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This post is sponsored by Flybe

Romantic may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Manchester but you may be surprised to find several spots that are ideal for the perfect date or spot to woo your Valentine.

I’ve teamed up with Flybe to bring you this post and when they asked me to show you around some of my favourite romantic spots in my hometown, I of course jumped at the chance. If you know me, you’ll know I’m always out exploring my city and discovering new spots. So if you’re thinking about taking a trip here this Valentine’s Day but you’re not sure which places you should visit, then look no further because your girl has got you covered!

The Best Brunch Date

Pot Kettle Black has got to be one of my favourite places to go for breakfast or brunch. The coffee here is great and these people know how to do breakfast just right, plus it’s served all day, so there’s no rush. Whilst the food tastes delicious, presentation is their speciality too, so you’re bound to impress your date with a tasty (and also Instagramable) bit of brunch in this spot. Cosy up in one of the window seats which looks out into the Victorian shopping arcade (Barton Arcade) and start your day just right.

Breakfast at Pot Kettle Black PKB Manchester

Art Is For Lovers

Manchester art gallery has always been one of my favourite spots and if you ask me, I think it’s a great place to take a date. It’s free entry and with everything from historical paintings to contemporary pieces, there’s something for every art enthusiast to enjoy. I always think there’s something quite romantic about art galleries and you can easily spend an afternoon wandering around this place and taking it all in. They have a coffee shop and a pretty cool gift shop too.

Cocktails With A View

I don’t know why but there’s always something so romantic about having cocktails high up in the sky…that’s if you’re not scared of heights of course. And if you’re not, then I definitely suggest you visit Cloud 23 whilst you’re in Manchester. Situated on the 23rd floor of Manchester’s tallest building (Beetham Tower) you’re able to get the best views of Manchester, and beyond. There may not always be blue skies but I don’t feel this dulls the romance of this lovely spot. You can easily spend a couple of hours here relaxing with a delicious cocktail (or two), watching the world go by.

The Less Obvious Romantic Spot

I realise not everyone wants romance to be in their face obvious and sometimes it’s actually the more bustling places that can turn out to be the most intimate. If you like a large open setting with a varied selection of great food and drink, then look no further than Mackie Mayor. This recently renovated Grade II listed building is one of my favourite spots in Manchester. It’s a great place to go with your date and I suggest taking a seat on the upper tier where you can sit and take in the views of this fabulous venue from above. My favourite thing about this place, aside from the great atmosphere, has to be the pizzas. I highly recommend the margarita pizza from Honest Crust, it’s seriously good!

Mackie Mayor Margarita Pizza from Honest Pizza

A Romantic Place To Stay

What could be more perfect than an affordable and romantic hotel situated in my personal favourite part of Manchester, the Northern Quarter. The Cow Hollow Hotel is close to lots of great bars and restaurants but it’s easy to miss it, as it’s tucked away on a corner of Newton Street. I discovered this place after stumbling upon their bar, which I do believe is the cosiest and certainly most romantic spot that I have come across in the Northern Quarter. With great wine, great cocktails, excellent service and beautiful interior throughout, what’s not to love. This intimate little spot hosts a bar (which is open to the public as well as hotel guest) and 16 beautifully furnished hotel rooms perfect for your romantic getaway.

The Refuge by Volta Winter Garden Romantic Manchester

A Romantic Garden

You must visit Refuge when you come to Manchester because this place is just stunning. The huge building holds a number of different areas where you can dine, have drinks and relax. My favourite part of this place has to be the centrepiece, which is the beautiful Winter Garden. I like to call it the most weatherproof garden in Manchester because they have done an excellent job of brining the essence of the outdoors, inside. With it’s atrium ceiling, plush furnishings and large glass windows looking out onto the rest of the venue, you feel as if you’re inside a romantic secret garden. Whether you come here for a coffee during the day or for cocktails in the evening, it certainly makes for a perfect romantic spot.

So there we have it. Those are a few of my favourite romantic spots in Manchester. I love sharing favourite parts of my city and showing you around. Hopefully this could give you some insight of some of what Manchester has to offer and if you are looking to visit, then don’t forget Flybe flies to Manchester from eight UK airports, including Exeter, Southhampton, Aberdeen and Belfast. So what are you waiting for, why not hop on a flight over. Hope to see you soon!

Samio x

Check out my video guide here.

Ten Months In Review

Achieving Goals & Setting New Ones

As we move into the final few months of 2017 I’m already beginning to reflect and look back on the year so far and not only that but also look forward and begin to think about what else I want to achieve by the end of this year and beyond. It may only be October but it’s never too early to start working on future goals to set things in motion for the new year. I’m not much of a new years resolution person per se, but like most people I do regularly have goals in mind that I’d like to work on/achieve.

On the very first day of 2017 I typed up a little review of my year and looking at it now it’s really interesting to see what I had in mind for this year and how it’s all panned out thus far. One of the main things I’d mentioned is that I wanted the main theme of my 2017 to be exploration, travel and learning. Ten months into the year and those themes couldn’t be more accurate at describing these past months. Travel and exploring new places has definitely been a large factor of the past ten months and in doing so I’ve learnt a lot. Another point I made is that one person I wanted to spend more time with this year was my mother. That’s also come to fruition as we’ve both spent lots of time with each other this year and we even took a five night trip to Copenhagen together, which tied back into the travel aspect too.

It appears that writing/typing up my goals has really helped them to come to life for me and so it’s something I’ve decided to start doing a lot more. It’s only when taking time to reflect and look back on the year so far that I truly realise that I’ve actually managed to achieve a lot that I’d set out to do this year. And it’s not too late to achieve more, as we still have three months left to get more things ticked off our lists and start work on new goals for the new year. Who’s with me?

Samio x

p.s, these photos were shot at the end of the summer whilst I was out having a coffee date with my friend Onyi (pictured below). These almost ended up in the forgotten achieve (along with about 292884774 of my other photos), until yesterday when I pulled them out and decided to give them an edit – another goal which I’ve been working on: Learn to edit photos in lightroom and get better at taking photos in the first place. I wanted these shots to have a slightly faded, almost vintage vibe and don’t think they turned out too shabby. I still have a lot to learn but what can I say, it’s another goal and I’m working on it. 😀

Shop Our Looks

October 3, 2017

The Creatives Coffee Club

Porter and Cole Manchester Coffee Lounge and Lifestyle Store

Porter and Cole Manchester Coffee Shop Cakes

Samio coffee shop shot by Manchester Photographer Rosie Ann Butcher

A Change of Scenery & Creative Gal Pals

Working as a blogger can be quite solitary at times and I’ll admit that it can quite easily leave me lacking motivation when left to my own devices. Whilst I’m glad to have the balance of a more social working environment when on modelling jobs, when it comes to the days spent at home blogging and creating content, it can sometimes feel a little bit stagnant. Don’t get me wrong, some days I absolutely love those days that I have alone to work with no interruptions, especially when I’m in my creative zone and I can film, edit and write all day, happily in my element. Other days however, I can feel so unmotivated and just need to get out of the house and find inspiration in something other than the same four walls.

As much as I like to find inspiration and ideas online, sometimes I need something tangible and a bit of human interaction, just to stop me from going mad in my own confinement. I feel lucky to have a few close friends who are also self employed, with a similar unpredictable working schedule too. To be honest now I think about it, I don’t know what I’d do without them…probably end up going mad, that’s for sure.

Sometimes a change of scenery can work wonders too. I have a few of my favourite go to coffee shops in Manchester but on Tuesday when I met up with L’Oréal, Onyi and Rosie, we wanted to try somewhere different to one of our usual haunts and decided to try Porter + Cole. It’s such a cool little spot with comfy sofas, aesthetically pleasing interior, and coffee served in a proper mug (yes it’s the simple things that please me). I can see this becoming one of my new fave places. They also have a little home wear store with a bunch of stuff that goes perfectly with the colour schemes in my house (dangerous) and I quickly fell in love with an Elephant cushion that I knew I had to purchase.

An afternoon spent with fellow creative gal pals always leaves me feeling super motivated and a simple change of scenery can give me that spark of inspiration I need. Whatever your working environment, it can often be useful to try something new to help you get back in the zone and you can’t beat some girl power encouragement to help motive you along the way either.

Samio x