Curious Pandora: coffee

The Get To Know Me Tag // Lifestyle

Hey cats!

I like to think that I'm quite an open person but I feel that social media like Instagram and Twitter can sometimes give quite a narrow view of what a person is really like; I wanted to do this tag so people can see a bit more of how open I like to be & after putting a poll on Twitter people said they wanted to see this so I hope I can give you more of an insight!

What is your middle name?

Victoria

What is your favourite colour?

Without a doubt it's green! I've always been drawn to the colour but I chose it as my fave colour in school about age 7 because no one else would pick it as theirs and I felt sorry for it...yup

Who was your first best friend?

My first ever best friend was a girl called Jade, she was my favourite person to play out with/spend time around and she gave me her only Posh Spice sticker in class one day to cheer me up. Sadly she passed away because of a brain tumour when she was 6; it was my first ever experience of death and I still miss her to this day

How tall are you?

I am a tidgy 5ft

Cats or dogs?

I do love both but I guess I'd have to say cats purely because you rarely have to clean up after them and I've never actually owned a dog!

Funniest moment throughout school?

For me, every day of Primary school was funny but I really didn't enjoy High School at all. In fact I missed 2 years of it in Year 8 and Year 10 because of Glandular Fever, so I found it quite funny that I still left with As, Bs and Cs despite me missing all that time, being bullied consistently and having been forgotten about by all my teachers. Karma eh?

How many countries have you visited?

Erm, I'm not much of a traveller so 3 I think (France, Portugal & Greece)

Are you in/gone to college?

I've been there, done that, went to Uni, bought the hoodie and now I'm back at college again doing a diploma!

What was your favourite/worst subject in High School?

Favourite has got to be either English or Science and worst is without a doubt Maths

What is your favourite drink?

Soft drink would be sparkling lemon water; alcoholic drink is hands down lager & lime

What is your favourite animal?

Bats! They're so cute but can be super creepy too, love them! Plus they used to live in our roof and it was the best thing ever watching them out of the window every night

What is your favourite perfume?

Probably Flight of Fancy by Anna Sui. There's just something about the smell that takes me straight back to my happiest college days sat in the park with all my friends. Pure, delicious nostalgia

Tea or Coffee?

COFFEE! Preferably as black as my soul

What would you (or have you) name your children?

I don't have children yet but I honestly have no clue, I think I'd come up with names nearer to knowing my lil babas!

What sports do you play/have you played?

Since I was ill in school I developed Chronic Fatigue and have struggled massively with my health, so sport is off the menu these days! But before that I was the most energetic child and I loved rugby and rounders!

What is your favourite book?

Probably The Savage Garden by Mark Mills

Who are some of your favourite YouTubers?

I don't watch many 'beauty/fashion' YTs, the two I do watch are Helen Anderson & Rhiannon Ashlee

I love watching gamers like Markiplier, JackSepticEye, Daz Games and PewDiePie

I may have a guilty pleasure in watching Dr Pimple Popper!

What is your favourite movie?

Without a doubt it's Nightmare Before Christmas and always has been. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is an extremely close second though!

Are you Single or Taken?

Taken for 3+ years

What's your idea of an ideal first date?

Dressing up a bit, going for a mooch, grab a meal somewhere and then maybe head back to the pub for drinks, chatter and some pool

How many girlfriends/boyfriends have you had?

6 including my current

Favourite memory from childhood?

Going to Disneyland Paris for the first time, it was so magical and I adored every minute. I would love to go back again now

Do you speak any different languages and how well?

I don't! I know little bits here and there of French, Spanish & Portuguese but it's hella rusty

Do you have any siblings?

Nope I'm ~~spoilt rotten~~ an only child!

How would you describe your fashion sense?

A mix between glorious hippie queen & 'I just rolled out of bed'

What is your favourite restaurant?

This is a toughie! I think I'm going to have to go with Wagamama (most oriental food wins my heart though)

What are some of your favourite tv shows?

There's so many: GoT, OITNB, iZombie, Suits, Supernatural, Grimm, Scorpion, Bottom, The Young Ones, Jackass, Arrow, Once Upon a Time, Castle, Sherlock, Ghost Whisperer, Nurse Jackie & any nature documentaries to name but a few!

PC or Mac?

Only a recent convert but Mac, it's the best thing ever

What phone do you have? (iOS v Android?)

I just upgraded recently to the iPhone 6, happy with it so far and having it sync with my Mac makes life much easier!

Tell us one of your bad habits!

Hoarding/buying too much, its such a difficult one to break

Anything you want to know? Let's get chatting!

Stay curious

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The Ainscow Hotel Manchester // Review

ainscow 23:07

Hey cats!

A new and different post from me today but hopefully I can do it justice! Recently my boyfriend and I went to celebrate an anniversary and decided to stay at The Ainscow Hotel for 2 days (Friday & Saturday). We fancied a little break away and to explore Manchester a bit more than we already have whilst making the most of the nice weather. I had such a good time that I really wanted to write about it, I hope you enjoy!

The Location

Location wise in my opinion it's wonderful! Set just on the outskirts of Manchester town centre (which is about a 15 minute walk away) where it's quiet but only a 5 minute walk, if that, from the hubbub of Spinningfield's many restaurants and bars as well as about three or four off licenses; you couldn't get any more convenient. It's super easy to get to and has it's own secure parking to the back of the hotel.

The Room

Our room was on the second floor, easy to get to by the stairs or lift, and you get a key card which you put up against your door to let you in (just like making a contactless payment) which is really handy especially when carrying lots of bags. We'd booked a suite, so there were two 'floors' as such. On the bottom floor you had your bathroom, wardrobe area, tea making space and living room area; then via a spiral staircase up to a mezzanine level you had your bedroom area. Honestly it was so lovely, it felt really roomy and luxurious but cosy and homely at the same time; I also loved having the bed separate to the downstairs.

We were lucky enough that in this suite there were rustic details, with wooden beams on the walls and a wooden slatted ceiling in the bedroom area. I adore this sort of décor, it gave the room some real character and it made me feel like I was on holiday somewhere other than just any old hotel; it was unique and really well executed. The rustic and modern mix was perfectly balanced and the room felt high end but not so much so that you're scared to use anything. For me personally I felt instantly at home which if you suffer with anxiety you'll know that it isn't easy to settle into an environment without a hitch!

The bathroom was lovely, with a huge mirror and a spacious, deep bath big enough for two (yes, we tried) which also came with complimentary soap, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel; all of which smelt amazing. Lots of gorgeous fluffy white towels, tissues in the bathroom (SO handy) and an entire shelving ledge in front of the mirror to pop all your toiletries on without worrying about them falling off into the toilet or sink. The only issue I did find is that when I put the sink tap fully onto cold the water would still come through tepid and it was hard to find a place where cold water came through properly.

There's not much to say about the bedroom area other than it was wonderful! The bed was super comfortable and comes with enough pillows to please anyone's preference; next to the bed were two bedside tables with shelving and drawers, the hotel phone and the area had various types of lighting to compliment your mood. As it's higher up you also don't get disturbed by any light in the morning, but if you need the loo in the night then it's a bit of a trek navigating the stairs and lounge, but this wasn't a problem that occurred for either of us personally.

Moving on to downstairs, there's a luggage holder next to the wardrobe which has plenty of hanging space complete with wooden hangers, a hair dryer and a kettle as well as copious amounts of tea, coffee and biscuits for you to enjoy. There's also a full length mirror, and a desk on the other side of the room big enough for you to eat a meal off if you choose to have room service. There's also a handy Manchester Guide on there too if you're not sure where to start exploring. Lastly the lounge area, which had possibly the comfiest couch I've ever had the pleasure of sitting on and a wall mounted TV that's a good size and at an ideal height (so no neck strain). The only issue I found with the downstairs was there were no lights for the lounge area, and I'm personally not a fan of watching TV in the dark as it gives me migraines. I instead brought a lamp down from the bedroom and plugged this in, which worked a treat.

The Food

Albeit we didn't experience as much of the food as we would've liked, what we did try was exceptionally good and brilliant value for money. Upon dropping our bags we headed down to sit at the bar and ordered the Ainscow Platter to snack on before heading out later for a meal in Spinningfield. The food came really quickly and was a lot bigger than we expected it to be. There was absolutely plenty of everything including onion rings, breaded mushrooms, nachos, chicken satay, mozzarella bites and dips. Everything was cooked to perfection and went down a treat, amazing value for only £9.95! Needless to say when we got hungry the next day, room service was necessary and we ordered the same platter along with a side of cheesy chips which were an absolute triumph; huge home-style chips that tasted incredible and the cheese had actually been layered all the way down, bonus! The food still came quickly (and piping hot) even after finding out there were 15 other orders on the go.

You're also welcome to order take-out to the hotel if that's what you fancy. On our last morning we were on time for breakfast and I'm sooo glad we were. The restaurant wasn't busy (which I love because of social anxiety) and we were taken straight to a table where our drinks were ordered. I had a very large pot of delicious black coffee and the continental on offer included all you would usually need like juices, milk, cereals, yoghurt, croissants etc. We then ordered a Full English each which came within about 5 minutes. It was huge and everything was so yummy, there were hash browns, eggs (you get asked how you want them done), sausage, mushrooms, tomato and beans; there's also the option of black pudding too if you're into that sort of thing. Overall a fab experience in a luxurious but light, airy and calm restaurant with a breakfast which was well worth the money.

The Bar & Hotel Service

The entrance area and bar are great, really open, tranquil and suited to all your drinking needs. I had a lovely coffee from here on the first day and on the second night my boyfriend and I spent the night sat at the bar which turned out to be a really chilled evening chatting to the lovely staff. The drinks were scrummy (can't argue with Baileys) and very reasonably priced for it being Manchester based.

Reception staff were always welcoming, booked us in really quickly and you get given a wifi code which worked extremely well in the room (we took the Xbox in order to watch Suits and there was no unnecessary buffering, yay!) Another thing which may seem daft to some but not to me was that there were mirrors in the lifts; I just thought this was really handy so you can check yourself over just before you head out!

For a hotel that is only a year and a half old I think it runs like a well oiled machine. It has so much to offer, is excellent value and is full of friendly and helpful staff, all of whom made me feel instantly at ease and totally comfortable. I'd highly recommend staying here if you visit Manchester and even if you're from Greater Manchester and fancy a night away. It's also great if you're in the area and you just wanted to pop in and grab some food or drinks. I feel like The Ainscow is only going to grow and improve on what is already an incredible first year. I hope this post was helpful if you were thinking of staying here or if you wanted to find somewhere to stay near Manchester.

I didn't have any intention of writing up a blog post, hence why there aren't a lot of pictures and they aren't amazing quality, everything was quite a whirlwind. Hopefully next time I go I can do so with the intention of writing a blog post and also to try a lot more of what is on offer like the restaurant's evening meals, afternoon tea and maybe even a Christmas event!

Find The Ainscow here! And let me know your own experiences!