Mushtaq is a very patient instructor, will calm your nerves and will give you a debrief of any mistakes you might have made. Very professional and I would recommend him to any new learner within a heartbeat!! Very knowledgable on the test routes. Read Less

Would definitely recommend Mustaq to everyone who is deciding to learn driving. I drove entirely with Mustaq and I passed my test on the first attempt. He is a serious and easygoing instructor, well-rounded and reliable! Read Less

I won't beat about the bush. I hate the Trafford Centre. Yes theres a lot of shops, but there are a better selection of shops in Manchester City Centre. Parking can be a nightmare. Getting out of the car parks, particularly in the run up to Christmas can take hours. The place is full of thousands of people walking up and down without bags of shopping. Few seem to be buying anything. I guess they are just there to keep dry/warm! Also full of young children whose parents don't control them at all and let them run amok! Avoid at all costs, support your town/city centre businesses instead! And nobody calls it the 'Intu' Trafford Centre. Its just the Trafford Centre. Read Less

A multitude of shops and a multitude of people fighting for car park spaces especially on a weekend. So many shops in TC from John lewis to superdry or lush. Worth a trip. Good food court for half way round! Cinema and a legoland on site as well. Read Less

This place is epic! It has just about everything you could want from a retail destination, within reason. Whether its a meal, some shopping, or you just want to visit the cinema; the Trafford Centre has just about everything. General facilities include:- Masses of free parking- Hundreds of shops- Loads of chain restaurants and fast food outlets - Cinema- Bowling- Laser Quest- Arcade centre- BarsNotwithstanding this, the Trafford Centre is surrounded by other leisure facilities including Event City, Chill Factore and a huge driving range. Its location is excellent, just of the M60 ring road and close to Manchester. I would say the only thing that lets the Trafford Centre down is the fact that currently there are no trains or trams nearby, though it does have good Bus transport links locally. I'm giving it 5 starts because it has so much on offer! Read Less

This place is soooo big! Like seriously big. I didn't know where to start. The Selfridges and John Lewis are massive with everything you could need - endless browsing. The place itself is pretty jazzy and I went late on a Monday night so it wasn't too busy but judging from the car park the place must get absolutely rammed.The food court is a big no no, with tonnes of chains and greasy burger joints and this is one of its biggest issues. There is also an Odeon if you fancy the cinema after a long day shopping!In all it has everything you might need to spend your pay cheque it just isn't my thing! Read Less

So many shops!! It's a shopaholics paradise! Theres a huge variety of shops available, with 10000 free parking spaces and regular busses. The food court is massive with fast food restaurants downstairs and sit down restaurants upstairs. Champagne bars, pizza places, noodles...the list goes on.Add this to the 20 screen cinema, games arcade, bowling alley, sealife centre and legoland, there's really no reason to ever leave! Read Less

Hmmmmm, I'm experiencing one of those 'why can't we have half star' moments but on balance I'm dropping down to 2.The Trafford centre really demonstrates that bigger isn't always better and this is especially true when you find yourself forgetting where you are because you've seen everything before in so many shopping centres around the UK. I found myself half believing that I was in the Metro Centre. We visited the Trafford centre because we thought we could get all our shopping done in one place but, because I'm not a fan of big chains and tax avoiding coffee empires I found myself wishing I'd hit some of the centres nearer home where the shops and particularly the eateries tend more towards the independent.It's a shame I ever thought the Trafford Centre would work for me but the real shame is twofold, firstly that there is obviously a demand for such identikit shopping experiences and secondly that places like this don't give the visitor a true sense of the area they are visiting or promote what is special about the region. Come on Manchester, you're better than this! Read Less

Fantastic shopping experience free parking and everything all under one roof.  Has a great Christmas vibe. Plenty going on for kids like Laser quest, crazy golf or the old favourite the cinema. Lots of fast food restaurants or eat in restaurants something for everyone. Read Less

This place is just amazing it's the best shopping centre I've been in besides the American outlets. Everything you need is right in this building. We came here at 12 in the day and left at 10 in the night. I love it mostly because there's a Victoria secret store with all the perfumes and sprays. Then there is Victoria Pink which has the gym gear and PJs. It's pricey but we can't get them in Dublin. The food hall is like a boat in the night time you sit on the deck and the roof is painted like clouds it's unbelievable. Amazing food choices over ten restaurants and also a five guys burger stall. I had some type of Japanese street food was good. We stayed right across the road so could shop loads an drop bags off to shop some more again! If your in Manchester worth a visit even for some dinner. Check out the china town upstairs :) Read Less

The Vanity CentreI watched them build this place including the documentary going into good detail about the designers drive towards a centre that delivers an international worldly feel. Including an attempt to create a dramatic and high quality feel to the place. Oh how long ago that feels nowadays when ever I find myself unfortunate enough to be in this level of hell.Anyone who visited the Trafford Centre may already understand where I'm going as it did used to be an exciting plethora of shops and services with incredible variety. It had a great mall like atmosphere(#mallrats) that made you want to spend the day sinking deeply into some form of escapism. But that is all but gone now because the trafford centre is a husk of what it once was.Since inception the centre has aggressively killed(#rentlocking) any mind stimulating & creative outlets that once were, instead pushing only vanity shops specifically and mainly womens fashion. The fact of that matter can be seen on the soulless men that lay dead outside the fitting rooms. People used to stroll around the centre smiling now theres an aggressive tonality as competitive females smash past each others with there branded baggage.It would seem the dream of intus perfect customer is that of a rich footballers wife arriving to adeptly park on a child with her BMW 4x4 in the constantly packed car park. Waling through various clothing shrines with a final stop at our lord and savior selfridge. After ones personal shopper has connived one that you 100% need this seasons 500£ dress (5£inPrimark) you drop more coin on the various samey jewelry so you can stare at something shiny as you head for luncheon.After your peruse your various restaurant options you decide to frequent one of the 9 Italians that serve mainly bread. You order ball of bready cheese filled pasta with one leaf of salad not to eat but to post on instagram. Finally once you tire of judging other women from a distance you see if your mule(man) can hold any more bags of slave labour clothing before making your way back to the still full car park. "oh I love it here derek lets never leave!" Satire aside I love capitalism but this place is just a repugnant shallow husk of a building, zoom in deeper to any aspect of the place you realise how much of a smoke and mirrors show it is, a good example is the truly awful paintings. Honestly women, men, we all deserve better and we are better than this rigged game of catch up. The atmosphere as gone completely septic and speaks towards a worrying societal trend towards perpetuating never feeling good enough. People on the Wigan side of the north trust me you can get any of this stuff online without the hassle and on the Manchester side the city centre will give you are far better day out for your coin. In the end if this failed centre has achieved anything it is only to become satans shrine for the narcissist.#GoodbyeVanityCentre.psIf you want to feel good about yourself sit in your pjs donate some money to the charity mind and watch netflix all day, you cant go wrong :)ppsIf you want to see directly into the eye of the demon try boxing day :D Read Less

I'm going to preface this with 'I love shopping' so I was really excited when my husband said we should visit the Trafford shopping centre whilst on our trip up north. However, upon arrival, I was somewhat underwhelmed by this place. I recall reading one of the reviews on here and thinking this is what people think is 'the gem of Manchester'? The car parking was good. They had free wifi in parts.  However, the shops were ones you could get just about anywhere in the uk, which for the most part is helpful because you know what you're getting and after all we are creatures of habit. But having said that, I'm sure Manchester has a lot of up and coming new designers, what about supporting these guys by introducing some of their work to the wider public. This would mean getting more creatively designed pieces which were unique.I haven't eaten in a mall since I was about 10 years old and I wasn't going to restart here but one wrong turn later and lured towards the interesting looking decoration, we found ourselves slap bang in the middle of the massive food court. The selection was wide but I'd hate to think how packed out it can get on a weekend. Having seen enough we slowly turned around and headed back home! Read Less

The Trafford is good as it gets, it's a huge place with many different retailers under one roof e.g Apple, Currys to a whole load of designer wear shops. There is a huge food court to keep you going while you go around the shops. It's the best shopping centre around and providing you time it right you can get there from Manchester City Centre or the surrounding towns either by car or bus, quite easily. It has a lovely atmosphere and all the staff are willing to help, they even have free wifi throughout! Read Less

I went here while on holidays on Saturday 13th September. It has everything you could need. Plenty of shops (however a few repeat themselves), plenty of restaurants and different food types, an arcade and even a cinema.The place is massive so make sure you grab one of the tourist maps / shop guides when you walk in to help you find your way around! Read Less

This is a huge shopping mall. If they don't have it here, it probably doesn't exist. There is a huge food court to keep you going while you trek around the shops. The decor is very interesting. Lots of marble and statues. It looks like one of Saddam Hussein's palaces was turned into a mall. Read Less

Holy shopping Batman!  This place is for the serious shoppers and not for the faint of heart.  Even though my old... er age seems to be decreasing my enthusiasm for large shopping malls, the Trafford Centre is really in a league of its own and must be admired.  Let's start with the cons and get those out of the way, because there are some and I think a lot of people will agree with these.  The first:  traffic and getting to the Trafford Centre.  While some of it is just because of the volume of people wanting to go, some of it is down to those first-time tourists who don't know where they are going, but this past weekend we discovered some of it is down to young drivers probably out for the first time with loads of their friends in the car, music turned all the way up, smoking those silly e-cigarette thingies, trying to text, and not really paying attention to where they are going.  And I am kind of surprised that no one thinks "If I miss my turn, I'll just go around the roundabout again".  Sigh.  Anyway, another con... parking, even though it is free.  Busy or not, finding parking is always a bit difficult and probably a bit more complicated than it needs to be.  I also don't understand why it is ok to park on the sidewalk (sorry, pavement) when there are parking spots available... and those spots being too far away is not an acceptable reason.  Lastly, walking through some parts of the centre can be a bit difficult because of the amount of people.  I don't find it as difficult as say... The Bullring in Birmingham (where it can take 20 minutes to get on an escalator to the next floor), but it can still be difficult and/or frustrating.Now onto the good parts of the Trafford Centre.  It is huge and not only that, they have a variety of stores.  Something for everyone really and I don't think I have seen a space that isn't being utilized.  The entire area has been developed as a whole family, whole day experience which, for the effort of getting there and getting parked, is nice.  There is a cinema, adventure golf, Lego Discovery, and Sea Life... so a bit more than shopping.  Another plus, the size and variety of the food court.  While the theme thing could be a bit cheesy, I kind of think it is great how they did something different with the area instead of just leaving it as a generic food court.  On the ground floor of the food court it is mostly fast food type places, but oh the choices!  On the next floor there are more restaurant type places, but mostly chain restaurants.  The food court is large enough to handle the amount of people, which is nice that you don't have to send one of your party to go and wait for people getting up and pounce on their table.Another reason I like the Trafford Centre... some of the American things/stores when I am missing home.  For example, Victoria's Secret, even though I have yet to buy anything as I am a bit afraid of the prices.  And Five Guys Burgers... not really sure why people are still queuing up at Burger King and McDonald's when you can have Five Guys.  To be honest, with those and then looking across the way to see Wal-Mart, Costco, and a Krispy Kreme, it is almost like I am back in the states.  Strange more than comforting.  Having been to some of the large malls like The Bullring, Meadowhall, the Westfield in London... I think I do prefer the Trafford Centre because even though it is busy, it seems to cope (minus the parking/traffic issues) quite well. Read Less

I love the Trafford Centre especially at Christmas time, its a huge place with shops galore from the top range shops like Selfridges and John Lewis to loads of fashion shops. It has a huge food court-the orient which is designed to be like a cruise liner and has many eateries from low cost to high end. There is also the Barton Arcade which is accessed across a covered walkway which has all the home shops like Next and M&S. There is also a odeon cinema complex with an IMAX screen. There is also free parking throughout. But make sure you get here early as it does get very busy around lunchtime and at Christmas time. If you don't have a car like ourselves you can get there on the bus or the metrolink shuttle.i love how everything is in one place and all under one roof. It has a lovely atmosphere and all the staff are willing to help, they even have free wifi throughout! Read Less

I've always liked the Trafford Centre, as i've been coming here pretty much since it opened. I hate Saturday shopping! It's too busy. So with the shops at The Trafford Centre being open until 10pm most nights it makes it perfect for me to go in the mid-week evenings after work. Their food court, named 'The Orient' is very impressive! The largest in Europe or so I'm told, boasting over 30 restaurants, cafes and bars! With favourite fast food chains such as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and the like on the ground floor, and bigger restaurants such as GBK, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Las Iguanas, Pizza Express, Café Rouge...(and I can keep going) on the upper floor, it's safe to say, you'll find somewhere for eats here! Most recently, Five Guys took up residency here!! LOVE. For shopping, it's good - all the high street shops under one roof. Great layout - you'll find what you need. Department stores such as John Lewis at one end of the mall, Debenhams at the other and Selfridges in the middle, cater for high end fashion if that's what you're after. There is an ODEON cinema here too. Which is open quite late so if you wanted to shop, eat, drink and see a film mid-week - you can. It's definitely the best shopping centre around and with it being so close to the M60, providing you time it right (and DON'T try it on Christmas Eve! Trust me) you can get there from Manchester City Centre or the surrounding towns either by car or bus, quite easily. Read Less

The  Trafford Centre is the 2nd largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and has the largest food court in Europe with the Orient. If you do visit the Trafford Centre, no matter the time expect it to be very busy, it is a very popular tourist destination as it is home to hundreds of shops and a good amount of resturants as well as Legoland and Sealife. The Trafford Centre has many things you could want from a shopping centre a cinema, so many places for food and drink with something for everyone no matter what cuisine you want or dietary requirements but I just don't like it.The  Trafford Centre is very busy hence is hard to park in , some areas are not modern at all and I dislike some of the colour schemes, some parts such as the entrance near the car park Regents Crescent does need refurbishment, The Trafford Centre is a nice tourist attraction if you are visiting Manchester for the first time but after numerous visits you begin to see the flaws and get annoyed, I think it is just too big and some of the shops are just un-needed, they is so many food places I am shocked how all of them can survive and make a prophet.The Car Park is not just a nightmare for parking, it is also bad for getting in and out, I have never used the bus station what can be viewed from the Car Park but that looks like it is also in need of refurbishment.They is some nice shops and restaurants in here with some places having more than once branch due to the large size like Starbucks having one branch near Waterstones, just in the walkway and one in a actual stall near a enterance/ exit.Free parking is always a winner for me, it is hard to see even in the smallest of shopping centres so having it here, in a shopping centre which could easilly charge people ultra high end prices, at one of the UK's biggest shopping malls is fantastic to see from a customer point of view. With some refurbishment, the Trafford Centre could be alot better but to be honest it is more of a touristy attraction than a regular place for Mancuians to do shopping, I would say it is just too big and for locals to use the Manchester Arndale instead, although this is nice for tourists to visit on a one time affair I can't recommended it elsewise hence I can only give 2 stars to The Trafford Centre. Read Less

Not the nicest place to be when it's busy. Add to this some very ignorant drivers who like to park on the pavement even when there are many spaces available it makes it a last resort for shopping.Only go late at night and avoid weekends, it's unbearable Read Less

Trafford Centre is in a fantastic location and the car park is free. There is two parts to the Trafford Centre, that is Barton Square you can go to the Sealife Centre or Legoland Discovery. In this are are the Next Home and  Marks & Spencer home departments. When you go across the bridge into the main part of the Trafford Centre you have the big names like Debenhams, John Lewis, Selfridge's ODEON cinema, laser quest and an absolutely fantastic food court with many known and lesser known eateries and restaurants over 2 floors.  Amazingly all the shops, too many to mention are open till 10 o'clock in the week and till 9 o'clock on Saturday and 6 o'clock on Sunday. The cinema is open longer and so is the food court. Read Less

Ahh, The Trafford Centre. If you like marble, murals, statues of dolphins, shopping, water features, being indoors and other people, then this place is most definitely for you. I'm not fussed on any of these things yet seem to end up here far more than I plan to. The Trafford Centre provides the ideal place for rainy days, last minute shopping (open until 10pm weekdays) and a bite to eat. The huge, free car parks and wide selection of (high street) shops and (chain) eateries attract crowds of people from all over, especially on the aforementioned drizzly days - so pick and choose your visit wisely. There's buses that run every 15mins from Piccadilly Gardens (bus number X50, a return is £4). The complex is bookended by two massive department stores; John Lewis and Debenhams. Navigating these alone can be a challenge. My tip would be to remember which direction you're heading and stick to it - if you end up reaching a John Lewis at both ends then you've missed half of the shops. There's also a great 'home' section in Barton Square (which is along the walkway over the road). Here you'll find every shop you'd need to kit out a new pad, a massive fountain of half naked mermaids, a halloween-esque hut of unexplained huge singing bears (press the button on the fence), a legoland and a cake shop. Don't try to make sense of it - it'll take you longer than trying to find your car. Read Less

Beautiful shopping centre, love the deisgn and details around the building. I always get lost around but with so much detail and decorations I like wondering about in the centre. I'm not from Manchester so I'm speaking from being unfamiliar to the cityCan be hard to enjoy your time as it is always packed when I go and can feel frustrated and claustrophobic, so not ideal place for shopping if you like to take your time and relax. But good place to go with friends as you'll enjoy your time. Share taxi fare since it's far from city. I hear it takes long with bus so I'd recommend share fare with friends Read Less

Does any place deserve a five star...? Well, I have found this mall here in the UK....WOW, this has to be the largest and most modern mall that I have ever seen. Many, many shops and stores to look through, and of course they have a million little food places in the food court....and some dynamite restaurants.We decided to have lunch at "Zizzi"...a italian restaurant. Hard to decide what to eat, the menu was large and it all sounded great. We chose a safe dinner of Spaghetti with meat sauce....yeah, we had spaghetti for dinner last night...but were on vacation, right? Anyway, the meal was perfect and quite tasty...plus, they had iced tea which made Cheri happy.The restaurant was great, the service was flawless, and the prices were acceptable. You could spend the entire day in this mall...they have countless stores for the little woman to shop....a theatre showing new releases...games and pool (and a bar) for all ages...and you can satisfy all your hunger needs. Zizzi's was a welcomed restaurant....you will enjoy it my friends...!!! Read Less

Trafford Centre is huge - HUUUUUUUUUGE - but also in the middle of absolute nowhere.By the time you get there, you're exhausted. Oh, but wait, now I have to battle 3285097 people and queues and all those people IN queues?Bah.Came once and once was more than enough for me. Read Less