All you need under one roof! (Trafford Centre)

Member Name: dkm1981

Product:	Trafford Centre
Date:	20/02/09 (290 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It has everything!

Disadvantages: It gets really, really busy.

I went to the Trafford Centre yesterday for the first time in about four years and I had forgotten how fab it was for shopping. The Trafford Centre is a huge shopping complex just outside Manchester with every shop and eatery you can imagine, with a 16 screen cinema and games arcade and bowling alley thrown into the mix.

*Directions*

By car:
Straight off the M60 at either junction 9 or 10. Coming from Lancashire, we usually come off at junction 9, but sometimes when it's super busy, the overhead signs on the motorway direct you to come off at junction 10 to ease traffic. You can actually see it from the motorway, so you don't need the million-and-one directional signs once you get off the motorway, although they are there anyway! There are 1000's of parking spaces across a number of carparks all on the Trafford Centre complex. Parking is free.

By bus:
There is a bus station actually on the complex, connecting the Trafford Centre to Manchester city centre frequently (at least every 15 minutes).

By Train:
After getting a train to Piccadilly, you need to get a tram to Stretford, where you can get a shuttle bus directly to the Trafford Centre. I don't know how much this is though, sorry.

*Layout*

The Trafford Centre is a sort of v-shaped building, with two long halls running off the centre, which is called the Orient. The Orient is where all the food halls and restaurants are and the shops are on two levels, with ornate staircases every couple of hundred feet and lift access at either end. Many of the shops span the two floors, so there are plenty of staircases and escalators within the shops to get you from one floor to the other.

There are information booths throughout the centre, where you can get advice on shops and services or just pick up a leaflet with a map on. There are directional signs all over pointing you to different parts of the centre and to the main shops.

*Shops*

Obviously the thing you are coming for is the shops and believe me, you won't be dissappointed. With over 230 shops, you'll get bored of shopping before you run out of places to look! The shops aren't laid out in any particular order or in sections, so if you want something specific, you're best bet is to pick up a map from one of the information stands.

At the Trafford Centre you will find everything you need from big department stores (John Lewis, Debenhams and Selfridges) to individual boutiques (including Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood and Armani) and from sportstores (JD Sports, Adidas and Puma) to high street stores (Burton, Topshop and Evans). Honestly they have everything!

My favourite is Selfridges, which is a luxury store selling everything from designer clothes to technology and they have a fantastic foodhall, which has all kinds of weird and wonderful things.

*Food*

After all that shopping, you'll need a nice sit down, perhaps with something to eat. Yet again, the Trafford Centre provides, with every kind of eating establishment imaginable. There is a huge food hall, with plenty of seating, designed to look like a cruise ship - complete with a ceiling painted like the sky that even has stars in the evening! Round the outside of this are all the fast food shops - including the big names (McDonalds, KFC etc) and some lesser known ones offering food from around the world, as well as British classics such as fish and chips and jacket potatoes.

There is also a good selection of dine in restaurants with Pizza Hut, Potters (offering traditional English fayre), Exchange Bar and Grill (American Diner), Nandos (chicken) and Las Iguanas (Mexican). There is also a mini china-town and a selection of indian restaurants.

If you are looking for a cheaper option (like most of us are these days) there are also plenty of places, both indoors and out, to eat your own food if you want to bring a packed lunch. Or there's plenty of places throughout the centre to get snacks like popcorn, cookies and ice creams.

*Entertainment*

Like I said there is a 16-screen cinema showing all the latest releases, matinees and the odd old-classic, as well as foreign language movies and Bollywood hits.

There is also a games arcade that is designed to look like an Aztec World. This area also includes an 18-lane ten pin bowling alley as well as dodgems and several pool tables.

There is also a laser quest next to the cinema, which caters particularly well for parties.

*Extras*

I don't have children myself, but I believe there is a creche and play centre suitable for all children. There is also a stand where you can get 'fun buggies' which are like little cars that you can push your children round in and it keeps them more entertained whilst you concentrate on shopping!

Like I said before, there is plenty of free parking and as you approach the Trafford Centre the signs directing you to the various carparks also tell you how many available spaces there are in each one.

There's always some celebrity or another signing a book or opening a store at the centre, so it's quite good for celeb-spotting. If you want to know who's there when, you can have a look at the website - www.traffordcentre.co.uk - where there's a diary of events. In fact the website is good if there's anything you want to know at all - it has a shop directory as well as menus for all the restaurants.

*Opening times*

Shops-

Monday - Friday 10am-10pm
Saturday 10am-8pm
Sunday 12noon-6pm (some stores open at 11am)

The Orient & The Great Hall Restaurants-

Monday - Thursday 10am-Midnight
Friday 10am-Midnight at least
Saturday 9am-Midnight at least
Sunday 11am-Midnight

ODEON Cinema-

Monday - Thursday 9.40am-1am
Friday 9.40am-3am
Saturday 9.40am-3am
Sunday 9.40am-1am

*My Opinion*

The Trafford Centre is perfect for a good shopping trip with your friends or a day out with the family as there really is something for everyone. The only thing to bear in mind is that it is really popular so it gets really busy!

Anyway, I think I've covered everything - but definitely go and see it for yourself and if you need any more information the website is well worth a visit!

Summary: Definitely worth a visit whether you're shopping or just looking for a day out.