Ella Toone, 26, is a professional footballer from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester. She joined Manchester United’s youth academy aged eight and played for Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City before moving back to Manchester United as a midfielder. She plays for the Lionesses and was part of England’s Euro 2025 winning team. She lives in Tyldesley with her fiancé Joe Bunney, also a professional footballer.
Ibiza is my favourite place in the world. I started going there as a child with my nan, grandad and brother — we’d go to the same hotel in San Antonio Bay every summer for two weeks. We’d make friends who we’d see when we returned the following year, and we got to know all the staff. The pool, the kids’ club, the sea, the weather, being with my nan and grandad … I absolutely loved it. My grandparents really spoilt us. I used to wear football kits every night (my mum could never get me in a dress as a child). And no matter where I was — Ibiza, Turkey, at home — I had a ball at my feet the whole time.
At night I’d see all the party animals walking past the hotel and my brother and I hoped that one day we’d be coming back to Ibiza to do that side of it. And I’m pleased to say I have. Joe, my fiancé, proposed to me in Ibiza in August, by Es Vedra rock, so the island holds a lot of special memories for me.
I’ve spent a lot of time away from home since I was young. I started travelling around the UK for England camps when I was about 12: my parents would take me to St George’s Park in Burton upon Trent, the training ground of the England football teams, where we’d stay at the Hilton. For the last 13 years I have spent about 11 weeks a year there for training so I really have grown up at that hotel with the team. It’s like a second home, just with a buffet breakfast.
Torre des Savinar and the island of Es Vedra in Ibiza
ALAMY
As I got older I travelled more widely for England camps — Los Angeles, Estonia, Kazakhstan. I didn’t love Kazakhstan. When you’re young, on England camps, you can’t really go out and about on your own, so we spent a lot of time in the hotel. We were there for ten days for our Euro qualifiers and the food at the hotel wasn’t great. When our parents came to visit we asked them to bring us cereal bars and Coco Pops because no one was eating anything. All the families generally loved coming out on trips with us (except that one). They’d be out every night socialising in pubs while we were stuck in the hotel. All the players’ families get on well, and they’re still really close.
You really bond with your team-mates when you’re on the road. We spend so much time together. And the game’s grown, so it’s hard not to get recognised any more. We travelled to Marbella for a pre-season tour earlier this year and went through Manchester airport as we had done previously, but this time we were recognised and it was chaos, with people asking for selfies. I try to wear a cap when I travel but maybe it doesn’t help when I walk through the airport with a United kit on. It is what it is, though. The fame is part of the game, and I’m used to it now.
The pool in the Hilton at St George’s Park, Burton upon Trent
GETTY IMAGES
I go on holiday with the other players quite a bit. I went to Ibiza not long ago with my best mate Alessia [Russo], Beth [Mead], and other players from different clubs, where we rented a big villa near the mountains. We had the best time, and when there’s a villa of 12 footballers you can’t not have a ball there. It’s nice to go away with other footballers because you’re on the same schedule. I have to say, though, I’m not very adventurous on holiday — it’s hard to be, as a professional footballer, because you have to avoid activities that could leave you injured.
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The Euros this summer were amazing. Our base for the whole six weeks was the Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, which was on another level of luxury. It was massive, and whenever we’d come back from training we’d all go straight to the spa, which was unreal, with a huge swimming pool, and an outdoor heated pool overlooking the mountains. We were treated like queens. A conference room in the hotel was reserved for the team, and it became our chill-out space — there was a table where a few of us would play cards every day, and one of the girls would do all of our lash extensions. We became so close, which helped us on the pitch.
Dolder Grand hotel was Toone’s base for the Euros this past summer
LEADING HOTELS OF THE WORLD
Australia for the 2023 World Cup was another standout, once-in-a-lifetime trip. We went to Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, and we stayed in hotels along the Sunshine Coast, where we’d see kangaroos outside our hotel rooms. The Maldives is top of my wish list. Or Thailand, or Bali … somewhere like that.
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I never get homesick because I’m so used to being away from home. Alessia rang her mum and dad every single night when we went on camp as kids, whereas I could go away for ten days and not speak to my parents. And I knew they liked the break from me as well!
As for travel disasters, I nearly missed Manchester United’s Champions League game against Atletico Madrid in October. Just as we were about to leave the training ground, I realised I didn’t have my passport with me. And I didn’t have my car or my house keys either. It would have been bad if my mum hadn’t come to the rescue. She found my passport and dropped it off just in time. I owe her one.
Ella Toone has partnered with Hilton, official hotel partner of the England football teams, to promote their “Stay Like The England Teams” Suite at Hilton at St George’s Park. Available to book on select dates until January 2026 (hilton.com/stayliketheenglandteams)
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