As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make itself known, many of us seem keen more than ever to explore everything the British Isles has to offer, instead of further afield, and so, the team of editors at the travel arm of the renowned media company have joined forces to give their opinions on the best UK cities to hit up in 2022.
This year, a total of 13 of the country’s cities have been singled out for praise in the list, with Manchester proudly taking the sixth spot.
Last year, Manchester nabbed the fifth spot – but we’ll take it.
Each of the cities have been given a tagline that encapsulates the best they have to offer, and Manchester has been named “the foodie city” after being said to have upped its culinary game over the past few years.
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Explaining why Manchester has been awarded sixth place on the list, Rick Jordan – from the team of editors at Condé Nast Traveller – said: “Recent openings include Dishoom, the four-storey Ivy Spinningfields, with a rare rooftop bar and separate Asian restaurant, and Mana, from ex-Noma chef Simon Martin, with reindeer moss and bark on the menu.”
Nearby Stockport was also given a bit of praise, thanks to The Produce Hall in its Victorian market and for the “wonderful, tasting-menu-only” When The Light Gets In.
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Manchester has been named “the foodie city” after being said to have upped its culinary game over the past few years / Credit: Unsplash (Josh Taylor | Chris Curry)
As well as shouting out the region’s extensive selection of eateries, a number of the city centre’s finest hotels and accommodation options have also been highlighted too.
“The city’s recent biggest openings include the Dakota Manchester hotel, dressed in designer black near Piccadilly, with a seriously grown-up bar and restaurant and terrace views of the canal, and Ducie Street Warehouse, on the edge of the Northern Quarter – a former goods warehouse that’s also home to Native Manchester hotel,” Rick Jordan added.
While it’s always great to hear that people love Manchester as much as we do, where should Mancunians be heading for their city staycations this year then?
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So many places to visit in the UK, so little time. These are the top cities to add to your travel wish list for 2022. https://t.co/AagH1si0ZC
The “wide-awake city” of Glasgow, with its wide-open outdoor spaces, architecture and full-throttle nightlife singled out to “steal your heart”, has this year been knocked off its top spot and moved down second place in favour of the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
After almost two years of muted activity, Condé Nast Traveller said it’s heartening to see that the pandemic hasn’t affected Edinburgh’s “ability to wow visitors”.
The “screen-favourite city” of Belfast takes the third spot, while “the independent city” of Bristol, and “the architectural city” of Cambridge take the fourth and fifth spots to round out the top five.
Fellow northern cities Newcastle and Liverpool also proudly feature in the top 10.
Featured Image – Unsplash
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This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.
Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.
With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.
This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.
The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’
The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.
On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.
David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.
“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”
The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.
Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.
The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.
Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.
And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.
Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.
“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”
Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”
Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”
It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.
Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.
We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…
Emily Sergeant -
5th January 2022 
