When it comes to hotels, you’re not always looking for the same thing on every trip. Sometimes you want luxury, and sometimes you want simplicity and ease. Leven, located just off Manchester’s Canal Street, is an ideal meeting point between the two.
This mid-sized hotel, located only a few minutes’ walk from Manchester Victoria station and the city centre is a pretty unique proposition, offering all the perks of a fancy hotel, with all of those comforts you do tend to miss when you’re away from home also included. Guests can enjoy a cracking continental breakfast, a great Lobby Bar downstairs at reception, and standalone bathtubs, but rooms are also equipped with comfy living spaces with kitchens, wall-mounted TVs and big sofas to lounge on. Leven really does feel like a home away from home – that is, if your home was conceived with elegant, minimalist Scandi-style all the way through, and was equipped with a minibar.
In our Living Space room, there was everything you could ask for from a brilliant hotel: the type of rainfall shower you could linger under for days, beds to positively sink into, for example. But there were also practical elements designed to make your stay as convenient as possible. The full-size kitchen, for example, was replete with sleek fixtures and fittings that I’d have loved to cook with had I been staying for longer. It’s the type of addition that for a longer stay – or one with children – would be a total godsend, especially when it comes to budgeting or even just maintaining a bit of a routine and not having to eat out at every meal.
If dinner out is on the cards, however, I’d heartily recommend spending some time at Maya, Leven’s restaurant, located just next door to the main building of the hotel. It’s a gorgeous space – fitted with a sweeping, round bar that channels real glamour – and the menu is full of elevated, brasserie style classics: delicate ravioli starters, decadent fillet of beef and inventive fish mains, and an adorable peach parfait for dessert.
From there, you’re perfectly placed to head out and enjoy Manchester’s bumping nightlife, whether you’ll be doing karaoke with drag queens in the Gay Village, or heading out to party at legendary clubs like The White Hotel. Those after a quieter stay should be mindful of the very central location, however – while earplugs are kindly provided, at the weekends in particular, you will inevitably get some outdoor noise filtering in.
On the whole, however, it hardly matters when the concept behind the hotel is so well-executed. Leven literally means ‘to live’ – and what it offers is not simply a place to stay, but surroundings from which to do whatever you need to do, in both comfort and style. In fact, if there were a Venn diagram with those two important traits on either side, you’d find Leven and all it offers firmly at the centre.
Neighbourhood
The hotel is located right at the heart of Manchester’s astronomically vibey Gay Village, on the corner of Canal Street and Chorlton Street. For that reason, it’s brilliantly located to enjoy the city’s nightlife, but it’s just a few minutes’ walk from the main city centre shops, too.
Nearby
Pollen Bakery One of Manchester’s best-loved bakery brands, has a branch four minutes from Leven, and their food is not to be missed. Grab a pastry on your way out into town – or bring it back to the room to soothe your hangover.
Sackville Gardens The main pull of this cute park is a memorial to the World War II computer scientist Alan Turing, which is well worth a quick pitstop.
Onda Pasta Bar Onda was on the verge of having to shut its pop-up location before a jokey video they took of their ‘tiramisu drawer’ went viral. Now they’ve got a space of their own, from which they knock out steaming bowls of fresh pasta, and of course that famous tiramisu.
Time Out tip
Make time for a cocktail in the downstairs bar. The menu is full of excellently-named drinks – my favourite was the ‘Tubthumping’-honouring He Drinks a Vodka Drink – and they’re delicious too. In particular, don’t miss the Rebel with a Cause, made with smoky mezcal and topped off with a Tajin rim.