It's not an exaggeration to say that until recently the best place to stay in Liverpool was probably the Holiday Inn Express. Then came Hope Street, the minimalist boutique hotel in the Georgian Quarter. Now, finally, there's a Malmaison on the waterfront. The chain's first purpose-built property (styled disconcertingly like a monolithic office block) stands almost next door to the Liver Building and is a short walk from Albert Dock and Tate Liverpool. As the brand expands, the relentless 'Mal life' funkiness is beginning to feel a little forced and formulaic. OK, this is Liverpool, but did there have to be a yellow submarine suspended in the atrium opposite the second-floor lifts? Was it really necessary to call the suites the Kop and the Toffee Shop in tribute to the city's football teams? (The former has table football; the latter is hung with Everton memorabilia.) But there's no denying that the chain delivers. The largely Liverpudlian staff are super-obliging and friendly (top marks, too, to the knowledgeable French sommelier). The rooms are comfortable: lots of warm textiles with purple or orange accents; highspec, monochrome bathrooms; generously sized toiletries; and an empty minibar which can be supplied with drinks to order or you can fill yourself. And there is a buzz about the place, especially at weekends, when its Plum Bar and faux-industrial Brasserie are packed with a combination of culture-seeking weekenders and aspirant WAGs, who bag the see-and-be-seen chef's table (though the cooking, it has to be said, is some way off meriting such veneration).
WHEN TO GO
From 30 May to 31 August, when Tate Liverpool is showing Gustav Klimt:
Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900, the hot-ticket exhibition of the year.
ROOM TO BOOK
A sixth-floor Mersey-view king room on the Liver Building side.
William Jessop Way, Princes Dock, Liverpool (0151 229 5000; www.malmaison-liverpool.com). Doubles from £145; Mersey-view king rooms from £160
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