LIVERPOOL does not need much of an introduction as a city famous for many, many things from the iconic Beatles to its ferry across the Mersey and the fact it can boast not one but two cathedrals plus two fabulous football clubs Liverpool and Everton.

I was lucky enough to have a two-night stay in this fabulous city, courtesy of Ibis Hotels.

This was my first trip staying in an Ibis hotel and I was surprised to find it labelled a budget hotel because the accommodation at both sites was really luxurious.

And Ibis is the European market leader and global benchmark in economy hotels.

It’s parent company Accor has carried out in-depth modernisation of more than 1,000 hotels in 50 countries in the last two years and in the first nine months of 2013, ibis opened 70 more hotels.

Visit Liverpool and you have a choice of two ibis hotels - ibis Albert Dock which is in the heart of the revamped docklands which now boasts shops, museums, multi-million pound flats, bars and many restaurants.

While the second venue for our Saturday night stay was ibis styles in Dale Street, yards from the famous Mathew Street, which is home to the famous Cavern Club where singer Cilla Black found fame after her mates the Beatles introduced her to their manager Brian Epstein.

The club was featured in the recent TV documentary Cilla about her early life and rise to fame.

Our first night was spent in ibis Albert Dock. A nice touch from ibis, apart from the welcome chocolates, was a handy book, written tongue in cheek, entitled Lern Yerself Scouse (yes, it’s true) which may or may not help visitors understand the local accent of the friendly Scousers.

This hotel looks out onto the River Mersey. The double room we had was spacious and the bed very comfortable and with plenty of space to stretch out.

(For the first time in the economy hotel sector this hotel group has designed a bed from start to finish and now offers its guests the ultimate comfort. The brand notched up two victories on this score. First, it rolled out its new bedding concept in record time, installing the Sweet Bed by ibis across more than 80 per cent of its network in less than a year. Second, the number of very satisfied customers increased almost 30 per cent as a result in just a few months. In fact, the ibis bedding concept is so successful that to satisfy customer requests, the brand has gone the extra mile and now sells its bed on the Internet in Europe.)

The self-contained bathroom was in a pod – with a power shower, loo and large handbasin with mirror over, great for getting ready for a night out.

We spent our first night in the city centre restaurant Leaf in Bold Street. It has a bohemian feel to it with lots of wood and unusual bits and pieces dotted about.

The food on offer was just fabulous. Luckily the table for our party was booked because Leaf is a very popular venue for all ages.

You would be forgiven for thinking with its name that Leaf is a vegetarian restaurant but no, while offering a variety of vegetarian dishes, it very much caters for all tastes.

Prices for starters, range from around £3 to £6 with main courses around £8 to £15. We were too stuffed to attempt the dessert menu which looked very inviting.

The friendly and attentive staff and quick service is definitely worth its weight in gold and we will be making a return next time we visit Liverpool.

Our first full day in the city got off to a great start with breakfast in the friendly open plan dining room on the ground floor of the hotel. Here we could choose from a wide variety of cereals, toast, fresh fruit, jams, marmalades, cheese, muffins, plus plenty of scrambled eggs, sausages, mushrooms, beans, bacon the list was endless - and you could go back as many times as you liked.

Set up for the day we then moved on to our new hotel – ibis styles in Dale Street. This hotel, as the name suggests, has a theme.

And for Liverpool there could only be one – the Beatles and their famous songs.

Each floor of the hotel is dedicated to a song title, one of my favourites was Strawberry Fields (floor 3) with bright red and white illustrations of strawberries of course.

We were on floor seven – Ticket to Ride - with a large black and white picture of screaming girls shouting for the Beatles as they took off on a plane, the walls are decorated with tiny planes, cars and trains with a huge ticket on the facing walls.

The Yesterday room was decorated with a tiny variety of clocks going backwards and the word yesterday in reverse on the wall which was the right way round when viewed in the large mirror opposite. This is a cleverly styled hotel and its quirky decoration was very inventive and a joy to look at.

It is also a great place to explore the city centre itself with Liverpool One shopping experience a five minute walk away. All the major stores are here along with many more bars and restaurants to suit every taste – and pocket.

However we were lucky enough to be taken on a special trip – the Magical Mystery Tour – with our fab guide Andy. He is a registered tourist guide for the city and he just happens to be one of the Beatles’ biggest fans so to listen to him and his anecdotes about their early lives and local folklore was amazing.

Our minibus tour took us to all the early homes of the Beatles, and it was surprising to find that Paul McCartney’s home is lived in by a normal family. The only indication of its history is a plaque on the fence and the fact tourists keep pulling up to take photographs.

We also saw the home of John Lennon’s auntie Mimi who brought him up, the tiny terraced house of George Harrison and the pub near Ringo’s home which was used as a front cover for his first solo album.

The tour stopped in Penny Lane made famous by the Beatle’s song and of course Strawberry Fields which is a field fronted by bright red gates but no access to the site as it is in private ownership.

We also drove past the city’s two cathedrals - the magnificent Anglican cathedral near the city’s China town and the Catholic cathedral in Hope Street, known affectionately by the locals as Paddy’s Wigwam.

Both cathedrals have in the past featured on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow.

We arrived back at Matthew Street and were given tickets which allowed us free access to the Cavern Club. The basement club was packed and a 60s tribute band were entertaining the appreciative audience of afternoon drinkers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking around the city and buying some souvenirs of course.

In Newport we had our decorated dragons dotted around our city, in Liverpool they have the Lamb Bananas. These can be found everywhere, there are several in the Albert Dock area seen as you stroll along by the Mersey and admire the ferries tripping back and forth from the city to the Wirral peninsula.

Our trip to Liverpool was made even more pleasant by the fact our hotels were so comfortable and their staff at both sites were so helpful and ready to help with any requests.

Ibis prides itself on its ability to offer a high level of service at an affordable price.

The brand is able to guarantee this quality thanks to the commitment, attitude and professionalism of its teams, in evidence by both teams of staff we met.

With 86 per cent of its network recognized by the ISO 9001 certification, ibis is also the only brand to offer reception, bar and light snack services around the clock.

The ibis teams are now perfecting a new approach to service.

This program, known as the “extra-mile”, was deployed in 2014, allowing the brand to consolidate its leadership position in its market segment.

The brand has three booking sites: accorhotels.com, ibis.com and ibishotel.com.

In September 2013, the brand launched the ibis BUSINESS card to cater for the specific requirements of regular business travellers. Just three months after its launch, this program has already notched up 38,000 subscribers, including more than 25,000 new subscribers.

Ibis is also accelerating its digital transformation with a strong presence in the new media (smartphone applications and the social networks) aimed at forging direct and permanent links with its mobile and highly connected customers.

Its ambition is to establish itself as the benchmark digital brand by 2015. The ibis application already accounts for five per cent of direct online bookings. To find out more about ibis visit ibishotel.com & accorhotels.com

You won’t be disappointed.