Sachas Hotel in Manchester, part of the Britannia group, has a bit of a reputation.
It ranks 125th of 126 hotels in the city on TripAdvisor (The Merchants on Back Piccadilly ranks worst if you were wondering), averaging out at 2.0 out of five.
Reviewers have described it as ‘horrible’, ‘absolutely awful’, and even ‘hell’, with frequent complaints about rooms that are boiling hot.
And the one time one of our staff members stayed there, all he had to say was: “Not great to be fair… when I got there someone was getting f**gered in the foyer.”
But when you look at Sachas in Manchester on paper, it’s got a lot going for it.
There’s an art deco interior complete with a big chandelier, it’s in a prime location right on the edge of the Northern Quarter and Market Street, and it’s one of the city’s most affordable hotel options.
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There’s also the option to host your wedding here, and that’s a bit of a bargain too.
Sacha’s Hotel in Manchester, where you can get married for less than £1,000. (Credit: Booking.com)
In what might be one of the best-value wedding packages in the city, Sachas Manchester will throw you a full do, complete with a three-course dinner for your guests, a bucks fizz reception, and an evening buffet – for less than a grand.
The infamous hotel’s silver package comes in at £999 and also includes things like your table linens, cake stand and cutting knife, a private lounge bar for cocktail hour, and a red carpet welcome.
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Your wedding reception can take over the Washington Suite, with the option to have a civil ceremony here too.
Not fancy enough?
Can we tempt you with Sachas in Manchester’s £1499 GOLD package, which also gets you a stay in the ‘gorgeous bridal suite’, a full English the next morning, extra space for guests, tea, coffee, a stage, and a complimentary balloon arrangement?
Because nothing screams ‘just married’ like a complimentary balloon arrangement.
STILL not posh enough? Let’s dive into the £2500 Platinum Package, shall we?
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Now you’re in the Lincoln and Madison reception street, with an extra function bar, a changing room, chair covers (sashes are an extra 50p per chair), a bottle of prosecco for the happy couple, and the hire of the ceremony space.
The standard wedding space can accommodate 50 to 250 guests, but you can spill out into an extra room and fit up to 550 guests in.
So if you’re newly engaged and looking for a wedding venue in Manchester, maybe Sachas is the one?
Just watch out for the f**gering guests in the foyer on your way out…
Stockport has been named one of the best places in the UK to visit in 2026
Daisy Jackson
The best places to visit in the UK in 2026 have been named by Time Out, and it’s a list full of your usual suspects – seaside towns, capital cities, countryside beauties, and… Stockport.
That’s right, Greater Manchester’s trendiest new borough has put itself firmly on the map, with the magazine claiming there to be ‘something bubbling in this buzzy Manchester satellite town’.
Stockport has been praised by Time Out for its ‘real energy and creativity, as well as a fertile independent culture’.
The guide highlighted the town’s businesses including Where The Light Gets In, the new Fell taproom, and its proximity to the Peak District.
And Time Out also raved about Stockport’s Underbank, which hosts summer street parties known as Stock Party, filled with street food and party vibes.
Stockport made the list of just 14 places around the UK that are must-visits in 2026, joining more obvious destinations like the striking island of Anglesey in Wales, the colourful town of Portmeirion, and Scotland’s northerly Caithness, where you stand a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights.
Stockport isn’t the most unlikely name on the list, though – Sunderland, Birmingham, and Derby are also on there.
Blackpool, too, is representing the North West on Time Out’s guide to the top places to visit in the UK in 2026.
The new Sticky Fingers bakeryUma ramen in StockportLoft Social
Time Out wrote of Stockport: “It might be a stretch to call Stockport ‘resurgent’ considering it hasn’t been exactly, well, surgent since the late 19th century, but there’s definitely something bubbling in this buzzy Manchester satellite town.
“The tourist poster that hails the town as ‘the new Berlin’ may be tongue-in-cheek, but there’s real energy and creativity – as well as a fertile independent culture – to back up the hyperbole.
“The twin epicentres are the historic Market Place and the Underbank, a warren of bars, records shops and indie cafés (think Edinburgh’s Cowgate without the full-throttle booziness).
“Loft-style restaurant Where The Light Gets In offers foodies a Michelin-class option in a town that’s suddenly found its appetite, while Cumbrian brewery Fell opened a snazzy new neighbourhood bar at the tail-end of last year. Any over-indulgence is easily cured, too: the serenity of the Peak District is a short train journey away.”
Greater Manchester town named as one of country’s worst at fixing potholes
Emily Sergeant
A town in Greater Manchester has been named one of the worst in the country at managing roads and fixing potholes.
For the first time ever, drivers across England can now see how well their local highway authority is tackling potholes on their roads thanks to a new traffic light rating system published by the Government this weekend.
The new ratings grade local highway authorities as red, amber, or green.
The ratings – which have presented on a new interactive map – are based on current road condition and how effectively local authorities are spending the Government’s record £7.3 billion funding to fix potholes and investing in long-term measures to maintain roads.
The Government funding is meant to allow local authorities to repair potholes ‘effectively’ and move away from short-term repairs that work out to be more expensive – with these fixes meaning more money in drivers’ pockets, as the average repair bill from hitting potholes is said to be around £320.
We’ve launched a Red, Amber, Green rating system, so you can see how well your local highway authority (LHA) is fixing your local roads.
🟢 Green = best practice, long-term preventative plans 🟠 Amber = on the way, but room to improve 🔴 Red = support in place to raise… pic.twitter.com/gRwkEx5kdm
The condition of local roads, how much local authorities are spending on road repairs, and whether they are following best practice in maintaining highways are all key areas taken into account when deciding on an area’s rating.
Those that scored ‘green’, like Manchester, were able to demonstrate they are following best practice, while also maintaining good road conditions and investing significantly into improving local roads, and those that scored ‘amber’ – which the majority of Greater Manchester came under showed that there was room for improvement in individual areas.
However, one Greater Manchester town did not fare well at all, and ended up with an ‘red’ rating… and that town was Bolton.
The colour-coded map showing each local authority’s pothole rating / Credit: OS / Crown Copyright (via gov.uk)
Those local authorities that are rated ‘red’, like Bolton, are not yet meeting the expected standards in one or several areas measured, according to the Government, such as the current state of the roads, their plans for preventing potholes, or investment into maintaining their local roads more widely.
“For too long, drivers have paid the price because our roads were left to deteriorate,” commented Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander.
“We’ve put our money where our mouth is, increasing the funding for local highway authorities with £7.3 billion to fix roads and given them the long-term certainty they have been asking for.
“Now it’s over to them to spend the money wisely, and for the first time, we are making sure the public can see how well councils are doing in delivering the improvements they want to see in their local area.”
Daisy Jackson -
5th January 2024 
