Liverpool is known as the birthplace of the fab four, The Beatles as well as a diverse and cultural city. We recently returned from a short stay in Liverpool where we stayed at Staybridge Suites Liverpool for two nights in one of their wheelchair accessible suites. Read this review to find out what the accessibility is like at Staybridge Suites Liverpool – the wheelchair accessible hotel next to Albert Dock.
Simply Emma was welcomed as a guest of Staybridge Suites Liverpool in return for an honest; as always, all opinions are my own.
Location
Located in a great central spot just a short walk or roll from the iconic Royal Albert Docks with museums, restaurants, bars, the M&S bank arena and of course The Beatles Story museum. There is no storage of things to do including Tate Liverpool, The British Music Experience, the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Museum of Live.
There are great public transport links with Liverpool Lime Street Station a twenty-minute walk, Moorfields and Central stations only a ten-minute walk. Plenty of shops and bars nearby so perfect if you fancy a shopping trip city break.
Parking and Checking In
There is self-parking at Staybridge Suites Liverpool, but you aren’t able to park here until you have checked in. We pulled up and parked our car at the front of the hotel beside the car park garage door. The garage door had a sign noting that it could only be operated by your room key. So we headed inside and took the lift from ground level to the first floor to check-in.
We received a warm welcome at the front desk. We were checked in quickly and told to park our car in front of the building to unload our bags, check into our room and come down later to move the car into the undercover car park when we were ready. It was appreciated that he didn’t rush us. Later, Allan went down and drove the car into the car park. The entrance of the car park was around six and a half feet.
Wheelchair Accessible Suite
Having stayed at Staybridge Suites Newcastle a few times in the past, we had an idea of what the suite and accessibility would be like. These hotels are great for overnight stays, but also ideal for extended stays and business trips as each suite offers a fully-equipped kitchen and living area within the room. There is also access to the fitness room (if you wish), laundry facilities, a food pantry for supplies to cook in your room as well as a hot and cold breakfast buffet.
There are six accessible suites at this hotel and we were happy as we entered ours on the third floor. It was stylish, modern, and comfortable and had that Staybridge Suite feel we are familiar with.
The double bed looked cosy, so I was glad when I discovered it felt cosy too. I didn’t have to use my trusty self-inflating mat that I always travel with just in case the bed is too hard for me. This bed was absolutely fine and I slept great both nights. Maybe a little too good as we missed breakfast because we slept in. Oops!
The bed was positioned low with plenty of space for a portable hoist to roll underneath. Amble space on one side of the bed (closest to the bathroom) for wheelchair transfers as the space on the other side next to the window was too tight for a wheelchair to fit.
Next to the bed were light switches, an emergency pull cord, a telephone and power sockets for charging wheelchairs, equipment and other devices. This was ideal for charging my wheelchair overnight.
Kitchen, Dining & Living Area
The kitchen has everything you need including a microwave oven, cooker, toaster, fridge, dishwasher, pots/pans/serving dishes, cutlery, plates and glassware. The sink and worktop have a section cut out for wheelchair users to roll underneath.
Next to the kitchen is the breakfast bar/work desk with two high stools. Unfortunately, the table is too high for wheelchair users to sit at. Thankfully I had my wheelchair tray table with me in the car so I had to use that for eating and drinking. If I didn’t have my wheelchair tray table then I wouldn’t have been able to eat or drink independently. Having a lower standard height table would make such a big difference in this wheelchair accessible suite.
There was a small sitting area next to one of the windows with a flat-screen TV (cable/satellite TV) and an armchair. It was a cosy little corner and although small, it was manageable in my power wheelchair.
Wheelchair Accessible Bathroom
The wheelchair accessible bathroom in this room was very spacious with plenty of space for moving around in a wheelchair as well as a portable hoist.
The toilet was positioned in the corner with space on the right-hand side for wheelchair transfers. There were pull-down and fixed grab bars next to the toilet.
As the toilet was mounted to a boxed-in wall where the water cistern is, the pull-down grab bar was attached to the wall further back so it meant the grab bar didn’t come far enough forward for me to be able to hold onto it to help me balance and feel safe. This may be okay for others with better trunk control than me.
The sink was fine, but a little on the small size so I wasn’t able to fully roll underneath. It was also positioned a little close to the toilet which made being manually transferred on/off difficult. Of course, this was just my personal experience due to my limited abilities. You may find this absolutely fine depending on your needs.
The roll-in shower had a wall-mounted shower seat, and a pull-down grab bar and the showerhead and water controls were within reach. There were shower curtains, but they weren’t floor length so this may cause water to splash onto your wheelchair.
Breakfast Buffet and Pantry
A complimentary hot breakfast buffet is available to all guests at Staybridge Suites Liverpool. There is also a Grab & Go Pantry with a range of food, drinks and supplies you may need especially if you want to cook in your suite.
For pure convenience, we ordered food on Deliveroo on both nights. We were really hungry when we arrived on our first night so ordered from Cali Vegan Kitch (The Caledonia Pub). It was so amazing that we ordered from them on the second night too.
We can highly recommend the Mac burger, Hunt Sabs Chimken burger, CVK Classic burger, Mac & Cheeze balls and the vegan brownie. It was all so good.
Things To Do In The Area
We enjoyed strolling around the area while staying at Staybridge Suites Liverpool. On our first night after dinner, we walked along to the Royal Albert Dock. The Ferris Wheel is right beside our hotel so it was nice to see that lit up at night.
Baltic Triangle
The Baltic Triangle area is a really cool spot known as the heart of the independent Liverpool scene with lots of trendy bars, cafes and creative businesses. There is also lots of amazing street artwork, like the famous Paul Curtis Liver Bird wings. Of course, I had to get a photo with the wings and the other cool artwork.
Royal Albert Dock
Royal Albert Dock is known as the vibrant heart of Liverpool’s historic waterfront. It is nice to wander around both night and day. We did both. There are cobblestones around, but it wasn’t too bad as I often managed to find smoother paths to drive on. There are lots of restaurants, bars, shops and museums around this area.
Tate Liverpool
First, we stopped for some lunch in the museum’s cafe and had a veggie hummus wrap, fries and a vegan cake. The cafe’s interior was decorated with Keith Haring designs to tie in with the new exhibition displaying his work.
Tate Liverpool was good and we saw lots of cool art and displays. Some of the main pieces were by artists Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol. The new exhibition was by artist and activist Keith Haring.
Wheelchair accessibility was good around the museum. We saw accessible toilets throughout the different levels as well as a Changing Places toilet on the ground floor. It was a small Changing Places toilet, but still amazing there was one.
Fusion Festival
Our main reason for going to Liverpool was to go to Fusion Festival to see one of our favourite bands, Kings of Leon. You may have already seen on social media and in my blog post that the festival was a disaster. If you want to read the full story and watch the footage we captured of the accessibility issues then you can check it out HERE.
Shopping
You can literally shop until you drop as there are plenty of shops nearby the hotel. We had a wander around the shopping area before heading back to our hotel for dinner.
Final Thoughts
Staybridge Suites Liverpool is a great wheelchair accessible hotel in the centre of Liverpool. Centrally located and within walking/rolling distance to lots of main attractions, restaurants, bars and shops. This hotel is stylish and modern with a relaxed vibe. The wheelchair accessible suite is comfortable and met our main needs.
The only things I personally would change are lowering the height of the breakfast bar/work desk and changing the bathroom sink to a larger one that is easier to roll underneath. The staff were friendly and made us feel welcome. I would recommend the Staybridge Suites Liverpool and would definitely stay here again.
You might also enjoy
Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre | Wheelchair Access Review
Premier Inn St. Helens South | Wheelchair Access Review
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4 Responses
Love that this review is so honest. Too many times, I see reviews that are only trying to please the company, and it’s so obvious that they are fake.
Oh thank you so much Nina – that is really sweet of you to say. I completely agree with you – honestly is the only way. I don’t agree with lying and making something seem better than it is. If something isn’t accessible, then I will 100% mention it 🙂 Thanks again.
I would really appreciate if you could advise in your articles the cost of the hotels, beach chairs, etc. that the readers will pay. I get that they are complimentary to you, i don’t begrudge you this and i have benefitted a lot from much of the information, but surely the cost of actually buying the thing is important.
that may be difficult for the reviewer to obtain as there are always deals and it depends on the time of year. try google and expedia or even call the hotel to see what they can offer. Never pay rack rate (the amount posted on the door of a hotel room. )it can lead to heart failure.