Boutiques on a budget

Calling all bonny lasses

BEST FOR... PRIME LOCATION

Just off the famous cobbled Royal Mile in the Old Town of Edinburgh, the Ibis Hotel is right in the middle of the action. It's within stumbling distance of lively pubs like the Albanach just across the street, Jacksons (Jacksons-restaurant.co.uk), where you can sample the national treasure, haggis, and trendy bars and clubs like Tigerlily and Bacaro. It's also a five-minute walk from Waverley train station and a credit-card flex from shopping mecca Princes Street. The hotel has crisply designed en suites overlooking the city's impressive skyline. Could you want anything more?
BOOK IT: Double rooms start from £49 per night. Continental breakfast costs £5.50 per person. Visit Ibishotel.com or call 0131 240 7000.

The Madeley Court Hotel - but where's Richard?!

BEST FOR... ALL THE EXTRAS

Back to basics? Not here! A 16th-century manor house in the picturesque Shropshire countryside, The Madeley Court Hotel in Telford - part of the Focus Hotels group - is perfect for a romantic break. Its Real Deal package includes a luxury night's stay for two with a three-course dinner in The Priory restaurant, a bottle of wine and full English breakfast. What's more, bedrooms boast 100 per cent cotton sheets and free Wi-Fi. For just £25 you can upgrade to a historical room with period features, four-poster bed, fluffy robes and slippers - and champagne and chocs can be included for £50.
BOOK IT: The Real Deal package costs £79.95 per couple, until December 31, 2009. Visit Hotels-telford.com or call 01952 680068.

You'll have a wheely good time in the capital

BEST FOR...THE VIEW

City Inn Westminster is the ultimate crash pad after a night on the tiles - without a sky-high bill when you check out. Set back from the River Thames near Victoria, rooms have spectacular views of London's legendary skyline. Bag yourself a bedroom on an upper floor for killer vistas over the winding river and the London Eye. Slip into a window booth at the hotel's sleek Millbank Lounge - the extensive and mouth-watering cocktail list features indulgences like Cold Choc Martini (£8.75). Rooms are decked out with iMacs, complimentary Wi-Fi and power showers. The stylish City Café with its alfresco terrace serves tasty European cuisine (£9.95 for a two-course set lunch).
BOOK IT: Double rooms at City Inn Westminster cost from £119 including breakfast. Visit Cityinn.com or call 020 7630 1000.

Absolutely spa-vellous!

BEST FOR... SPA TREATS

A wallet-friendly break where you can be pampered to your heart's content? Bring it on! The four-star Mercure Holland House Hotel And Spa in Cardiff has stunning views of Cardiff Bay and is home to Spa Naturel - a relaxing haven with a pool, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, gym and candlelit treatment rooms. Dreamy therapies include the decongesting Aroma-Plastie facial (£45).
BOOK IT: Doubles cost from £89 per night including breakfast. Visit Mercure.com or call 02920 435000.

Ready, steady... shop!

BEST FOR... STAR SPOTTING

Reckon stars turn up their noses at anywhere costing less than a typical weekly wage per night, right? Wrong! Singer Joss Stone bedded down at the unpretentious Best Western Merrion Hotel Leeds when she performed in the city earlier this year. Rooms are subtly stylish and there's the casual but cool on-site Starlets Bar And Restaurant. The hotel is within walking distance of the main rail station, and seconds away from shoppers' paradise Harvey Nichols and the city's vibrant clubs, restaurants and bars. A must is the Olive Press Pizzeria Bar & Grill (Heathcotes.co.uk/olivepress). Get your gnashers around a delicious stone-baked pizza (from £6.10) or home-made pasta (from £4.95). The hip and happening city has long been a fave of celebs. The Emmerdale cast are often spied out and about and songstress Florence Welch was recently spotted hitting the city's shops. So keep those peepers peeled!
BOOK IT: Doubles cost from £92 including breakfast. Visit Bw-merrionhotel.co.uk or call 0113 243 9191.

PHOTOGRAPHY: SCOPE, ALAMY, SPLASH, GETTY IMAGES