Liverpool as a city was an omnipresent aspect of both of our formative years, whether it be music, television and certainly football, the city and its landmarks always felt so familiar. We had previously visited Liverpool back in Spring 2017 when our children were much younger and we vowed to visit again as a couple once they were older. We booked a few days together and stopped in the Maldron Hotel close to the riverside and the city centre.
Liverpool is a city packed with character, culture, and iconic architecture, you sense the history of the place, and it wears the prestige of the Beatles and the two football clubs proudly. We enjoyed a walk around Albert Dock and along the riverside, probably the most touristy aspect of our visit, especially at the Beatles statue, and we spent plenty of time in the excellent Liverpool Museum on the riverside. Sadly, we never got the chance to enjoy the ferry across the Mersey, the crossing was only on for morning and evening rush hour, so we gave it a miss. The city centre is modern and packed with high street stores, so if shopping is your thing, then Liverpool ONE is right up your street, Bold Street is also great for independent shopping and eating. The St Johns Beacon is a ubiquitous presence of the skyline however frustratingly it was closed for tours on our visit.
As mentioned earlier, we stopped in the Maldron Hotel, which was situated in a great location, 10 minute walk from both the riverside and the city centre, parking was a few hundred yards away in the John Lewis car park, please note this had to be booked online via the Qpark website and you use the code you receive in your booking confirmation email to apply your 30% parking discount. We had no issues finding a parking space and the process was seamless.
On our first evening we ate at Villa Romana, a busy, traditional Italian restaurant situated on Wood Street, the service and food were great, I enjoyed the Lasagne and Leanne ordered the chicken in mushroom creamy sauce, they paid great attention to her allergy and adapted the meal to suit. On our second evening we visited Duke Street food and drink market, we had popped in for a quick drink on the way back to our hotel the previous evening and vowed to return for food the following day, it is a food market with 6 vendors, serving an array of cuisines, including Mexican, Asian, Burgers, Fish, etc. We ordered a burrito and tacos with a few drinks; service was via the QR code on the table and the service was excellent and food was enjoyable. It was a quite a chilled place to sit and relax and although it was busy it was a nice environment.
Special mention to the Italian Club Bakery, situated on Duke Street which was a 5-minute walk from our hotel, a traditional Italian caffe I spotted on Google maps, I picked up a lunchtime treat of a Chicken Milanese focaccia, breaded chicken breast, lettuce and tomato, and a Pistachio filled doughnut. Both were exceptional, the sandwich was huge, and the doughnut was light and generously filled with pistachio crème. Can recommend.
