Our Address
15 Hilton St, Manchester M1 1JJ, UK
Our Promise to You
At Essential Life, we believe in the healing power of nature. That’s why we use only herbal and whole-food ingredients—pure, plant-based, and purposeful. But we’re just as committed to proven results, which is why every natural ingredient we choose is backed by science and supported by EFSA-approved health claims.
Inspired by Nature, Proven by Science
Certified Soil Association Organic range
Eco-friendly, non-toxic packaging
UK-made products with uncompromising quality assurance
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Our Promise to You
At Essential Life, we believe in the healing power of nature. That’s why we use only herbal and whole-food ingredients—pure, plant-based, and purposeful. But we’re just as committed to proven results, which is why every natural ingredient we choose is backed by science and supported by EFSA-approved health claims.
Inspired by Nature, Proven by Science
Certified Soil Association Organic range
Eco-friendly, non-toxic packaging
UK-made products with uncompromising quality assurance
Read More
I had read terrible reviews of this hotel. So I was wary about it. But it was slightly cheaper than the rest. So I went for it. The building is a bit difficult to find. But anyway, the staff were friendly and let us keep our luggage there before our check-in. Went up to my room with wariness and was really scared of how bad it would be. But, to my surprise, rooms were actually pretty decent. Spacious. Comfortable beds. Big windows. Clean. Quite a nice kitchen and common space. Elevator. And I was thinking that all the online negative reviews were wrong. Then I went to take a shower and realised that the temperature doesn't get controlled. It keeps switching between freezing cold and scalding hot water. Anyway, I thought that's fine, I can compromise with that. And then came the night! The hotel is right above a pub which plays live music every evening. And this music keeps getting louder and louder as the evening moves into night. From around 10 pm till about 3 am, it was deafening noise. I used ear plugs, they were of no use. And even more than the sound, I could feel the beats of the loud drum etc and the entire floor and my bed kept vibrating with every beat of the drum. From 10 to 3. If a person is planning to sleep, I guess this is not a place for them. As I spent excruciating hours in bed having my ear drums being damaged by loud drums coming up through the floor, I so wished that I had fully appreciated the intensity of the noise when I read the reviews about this hotel being noisy. However, if one is happy to compromise with their sleep, this is a good place as it's close to the rail station and everything else is fine (except the showers).
They've rebranded to Malacuna, maybe to try and dodge the mixed reviews. The location is excellent, and the street noise didn't bother me, and there were heaps of power points in the bunks, but it had a few negatives. The floor in my dorm room was pretty filthy, especially the bathroom. There were dust bunnies and obvious dirt marks. The beds are decent and private, but there is no fan in the boxed in bunks, meaning you spend your nights sweating when the weather is warm. There's one fan in the room, but there's no way it can reach everyone in, especially with the bunk curtains closed. The windows only open like 5cm, so there is very little ventilation. Please install fans in each of the bunks.
One of the worst hotel experiences we've had. We stayed at PH Hotel Manchester. That is now called malacuna, and almost everything about our stay went wrong. Our original room had a broken shower – the water was either boiling hot or ice cold, with no way to adjust it. We couldn't shower properly. We were told to use a room someone had just checked out of (and wasn't even cleaned yet) just to get washed. The next day, after a failed attempt to fix the issue, we were moved to a room in a part of the hotel that’s clearly still under renovation. The room smelled strongly of fresh paint, was unbearably hot, and had no proper ventilation. We were given two industrial fans just to survive the night – which made it feel like sleeping in a construction zone. Speaking of construction – we woke up to unbearable noise from scaffolding being dismantled right outside our window. To make things worse, even in the new room, the shower water kept turning freezing cold every minute. The staff were kind and tried to help, but no one solved our problem. To top it all off, one morning we were told there was a new management team in place, and suddenly no one was able or willing to help us or offer any kind of compensation. It was surreal – as if all the issues we had experienced simply didn’t matter anymore because “it’s not our responsibility.” Absolutely absurd. Avoid this hotel until it’s properly finished and maintained. Location is the only positive thing about this place.
It’s great that it’s cheap and location is really nice in city centre but there’s things to be weary of. We booked a double bed room with a private bathroom but towels are £4 to borrow. No hand towels included or hand dryers. Bedrooms are large but very dusty. Sheets had stains all over but were still “clean”. Not a lot of facilities in room, so it feels a lot empty. On the good things though, we really liked the 24 hour reception and the kitchen facilities. Definitely is a hostel and feels like a hostel. You get what you’ve paid for!
room way too hot, no towels provided not even a hand towel - have to pay an extra £4 for them. noisy outside but they do supply ear plugs. ok for a short stay