The world is once more a travel zone, and after the last few years, it’s little surprise that many of us are taking full advantage of the freedom to travel again.
Whilst lots of people, myself included, are looking forward to travelling overseas and enjoying all that foreign travel offers if we are to take anything positive from the covid pandemic, it could be a rejuvenated affection for holidaying at home.
The UK has much to offer when looking at arranging a vacation, from the stunning countryside and breathtaking coastlines, to historical landmarks and iconic cities – Liverpool being one of my personal favourites, well you can take the girl out of the north….
Whilst many other UK cities are more than worthy of exploration, for me, none quite match the vibrancy of this cultural melting pot. A proud and welcoming city, Liverpool is home to no less than six World Heritage sites, two iconic football teams, a stunning cathedral, The Royal Albert Dock, and of course, being home to possibly the world’s most famous rock band, The Beatles. Liverpool is intrinsically connected to music (the city was made a UNESCO City of Music in 2015) and it is weaved throughout the city’s cafes, bars, restaurants, and museums. So if you are pondering over the location of your next city break, look no further, pack up and head to Liverpool, and if you are wondering where to stay – we got you.
The Resident Hotel Liverpool is located in the heart of Liverpool city centre’s fashionable Ropewalks district, housed within a stunning former warehouse dating back to the 1800s. Within a short walk of the city’s main railway stations and all its top attractions, including the Albert Dock, Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story, and the world-famous Cavern Club, it’s your perfect base from which to discover the best of Liverpool.
The thing I love about The Resident is the perfect combination of hotel and self-catering apartment – a really nice balance that has been achieved through an expertly curated guest experience. I am greeted with a friendly and professional reception team, in a beautiful lobby area with a relaxed lounge and all the hotel feels. Very industrial chic with an opulent finish. My room is beautiful, lavished with plush furnishings, a huge and comfortable bed, towels big enough to wrap around me twice, a pair of slippers, and a nice bottle of plonk. Still…..all the hotel feels. But hiding behind a rather stylishly ingenious door parading as a wardrobe is a perfectly formed mini kitchen comprising a fridge, microwave, sink, crockery, and kettle.
The Resident doesn’t house its own restaurant, it’s absolutely ok to bring your own drinks and stack the fridge without paying extortionate hotel bar prices, you can brew up your favourite ramen or pack in the snacks before exploring the city. Also, it’s perfectly fine to have a takeaway delivered to your room after your big night out. This is what makes The Resident Hotels so unique, its affordable luxury accommodation that gives you the freedom of an apartment but with a friendly reception team on hand to assist you. At this point I must mention the staff, they were superb, offering to change our room to a lower floor due to my ridiculous fear of lifts, giving recommendations for dining out and visitor attractions, and providing us with a discount for our overnight parking, they simply couldn’t have been more helpful. I think that is Liverpool folk all over to be honest, salt of the earth and super friendly.
It was a girl’s weekend for us, so after checking into our room, we chilled the wine and kicked back a while before heading out to enjoy dinner at Gino D’Acampo at Old Hall Street, a beautiful modern open plan restaurant with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Old Hall Street. Talking of skylines, you have to visit 360 Sky Bar on the top floor, it’s a huge contemporary space which has unrivalled views over Liverpool and the River Mersey.
This restaurant is surprisingly intimate for such a huge space, giving it a real bustling continental feel. The way they have sectioned off the restaurant into smaller areas gives each space a ‘local Italian’ feel and we loved it. It was very busy indeed, with a very eclectic mix of clientele from families with children to couples and large groups, all soaking up the atmosphere of early evening in Liverpool city centre. We enjoyed first-class service from a handsome young waiter that attended to our every need, topping up our celebratory champagne unobtrusively and serving up juicy garlic prawns in linguine and tasty calzone stuffed to bursting with gooey mozzarella. To finish we opted for (umpteen) delicious Espresso Martinis, some of the best I have tried to be honest, and god knows I’ve had a few! (Martinis)
I would highly recommend this restaurant, and I have rethought my initial shunning of ‘chain’ restaurants. This one may be part of a larger group, however, it certainly has a personality of its own and we had a wonderful time, which I would partly attribute to the absolutely cracking service we received. I might also add that it was very reasonably priced and we went ALL out, lol.
We enjoyed a belting evening out, from cocktails in beautiful bars, to dancing our socks off to live bands and enjoying a nightcap in the world-famous Cavern. We head back to The Resident to our comfy bed and slept the booze off before blasting away the cobwebs with a hot shower and checking out to head for a wander around Albert Dock which is made up of warehouses that now house cafes, bars, restaurants, and museums.
I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves in Liverpool, a fantastic break in a beautiful city with brilliant people. Book your stay at The Resident and your table at Old Hall Street and you’re sure to have a good day, sunshine. Tell them I sent you.
Words By Joanne Brook-Smith
29 Seel Street, Liverpool L1 4AU
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