The unique staycation concept has just opened in Yorkshire.
Located just one hour from Leeds in South Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Wildlife Park is opening a new hotel and it's offering you and your family the chance to get up close and personal with some of nature's most exciting creatures.
Located moments from the animal enclosures, the HEX hotel is bringing the zoo to your staycation. Imagine waking up and stretching next to the likes of tigers and polar bears before sipping on your morning coffee: there simply isn't anything like it here in the UK.
The new hotel forms part of the £50 million renovation project from the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and is due to open this weekend.
Image: HEX Hotel
Hex Hotel is welcoming visitors with the appeal of: "wak[ing] up on the wildside and make memories from dusk to dawn", warning "You might even wake up to the sound of the Pride of Yorkshire ROOAARING as the sun rises."
In addition to the regular, but nonetheless breathtaking experiences of HEX, the hotel will be offering a range of themed sleepovers and family-friendly break packages including the Peter Pan mini break, Safari Night Concerts, School's Out for Summer and Spooky Sleepover packages.
By day, families can explore the wildlife park and meet the only polar bears in England or make friends with sea lions basking in the sunshine inside the largest man-made sea lion pool around.
Image: HEX Hotel
Dining options are aplenty around the park and inside the hotel.
Casual dining venue Wilds Cafe-Bistro invites guests to put a pin in the day's activities and unwind with hot food and refreshing drink options, whilst Masai Coffee House serves fair trade coffee, hot and cold drinks plus a selection of light lunches with giraffes.
The Hex Hotel is yet to reveal its full potential, but as the new hotel is due to open this weekend, we imagine the raving reviews will start to flock in shortly.
The Reliance, a much missed North Street site, is being brought back to life as The Smithfield.
The Smithfield is set to be a new social eatery and pub focused on seasonal, produce-led dining.
Set to open its doors to the people of Leeds in early April, The Smithfield will pay homage to the local area through both its produce and people.
The venue will focus on proper plates of seasonal ingredients, pairing a relaxed dining style with a strong sense of community. Sounds pretty brilliant if you ask us.
Building on the legacy of North Street, The Smithfield is a collaborative project between Yorkshire brewery Crooked Brewing and chef James Donovan.
Images: Supplied
Steve Dawson, co-founder of Crooked Brewing, has long admired The Reliance and want to build on its established legacy.
“What The Reliance was doing was cutting edge for its time,” says Donovan. “We want to bring that same vision and energy into Leeds in 2026. Our aim is to pick up the culinary torch that The Reliance left behind and continue its legacy of great food in Leeds,” adds Dawson.
The Smithfield takes its name from Church Street’s historic connection to the Smithfield cattle market of the early 1800s, once located on what is now Lovell Park.
“We really want the people around us to feel that The Smithfield is their space,” says Dawson. “We want to give them a place at our table.”
We'll keep you updated with an opening date as and when we know, but we're very excited indeed.
Jungle are back and have announced a huge Leeds gig for later this year
Daisy Jackson
Modern funk and soul band Jungle are officially heading back to Leeds.
The Mercury Prize-nominated group will be performing at the First Direct Bank Arena this November, following their blistering summer on the festival circuit last year.
They'll be heading to Leeds on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Jungle was formed back in 2013 by producers and friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland.
While they technically worked as a duo for years (until 2023, when touring member Lydia Kitto became an official member of the band), Jungle are known for their huge live performances.
They always fill stages with musicians and vocalists, for incredible funk n soul live shows.
The bands huge hits include Back on 74, Casio, and Busy Earnin’, from four top-10 albums including 2023’s groundbreaking Volcano.
The upcoming Leeds date forms part of the band’s upcoming world tour, which arrives in the UK in November 2026 following a string of international performances across Europe, North America, and beyond.
Fans can expect a setlist jam packed with standout tracks, including fan favourites such as ‘Volcano’ and ‘Back On 74’ and newer material from their upcoming album ‘Sunshine’, released on 14 August that continues to push the band’s signature sound forward.
With over 3.4 billion streams to their name, Jungle’s Leeds show is set to be one of the hottest tickets of 2026 so we wouldn't mess about if we were you.
Tickets for Jungle in Manchester will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 27 March, with pre-sale from 10am on Thursday 26 March.
Sophie Smith -
8th April 2022 
