The Refuge by Volta, Manchester

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Nick Davies left this review about The Tempus Bar At The Palace Hotel

Despite all indications to the contrary the Palace Hotel is worth a look around. All red brick and glazed tiles it is the old Refuge Assurance building, one of Alfred Waterhouse's (he of the Natural History Museum) classic Victorian edifices, and the conversion to a hotel has been reasonably sympathetic.

It is all built on a grand scale, indeed if you penetrate the rabbit warren below you'll find there's an vast 1000 seater conference hall in the basement. The bar and restaurant is situated in what I think must have been the company's public business hall where you went and paid your premium and it's worth stopping for a drink just to admire grandeur and muse on what it might have been like in its heyday.

You probably won't stay too long though. It is of course standard chain hotel in arrangement, table service, expensive lager and even more expensive spirits and strangely no snacks. You usually get a little bowl of nuts or something to compensate a little for the rip-off prices but they don't even sell them here.

Conclusion - do look in if you are passing then carry on round to the lass for a drink.

On 5^th June 2010 - rating: 2
[User has posted 578 recommendations about 570 pubs]