My visits to Liverpool in December are now an annual event; my old friend and musical hero Ian McNabb (formerly of the Icicle Works and now a solo artists with an impressive catalogue - check him out, he's really rather splendid) plays a gig in his hometown just before Christmas. My long-suffering partner kindly foots most of the bill as a birthday present to me but last year we decided to try to reduce the expense.

The Formule 1 is situated almost opposite the Albert Dock on busy Wapping - thankfully set far enough back from the road to escape the noise of the traffic. It has a small car-park which it shares with the adjoining Ibis Hotel. If you've never stayed in a Formule 1 hotel, it's at this point you begin to realise why the rooms are so cheap.

Having sneaked in when someone was leaving I found an English speaker who told me to come back at five; I was not a happy person. I had planned the afternoon - pop out to do a little shopping, buy a scarf to go with the evenings outfit, come back, get ready and go out for the evening. This was going to ruin my plans. However, nothing could be done.
We returned at the appointed hour - the receptionist (I say receptionist - more like a surly youth with a shaved head and wearing a bomber jacket that made him look more like a security guard) was on shift; he refused to believe that we hadn't been told about the 5.00pm check in. It was only the fact that Liverpool were playing at home that day (making hotel rooms in the city the equivalent of gold-dust) that made us take up the room; if there had been any other options I would have been ensconced in another hotel performing executing my preparations for the evening ahead. There was one further incident before we headed to our room: the price of the room was actually £29.95 and we paid in cash. However, the receptionist had no change and assumed that we would not mind losing the five pence. Well, if you're reading this, Formule 1, I do mind. I really mind. Imagine how much money this young man is raking in if he pockets five pence every time someone checks in - OK, I know it's not a huge amount but it's the principle isn't it?

The hotel has only triple rooms, no singles or doubles- at this rate though it hardly matters. Each room has a double bed below with a single bunk above it at a right angle. No rooms have private bathrooms. These are situated at the end of each corridor. Unfortunately, so was our room. Let me try to explain. As far as I could tell, the hotel has the central staircase at its core and the showers and toilets are situated by the stairs on each landing with the corridors of rooms radiating off the hub. Presumably this meant a less significant cost for plumbing when the hotel was built since all the goings-on will be in one condensed area. Again, it makes perfect sense. But for the poor guest whose room is next to the showers (me!) you have everyone tripping past you all day and night, chatting to people outside your room and calling out "I'm just going to have a wee, I'll be along in a minute" when they come back in the early hours. It would be kinder on the guests if there were toilets and shower rooms at each end of the corridor rather than have the thunder of feet all night long. This, of course, is the worst case scenario - we had had enough to drink to ensure that not even the pipers of the Dagenham Girls Band cold have stirred us. Other guests might not sleep so heavily.

As you would expect there is no room service here and there isn't a café or restaurant although there are vending machines on the landing (crisps, chocolate and soft drinks) and you do receive a voucher at check-in entitling you to a discount at the Ibis Hotel's restaurant next door.

Tel +44 1517092040