Manchester/Scotland 2025 - Manchester Premium Inn Hotel and Food

Before starting on all the tourist attractions in Manchester, I thought I'll just get the logistic post over with first. After landing at the airport, the immigration was a breeze for me, I was the only one in the manual queue due to my Malaysian Passport. Everyone else went to the autogate, lol. The officer just asked me how long was I in OK and when was I leaving and that was it. We collected our bags and took a bus directly to our hotel in the City Center for only 2Euro! Sometimes I think transportation is so much more affordable and easier in expensive cities than it is in South East Asia.  In SEA, usually the airport transfer is a killer! Above is our super big room in Premium Inn Manchester at Portland Street. It has no aircondition, but there was a fan provided, and we could open the window. It even have a long bath in the bathroom! Premium Inn was recommended to us my our friend Trish after I complained that I couldn't find an affordable hotel in the UK. So happy I found this. I've also learned that Hotel.com tend to list only higher end hotels in the West, although they are fine in the East. Hotel.com is also awful for China's hotel listing. I started using Agoda for hotel bookings since their price is usually better, but there are always hidden scammy charges when you finally get your final bills..... So yeah..... live and learn!

For all hotels I booked, I always google the nearby grocery shops, especially in expensive western countries. So near our hotel was a Tesco Express, as well as a Salisbury some distance away. This was crucial cause I also travel to eat, and I needed to eat cheap since I am on a budget. I can't bring perishable goods home, so I usually eat them there! Spanish strawberries! So big and juicy and sweet too!

Only 2.5Euro, which is a lot cheaper than in my homeland! I lost count how many boxes I ate. Probably 3 during our whole trip? But my main target was blackberries, also in the same price range. I think I ate at least 2, and that was only because they ran out of stocks in some shops when I was there! I will make sure I eat more in my upcoming trip! For dinner, sometimes I just eat these and a glass of milk. Live and learn lesson, milk in the UK are not all the same! Milk in Scotland is 100% better than in England. In England, the milk has a funny pipe metallic taste to it. 

Having some sandwiches and strawberries for a light breakfast/brunch at the hotel. 

We also got our dinner from Tesco. They have this meal plan offer where it's like a value meal. You pay a flat price for a main, a drink, and a dessert. This was probably the first time I would pick a Starbuck coffee since they are always so expensive in the store! I also realised that the cheap pastry in Tesco are just so lovely to eat! I try to get one whenever I am in the store. They taste so different from the ones at home, probably due to the humid weather at home. 

Yeah, I could eat our of Tesco and Mark and Spenser everyday. It was friendly to my wallet, and the food tasted pretty healthy. So we're gonna do that all over again in the coming trip too. We actually enjoy it cause the food quality was really good, especially in Mark & Spenser. We ate a lot of seafood and tapas from there, even hummus and cheese tray! So looking forward to it!