Hotel Review: ABode, Manchester

On Piccadilly station's doorstep and around a five-minute walk to the high-street shops on Market Street, ABode Manchester is extremely central. The lively areas of the Northern Quarter and Canal Street are both around a five-minute stroll away, while Ancoat's hip restaurants are around ten minutes away. Head towards Piccadilly Gardens to enjoy Indian street food in Bundobust then peek into Manchester's famous Affleck's Palace shopping emporium.

By car: the hotel is around 1 hour 20 mins from Leeds, 2 hours from Birmingham and 4 hours 15 mins from London. Paid parking is available at Citi Park, a few minutes' walk away, costing £10 per day.

By train: there are regular trains to Manchester Piccadilly from Birmingham New Street (1 hour 30 mins) and London Euston (2 hours 10 mins) as well as most other major cities. The hotel is a 5-minute walk from the station. Book trains to Manchester.

ABode Manchester's arched red-brick entrance leads to a lobby with the 19th-century building's original tile-lined staircase. Things are more modern in the swish bar, with monochrome being the order of the day - expect shiny black and white chevron tiles and a mirrored ceiling. The gold wallpapered brasserie in the basement feels more intimate.

Jovial staff at reception are chatty and were keen to find out what I was up to in Manchester with their own recommendations on where to go nearby - as well as opinions on where to avoid. There are no leisure facilities.

• Bar

• Restaurant

• Room service
• Free Wi-Fi

The age and layout of the building mean that the rooms come in different shapes and sizes. Ranging from entry-level Comfortable rooms to Fabulous on Fifth suites, all have original parquet flooring, bathrooms with sparkling green glass tiles on walls, rotary-dial telephones and tuck boxes (chargeable). Walk-in showers are standard.

Room types: Comfortable, Desirable, Enviable, Fabulous on Fifth

Key amenities: ensuite with walk-in shower, luxury toiletries, TV, Marshall bluetooth speaker, teas, coffee, biscuits, free Wi-Fi

An all-day menu is served in both the bar and the more romantic basement brasserie. It features comforting dishes such as fish pie and truffle macaroni cheese as well as classics such as steak-frites and smoked salmon. The bar is popular with locals as well as hotel guests.

Brasserie ABode: relaxed, stylish, two AA Rosettes, all-day menu, modern European dishes, afternoon teas, Sunday lunches.

The bar: open-plan, cocktails, late night music.