there is things you can get which are halfway between a stair and a ladder, so they are easier for getting up than a ladder and dont take up a load of space. also there is alternative tread staircases which save space, but i wouldnt like to navigate one after a few drinks. otherwise its spiral, but they aint cheap....

one of the problems with the stair is making it land somewhere in the loft which has 2m headroom. and quite often i have had people want to have 2 bedrooms up there but they dont realise the stair has to land between the 2 rooms. you dont want to be walking through one room to get to the other.