The Best Apartments in Manchester

Three linked Victorian buildings on the edge of Manchester’s Gay Village make up this stylish aparthotel, where confident colour choices and plentiful potted plants add warmth to original iron girders and bare brick walls. The Scandi-chic apartments have dusky pink walls, brass accents and well-equipped kitchens; downstairs, the communal areas, centred on a glass-roofed bar, include a co-working space, coffee shop and workout studio. A fun calendar of events takes in everything from fitness classes to floristry lessons.

The architects behind London’s Chiltern Firehouse put the sexy into serviced apartments with this warehouse conversion near Piccadilly station. The flats, set around a light-filled central atrium, feature rich colours and textures, with velvet throws on the beds, peacock-blue kitchen units and plenty of original features, such as cast iron columns and brick-barrelled ceilings. On the ground floor, Ducie Street Warehouse offers all-day socialising, with its vast open lounge, workspaces, coffee shop, restaurant, gym and cinema.

This modern block, backing on to the Rochdale Canal, has 87 clean-lined apartments, all with well-equipped kitchens and washer-driers. There’s a good choice of different sizes to suit all age groups, including large penthouse suites that sleep six or seven, with their own balcony or roof terrace. On-site facilities include a small gym and a smart ground-floor bar overlooking the canal. Breakfast comes on a tray delivered to your door.

This 182-room aparthotel is housed in a curvy 1960s-era office block that lines the approach to Piccadilly station, so it’s easy to reach by public transport and you’re well placed for exploring the city centre and beyond. The look is simple but smart, with occasional pops of yellow livening up a white-and-grey backdrop. Reception is manned round-the-clock, there’s a mini-gym on site and the 24/7 café serves snacks, pizza, drinks and grab-and-go breakfasts.

Strictly speaking, this shiny glass-and-steel tower is in Salford, but there’s only a two-minute stroll across the River Irwell separating it from central Manchester. Big windows and pale neutral shades keep things light and bright, with odd splashes of colour from a rug, cushion or artwork. It may not have the quirkiness of a conversion, but there are some distinct advantages that come with being a new-build: efficient soundproofing (a bonus in this party city) and an indoor pool.

This is one of two Roomzzz properties in central Manchester, with a characterful setting in the former Corn Exchange. Behind the historic façade, the apartments themselves are bang up to date, with a contemporary urban look and assorted mod-cons, including LED mood lighting and heated bathroom floors. Every apartment gets a dinky kitchenette, making it easy to self-cater, but Roomzzz also shares the building with a food court, so it’s even easier to nip downstairs or order take-out.

Just across the square from Manchester Crown Court and a short walk from Piccadilly Gardens, SACO Manchester Piccadilly is a purpose-built block offering a choice of studios and one- or two-bedroom apartments. The overall look is fresh and light without being stark: against a backdrop of all-white walls and kitchen units, soft furnishings add texture and colour, and there are plenty of little luxuries to discover, including Hypnos mattresses, Bose sound docks and fancy L’Occitane bathroom products.

Once a milliner’s shop and warehouse, this 19th-century property is now home to 19 smart self-catering apartments, an in-house bar/restaurant and a 24-hour reception. The look is contemporary classic, with black-and-white photos of Manchester’s landmarks adding a sense of place. The Arndale Centre is just across the road, but things are more interesting if you head around the corner in the opposite direction, to the independent bars, shops and cafes of the Northern Quarter.