As this week is half term we decided to drive to Manchester to visit relatives. Unfortunately our relatives don't have space to allow us to stay overnight so I set about looking for somewhere reasonable to stay. I knew we wouldn't be spending much time in our hotel so I really only wanted somewhere comfortable to sleep.

Looking through my emails I was interested to read one from the Martin Lewis money saving site(see my earlier review for more info) telling me that Travel lodge would be offering rooms for just£10 the next day. I got up early to visit the Travel lodge site. The site was very easy to navigate and a selection of £10 rooms was indeed on offer in and around Manchester. I choose to stay at the Manchester airport Travel lodge as this was the most conveniently placed for our visit. The total cost for a family room sleeping four was just £10!

How to get there.
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I am not going to give you detailed directions as these are available from the Travel lodge web site. If you have a sat nav then the post code is M90 5DL .Alternatively you could use the AA route finder. The lodge is situated on Runger lane about 1 mile from the airport.

If you are flying then there is a shuttle bus service to and from the airport. Again the details are on the Travel Lodge web site.

The hotel.
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Travel lodge have numerous hotels throughout the country and all are much the same inside. The Manchester airport branch is a modern looking building with a large flat car park. The car park is managed by Britannia parking and you will be charged £5 for a 24 hour stay. If you are a disabled driver and have a blue badge then parking is free. The parking charges increase to £40 for a 4 day stay. The car park is said to be secure but when we were staying the barrier remained up all night!

Inside the hotel is a large spacious reception area. There were two members of staff on duty and both were friendly and efficient. We were given our room number and keyless card to enter. The corridor was well lit and clean.

Our room was a bit on the narrow side with a space to hang clothes with extra pillows and duvets on the shelf above. There was a good sized double bed and a double sofa bed for our two boys. I was pleased to find a kettle and tea, coffee and milk. If you need more you can ask at reception.

My children were keen to see how many channels the TV had but there was no remote ,so a trip to reception was needed to resolve this!

The bathroom was quite small and contained a bath with shower, handbasin and toilet. The bath plug was missing so again a trip to reception was needed to acquire one! The bath surround was quite moldy and the floor covering was beginning to pull away from the walls. There was a good sized mirror but as the ventilation was poor this son steamed up. There was plenty of toilet paper but only one very small bar of soap. Travel Lodge no longer gives you complimentary toiletries, so remember to take your own. If you do need something reception have items for sale.

After a day out in Manchester we were all tired and ready for sleep. We arrived back at the hotel at around 11 pm and the reception desk was still staffed. This felt reassuring. The sofa bed seemed comfortable and our children were soon sleeping peacefully. However on getting into bed I was disappointed to discover that the mattress was full of lumps! No matter where I lay I could not get comfortable. A new mattress is certainly needed! The duvets were adequate and the room temperature was fine too. We have stayed in hotels where the room is so hot sleep is difficult!

We had been a bit concerned that this hotel might have been noisy but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the room was very quiet, unlike other chain hotels we have stayed in!

Café-restaurant.
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Next to the reception area is a large café/restaurant with well stocked bar if you fancy a nightcap! In our room was a menu card with a list of all that was on offer. We didn't eat in the restaurant so I can't comment on the quality of the food. If you prefer you can order at reception and eat in your room. There were the usual pizza and chips type meals as well as sandwiches on offer. The prices seemed reasonable to me.

Breakfast is an all you can eat buffet costing £7.50 with up to two children under 16 eating free with each adult. I was a bit confused to see a picture of a full cooked breakfast on the menu with description saying it is a continental affair? However again we choose not to have breakfast so I am not sure exactly what is on offer!

Overall I think we had an amazing bargain for the price we paid. The room was clean and adequate for what we wanted. I was disappointed with the lumpy mattress and really expect something better from a big hotel chain such as Travel Lodge. I really recommend you watch out for cheap deals if you are thinking of staying in any Travel lodge.