suites

A CENTRAL city hotel with fun rooms? We’ve got you covered.

Here’s everything you need to know about staying at Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly.

What is the hotel like?

The Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly is set over eight floors, so it has great views over the city.

It looks swanky too – with a curvy glass exterior, a huge bar and Elemis spa. We loved the nods to Manchester bands throughout the hotel.

What are the rooms like?

We had a lovely spacious family room on the eighth floor – with two double beds, lots of wardrobe space, big tv, table and chair AND, a big bathroom with separate bath and shower – which you hardly ever get in a city centre.

It was really clean, really fresh looking and had incredible views.

Read more on hotel reviews

LOCO FOR VOCO

The Manchester hotel with on-site ‘cinema’ is right by the train station

SUITE DEAL

I stayed at the boutique Manchester hotel with Indian restaurant and cosy rooms

We just missed out on staying at the new Banksy-style suites where the walls are adorned with some of their famous artwork, as well as each package including tickets to the exhibition.

A double room starts at £95 for one night. See marriott.com

What is there to eat and drink?

There’s a decent restaurant serving classic fare such as Lancashire cheese and onion pie and ribeye steak, but we chose to go next door to Freight Island.

Tagged an “urban market and festival space” it’s a huge old warehouse filled with bars, food trucks, massive screens, restaurants, a sports bar and roller disco. Nice prices too.

What else is there to do nearby?

There’s info about all the family-friendly activities in the area and a Banksy exhibition that opened on March 13 at Depot Mayfield. Families can explore more than 200 recreated works by the elusive street artist, including the shredding of Girl With Balloon.

Highlights include a fully “Banksified” London Underground carriage and interactive spaces perfect for visitors of all ages.

Is it family friendly?

Some of the rooms sleep up to four people, with ajdoining rooms possible.

Kids can also eat for free at the breakfast buffet, and even get a free goodie bag with an activity book.

Is it accessible?

The hotel has step-free access to the lobby, with lift access to all floors.

There are also 17 accessible rooms with a range of adapted designs such as widened doorways, lower electric outlets, and bathrooms with bath seats and grab rails.

WHEN it comes to flying to the States, a major airline has unveiled a huge new revamp of their planes – and it’s making it much comfier to fly long-haul.

Having flown to and from America several times over the past five years to visit family, I quickly found a love for United Airlines‘.

Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.

The airline recently announced they were launching a brand new ‘Elevated’ cabin on their 787-9 Dreamliner between San Francisco and London Heathrow, upgrading every single class from economy to business.

This includes the rollout of the first ever new business class United Polaris Studio suites, which have more spacious seats, larger screens and Bluetooth connectivity.

I, however, was trying out United’s new Premium Plus Economy seat which they say has “elements normally reserved for business class customers” – a welcome sight when leaving gloomy London.

Read more on travel inspo

STAYCAY

Our travel experts’ best-kept-secret UK holiday spots for summer – from £37 a night

YES YOU MAY

FREE and cheap family days out and activities across the UK for May half term

There’s a total of 35 United Premium Plus seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration in the new cabin design, each with privacy dividers and a built-in reading light – both firsts for United Premium Plus seats.

And in all honesty, the seats felt closer to business class than economy and even better than some business class seats I’ve experienced on other airlines.

I opted for the very first row with enough room that when stretching out my legs straight, they still didn’t hit the wall in front of me.

Plonking myself down in my aisle seat – which actually felt more like an armchair – I was immediately impressed by how comfortable it was.

And then when it came to checking out the generous 40.6cm 4K OLED screen, I was excited to snuggle down and watch one of the latest film releases.

Pressing play on Wuthering Heights, I connected my Airpods to the Bluetooth to listen in to the film and placed my phone on the quartzite cocktail table between my seat and the next seat to connect it to the wireless charging.

As for the amenities, a small ‘United 100’ pouch to celebrate the airline’s centenary was on my seat featuring branded socks, an eye mask and some Vitamin C Perricone MD products.

Also on my seat was a Saks Fifth Avenue pillow and blanket, which added to my cinema experience when Wuthering Heights started to play.

When it comes to space, passengers get 96.5cm pitch and 50.8cm width, and then 15cm of recline – which while not much felt spacious enough and with the new privacy screen acting as a good headrest, I was more than comfortable.

Power outlets and bottle holders are located between the seats for added convenience too.

Located on one armrest is also a remote for the TV and a small cubbyhole where you’ll find your overhead earphones.

Of course, you can now also get Starlink Wi-Fi on United flights – even if it is just for messaging – which I have to admit was super speedy.

Another thing I love about United is that you are always fed well,

My first meal consisted of an artichoke salad and bread for starter, with roast chicken for my main and chocolate truffles for dessert.

Mid-flight, I then enjoyed a chicken burrito and before landing, tucked into another salad and a paneer curry.

In between these courses, the cabin crew were great at always ensuring I had enough water or a drink of my choosing – whether that be alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

United aims to have at least 30 planes with the new Elevated interior flying by the end of 2027.

So if you’re trying to decide which airline to go with on your next trip to the US? I’d recommend United – if you want a business class experience on a premium economy budget.