156 | DESTINATION GUIDES More free monthly guides available at traveller.easyJet.com Manchester UK DIALLING CODE +44 CURRENCY £ FLY FROM Alicante, Amsterdam, Athens, Belfast, Berlin, Bilbao, Copenhagen, Corfu, Corsica (Bastia), Crete (Heraklion), Cyprus (Paphos), Dalaman, Geneva, Hamburg, Madrid, Majorca, Málaga, Malta, Marrakech, Munich, Sharm El Sheikh, Sofi a, Tenerife, Zürich FROM THE AIRPORT TAXI Pre-book your taxi at easyJet.com. A local taxi costs £20. Trains depart for the city centre every 10 minutes. Tickets: £5.40 single. Visit the Europcar desk for special easyJet rates. BON APPETIT UP TO €15 Leckenby’s (47 King Street West, tel: 0161 839 1929) An old-fashioned respite from city life with cream leather booths and fringed palms. Go for sparkling wine, light meals and cakes from the local artisan bakery. UP TO €30 Dimitris (Campfi eld Arcade, Deansgate, tel: 0161 839 3319) Newly expanded, this atmospheric Greek taverna serves moussaka, tapas and king-size mezze platters to share. They serve Greek wines and lagers but the real draw is the vibrant atmosphere and original Victorian conservatory. Booking is recommended. UP TO €50 Sole (37 Turner Street, tel: 0161 839 5600) Decked in plush red leather, cream and varnished mahogany, this independent option in Manchester’s cool Northern Quarter off ers seafood with a twist. Go for smoked cod, roast monkfi sh and fi g Bakewell tart, with a glass of crisp Sancerre on the side. EXCLUSIVE Aubaine at Selfridges (1 Exchange Square, tel: 0161 838 0571) Inspired by fi ne French cuisine, this pop-up restaurant is located on the second fl oor of Selfridges department store. As well as champagnes, regional wines and lagers, modern classics on the menu include mushrooms on toast with softly poached duck egg, slow-roasted endives and scallops with pastel-hued macarons for dessert. AFTER DARK LOW KEY The Briton’s Protection (50 Great Bridgewater Street, tel: 0161 236 5895) Dating from 1806, this vintage boozer takes its name from a former life as a military conscription centre. Today, the woody snugs, roaring fi res and 300-strong single malt whisky collection make a visit a must. LIVE MUSIC The Ritz (Whitworth Street West, tel: 0161 236 4355) With a sprung dancefl oor and one of the largest disco balls in Europe, this is an atmospheric spot to catch DJs and live acts. Recent live bookings include Warpaint and The Dap Kings, and there’s an indie disco every Friday. LATE & LIVELY Sankeys (Beehive Mill, Jersey Street, Ancoats, tel: 0161 236 5444) With a celebrated Phazon soundsystem and programme of new DJ talent, Sankeys is home to the latest sounds. Advance booking is recommended thanks to guests that include Heidi, Oliver$ and Joy Orbison. THIS MONTH SHOP Founded by members of 808 State, Eastern Bloc is an independent record store specialising in bass and urban music. Recently re-located, it retains the same, open-minded attitude. T-shirts and equipment are stocked alongside the latest releases on CD and vinyl (5A Stevenson Square, Northern Quarter). SEE Home to the Spanish cultural institute and tapas bars galore, Mancunians dig all things Spanish – and the city’s art-house cinema plays host to an annual Spanish fi lm festival this month, too. Tuck into fi lms such as Daniel Sánchez Arévalo’s Cousinhood and a new exhibition by Mexican artist Minerva Cuevas (Until 18 March, Cornerhouse, Oxford Street, cornerhouse.org). GO Criss-crossing the city from east to west, Deansgate is a central thoroughfare lined with restaurants, bars and stores. Look out for Victorian landmarks like John Rylands gothic library and Barton shopping arcade, as well as new arrivals such as the Armani store. ESCAPE Drive south towards Buxton and enjoy the six hectares of Lyme Park, complete with resident deer and a country house dating from the 1500s. After you’ve worked up an appetite, stop off at The Red Lion in High Lane for slow-cooked beef and fi ne wine. NO WAY! Manchester has been a tourist destination since 1804, when the fi rst guide book was written by Joseph Aston. Ruth Allan Marrakech Morocco DIALLING CODE +212 CURRENCY MAD FLY FROM Basel-Mulhouse, Geneva, London (LGW), Lyon, Manchester, Milan (MXP), Paris (CDG) FROM THE AIRPORT TAXI Pre-book your taxi at easyJet.com. A local taxi costs about MAD60. The hourly L19 bus goes to the Jemaa el Fna. Tickets: MAD20 single. BON APPETIT UP TO €30 Le Square (Rue de Paris, tel: 0524 423 989) This walled-garden LOW KEY Koz’i Bar (47 Place des Ferblantiers, tel: 0524 380 324) An intimate place where tourists and Moroccans can pull up a stool to enjoy fi ne wines, cognacs and cigars. BERBER MUSEUM at the Jardin Majorelle OPEN EVERY DAY Museum Bookshop Café Boutique restaurant is run by a friendly couple who serve a diverse menu of Asian-French cuisine alongside traditional Moroccan fare. EXCLUSIVE Crystal (Boulevard Mohamed VI, tel: 0524 388 400) The restaurant of the super cool and seriously popular Pacha club. At Crystal diners eat a Mediterranean menu among an art deco setting, or sat around the bubbling swimming pool in the large garden. Most diners stay on to enjoy the soundtrack of the Pacha DJs till late. AFTER DARK LATE & LIVELY Nikki Beach (Circuit de la Palmeraie, tel: 0524 332 494) There’s a reason why Nikki Beach continues to make the grade: it will fulfi ll all your needs with its vast swimming pool and billowing music tents dotted about the lawns. Pure luxury. THIS MONTH SEE For traditional Berber artefacts, try Dar Si Said, a 19thcentury palace now home to the Museum of Moroccan Arts. NO WAY! Marrakech is the Land of God, according to the Berber people. Well, that’s what it’s name literally translates to, anyway. Sara Townsend Rue Yves Saint Laurent, Gueliz, Marrakesh Tel: + 212 (0)5 24 31 30 47 www.jardinmajorelle.com
5 lodges De 390 à 650 euros