Where to Stay

Since the 1994-1995 ceasefires, investment has greatly transformed the face of Belfast. From just a trickle of the hardiest independent travelers, tourism has grown into a leading industry in Northern Ireland. Unsurprisingly, hotels have formed a large part of the building boom and an impressive range of hotels, apartments, B&B's, hostels and guesthouses compete for the visitors’ custom. What follows is a guide to accommodation in Belfast divided between the city center, the university district, the suburbs and the surrounding countryside, with each section covering a range of pricing options.

The City Center

The most (in)famous hotel in Belfast remains the Europa Hotel, Europe’s most frequently bombed building until the onset of the Yugoslav war. Ideally situated close to the City Hall, the Europa is more happily known these days as Bill Clinton’s choice of accommodation on one of his three visits to the city. The Europa offers deals all year round and provides a great base from which to explore the heart of the city.

One of the most opulent city center hotels is the Malmaison Hotel, backing on to the spectacular waterfront area with its two new signature buildings, the Waterfront Hall and the Odyssey Arena. Recently refurbished in sumptuous art nouveau style, each of the rooms in the McCausland Hotel is unique, whilst the building’s exterior, restored to its original Victorian splendor, is one of the finest structures in Belfast. The Belfast Hilton, directly beside the Waterfront Hall, was one of the first multinationals to arrive in the city in the tentative period immediately after the ceasefires, and has all of the facilities you would expect from this weightiest of chains.

A cheaper option than all of these in the city center would be the Travelodge, where you pay by room rather than by person–an ideal choice if you’re touring as a family. If you’ve arrived with your rucksack, however, make your way over to the Linen House hostel, situated up a side street off Royal Avenue in a converted linen mill. It’s cheap, clean, friendly, international, has no curfew and places you just minutes from the shopping district and the Belfast Welcome Center.

The University District

The area surrounding Queen's University sees Belfast at its most cosmopolitan. As most of the city’s restaurants, bars, cafes and cinemas conglomerate here, so too do many of the accommodation establishments. Duke's is one of best university area hotels, located just opposite Queen's Film Theatre. Fine dining is also on offer within the hotel complex itself. The Wellington Park Hotel, Madison's and Benedict's all offer hotel accommodations as well as various nightlife options. Cheaper still would be a night in the Holiday Inn Express. Dealing in no frills family accommodation, this international chain offers you clean, comfortable rooms at a friendly price.

The Malone Road area is home to prestigious guesthouses. The cream of these seems to be the Old Rectory, where guests are served hot Irish whiskey every evening and where you’ll be offered a range of about ten gourmet breakfasts in the morning, including organic fruit and venison sausages. The price weighs in at about the same as a two-star hotel, but you’ll be treated considerable better in this friendly Victorian home. During summer months, both Queen's University and Stranmillis College open up their halls of residence to roving guests. These are economical options, but unsuitable if you’re looking for a double bed to share with your loved one.

There are a number of cheap hostels around the university, and Arnie's Backpackers just about takes the cake for the cheapest bed in the area: £7 and you’re housed for the night.

The Suburbs

The most prestigious hotel in Belfast suburbia is the Culloden, a five-star turreted castle situated on the main Belfast-Bangor road. Before the arrival of the Hilton, this was Belfast’s only five-star establishment, and the Culloden still has the charm of the personalized local touch that chain hotels lack. Be virtuous, and exercise in their state-of-the-art fitness suite, and then undo all your hard work in one of their acclaimed restaurants.

Another hotel of note is the Stormont. This hotel is popular with the journalist fraternity, who have crammed into it on the various occasions when the newly-devolved Northern Irish government, which is seated in Stormont Castle just opposite the hotel, has fallen into crisis.

Bed and breakfasts fill the Belfast suburbs. West Belfast also has its own tourist-board approved bed and breakfast, Ceann Dubhrann. Expect to pay between 18-26 pounds for a single night’s stay per person in any of these establishments. Whatever else may be on the breakfast menu, a hearty Ulster fry is common to them all.

Further Afield

The Dunadry Hotel, set in the countryside of Co. Antrim close to Belfast International Airport, dates back hundreds of years, and many of the rooms have their original solid oak beams. There’s a fully equipped fitness suite and a fine contemporary restaurant (where you’ll pay approximately £18 for a main course). Though only graced with a four-star rating, the Dunadry is an obvious rival to the Culloden.

If you’re a golfing enthusiast, arrange a weekend at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel near Bangor, where all guests get priority booking on the acclaimed Blackwood Golf Course. The hotel is set within extensive acreage, encompassing both landscaped gardens and open countryside. The Clandeboye Lodge Hotel also features a fine restaurant on its premises. There are of course, lots of guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments scattered liberally throughout the Northern Ireland countryside, but one of the best ways to see the most remote and most beautiful areas is to hire a cottage. This also works out to be an inexpensive option if you're travelling as a group. Many of the cottages, such as the North Irish Lodge near Islandmagee, though thatched and full of old world Irish charm, are fully fitted with modern conveniences.

Rathlin Island is possibly as remote as Northern Ireland gets, and a trip here is well recommended in June: Rathlin is home to the largest group of seabird colonies in the British Isles and June is when you can see the birds nesting at close range. The Manor House Guesthouse on Rathlin, run by the National Trust, is a comfortable guesthouse in which you’ll pay 42 pounds for a double room, so if getting away from it all is what you’ve traveled to Northern Ireland for, make this your call.

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