Where to stay with 1 Yr old in Manchester?

[OdeToBarney]

We are travelling to Manchester for a long weekend in April (Friday - Sunday) and I'm hoping you lovely MNers can help me find the best place to stay 😀

It'll be me, DH and DD, who'll be just turned 1. Ideally would like somewhere with on site parking, provides highchairs and it would be really useful if we could have one in the room. We will take our own travel cot. Room service would be good in case we want to eat when DD is asleep and/or don't fancy going down for breakfast. I like the idea of somewhere we can walk to cafes/tourist attractions too, so no airport type hotels please!

DH would prefer to get an Air BnB on the edge of the peak district, but I quite fancy more of a city break. Am I mad? Would an Air BnB be better with a little one? We live/work in London so it's not as if we aren't used to getting around a city. But any recommendations of nice places in the Peak District also appreciated just in case I don't get my own way, haha.

Hi @OdeToBarney - have you looked at Buxton? Might be a good compromise for you. It's lovely - big park with pavilion cafe and art gallery, a little train around the park to take your DD on, lots of little shops and restaurants, and in the Peak District so access to countryside. You could get the train into Manchester for the day to get a city fix - it's about an hour, with a good proportion of the journey through pretty scenery.

I've not stayed in a hotel there so I can't recommend accommodation - I live nearby so have never needed to - but there are a couple of options; there's a big hotel right in the centre of Buxton; strikes me as a bit faded-glamour but it could be lovely for all I know!

It’s not city centre, but Cottons are very child friendly www.cottonshotel.co.uk/explore/family-breaks/

I think you need to decide what sort of break you want, there's a big difference between a weekend in Manchester as a city break and a weekend in the peak district! If you live in London I'm not sure I'd bother going to Manchester for a weekend.
What about Chester? That might be a decent compromise.

I hadn't looked at Buxton @RedPandaFluff but it does look really nice! A few hotel options, one in particular looks very nice. We'll be visiting Sandbach, Stockport and also meeting friends who will be travelling from Huddersfield, so this could be a really good option!

I will check out Chester, thank you @emmathedilemma. Maybe you're right and we'd be better off enjoying some time out of town. Thank you also @Fivemoreminutes1 for the recommendation.

I live in the Peak District & I would definitely recommend it rather than Manchester. Buxton is really lovely, big park with lake & so many lovely restaurants. Always something going on in the Pavillion Gardens & great places to visit nearby (Thornbridge Hall is AMAZING!)

Chester is a lovely small city - there's a big river which has boat rides on it, a massive zoo just down the road which your little one would enjoy, a cathedral, roman walls.....