Cigars, an 'honesty bar' and a log burner... my quirky night sleeping on a boat in Manchester city centre

Plush rooms with four-poster beds, sky-high apartments or a cheap night in a budget chain. These might be some of the places that come to mind when you think about staying over in Manchester city centre.

A canal boat, maybe not. But you can stay on one in the heart of Castlefield. And it’s charming, quirky and something a little bit special.

I stayed on the Wandrin Star - a Cuban-inspired narrowboat. It is moored in the Bridgewater canal in the basin next to Castlefield bowl. It sits just a stone’s throw from Deansgate, one of the city centre’s busiest roads, and in the near distance is towered over by Beetham and the skyscrapers at Deansgate Square. A few metres walk from the boat and you’ll get to The Wharf, Dukes 92 and Barca - all hugely popular and bustling pubs and bars.

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Though despite being so close to all of this, this boat feels like an escape. There’s something about staying on the water that makes you feel like you are separated from the rest of the city.

The Wandrin Star is easily bookable on Airbnb. Check-in is simple. The host emails details over once the booking has been confirmed, then gets back in touch on the day of the stay with everything you need to know, including how to get onto the boat, how to use the shower, light the fire and switch on the central heating.

When I first step inside (firstly, I should have opened the hatch the whole way so I didn't bang my head), a small set of ladders brings me into the homely kitchen area. The boat feels like a tardis - from the outside, it didn't look as though it could really have that much space inside. But it does, probably more than many other hotel rooms.

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