'Worst city' is your next port of call

Southampton took a drubbing in a list of the UK's best cities but FIONA WHITTY finds it has endless opportunities for fun

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STYLISH STAY Top views at voco

Southampton is many things to many people. Now Britain's biggest cruise port, it’s where the Titanic set off from on its doomed maiden voyage. It boasts a thriving student community, with all the cool bars and fun places that an unending stream of young people brings.

And it has some of the UK’s best-preserved city walls, which remind you of the strategic importance it once held. And on the arts front, it's home to the largest theatre in the south outside of London, with a bumper programme of West End offshoots.

But sadly, not everyone thinks it has much to offer. The Daily Telegraph recently gave it just 1/10 in a ranking of the UK's 20 biggest cities, placing it last. After spending a weekend there with my 20-year-old daughter, Rosie, I think they've got it badly wrong.

The city is buzzing...with cocktails, culture and cuisine for starters. Rosie and I kicked off with a cocktail masterclass at 1932, a classy bar that's “hidden” behind unmarked doors and accessed via a buzzer, giving it a speakeasy feel. Once a bank that opened in - you guessed it - 1932, it’s decked out in sleek, art deco-style with golden statue lamps and lattice patterns.

Drawing on its heritage, its imaginative bespoke brews, designed by bar manager and mixologist extraordinaire Amy, all have a financial theme. To begin with, Amy invited us behind the bar to whip up a Cash Money - a creamy mix of rum, coconut, mango and passionfruit jiggled together a la Tom Cruise in a cocktail shaker. Next up was a Platinum Card, created to emulate rhubarb-flavoured Squashies with vodka, rhubarb and banana liquors - this time stirred together and drizzled over ice. Blank Cheque, meanwhile, with gin, Campari, and Lillet Blanc aperitif, had a tantalising hint of Aperol.