There’s more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

Living and working in Manchester, I am spoilt for choice for places to hang out for an afternoon or evening. The Printworks has long been a place we visit as a family, usually to go to the cinema and then for lunch afterwards. Last week I went along to The Printworks to hang out for the afternoon with some friends and discovered there’s more to The Printworks than meets the eye.

There's more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

My first stop was a sauna and a swim at Nuffield Health at The Printworks. I’d always known there was a gym somewhere inside, but I hadn’t really thought about where it was in the building. You hop in the lift and go up to the first floor and you’re met with a huge, beautiful state of the art gym.

I was given a quick tour of the facilities, then I took myself off for a swim. The pool is a good sized 20 metre long pool with a jacuzzi, sauna and steam. I bashed out 30 lengths (that’s 600 metres fact fans!) and enjoyed the fabulous view across the city centre. I then went for a well earned sauna and a steam, grabbed a shower, got dressed and headed off into The Printworks to see what else was on offer.

The Printworks is mostly known for the wide variety of bars and restaurants it houses. I have a few favourites I always go to when I visit, but it’s always good to expand your horizons.

I went to Waxy O’Connor’s for a post-gym drink. Waxy O’Connor’s is an Irish themed bar and if you walk downstairs there’s a huge bar area with lots of tables. They do food too, and I was tempted, but I stuck to my Black Velvet cocktail and was later joined by my friends. By this time it was 5pm and the bar was starting to fill up with people popping in for an after work drink with their colleagues and friends.

There's more to The Printworks than meets the eye!

We could have picked anywhere in The Printworks to carry on with our evening; but we headed to Wagamama for a steaming bowl of ramen. Then off to Hard Rock Cafe for a few cocktails and a good old gossip.

There’s something for everyone at The Printworks; whether you’re taking the kids to the cinema and for a bite to eat afterwards, painting the town red or if you’re in search of a workout and a pool with a view; The Printworks has it all!

For more information about what’s on at The Printworks visit their website.

I was offered a free swim and a cocktail when I visited The Printworks. I was not asked to write this blog post.

Breakfast with Mummy at The Hard Rock Cafe

On Mother’s Day it is the law that no mother anywhere should have to cook her own breakfast. Breakfast in bed, or at the very least a morning cuppa is essential, but being taken out for breakfast is a really lovely treat. This year the boys and I went to “Breakfast with Mummy” at The Hard Rock Cafe, in The Printworks, Manchester, which was a fine way to kick off our Mothering Sunday celebrations.

We arrived at 9am with empty bellies and a thirst for coffee. We were quickly sat at our table, each Mum receiving a goodie bag comprising some Hard Rock goodies and some pampering treats from Clarins. The tables each had a lovely flower arrangement on which you could buy for a £5 charity donation.

The small boy had never been to The Hard Rock Cafe before and he was fascinated with all the musical instruments on the walls, he didn’t understand that they were once played by famous people, but that didn’t matter to him.

Once we were settled, coffee and juice was brought round by the lovely waiting staff and we were invited to go and be served our buffet breakfast. Being veggie I went for grilled tomatoes, baked beans, hash browns and scrambled egg, while the boys added sausage and bacon to their plates. Hubs had extra mushrooms too, a rare treat as I’m allergic to them. There was toast, cereal and fruit available too, so no one left with an empty belly.

The staff at The Hard Rock Cafe were incredibly lovely and friendly, re-filling our coffee mugs and making sure we were happy, nothing was too much trouble. We were first in line for the face painter who was fantastic, the small boy got a spider on his face which was the nicest looking spider I’ve seen, he was really proud of it and kept looking in the mirror.

There was also a balloon modeller who worked the room, making everyone a special balloon to take home, I got a lovely flower balloon to wear on my wrist and the small boy got a zebra. One lovely touch was there was a photographer who took informal family portrait of each family as a little keepsake for everyone, which I thought was an especially lovely thing to do.

Attending one of the “Breakfast with…” events at The Hard Rock Cafe in The Printworks is a lovely way to start the day, especially a celebratory day. I think next time I’d plan it better and go off and do something afterwards, like visit the cinema, go shopping or visit a museum.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I did leave The Hard Rock Cafe feeling pampered and spoilt, which is as it should be on Mother’s Day.

The Hard Rock Cafe run regular “Breakfast with…” events, the next one being “Breakfast with Bunny” on 4th and 5th April. Tickets are £9.50 per adult and £7.50 for children. More information can be found on their website.

Note: We were invited guests of The Hard Rock Cafe and were not asked to pay for our breakfast. All images and opinions are our own.

Easter Treats at The Hard Rock Cafe – preview

Easter for us is a bit like Christmas (bear with me on this). It’s a whirlwind of trying to see everyone but never quite ending up spending quality time together; just me, the man and the boy. So this Easter we’ve booked ourselves some special, fun time together and everyone else can wait. It’ll be just the three of us and the Easter Bunny!

We spied this lovely sounding event and booked on it straight away. “Breakfast with the Bunny” at the Hard Rock Cafe, Manchester. It’s on Easter Sunday morning and is billed as a little bit of fun all the family. There will be Easter fun and games including egg hunts and egg painting. So in toddler terms that spells out chocolate and crafts, a dream combination in his book.

Guests at ‘Breakfast With The Bunny’ will get some tasty treats and sweets as well as a visit from The Easter Bunny who will be welcoming children and families to the special breakfast at the Cafe. I reckon we’re in for a pretty special morning, he’s at that age where he can appreciate all the Easter frivolity and Mum and Dad can enjoy an excellent Hard Rock breakfast.

We’ve long been fans of the Hard Rock Cafe, we’ve always had good burgers and great cocktails there, I can’t wait to try their breakfast.

If you want to book “Breakfast with the Bunny” then contact the Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester, 0161 831 6700, Price – Children £7.50 and Adults £9.00. If you do go, don’t forget to say hi, we’ll be the family covered in chocolate!