North Wales- 5 nights
Hotel: We stayed at Swn Y Mor Hotel in Llandudno, a bed and breakfast on Llandudno’s seafront overlooking the promenade. Our room was comfortable with views of both the water and the Great Orme. The couple running the B&B were attentive and friendly. The main drawback for us was the location; it was farther from the town centre than we would have preferred making the restaurants, museums and other attractions less convenient to reach.
Food: We enjoyed delicious dinners at the Dunoon Hotel and its sister restaurant, Next Door. We had Sunday Roast at the Goat which was not particularly memorable. Bodysgallen Hall Afternoon tea was the best we had on the entire trip. We had a good meal at the Gwydyr Hotel in Betws Y Coed.
Highlights: Bodysgallen Hall was beautiful, especially the gardens which, in combination with the lovely afternoon tea, made it a very special outing. Bodnant Gardens was very impressive -the azaleas and rhododendrons were at their peak creating a spectacular display of color throughout. We knew the famous laburnum would not be in bloom so we didn’t feel we missed out. The train up Eryri (Snowdonia) was exciting although we had to stop ¾ of way up because the winds at the top were 50mph! Other highlights include the Thomas Telford Suspension Bridge in Conwy. It was built in 1826 and was one of the first suspension bridges in the world. We took a boat trip from Beaumaris around Puffin Island. Although we didn't spot any puffins, the trip itself was enjoyable and gave us wonderful views of the coastline.
Challenges: North Wales offered more than we could fit in in five days. We were able to prioritize our top wishlist but there were a couple of things I would have liked to have seen if we had stayed longer.
Liverpool- 2 nights
Hotel: We had originally booked A Hard Day’s Night Hotel but some reviews scared me off. That may have been a mistake. We stayed at the Hotel Indigo Liverpool and it was the most uncomfortable bed ever! After the first night, staff added a duvet on top of the mattress to create a makeshift pillow top which made it slightly more comfortable. We were also assigned an accessible room despite not requesting one. Curiously, it was the room farthest from the elevator down many halls (odd for an accessible room). We tried the hotel breakfast once. It was expensive and not very interesting. It will definitely not be a repeat location for us.
Food: We ate at the Cavern Club because… Beatles…and we tried (vegetarian) Scouse because... Liverpool. We had lunch at Pret a Manger (our first time) and the sandwich was good. We also ate at the Philharmonic dining room (see challenges below).
Highlights: The Beatles Childhood Homes tour with National Trust was so good! The very knowledgeable guides provided lots of interesting details about the homes and the “boys” as well as insights into impacts of the socioeconomics of the time and their childhood losses. On a train earlier in our trip, I spotted someone reading a book called “John and Paul” about the relationship between the two of them. I immediately bought it and had read most of it by the time we got to Liverpool which added a whole new dimension to the childhood homes experience.
Challenges: Our second evening, We had dinner at the Philharmonic Dining Room. It seems that they make absolutely everything with some turmeric to which I am allergic. We found transportation a little confusing in Liverpool. At one point we had to call an Uber and the driver dropped us off at the wrong place, (because that’s where she was picking up her next fare?) and she gave us the wrong directions to our destination causing us to miss our timed entry at the Beatles Story Museum. Despite the challenges, we enjoyed our time in Liverpool. At the same time, it reinforced our preference for smaller cities and towns over large urban areas.