Leeds Marriott & Gino D’Acampo Restaurant, the perfect girls getaway

My friend Vicky and I were invited for a girls’ night away at the Leeds Marriott, and for dinner at Gino D’Acampo Restaurant. While we didn’t have any big plans, we were looking forward to good food, a proper catch-up, and plenty of good vibes.

Check in at the hotel was smooth and easy, and we were in our ‘family room’ in no-time. The room was spacious with two huge beds dressed in crisp white sheets – absolute heaven! Taking time out of everyday life just to catch up with a good friend is precious enough as it is, and we both laughed and said we should just open a bottle of fizz, pop on a face mask each and just enjoy doing nothing for the rest of the day. It wouldn’t have made for much of a review, but what a thrilling idea!!

After freshening up, we headed out for a walk. As Leeds locals, we didn’t need to discover what was on the doorstep, but for visitors to the city, the hotel is about as central as you can get.

If you stand outside the hotel on Boar Lane and go straight across the road, you are in the Trinity arcade, with shops, bars and restaurants all under one roof. Or, if you turn right you arrive on Briggate, with its beautiful shopping arcades and charming hidden side streets and pubs, or continue right to arrive at the Corn Exchange, Leeds’s indie shopping paradise.

We decided to turn left for a little wander in the sunshine along Boar Lane. The street is lined with bars and restaurants and leads down to City Square, where we found a disco-style ‘Thors tent’ the perfect place for a cheeky cocktail before dinner. (At Christmas, this area transforms into the Leeds Christmas Markets, all just a short walk from the hotel.)

Dinner was at Gino D’Acampo’s Restaurant, located within the Marriott itself (with its own entrance on Boar Lane). It’s a stylish, open-plan space with around 150 seats, so it’s spacious, but still manages to be cosy and welcoming.

The food was fantastic, with a great vegetarian and vegan selection. Vicky went for the Cocktail di Gamberetti (prawn cocktail) followed by salmon pasta, while I opted for the giant olives and the spicy vegan pizza. The olives weren’t quite as giant as expected, but they were full of flavour, served with a deliciously fragrant olive oil.

We were both impressed, the portions were generous, the atmosphere was relaxed, and we couldn’t have asked for a better spot for a low-key night out. I polished off everything on my plate, but Vicky couldn't manage everything, so she was kindly given a takeaway box for her leftovers, perfect for lunch the next day!

The restaurant is a great option for different dietary requirements – there is a gluten free menu and a vegan/vegetarian menu, something I really appreciated. If you’re a wine drinker, I’d recommend the house pinot grigio rosé, it was delicious, nice and fresh and fruity. If you’re not drinking, you should take a look at the ‘Elevated Alternatives’ menu for grown-up, sophisticated drinks without alcohol.

Happy hour is Sunday to Thursday 3pm to 6pm, and a ‘Fantastico’ menu is available Monday to Friday 12pm to 7pm, offering 2 courses for £20. I’ve put a link to the menus at the bottom of the page – check them out, there’s a dish and a deal to suit everyone, even the bambinis!

Bellies full and still chatting away, we headed back upstairs for some girly pampering, with face packs and infra-red masks, and best of all – an amazing nights sleep. I have to admit it took a few minutes to work out the air-con, but once we got to grips with that, our beds were so comfortable we had a great night’s sleep. You can’t ask for more than that really.

Refreshed and ready to go the next morning, we enjoyed self-service breakfast in the executive lounge. There’s also an option to take breakfast in the Gino D’Acampo Restaurant at an extra cost.

Breakfasts are often tricky as a vegan, but the executive lounge had fresh coffee with dairy alternatives and plenty of fresh bread, toast, beans, jam and cereals. To be honest though, I was so full after polishing off the meal the night before that I could hardly eat anything. Vicky vouches for the full-English!

As well as being a great spot for a weekend stay, I think the Leeds Marriott is a good call for business visitors to the city as there are plenty of ‘breakout areas’ where you could get some work done in between appointments etc, and the all-important wi-fi was good (my kids would have approved!)

Thanks for reading, I hope you found this useful!

By Sally Bendall

The Leeds Marriott, 4 Trevelyan Square, Boar Ln, Leeds LS1 6ET.
(0113) 236 6366.

What 3 words – hurry.loving.flows

Car Parking is available off-site for a discounted rate of £17.50 for 24 hours in Trinity Car Park. Input your registration in the hotel.

There is a fitness centre onsite, open 24 hours to hotel guests.

Forgotten something? There is a small Sainsburys less than a minute away for toiletries snacks etc.

Dogs are not permitted (service dogs only)