We’re only a month into a new year, and I don’t know about you, but my body is already starting to ache, and all I want is to unplug, undress, and have someone massage all my troubles away. And as I’ve now discovered, there’s no better way to regroup than a spa break at Ye Olde Bell.
This spa hotel has everything, from a pool where you can swim from the inside to outside, an indoor beach that gives you a boost of vitamin D, a snowstorm therapy room, and loads of luxury treatments – plus, at the minute, a special offer which gets you a gorgeous overnight break on Sundays.
After a drive across the Peak District to the town of Retford, we arrived at the spa and my shoulders instantly relaxed. I was very ready to embrace a day of walking around in a dressing gown and flip-flops, my phone firmly locked away.
We were welcomed by the front-of-house team who gave us our itinerary for the day (the least scary or pressured itinerary I’ve ever seen) as well as the opportunity to pre-order our lunch and wine (carbs and a bottle, thanks). From sea bass to crispy pork belly, all of it sounded delicious – and don’t even get me started on the dessert options.
Before we even arrived at the spa, the changing rooms were beautiful. With dressing gowns, flip flops and fresh towels waiting for us in our lockers, the spa had really thought of everything, so all we had to do was strip to our bikinis and enjoy the day.
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Walking into the spa, we were given a little tour of all the thermal rooms, and we were set on our way for the day.
The roomy saunaIndoor beaches need to catch onWho doesn’t love a pool?Just look at this placeTake us back (Credit: The Manc Group)
Ye Olde Bell has everything from dry saunas ranging in different temperatures, salt rooms to ease allergies, to a cold bucket shower. My favourite therapy room however was the snowstorm experience (who doesn’t love snow in August?!) – it was so refreshing after being in the 90-degree dry sauna.
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After trying all the treatment rooms and hearing the occasional scream from the ice water bucket, we swam outside to the pool and ordered cocktails.
With a spa butler service, you can order a range of hot and cold drinks, but also wine and cocktails – we obviously sidetracked the soft drinks and opted straight for an Aperol spritz and a pineapple margarita. They went down a treat.
After our two-course lunch and wine, which was as delicious as the menu had promised, it was time for treatments.
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I opted for the ‘Experience Elements’ massage, which was based on Chinese philosophy and the oil selected is based on your sign. Amy opted for the ‘Taste of Germaine’ facial which is an introduction to facials – and seeing though she had never spa’d before it was the perfect treatment to start with.
30 minutes went so quickly and I honestly didn’t want to peel myself off the massage table, but we had the Sabbia Med to look forward to, which was like being at the beach and the perfect vitamin D boost needed.
At the end of the day, we didn’t want to leave – but luckily for us, we didn’t have to, with lodges and hotel rooms all on site. Ye Olde Bell really is the perfect place to escape Manchester and enjoy a weekend with friends.
Special offer at Ye Olde Bell
Ye Olde Bell is currently running a ‘Savour the Sunday’ spa break offer, which includes a three-course Sunday lunch, an afternoon in the spa, an overnight stay, and a hearty breakfast the next morning.
You’ll be staying in one of the spa’s charming rooms and making the most of its award-winning spa facilities.
No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
Travel & Tourism
One of Manchester’s grandest restaurants has finally reopened TWO YEARS after fire
Daisy Jackson
One of the most historic restaurants in Manchester has reopened at last, two years after a fire forced its closure.
Mount Street Dining Room & Bar – which many of us may remember as Mr Cooper’s – stands within the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel.
The grand dining room dates all the way back to 1903, when it opened with the hotel as the Grill Room.
The restaurant was at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution and was frequented by railway travellers, perhaps best-known for hosting a lunch between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904, who went on to form the world-famous Rolls-Royce brand.
The Midland’s restaurants has gone through several changes in the decades since, undergoing a major £14 million refurb in 2020 to relaunch as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar.
Its interiors are inspired by the hotel’s early 1900s art deco and railway heritage, with a menu that focuses on locally-sourced British produce.
But the restaurant has been shut since early 2024, when a fire damaged the entrance and trellising around its main entrance on Mount Street.
The beautiful bar areaA glimpse of the menu at Mount StreetCocktails and British food
The Midland has finally managed to get the restaurant back open again this month, with a new food and cocktail menus, which aims to offer refined but simple British dining.
Expect dishes like pork and black pudding bonbons, white onion soup with crispy potatoes, smoked British salmon with lemon gel and dill mascarpone, and slow cooked beef daube with confit garlic mash.
Plus desserts such as rice pudding with Anise glazed pearsand Bakewell pudding with cherry syrup.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen inside this beautiful, storied dining room – and it looks just as beautiful as we remember.
The Manc -
30th January 2025 
