If your pennies won’t stretch far enough to take a trip abroad this summer, fear not – because it turns out that you can get your fill of Benidorm living right here inthe UK.
Up on the Whitby coast, there is a Benidorm-themed bar and cabaret lounge called Metunes Bar that has been opened in tributes to the hilarious mid-noughties TV show that captured the heart of a nation.
The themed bar, which is housed inside a popular northern seaside cafe and wedding venue, was opened last summer by none other than Brit comedy star Tim Healey – who is best known for his roles as Les/Lesley Conroy in the hit ITV show.
Housed inside the former Met Lounge, a longstanding favourite of drinkers on the Whitby coast, the themed bar goes out of its way to pay tribute to the show, reports The Hoot.
From its name, Metunes – which puts its own cheeky spin on the show’s famous watering hole Neptunes Bar – to offering all the cheesy pub pursuits enjoyed by ‘Brits abroad’, the former Met Lounge does its best to bring Benidorm to life here on UK soil.
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Image: Geograph
Image: ITV
Inside, you’ll find cabaret, karaoke, disco, and mega cash prize bingo, as well as performances from none other than Craig Williams – who fans may remember as the singer from Neptunes Bar on the show.
The singer plays a Thursday-Sunday residency at the bar every week, so if you want to get the full Benidorm experience make sure to head down on one of those nights.
First opened by the Benidorm actor last summer, the themed bar can be found inside The Met Lounge – a feature in the town for many years before its recent refurbishment brought it a whole host of new fans.
As well as offering up cheesy Benidorm-style entertainment and pursuits, Metunes Bar also serves up a full all-day food menu including sandwiches, breakfasts, and a variety of different cakes.
Open from midday to midnight seven days a week, the bar can be found just off the North Promenade close to Whitby Beach.
Featured image – ITV
Feature
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Georgina Pellant -
12th June 2023 
