A couple of weeks ago we packed our bags and headed off for a 2 night stay in Liverpool. We were kindly invited to stay with Travelodge and spend a few days exploring the city. We left Sheffield just after midday on Friday and arrived in Liverpool a couple of hours later. There are 4 central Travelodges in Liverpool. We opted to stay in The Strand which is down by the docks. This hotel has recently been updated with new king size beds as well as a tv and desk. This was just a 5 minute walk from the train station.
It was very easy to locate the hotel and there’s a Tesco Express just underneath. This is particularly handy if you forget toothpaste or need to grab a few snacks. I was very pleased with the location of the hotel. It’s close to the riverside where you will find lots of museums (Merseyside Maritime Museum was a personal favourite), restaurants and the main shopping area is just a 5 minute walk away. I was very impressed with the shopping in Liverpool. They’ve really developed the city a lot since I last visited in 2006.
The Travelodge staff were all very friendly. The room was clean but basic. It had everything you’d need for a couple nights stay; tea, coffee, kettle, powerful shower and a television. The bed was very comfortable and we both had a good nights sleep over the weekend and weren’t disturbed by any noise throughout the hotel.
I liked the little cubbyholes by the side of the bed because they were very handy for holding my cuppa in the evening. I do wish they’d had some plug sockets by the bed, that would have been very useful.
There’s the option to have an unlimited breakfast, which we did on one of the days. There’s a choice of a full English breakfast, (squidgy) croissants and a variety of cereals. If you need something convenient then it’s handy but personally I suggest you head out into the city centre and explore the many fantastic foodie places Liverpool has on offer.
I’m now going to give you an overview of our weekend but there will be lots of separate reviews popping up over the next couple of weeks. I even have a few videos to share with you. When we arrived, we dropped out bags off, armed ourselves with cameras and headed into the centre of Liverpool for an early dinner. We’d done a lot of research beforehand and had a full list of places to explore thanks to the alternative bucket list on Independent Liverpool.
I’ll be following up with individual reviews soon.
We made our way to Lucha Libre. I can confirm that the tacos and margaritas were delicious and the service was fantastic (I can’t wait to tell you more). We then moved onto our favourite place of the trip, Berry & Rye. Once again, there will be a full review but for now, I hope you enjoy the video we put together.
We aren’t the types for wild nights out so after a few cocktails and mixed nuts at Berry & Rye we headed back to the Travelodge. It only took us around 10 minutes to walk back and we both had a very comfortable sleep.
The next day we were up bright and ready for a full day in Liverpool. We started things off with breakfast at the hotel. As I mentioned before, unless you need the convenience of the hotel breakfast I would suggest spending your money in one of the many cute cafes around Liverpool. After breakfast we made our way to the World Museum. It’s free and we enjoyed seeing the exhibition – Mayas: revelation of an endless time.
Lunch time rolled ’round and we decided to try out Mowgli which serves up delicious Indian street food in a relaxing setting. The service was good and the food was delicious. I’m looking forward to sharing more about Mowgli next week.
On our way to the Merseyside Maritime Museum we dropped a few bags off at the hotel. This was yet another free museum and it was packed full of informative exhibitions and interactive displays. I really enjoyed finding out all about the world of smuggling and contraband goods. You can really lose yourself in this place for hours, we did.
For dinner we went to Chez Le Coq, a French rustic restaurant with an American twist. They offer a wide variety of salads and burgers. The food was very good and it’s all locally sourced. As with everywhere else, the staff were very friendly and we also thought that the food was excellent value for money.
On our final day we had the opportunity to check out from our Travelodge room at 12. However, we decided to venture our early and make use of the lockers at the museums. Both the Tate and the Museum of Liverpool had small, medium and large lockers so it was easy for us to pop our backpacks away while we explored. Both of these museums are well worth a visit. Currently, Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots exhibition is on at the Tate.
We also decided to check out Ziferblat for a cuppa and slice of cake. The concept behind this social coworking space is very interesting. You don’t pay for drinks or food, instead you pay for the time you spend there (6p per person per minute). There’s even free wifi. If you’d like to hear more about this place then I’ll happily put together a full review with more photos.
The train (and bus) back to Sheffield wasn’t ’til 9 that evening so we had a late lunch in Bakchich, the Lebanese on Bold Street. This was yet another top food joint in Liverpool with excellent service. I spent some time in Utility trying my best not to spend too much and then it was time for a swift Old Fashioned in Berry & Rye.
We still had a couple of hours to kill so towards the end of the evening we found ourselves in a relaxing Cafe Nero. They open ’til 8 which meant we could take some time to relax before heading off to the train station. We both had a really good time in Liverpool. It’s improved so much since the last time I visited. There was plenty to do, lots of interesting history and so many good foodie places to pick from. It’s well worth a visit and the people are very friendly too.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Travelodge for inviting me to stay for a couple of nights. The accommodation is basic but usually very well priced. The room was clean, the bed was comfortable and the only thing missing was a few extra plug sockets.