BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE HILTON DOUBLETREE HOTEL, MANCHESTER

Last Friday I surprised Dan with a night away in Manchester at one of our favourite hotels, after keeping it all a big secret for what seems like forever! I've had to bite my tongue so many times after nearly letting slip about it all on a number of occasions, but finally got to reveal all to him on Friday. I acted normal all morning, and had sneakily packed a case in the spare room a few nights before which I wheeled out into our room and told him to get himself ready as we were going away for a night. He's a boy who does not cope well with surprises, so his face was an absolute picture! After a very excited(me)/nervous(him) train ride to Manchester Piccadilly, we left the station and I pointed just across the road to where we were staying. Ladies and gents, I give you the Hilton DoubleTree...

You may remember just over a year ago that I actually got to stay here for a night to review the hotel and rediscover Manchester (see the post here). I took Dan with me then, and we both fell in love with the hotel, so I knew I wanted to take him back there again. I got in contact with the hotel after making my booking online, and told them about my surprise for Dan. I'd just like to thank the staff at the hotel for such an amazing arrival (especially you, Asia! You are an absolute gem!). We had the most beautiful Queen Executive room with a brilliant view over the city (so good we slept with the curtains open!) and some unbelievable gifts. We were greeted with bottles of beer for him, Prosecco for me, a huge chocolate cake, chocolate dipped strawberries, a lovely birthday card and a gorgeous bunch of flowers. We were both completely overwhelmed and spent the first hour or so running around like kids, taking pictures and squealing a little too much about how perfect it all was. It was so nice to see Dan so completely shocked and surprised by everything too. My little secret had come together so well and I was so pleased he loved it all.

We got dressed up that evening after an afternoon spent strolling round the shops, and headed off out for dinner at Jamie's Italian on King Street for a beautiful meal, then hot footed it back to the hotel for drinks in the bar. I had an amazing Sherbet Delight cocktail that tasted of sweets and looked so pretty, and Dan got himself a couple of drinks with some complimentary vouchers we were kindly given. We eventually called it a night and went back to our balloon filled room to watch a film, then drifted off with the distant buzz of the city in our sight and sounds (Hilton, I need to know where your pillows and mattresses are from - they were divine!). After a good night's sleep, aside from the noisy neighbours who seemed to be roaming the corridors in the early hours, we were well rested and headed downstairs to the restaurant for our breakfast. Now, we were looking forward to this bit a lot as we remembered how good it was last time, and it did not disappoint! Full English for us both, followed by a beautiful granola with yogurt and a good cuppa set us up for the rest of the day. With a late checkout as a perk with the Executive room, we took our time to stroll around the Vintage shops of the Northern Quarter, then sheltered from the wind in Costa for a quick coffee before heading back to base to get our stuff together and check out.

It was so nice to get away, even if it was just to Manchester, and spend some time together as we don't get to do a lot together with our working hours clashing. I'm so pleased with how everything turned out and that Dan loved it all as much as I'd hoped he would, if not more. Thank you so much to Asia and her colleagues for making his birthday so special and for being so incredibly generous. We couldn't believe that it was all for us.

If you haven't stayed in a Hilton DoubleTree hotel before, I would highly recommend giving one a whirl as the service is brilliant and everything is so lovely, from the rooms to the food and everything in between.

Have you stayed in one of these hotels before?

**DISCLAIMER: To clarify, I paid for our one night stay at the Hilton DoubleTree, Manchester Piccadilly with my own money. The extras and upgrade to the room were complimentary gifts from the hotel. I was not paid to write this post, and wanted to simply share our experience with those who may be interested. As always all views are my own and 100% honest**