Stand Up For Southport Triple crown as B&Bs
SOUTHPORT can proudly boast the best three guest houses in the entire Liverpool City Region! And this March the three town centre venues will go head to head to discover which one will be crowned the B&B and Guest House of the Year in the 2022 Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
Sunnyside Guest House on Bath Street, The Braemar Southport on Bath Street; and The Heidi Bed & Breakfast on Bold Street have earned all three shortlisted places in this year’s awards.
It will be Southport’s first win in the category since The Ambassador Townhouse on Bath Street won the accolade 12 years ago.
All three guest house owners contesting this year’s awards say they are cheering each on, and that any victory will ultimately be a win for Southport as a whole.
They won’t be alone at the ceremony.
The Atkinson in Southport has been shortlisted as Large Visitor Attraction of the Year while The Windmill pub is competing for the Pub Of The Year title.
Five Southport venues have been shortlisted for the returning Hidden Gem Award: Bijou Cinema; British Lawnmower Museum; Enelles Glass House; Southport Pier Pavilion; and the Vintage Tea Room in Churchtown.
Formby Hall and Spa is up for Best Hotel, while employee Connie Blakemore is up for the new Unsung Hero prize.
The ceremony will take place at Liverpool Cathedral on March 10 2022, delivered by Growth Platform - Liverpool City Region Growth Company in association with Liverpool BID Company.
Peter Sandman, Head of Visitor Economy Development at Growth Platform, said: “It’s great to see the visitor economy sector throwing their support behind these awards - this year we have seen close to a 40% increase in applications with many of those being new businesses getting involved for the first time.
“We are privileged to celebrate our unique, diverse and resilient sector in style.”
The 17 categories include awards for best hotel, restaurant, and attractions, alongside the new awards for Resilience and Innovation and Unsung Hero – with the return of the Hidden Gem category which highlights the City Region’s best kept secrets and is put to a public vote.
SUNNYSIDE BED AND BREAKFAST
Sunnyside Bed and Breakfast, on Bath Street in Southport town centre, prides itself as being the perfect place for a seaside escape in Southport, with quality rooms and delicious breakfasts.
The venue is run by local couple Anthony and Larissa Duffey.
Anthony Duffey is also on the board of Southport Hotels Association.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted to be recognised on the shortlist for the tourism awards! It is such a prestigious award. We are over the moon.
“It has been 12 years since a Southport guest house, The Ambassador Townhouse on Bath Street, won this award.
“Now, with three Southport guest houses making up the final three, we know that the award will be coming back to Southport once again. Whoever wins the award, we will all celebrate, it is great recognition for Southport as a whole.”
‘Sunny Southport’ is enjoying a real boom at the moment.
Last year saw the arrival of a new Southport Market food, drinks and events venue and a beautiful new ‘boulevard of light’ with 300,000 lights along Lord Street.
Exciting new events at Victoria Park include Southport Classic and Speed and the Seaside Weekender.
Work is taking place to provide new and exciting attractions at Southport Pleasureland, a new events centre next to Marine Lake and a new world class resort at Princes Park.
Anthony Duffey said: “There is a lot of interest coming into Southport at the moment! “As guest house owners and business owners, it gives all of us confidence to invest even further into our own properties knowing that all this investment is going to bring more and more visitors into our town.
“For all of us guest houses and B&Bs in the Bath Street area, this is the perfect place to be for guests.
“We are situated right next to all the superb shops and restaurants on Lord Street and in Southport town centre on one side, while on the other side we are next to the Promenade and Southport seafront with attractions such as Southport Pleasureland, Victoria Park and Kings Gardens just a short stroll away.
“Everything here is right on your doorstep.
“With family run guest houses and B&Bs, you can enjoy a different experience to big brand hotels too.
“Guests love the attention to detail, the friendliness, free parking, great location and of course our superb breakfasts!”
Anthony Duffey also praised The Windmill, on nearby Seabank Road, which has been shortlisted for Pub Of
The Year in Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards.
He said: “We went into The Windmill a couple of weeks ago, now we go for Sunday lunch every Sunday! “We are really pleased to see them being recognised in the Liverpool City Region Tourism Awards this year, it’s well deserved.”
Sunnyside Bed and Breakfast is at 47 Bath Street, Southport town centre, PR9 0DP. Call 01704 536521 or visit: sunnysidesouthport.co.uk
THE BRAEMAR SOUTHPORT
The owner of The Braemar Southport says he is delighted his guest house has been recognised as one of the top three in Merseyside.
Mike France insisted that any victory will be “a win for Southport”, with victory giving a boost to the whole town.
He said: “The biggest news is that all three of us who have been shortlisted for the B&B and Guest House of the Year Awards are all from Southport! “I see it as a massive plus for our town.
“Southport has been judged to have the very best B&Bs and guest houses across the whole of the Liverpool City Region.
“That is just brilliant. It is a huge boost for visitors, for our town, and also for local residents.
“Local residents often have family members who come and stay in Southport, and they stay here and in other guest houses.
“Now they can say to them - come and stay here in Southport, we have the best B&Bs and guest houses here in the whole Liverpool City Region.
“No matter who wins on the night, we will get up and cheer for each other - the winner in all of this is Southport.
“The B&B and Guest House of the Year trophy is coming to Southport! Whoever wins, the town wins! “That has got to be a really good news story.
“It was such a boost when we heard the news. That we had all been shortlisted.
“I would particularly like to thank all our guests who have stayed with us, because they are the ones who make this all worthwhile.”
The Braemar Southport is already highly rated by the customers who stay there.
The venue is the third highest rated hotel or guest house on Booking.com, with an ‘Exceptional’ rating on the website and average score of 9.7 out of 10 from 218 reviews.
The venue scored 9.9 out of 10 for its location - not surprising for a guest house situated between the elegant Lord Street boulevard and Southport town centre on one side, and the Promenade and Southport seafront on the other.
The Braemar Southport offers visitors a shared lounge and free WiFi.
All guest rooms in the guest house are equipped with a flat-screen TV. All rooms are equipped with a private bathroom with a shower.
A a la carte breakfast is available every morning.
The three shortlisted venues are all part of the Southport Hotels Association.
There is a real bond, not just among guest house owners, but also with owners of local shops, restaurants, cafes and hotels. There is a real spirit of co-operation.
Mike France said: “We have a WhatsApp group which is really useful. We share good ideas and help each other out. You never stop learning. We are constantly listening to what our guests tell us, and try to improve what we offer.”
With fewer people braving overseas travel, there has been a staycation boom in the UK in recent months.
Southport, as one of the UK’s leading seaside tourist towns, has benefitted more than most.
Mike France said: “People have really enjoyed coming for holidays to Southport.
“The response has been brilliant. Our reviews speak for themselves, which is great for our town.
“Lots of people have said they are looking forward to coming back this year.”
Many visitors are being drawn to Southport by the huge investment taking place and the new attractions and events happening.
Mike France said: “What is happening in Southport now is really exciting.
“Southport has always been a really good day tripper destination.
“We are benefitting from more and more people who visit and really like our town and want to come back.
“Our message to people across the UK is - come and stay in Southport. It’s a great place to play, to stay and to see.
“Southport is such a great place because it is so compact, you can walk everywhere here, and there are so many great events and attractions.”
The Braemar Southport is at 4 Bath Street, Southport, PR9 0DA. Phone 01704 535838.