We all know that Manchester’s property scene has gone wild in the last few years – so the chance to own your own furnished luxury apartment for only £4.99 sounds almost too good to be true.
But it’s really happening, with a new competition where the top prize is a two-bedroom apartment right in the city centre.
The stunning flat overlooking Angel Meadows, valued at £350k, could be yours for only £4.99. I know. Unreal.
This InstaWin competition is going to allow one lucky winner to live mortgage-free in Manchester, with all the best bits of our brilliant city centre on the doorstep.
If the winner doesn’t want the apartment, there’s a £250k cash alternative up for grabs, transferred directly into your bank.
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And 2,000 runners-up will receive prizes worth £170k in total, with top prizes of £10k tax-free cash.
So back to that pad. Tucked in the beautiful new NOMA quarter, the flat is inside the Meadowside development, a short walk from Manchester landmarks and green space.
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Inside the luxury Manchester apartment you could win
You’ll be a 10-minute walk from Manchester Victoria and not much further from the Manchester Arndale, as well as cultural landmarks like Manchester Art Gallery and the Central Library.
You’ll also have brilliant local pubs like The Marble Arch and The Angel right outside, and food hotspots like Mackie Mayor and Ramona just a short walk away.
The dog-friendly apartments come with residents-only amenities including free tea and coffee in the lounge, a top-quality gym and yoga space.
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It’s within The Gate building in the £235m residential development of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.
All apartments feature a video door entry system, a concierge service, CCTV, lockable bike storage and more.
Elite Competitions will also give you £10,000 worth of furniture.
Communal space in the two-bedroom flat you could winThe gym at the Manchester apartment, which is off Angel Meadows
If the lucky winner chooses to rent out the flat, they can expect to bring in about £2,500 per month in rental income.
Elite Competitions will cover all fees and stamp duty on the property.
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To be in with a chance to win the £350k apartment for only £4.99, you just need to purchase a ticket here.
If your number(s) match any of the InstaWin prizes, you’ll become an InstaWinner, and will be entered into the main draw for the apartment.
The more tickets you buy, the greater the chance you’ll have to win, and you can win more than one prize if multiple numbers match InstaWin prizes.
You can have a maximum of 10,000 entries into the competition to win a Manchester apartment
The draw takes place on Sunday 31 December at 3pm.
Manchester’s very own Central Park-style lakeside cafe reveals major refurb
Daisy Jackson
Heaton Park’s beloved Lakeside Cafe has just unveiled a major transformation.
The waterside cafe overlooks the park’s iconic boating lake, where swan boat pedalos and row boats float on the water.
It’s always been a popular spot to stop on a day out for coffees, cakes, and classic full breakfasts – but now it’s got a brand-new look too.
The Lakeside Cafe has just reopened its doors, showing off a retro, lakehouse-style interior, complete with a mural by local artist Myro Doodles.
There’s a brand-new vintage-style photobooth outside, which adds to the charm and nostalgia of the boating lake – and it’s arrived just in time for Valentine’s Day too.
You’ll still find the grab-and-go hatch outside, where you can pick up takeaway coffees, milkshakes and ice creams to walk around the lake with.
Back inside, there are loads of unique touches like items sourced from vintage shops and other pieces from independent local businesses, plus cosy and accessible seating.
Staff at The Lakeside CafeThe takeaway coffee and ice cream hatchInside the refurbished cafeA new retro photoboothCoffee and cake at the Lakeside CafeA new retro photoboothStacked sandwichesThe Myro Doodles muralMilkshakes
The cafe has invested into brand-new equipment like a state-of-the-art coffee machine to speed up proceedings for customers too.
The Lakeside Cafe, and its sister site up the hill The Stables Cafe, are both popular places to refuel post-Parkrun, mid-dog walk, or on a full date day.
The menu remains as before, with huge stacked sandwiches like a classic BLT, a beef brisket with dipping gravy, and a maple and bourbon BBQ chicken stack.
Those are alongside cafe classics like full English breakfasts, jacket potatoes, and toasties.
The Lakeside Cafe has now reopened at Heaton Park – you can find it beside the boating lake.
A month-long, mile-long, margarita bar crawl is returning to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
An award-winning bar crawl that’s all about celebrating margaritas is returning to Manchester this month.
El Tequileño’s Margarita Mile will see venues right across the city centre creating bespoke tequila cocktails, alongside events and loads more.
The mile-long, month-long celebration will kick off on 16 February, with 11 brilliant local venues taking part this year.
Those involved will include Mexican restaurant favourite Madre (and its sister site, Mexican pool hall Salon Madre), margarita bar Ramona, and cosy cocktail dens like The Daisy.
Also joining in this year is the city’s newest rooftop destination, Chotto Matte, which is home to Claude’s Skyview Bar with staggering views over Albert Square to the Manchester Town Hall.
It’s all been handily laid out into a mile(ish)-long bar crawl that will showcase the best in tequila and some of the best watering holes in the city.
Billed as the ‘ultimate margarita experience’, you can spend the next month visiting participating venues to sample bespoke menus, with the main celebrations taking place during Mile Week from 16 to 22 February – ahead of National Margarita Day on 22 February.
The Margarita Mile launched in Manchester in 2023 and was initially a week-long celebration, designed to celebrate quality tequila, champion bartender creativity, and tempt people back out into bars during the quietest time of the year for hospitality.
Now in its fourth year, it’s grown to an award-winning event (it was named The Spirits Business Best Event of the Year 2025), spanning a full month.
Maps of this year’s Margarita Mile across Manchester are available online HERE, as well as at all participating venues, with no tickets required.
Steffin Oghene, VP Business Development for El Tequileño, says: “Each year, the Margarita Mile grows, and we’re incredibly proud that it is now an award-winning campaign.
“Our goal has always been to share a love of craft tequila while connecting Brits with the hospitality trade, especially in such challenging times.
“With some of the best bars and bartenders in the world, it’s more important than ever to inspire the UK public to get out, enjoy the Mile, and raise a margarita.”
All the venues on the El Tequileño Margarita Mile in Manchester
Daisy Jackson -
3rd December 2023 
