“We live in Sheffield, we write about things we see here. What else is there to write about“ – Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys

It may seem strange to anybody looking in that I got invited to spend the night at St Paul’s, Mecure Hotel and Spa in Sheffield.

Why you may ask ?…

Well basically because I live in the steel city. Apart from a 2 year stint in Lincoln it’s always been home.

I did question why I’d been invited myself but as I often get asked where to stay in Sheffield AND as I am a massive advocate of the beautiful city I thought it was an ideal opportunity.

What better way to recommend a hotel than to have stayed there yourself .

What better way to promote a city than to see it through ‘first timers’ eyes…

So I said yes … if it was still ok with them then I’d love to take up their generous offer.

So that’s what I did last Friday night along with a group of bloggers from around the country.

St Pauls Mecure Hotel is nestled perfectly in-between the Winter Gardens and the Town Hall. Looking out across  the Peace Gardens, it is situated in a really beautiful spot and ideally placed with all the local attractions within walking distance.

The Crucible Theatre [World Snooker Championships] and Lyceum Theatre are literally a stones throw away.

Division Street and West Street – both great for shopping, coffee shops and bars is only a 5 minute stroll away.

The view from our room  [505] was something else, especially if like myself you love your architecture and a beautiful building can set your heart racing.

The bedrooms are large, light, airy and very tastefully decorated. The beds are extremely comfortable and high. You may find it strange that I mention bed height but as a bad back sufferer it’s a godsend. Too low and I can’t get out of it!

There was a fully stocked mini fridge, large wide screen TV, a Nespresso machine [something else that sets my heart racing!] dressing gowns , slippers , a safe and a full range of toiletries.

We even had surround sound in the bathroom. I Loved this. Power Shower disco anybody?

It had everything you would expect from a 4 star hotel.

We were also greeted  by a rather lovely plate of delicious chocolates and nuts, a goodie bag which contained amongst other things a bottle of Sheffield Gin & Hendersons Relish. 

Two of my favourite things right there!

If my night had ended there and then I would have been an extremely happy bunny.

The interior of the hotel is beautiful and extremely stylish. Lots of subtle greys & yellows, deep purple with pops of pink.

As my gran used to say ‘clean looking’

A large foyer / reception leads through to the bar to your right, while to your left you’ll find the restaurant area which has recently under-gone a small refurbishment.

Both have amazing views through the large glass windows into the Winter Gardens.

We made our way down to the restaurant area for pre-dinner canapés and a gin.

Delicious canapés that melted in your mouth [ especially the beef and horse radish sauce ones ] and a very large gin I might add.

When it comes to gin I’m a newbie and I’m also a bit of a light weight. It went straight to my head !

Before heading to our allocated eating area for a top notch 3-course meal.

After the meal everybody was left to do their own thing .

Suitably stuffed Sue and I made our way to the bar, grabbed ourselves a high stool each and ordered a couple of Espresso Martinis while catching up on each other’s news.

I’ve had a few of these in my time and have to say that the Espresso Martinis at St Paul’s would feature in my top 5.

Delicious.

The next morning we made our way down to breakfast.

For myself this consisted of lots of coffee, cereal and dried fruit.

Sue opted for a full English. I’d normally  have had the same but after a week in Whitby and a fry up every morning I just couldn’t face another…

The one thing I noted over the few days was how friendly , without being overly in your face, the staff are. It’s a real pleasure to not be grunted at or get your coffee practically thrust at you. The staff actually look like they love their jobs.

Breakfast over, next on the agenda was the tour of Sheffield City Centre with the lovely Philip [ below] what a bloody lovely guy!

Here are some of the highlights.

For me it was great to see people impressed and pleasantly surprised by Sheffield and what it had to offer. A few of the group mentioned that they would like to return to explore further.

With it being right on my doorstep and as I see it most weekends I suppose I tend to take it for granted. Looking at in with new eyes I have to agree in places it is rather beautiful and full of character.

We finished the day off back at the hotel with Afternon Tea. After all that walking we definitely deserved cake …

And boy did we get some !!

It was a grand couple of days.

Beautiful surroundings, great food and drink… all amongst lovely company [and the QPR football team who were also staying the night; they were playing Sheffield Wednesday Saturday afternoon ]

I recognised quite a few blogger faces and it was great to put names to those faces that I didn’t.

It was lovely to get to know Oliver [Suede and Symphony] David [ dk travel pix ] Asma [ jet set chick] and her husband Mo, who I hope I’ll bump into again in the not too distant future.

The host for the evening was another Sheffield lady Kavita from She Wears Fashion. Apart from a quick hello I didn’t really get chance to talk to her but can confirm she is as super stylish as you would expect.

To make a reservation at Mecure St Pauls or for any other enquiries // HERE .

There isn’t actually any parking on site at the hotel [ the only reason it’s not a 5 star] but you get discounted parking at Q car park which is 2 minutes walk from the hotel. It’s so near you can see it.

So there you have it, please come and see us soon.

As we say around these parts

‘ si’thi’ later …

Tracey x

* Thank you to the One Fifty Consultancy and The Mecure Hotel, Sheffield for offering us this opportunity and to Olivia for looking after us and making sure everything ran smoothly *

* For further What to do in Sheffield ideas // HERE