quickly and calmly. The staff in the hotel were extremely helpful, and nothing was too much trouble. We loved the whole stay so much that we are already planning when we can next visit. All in all I would highly recommend the Hilton Doubletree to anyone. It's in a great location, close to all the shops and attractions in the city centre, and is honestly one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in so far.

Now, onto the giveaway! I have also very kindly been offered £100 of Hilton Vouchers to give away to one lucky Sitting Pretty follower! Now as this task was all about 'rediscovering', I'd like to hear where you would like to rediscover. Tell me in the comments below, whether it be your favourite part of your hometown, a place that you have fond memories of, or simply somewhere you love that you haven't visited in a while. Please also leave a contact email so I can get in touch. You must be a follower of my blog - I will check!

The giveaway will last just over a week, closing Friday 21st December. Winner will be chosen at random. Please get permission if you are under 16 from an adult before entering. There will be no extra entries, just one per person, but feel free to tweet about or share the competition if you wish.

Good luck to everyone that enters, and a huge thank you to Best British Bloggers and the Hilton Doubletree Manchester for organising my stay.

**My stay at the Hilton for one night with dinner and breakfast was complimentary, but I was not compensated to write this post.**