The Queens Hotel, Leeds, Yorkshire

Make sure to have a browse at Kirkgate Market, one of Europe's largest covered markets, with around 800 stalls from specialist cheese to haberdashery, an Asian bazaar to hardware.

The Leeds Art Gallery is a 10-minute walk from the hotel, whilst for the non-conformist there is a Street Art Trail to follow around the city.
By car: around 2 hours 20 minutes from Birmingham and 4 hours 15 minutes from London or Edinburgh.
By train: there are direct trains to Leeds station from Sheffield (1 hour), Manchester Picadilly (2 hours) and London Kings Cross (2 hours 20 minutes). The hotel is a 1 minute walk from the station. thetrainline.com

If you want a good, city-centre position and the buzz and the services of a big four-star hotel with a touch of 1930s glamour, you'll enjoy staying here. We love the original art deco features such as the bright-red lift doors with brass trims and star-shaped window panels.

Enter the hotel off City Square and you step straight into a welcoming lounge of Chesterfield sofas, big armchairs and potted palms with a mix of jazzy and bluesy music.

• Restaurant
• Bar
• Gym
• Free Wi-Fi

The Deluxe room No 835, on the eighth floor, has a terrace with terrific city views; otherwise, City Square rooms would be our choice with lots of space and perennially interesting views over their namesake. We love the bathrooms with their big walk-in showers with fun black-and-white wall-panels of Leeds street scenes or op-art designs.

Cosy Double, Classic, Superior, Superior City Square View, Deluxe Family, Deluxe Terrace rooms, Junior King Suite, Suite, Presidential Suite
Facilities include: ensuite with bath or shower, free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee-making facilities

The long, mirror-backed bar with its high stools demands you drink cocktails; as well as the classics these include Singapore Sling, Light & Stormy and the house G&T with lychee and lemongrass infused gin and yuzu sake... The weekend brunch goes to town with a mouth-watering choice from pancakes and croque monsieur through eggs Florentine to shakshuka and duck hash.

Grand Pacific Restaurant: exotic twists on British classics. Mains from £13.50.
Grand Pacific Bar: classy, cocktails and champagne. Cocktails from £9.
Café Pacific: casual, coffee and cakes.