Belfast is a popular business destination midweek so weekend rates tend to be cheaper and you may be able to negotiate a better rate with some hotels. Many offer good deals online or at the last minute. B&Bs and guesthouses are also good value, offering easy-going Irish hospitality and some excellent breakfasts.
Prices for a standard double room for one night with breakfast
£ = under £80
££ = £80–£150
£££ = over £150
BELFAST
Arnie’s Backpackers
63 Fitzwilliam Street; tel: 028-9024 2867; www.arniesbackpackers.co.uk.
A 22-bed Queen’s Quarter hostel based in an old Victorian town house, Arnie’s creates a comfortable atmosphere with its friendly welcome. With prices starting at only £10 a night, this is a real find. £
Benedicts Hotel
7–21 Bradbury Place; tel: 028-9059 1999; www.benedictshotel.co.uk.
Good-value boutique-style hotel with just 32 individually styled rooms featuring feather-topped mattresses and goose-down duvets. It is known for its excellent restaurant, which uses local produce. ££
Bowden’s
17 Sandford Avenue; tel: 028-9065 2213.
If you want a local feel try this friendly B&B, in a cul-de-sac just off Cyprus Avenue. £
Crescent Town House
13 Lower Crescent Road; tel: 028-9032 3349; www.crescenttownhouse.com.
This is Belfast’s original boutique hotel in a stylishly restored 19th-century house in the Queen’s Quarter. It’s discreetly tucked away yet on the doorstep of this nightlife district. It has its own chic bar and popular brasserie, Metro Kitchen, next door. ££
Fitzwilliam Hotel
1–3 Great Victoria Street; tel: 028-9044 2080; www.fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com.
The interior of this eco-friendly hotel is contemporary and sleek and elegantly designed, with environmentally friendly features built into the fabric of the building. £££
Hastings Europa Hotel
Great Victoria Street; tel: 028-9027 1066; www.hastingshotels.com.
Belfast’s most famous hotel has been refurbished but retains its cachet from troubled times in the past. It’s in a good central location, opposite the famous Crown Liquor Saloon. ££–£££
The Piano Lounge in Hastings Europa Hotel.
Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Madison’s
59–63 Botanic Avenue; tel: 028-9050 9800; www.madisonshotel.com.
This small contemporary hotel is one of the best options in the Queen’s Quarter. Bright rooms and a stylish café-restaurant serving locally sourced food are among the attractions. ££
Malmaison Belfast
34–8 Victoria Street; tel: 028-9022 0200; www.malmaisonhotel.com.
Near the city centre, this imaginative new conversion from two beautiful Victorian seed warehouses has dramatic decor plus a popular brasserie and Art Deco bar. £££
Merchant Hotel
35–9 Waring St; tel: 028-9023 4888; www.themerchanthotel.com.
This opulent hotel aims to be ranked alongside Claridge’s in London. A £16-million expansion has been completed adding 38 rooms and a rooftop garden. £££
The stylish bar at Malmaison Belfast.
Courtesy Malmaison
The Old Rectory
148 Malone Road; tel: 028-9066 7882; www.anoldrectory.co.uk.
This delightful Victorian guesthouse in South Belfast is renowned for fine breakfasts. The rooms are beautiful, with great attention to detail. ££
Luxury awaits you at the Merchant Hotel.
APA Kevin Cummins
Ten Square
10 Donegall Square South; tel: 028-9024 1001; www.tensquare.co.uk.
A Victorian warehouse transformed into a luxury hotel. The accent on indulgence, such as goose-down pillows and Bang & Olufsen plasma screens, attracts a celebrity following. ££–£££
Wellington Park Hotel
21 Malone Road; tel: 028-9038 1111; www.wellingtonparkhotel.com.
The Wellington, or ‘Welly Park’ as it’s locally known, is an individually styled establishment, close to Queen’s University. One of Belfast’s busiest hotels, it is especially good value for people with children as under 5s stay free of charge. ££
NORTH
Bushmills Inn Hotel
9 Dunluce Road, Bushmills, County Antrim; tel: 028-2073 3000; www.bushmillsinn.com.
Located in a coach house and stables and believed to date from 1608, this hotel features turf fires, gaslights and luxurious rooms. £££
Tower Hotel
Butcher Street, Derry, County Londonderry; tel: 028-7137 1000; www.towerhotelderry.com.
The only hotel within the old walls of the city, well placed for restaurants and bars. The bright, airy rooms have well-appointed bathrooms. £–££
WEST
Ard Na Breatha
Drumrooske Middle, Donegal, County Donegal; tel: 074-972 2288; www.ardnabreatha.com.
On the edge of Donegal town, tucked away in a residential area but backing onto farmland, this guesthouse has an ecotourism award. Lovely atmosphere, country-style rooms and scrumptious breakfasts. ££
Killyhevlin Hotel
Dublin Road, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh; tel: 028-6632 3481; www.killyhevlin.com.
Push the boat out and stay at this luxury hotel and spa with an idyllic lakeland setting. Seventy individually decorated rooms, good food and a health club, pool and gym. £££
The Old Inn at Crawfordsburn, County Down.
APA Kevin Cummins
EAST
The Old Inn
Main Street, Crawfordsburn, County Down; tel: 028-9185 3255; www.theoldinn.com.
An atmospheric inn 25 minutes’ drive from Belfast centre. A favourite of C.S. Lewis, who grew up nearby. ££
Portaferry Hotel
10 The Strand, Portaferry, County Down; tel: 028-4272 8231; www.portaferryhotel.com.
Several of this attractive hotel’s 14 rooms overlook Strangford Lough. It makes a good base for exploring both the lough and the local historic homes and gardens. ££
SOUTHEAST
Burrendale Hotel and Country Club
51 Castlewellan Road, Newcastle, County Down; tel: 028-4372 2599; www.burrendale.com.
Just outside the seaside resort of Newcastle and right on the edge of the Mountains of Mourne, this hotel is particularly popular with golfers playing the local courses and renowned for its good food. ££
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