The French and Italianate flourishes throughout this grade II listed beauty were perhaps wasted on the office workers who used to clock in here, so it’s good news that the city council sold up. The move paved the way for the building’s £60 million, four-year transformation into a glamorous city bolt hole. Centre stage is the Gatsby-esque Palm Court, an opulent all-day playground with soaring white columns, acres of marble and burnished gold art deco-inspired easy chairs, where locals and guests hang out sampling the cocktail list. Add in the city’s prettiest afternoon tea venue, a sultry spa, 179 urban oasis bedrooms and plenty of Scouse charm and you will feel you are on the winning side.
Overall score 7/10
Main photo: the Municipal Hotel & Spa — MGallery is housed in a former city council building
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Rooms and suites
Score 7/10
En route to many of the 179 rooms, guests catch a glimpse of the building’s famous clock tower — a Liverpool landmark that is still in working order (although it only chimes from 10am to 8pm these days, sensitive to insomniacs and sore heads). Many rooms are airy thanks to those Victorian high ceilings and retain original features such as vaulted arches, intricate cornicing, marble fireplaces and panelling. The sober colour palette with notes of grey and navy blue is rescued from descending into corporate neutrality by cute touches such as retro telephones, jaunty local artworks, striking padded headboards upholstered with evocative William Morris & Co fabrics and quality carpets with geometric patterns. Bathrooms mix marble and inky-blue metro tiles, and come stocked with sweet-smelling bergamot and bitter orange amenities by Culti Milano, the Italian lifestyle brand.
Food and drink
Score 7/10
Cocktails are masterfully mixed in the Palm Court and make a very civilised start to an evening, while the Seaforth restaurant just beyond it is nicely spritzed with atmosphere courtesy of the bar crowd. Anthony Wright, the executive chef, keeps it real so, of course, there is traditional Scouse stew on the menu, though the braised lamb shoulder is elevated by beetroot mash and pickled cabbage ketchup. If you don’t want to take your cultural immersion that deep, there are fusion dishes such as Creedy Carver duck with sweet potato fondant and star anise jus. Breakfast also features a cheeky northern spin among the usual suspects, with pulled lamb replacing the conventional ham or salmon in a “Scouse Benedict”. Don’t miss a Botanic Tearoom afternoon tea, where guests take their places in a curved burgundy or bottle-blue banquette under a faux-blossom tree, for dainty sandwiches and cakes with a pot of tea or glass of bubbly. Service throughout is upbeat, witty and charismatic.
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What else is there?
Score 7/10
The adult-only spa has a 16m swimming pool lit by floor-to-ceiling windows, a sauna with backlit Himalayan salt bricks, a steam room and laconium — though the £30-per-person charge for entry, like its cold-plunge bucket and ice experience, might prove a passion killer. On the other hand, treatments featuring Elemis and Grown Alchemist products are well priced (60-minute massages from £85) and expertly executed by friendly therapists. There is also a small gym and a nail salon.
Where is it?
Score 8/10
Dale Street is in the thick of the action, close to the Royal Albert Dock, the Mersey and Cavern Quarter, and within easy reach of museums as well as the restaurants and shops of Liverpool ONE. Liverpool Lime Street rail station is a ten-minute walk away.
Price B&B doubles from £98
Restaurant mains from £20
Family-Friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y
Accessible Y
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