"There's a magic about it": What it's like to live in 'Manchester's Dubai'

Stylish restaurants have been popping up at the burgeoning Deansgate Square district in Manchester city centre in recent weeks. Kitten - a Japanese restaurant with striking interior - opened its doors this weekend and follows in the footsteps of Salvi’s and The Green Lab.

The Square is becoming more of a destination for people to visit from across the city, but also a vibrant neighbourhood for the residents who live in the cluster of skyscrapers above. There are four shiny glass towers in total - with South Tower being the tallest residential building in Manchester at 67 storeys high.

You may have seen pictures of eye-opening sunsets taken from the apartments shared on Instagram, or you may have been passing by and wondered what it’s actually like to live there. Well for Ella Gorton, her two-bedroom rented apartment isn’t just a flat, it's a lifestyle, and reminds her of holidays in Dubai.

READ MORE: ‘Neighbourhood bar’ and Thai BBQ Neon Tiger is a slice of New York in Manchester

The 28-year-old lives with her 31-year-old boyfriend Charles, who has found the central accommodation a good transition from living in London. “It wouldn’t look out of place in Dubai, it just gives me that elite hotel vibe," she says. Laughing, she adds: "If you put a casino in there it would fit in Vegas easily."

Ella, who owns My Skin Story skin clinic, previously lived with her parents in Swinton before moving into the apartment in the North Tower last August. She had a preconceived idea that all flats were “dingy” but says Deansgate Square felt different.

“When my boyfriend mentioned getting an apartment instead of buying a house, I was against the idea at first,” she explains. “We viewed a few different ones but I just couldn’t imagine