Titanic Hotel Liverpool

Stanley Dock sits a mile north of the Pier Head, and most visitors walk straight past it on the way to the Albert Dock. That is their loss. The Titanic Hotel occupies the North Warehouse, a colossal Victorian tobacco warehouse completed in 1901 – the largest brick building in the world when it was built, and still jaw-dropping today.

The conversion is done with respect. Exposed brick throughout, cast iron columns, original loading bays turned into dramatic public spaces. Rooms are loft-style and proper big by hotel standards, with high ceilings and industrial windows looking out over the dock or the surrounding dock landscape.

The spa is excellent – one of the better hotel spas in Liverpool, with a pool, sauna and treatment rooms carved into the old warehouse fabric. The brickwork in the spa alone is worth seeing.

Rum Runner bar and the Rum Runner restaurant occupy the ground floor event space, and the whole building transforms on wedding weekends into something genuinely spectacular. Stanley Dock itself is being restored, so the view from the hotel keeps improving year on year.

Location-wise, it is not central. You will want a taxi or the 15-minute walk down to the waterfront. But if you want a hotel that tells you something about Liverpool rather than just housing you, the Titanic Hotel is hard to beat. Stanley Dock, Regent Road, L3.