21st century hostelling
Wow, I’m a bit overwhelmed by Hatters Hostel on Hilton Street, Manchester. I suppose it is to be expected really. I’m a bit long in the tooth for this but my younger Manchester-frequenting self would have lapped it up but this is what 21st Century Manchester is all about!
You’ll find Hatters Hostel in the trendy centre of alternative and bohemian life that is The Northern Quarter. Featuring the bars, fashion shops and music venues of Oldham Street and Ancoats; the many floors of Boho market Affleck’s Palace and the redeveloped apartments of Piccadilly basin you soon get a taste for the area. My aforementioned youthful self bought coloured Doc Marten’s, Stone Roses tapes and brightly coloured Madchester T-shirts here. It has all become a bit more chic and New York since my grungy days and the Hostel reflects all this too.
With its distinctive glass-and-lights frontage and some industrial-chic touches inside it is certainly world’s away from the mucky boots and sleeping cats of the more traditional hostels. They offer shared dorms or private rooms which are presented more like a boutique hotel than a backpacker’s hostel. With sociable communal areas, a bar and organised tours and activities, they obviously bend over backwards to welcome visitors and guests. It gives the whole place a youthful, vibrant and exciting buzz. Much like Manchester itself.