It's my party and I'll indulge if I want to!

So last week was my birthday and in true indulgent and selfish celebration style the bf and I whisked ourselves all the way in to the heart of Manchester (a whole 15 mins by train from home!) Still, this wasn't just any birthday celebration, we enjoyed a Spa session (a Living Social spesh) and overnight stay at the Hilton hotel Deansgate.

This is something my dreams are made of - a completely indulgent, luxurious pampering session after which I just get to slob out and relax - amazing! After checking in and enjoying the obligatory sussing out of the hotel room we wandered down to the spa area to use the facilities before our treatment. It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon and as we relaxed in the jacuzzi we felt like we could be anywhere, it certainly didn't look like the heart of a northern English city! After visiting the sauna, steam room, swimming in the pool and relaxing in the jacuzzi we felt that we'd got our "money's worth" of this particular aspect of the stay and headed off to wait for our treatment.

The Hilton 303 Spa advertises a number of packages, many of which include use of the facilities beforehand so it would have been nice to have been offered a robe and slippers (as I've been given in other Spas) to go from the pool to the treatment rooms, instead of sitting outside with just a towel round me as guests walk past. Still, I wasn't really that bothered about getting changed so was happy to sit in my swimmers, even though I did feel a bit out of place!

This was our first couples Spa session (hello relationship milestone!) and although the bf was a bit cynical about the treatment (isn't it just water and a pat on the back?) we both came out of the session feeling like we were walking on air - well I did anyway! In fact, I'm sure at one point I fell asleep during the massage, I just hope I didn't snore. We had the aromatic massage and facial so the room was thick with the smell of fragrant oils, it was gorgeous.

The indulgence didn't stop there though. The bf had done some detective work and discovered a hidden restaurant gem, El Rincon - also known as the most authentic Spanish restaurant in Manchester. Now, I'm not normally afraid of walking around Manchester at night but I have to say I'm glad I had the bf with me as we ended up walking down a very suspicious alleyway to get to our destination. Once you overcome at the feeling of foreboding you're well rewarded with a restaurant that looks like it's been transplanted from the streets of Barcelona. Even though it was a weeknight El Rincon was bustling and we had to wait for a table. It was definitely worth it though as we sampled dish after authentic dish. I adore Tapas - anything that lets me choose multiple options (I'm notoriously in-decisive) is top in my books!

Feeling very satiated we stumbled back to the hotel to enjoy some lovely Laurent Perrier champagne that the bf had been given from work (but that we graciously donated to my birthday celebrations). It was the perfect end to one of the best birthdays so far!

How do you like to spend your birthdays? 

Sarah x

Image credit: Hotels.com/Hotels.com/Viva Lifestyle/Spotted by Locals