Lock & Key

With a great location bang in the centre of the city, this boutique Liverpool guesthouse occupies a Georgian townhouse on fashionable Duke Street, in the city's Ropewalks district. It's the kind of hotel that offers an antidote to chain sameiness, with 14 individually decorated guest rooms that don't skimp on space, service or facilities – a cosy, homely yet rather cool spot from which to explore the city. Not only that, it was ranked among the Sunday Times' Top 100 UK hotels not so long ago, and staff are extremely friendly and helpful.

The hotel's rooms range from 'Cosy through 'Standard' to 'Spacious', and are all beautifully decorated, with splashy floral wallpaper and carpets, colourful upholstered headboards and Art Deco-ish furniture all providing a dose of class and  style. All the rooms have good wifi, king-size beds, a desk, a flatscreen TV, tea- and coffee-making facilities and marble en-suite bathrooms with powerful rainfall showers. Despite its the low-key charm, it also has a lot of the facilities of a much larger hotel,  with parking, a 24-hour reception, room service and a funky cocktail bar and a very relaxed Neapolitan-themed restaurant downstairs.