Where To Book Your Stay In Liverpool Like A Local

Taste-test breweries in the Baltic Triangle, or dine where locals do at these feel-at-home hotels in Liverpool, packed with community cred.

Ticking off key sights is all well and good, but if you really want to know a place, you need to drill down a little deeper. Whether it’s checking out a cool new quarter or hunting down a local foodie hotspot, immersing yourself in maritime history or embracing musical heritage, these hotels will help you get under the skin of the city and show you a different side.

1. Baltic Hotel

Hotel

Red light district-turned-hipster ‘hood, the Baltic Triangle is the place to head in search of street art and vintage markets, indie coffee shops and gin gardens. You can go clubbing at Camp and Furnace, do street food at Baltic Market and work your way round craft breweries such as Love Lane and Black Lodge. Box-fresh hotel the Baltic, set in a warehouse conversion, typifies the area’s alternative edge with turntables, in-room tablets and fully stocked fridges in the industrial-style rooms, as well as the downstairs Duck & Swagger pub and Brasserie restaurant.

2. Lock & Key

Budget Hotel

Plush blue velvet armchairs, a bed and plant-patterned wallpaper in a stylish hotel room at Lock & Key Hotel

Before this popular boutique hotel opened its 14 desirable, retro-glam bedrooms, its bar/restaurant was already a favourite hangout for locals. Against an attractive backdrop of exposed brick walls, parquet flooring and richly coloured velvets, the kitchen kicks off the day with a wonderfully comprehensive brunch menu then switches to pizzas and pasta mid-afternoon; while the bar serves up cocktails, wine and craft ales, including beers from Love Lane Brewery, a 15-minute walk away.

4. Heywood House Hotel

Boutique Hotel

A bottle of wine and two glasses on a table, a bed and orange drapes in a hotel room at Heywood House Hotel

With its high ceilings, draped pelmets and grand central staircase, there’s a classic look to the interior at Heywood House, which seems only appropriate given the building’s late-18th-century origins as the premises for Liverpool’s first bank. This whole area around Castle Street, once the city’s financial hub, is now home to a lively dining scene, with quality bars and restaurants where you can rub shoulders with locals increasingly setting up shop behind ornate historic facades.

5. Hope Street Hotel

Boutique Hotel

A double bed and wardrobe in a hotel room at Hope Street Hotel with wood beams and a mezzanine level above

This chic boutique hotel in the Georgian Quarter makes a great base for exploring Liverpool’s burgeoning food scene. As well as having a fine restaurant of its own, The London Carriage Works, it’s also just a short walk away from other indie stars, including The Art School Restaurant, where Paul Askew’s inventive menus feature northwest produce such as Wirral ricotta and Liverpool Bay seabass, and Röski, with whimsical but well-executed dishes from MasterChef: The Professionals winner Anton Piotrowski. The property is perfect for foodies looking for a place to stay in Liverpool.

6. Hard Days Night Hotel

Hotel

Beatles references come thick and fast in Liverpool, but if you really want to tune in to all things Fab Four, this Cavern Quarter hotel is the obvious place to stay. Statues of John, Paul, George and Ringo adorn the façade, Beatles-inspired artworks fill the walls and signature cocktails take their names from the band’s famous song lyrics. All rooms come with Hypnos beds and monsoon showers; upgrade to the Lennon Suite to tinkle on the ivories of a white baby grand.

7. Titanic Hotel

Spa Hotel, Hotel

Tables and chairs in the stylish restaurant and bar at the Titanic Hotel, with exposed brick and pipes

The hotel’s name and Titanic-themed artworks commemorate the fact that the ill-fated ocean liner was registered with Liverpool’s White Star Line, once based in the city centre. Staying in this converted warehouse, you get a sense of the monumental importance of Liverpool’s historic docks and maritime history. Rooms and public areas are grand in scale and filled with original features, and there’s an impressive view across the water to the Tobacco Warehouse, once the world’s largest brick building.

8. EPIC Apart Hotel – Seel Street

Hotel, Apartment

Large corner couches and pillows around a coffee table and TV in a sitting area at EPIC Apart Hotels

This converted warehouse is in the Ropewalks District, so when you’re not lounging around, enjoying the living-like-a-local vibe of your self-catering apartment, you have plenty of nearby bars and restaurants to discover. Enjoy sociable dining at Duke Street Market, with food stalls set around communal tables, and head to boho Bold Street to support indie ventures such as Maray (Middle Eastern food), Leaf (all-day casual eats, speciality teas, artsy events) and The Little Shoe (British brasserie and micro-bakery).

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