By Stephen Topping

Copyright manchestereveningnews

To paraphrase Tony Wilson – in Manchester, we’re happy to let London and Birmingham battle it out for second city status. But life would be boring if we stayed in one place all the time, and England’s capital city is well worth a visit . It’s vast, vibrant and varied – and it certainly couldn’t be described as a ‘hidden gem’. There’s a huge amount to see and do in every corner of the city, and you’re never far away from a crowd. So if you are looking for a place to stay in London, you might want to find a hotel that is close enough to the heart of the action, but hidden away from the most hectic of London’s bustle. Stay connected with our City Life newsletter here The Virgin Hotel in Shoreditch is ideally located in that respect. It sits in one of London’s trendiest suburbs, in easy reach of the centre, and with plenty to explore on its doorstep. My partner and I were lucky enough to spend a weekend there earlier this month. After a smooth journey by train from Piccadilly to Euston – admittedly, not always a guarantee – we were only three stops by tube and a 10-minute walk from our destination. There are eight Virgin Hotels currently running across the globe, with Shoreditch being the first in England, having opened its doors in August 2024. Six are based in the United States, with the seventh being in Edinburgh. The Shoreditch hotel fits neatly into the arty, creative suburb – while it also plays up to Virgin’s esteemed history in the music industry, with entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson launching his business empire with Virgin Records back in 1970. After being welcomed at the check-in desk and handed two snazzy keys designed to look like playing cards, we headed straight into our room – a ‘grand chamber junior suite’ with a private terrace. It includes everything you hope to find in a good hotel – and plenty more besides. The comfy king-size bed, the sofa and the striking red Smeg fridge housing the mini-bar are the first things you notice as you step inside. The luxurious en-suite features underfloor heating near the double sink and a modern shower cubicle that can even be used as a mini-steam room. A Lavazza coffee machine and a Marshall bluetooth speaker – the type that looks like a little guitar amp, in keeping with the musical theme – are also neat additions to the room, which is tastefully decorated with artwork on the wall. The private terrace includes a table with two chairs – an ideal spot for a morning coffee – while two sun loungers provide the opportunity for a spot of sunbathing if you have the weather for it. Guests also have access to a rooftop swimming pool, which sits next to the hotel’s restaurant Marlin’s, while tucked away in the corner of the ground floor is the hotel’s new bar Hidden Grooves. That was the venue where we kicked off our weekend, sharing small plates and sipping cocktails. Hidden Grooves is described by Virgin as a ‘hi-fi hideaway’ offering a ‘listening experience unlike any other’. Step inside the bar and you’re surrounded by stacks of records and a cool 1970s-themed décor. A DJ plays spins tunes on vinyl, played through a top notch sound system, while friendly, welcoming waiting staff bring food and drink to your table. While some cocktail bars can feel pretentious, with a menu packed with challenging flavours, the drinks at Hidden Grooves were both creative and delicious – including one featuring a scoop of mint gelato surrounded by rum, amaretto, white chocolate liqueur and sherry, which proved to be the perfect end to our meal. Interestingly, the menu invites punters to ‘sip and spin’, with recommended vinyl to go with their cocktail which can be played at one of the bar’s listening stations. I suspect it might be a saviour for a bad date, but it wasn’t something we tried. Instead we tucked into a selection of small plates – with the highlight being the delicious Korean fried cauliflower, with sesame and chilli – before heading out to explore lively Shoreditch on a Friday night. We enjoyed a couple of drinks at the Strongroom, where punters packed out the beer garden on an unseasonably warm September evening and a blue plaque proudly states it was the location where Spice Girls recorded their debut single, Wannabe. After a good night’s sleep in the comfy king-size bed, Saturday began with a tasty full English at Marlin’s that was evidently made with high-quality ingredients – with particularly flavoursome bacon and sausage. From the hotel, we then strolled past the galleries, studios and street art-adorned walls of Shoreditch, over to Brick Lane – home to markets and boutiques, rival bagel shops and a string of curry houses. Along the way, we picked up a hot chocolate at Dark Sugars, which came with huge chocolate shavings that melted into the drink as we walked towards the Thames. We nipped into the Whitechapel Gallery before crossing Tower Bridge and strolling along South Bank, stopping halfway to explore the impressive Tate Modern gallery – remarkably free of charge for most exhibitions, despite being huge. We continued along South Bank towards Westminster Bridge, where crossed over to pass the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, before exploring Mayfair and Soho – nipping into a couple of historic pubs along the way as we clocked up the step count. We returned to Shoreditch on the Elizabeth Line before heading to Bar Douro for tea – a restaurant serving up a taste of Portugal with small plates and an extensive wine selection. The wild mushroom rice and salt cod hash were particular highlights – each packed with flavour – while for dessert we each enjoyed the best pastel de nata we’d tried outside Portugal, washed down with a white port tonic. Having seen more of London than we expected to on the Saturday, we kept things local on the Sunday with a trip to the Museum of the Home – another free gem – featuring stunning gardens and exhibitions on how people have lived through the past 400 years. From there, we headed along Regent’s Canal, walked through the thriving Broadway Market and scenic London Fields, before heading back to pick up our bags from the hotel via the famous Columbia Road flower market. It rounded off an enjoyable and surprisingly relaxing weekend in London, with the Virgin Hotel Shoreditch proving to be the perfect base. Stephen was a guest at the five-star Virgin Hotel on Curtain Road in Shoreditch, East London. He stayed at a ‘grand chamber junior suite with terrace’, which included breakfast. Prices vary – but for the weekend of October 10-12, the suite costs £529 per night. Other suites, smaller and larger, are available. The hotel is situated within a 15-minute walk of Liverpool Street, Old Street and Shoreditch High Street stations. From Manchester, Avanti West Coast runs frequent direct services from Piccadilly to Euston, where passengers can change for Northern Line services on the Underground. At Hidden Grooves, the meal was worth £104 for four cocktails; roasted smoked almonds; mediterranean olives; Korean fried cauliflower; beef sliders, and; triple cooked chips. Join our Manc Life WhatsApp group HERE Whitechapel Gallery, Tate Modern and Museum of the Home are all free to enter for most exhibitions, with donations accepted. Some exhibitions at Whitechapel Gallery and Tate Modern require tickets. Broadway Market features food and drink stalls from 9am to 5pm every Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sundays. Columbia Road flower market takes place from 8am to 3pm every Sunday. Stephen also dined at Bar Douro City, on Finsbury Avenue, near Liverpool Street station. The meal was worth £92 for marinated olives; tenderstem broccoli, almonds and homemade requeijao; wild mushroom rice; salt cod hash; pork neck and Bifana sauce; garlic punched potatoes; two port tonics, and; two pastel de natas with cinnamon ice cream.