Review: The Grotto at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

After a successful previous year, The Grotto has made its highly anticipated return to the popular shopping complex located at Trafford Park - just a short drive from Warrington.

And we were invited to experience the immersive world first hand on its opening night.

You will be given the choice of booking a time slot for The Grotto, which is based at the old Frankie and Benny’s site.

When we arrived at are allotted time last Friday, we waited in a queue, but were quickly greeted by elves handing out mince pies and champagne flutes.

Mince pies were handed out on arrival to The Grotto (Image: NQ) As our two toddlers scoffed mince pies and became entranced by the view of bright lights from the fun fair, situated just opposite from the venue, we slowly made our way into the experience.

Upon entering, you are given wristbands, and the children are handed a piece of paper each to allow them to write their wish lists for Santa.

Even the waiting area before you enter the Grotto is a feast for the eyes, with beautiful festive decorations and Christmas trees on view.

The small winding queue moves towards a red velvet curtain which promises all the excitement of Christmas.

And as we approached it, our two toddlers, age two and three, became hungry with anticipation to see what was on the other side.

Santa's elves were waiting to meet all the excited visitors (Image: Supplied) Soon enough, a head pops through the curtains, and you are greeted by a happy elf that welcomes you into the enchanted forest.

A chorus of ‘wows’ could be heard from both children and parents as you walk through the room, filled with giant candy canes and Christmas trees decorated within an inch of their life.

Our excited toddlers were seated at a small table and were able to write out their Christmas wish lists - with the help of Santa’s elves - before making their way through the next velvet curtain.

The elves helped the children write their wish lists to Santa (Image: NQ) And the elves then took the children on a fun task solving activity around the Merry Makers Studio.

Each elf’s energy was infectious, and both my toddlers were captivated by them as they helped and joined in with the festive fun.

Each child was able to write their wish list to Santa and post it (Image: NQ) After searching and successfully finding a key to another door, the kids then entered Santa’s Study where they were able to stamp their letters to Santa and post them in the special North Pole post box before entering the next and final stage – the Grotto.

I don’t want to ruin what is hiding behind the door in the next room, but to give you a clue it’s a man with a white fluffy beard and a red suit who flies around the world in one night delivering presents. Any guesses?

This bit is where the magic truly does come alive, as you are greeted by Santa sat in a comfy armchair waiting to meet each excited child and hear about the present they dream of unwrapping on Christmas morning.

Now as a principal of being truly transparent, I will admit my two-year-old and three-year-old were slightly spooked by the presence of Santa Clause.

Children get to meet Santa in his grotto at the end of the experience (Image: Supplied) It is a huge moment in a toddlers life, meeting father Christmas, and as a parent you can never predict how they will react.

But I expect for most, it would be a dream come true, and even at my grand age of 28, it filled me with festive spirit.

You get the opportunity to snap a professionally taken picture with the big guy and each child receives a wrapped present from Santa’s sack before the experience comes to an end.

There is one final room where there is a chance to have a family photoshoot and to purchase the pictures as a lasting memory.

And if that’s not enough, you can enjoy the huge enticing fun fair opposite on the way out, as well as the festive trail which is located next door to The Grotto.

The Grotto is located at the Trafford Centre (Image: NQ) Even the grinchiest of grinches (my husband) cannot deny the magic and joy the experience brings – especially to each of the little faces of those who still believe.

Tickets are available to purchase now and are priced at £25 per child and £7.50 per adult.

Babies under 12 months go free, however no gift is included with this ticket. Carers also go for free and there is a minimum to each booking of one adult and one child.

The maximum you can book for is five guests.

And to ensure every child can enjoy the experience, The Grotto is also offering Whispering Winter Sessions which will be exclusively catered for those with special educational needs and autism.

To book a slot now, you can visit the website at thegrotto.co.uk/