Europe, Belfast’s most famous Hotel

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Belfast’s most famous hotel, Europe is doing its best to reflect the mood of confidence in the rising city in the tourist rankings.

Opened in 1971, the hotel was considered the most bombed hotel in Europe during the so-called “trouble” of Northern Ireland, where many journalists were present, but with few visitors. Today, with 272 guest rooms, this soaring downtown property is a glorious symbol of the resurgence.

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A member of the Hastings Hotel Group, which operates seven hotels in Northern Ireland, it is in a great location within a 5-minute walk from the city’s main shopping street, Royal Avenue, next to the Grand Opera House and the City Hall. There is itself. It’s literally just around the corner.

Outside the bustling Great Victoria Street, the magnificent entrance leads to the spacious round lobby of the hotel with its ornate columns and glittering marble floors. The reception desk is directly in front of you, with a bar on one side and a restaurant on the other. The winding staircase leads to the piano bar on the ground floor, which serves traditional afternoon tea.

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Enter through the front door, which gives you interesting insights into the hotel’s colorful history, and enjoy the interactive installations and information plates on the left wall. One of the interesting excerpts is that Sir William Hastings bitterly described his attempt to buy a hotel in 1993 as “the longest-running story since Dallas.” If not, the hotel may have turned into an apartment.

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Two years later, after about £ 8m of refurbishment, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary became one of the first celebrity guests. Other well-known guests include actors Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Daniel Day-Lewis, and singers Bob Dylan and Lionel Richie. The cast of the hit TV series “Game of Thrones”, partly shot in Northern Ireland, also stayed here.

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“”Despite almost constant challenges and setbacks, Europe stands proud as a sign of Belfast’s unique and lasting spirit.“Julie Hastings, Marketing Director of Hastings Hotel, said. “”And this confidence connected Belfast and Northern Ireland, embarking on a journey to become a beloved tourist destination as it is today.”

Our room 923 gave us a wide view of downtown Belfast and the bustling Great Victoria Street below. Its modern décor consisted of a carpet and wooden floor, a combination of bath and shower, a convenient reading light, two armchairs and a round coffee table. The appliances included flat-screen TVs, kettles, ironing boards, and coffee makers.

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Our bed was very comfortable and featured 1,600 pocket springs and Egyptian cotton linen. Known as the “Cloud Bed”, it was created by the local company King Coil.

An important feature of the hotel is the fun mother and daughter team of the piano bar, Kim and Ruth Montgomery, who booked a great table for afternoon tea overlooking the legendary Crown Bar across the street. Regardless of the kindness of the staff. Kindly joined us for the photo. Or Jill McMillan at the restaurant on the ground floor of Causery entertained us with her good humor as my companion. I enjoyed a late dinner there one night.

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In addition to “live entertainment”, there are also squid starters with salt, pepper, coriander, lime and aiori, roast monkfish with spelled risotto, soft stalk broccoli, red wine vine gret and ribeye steak sote spinach. I enjoyed it. , Combine beef tomatoes and peppercorn sauce. I looked at the list of juicy desserts, such as apple and cinnamon flapjack crumbled with vanilla bean ice cream and vegan nicker boxer glory, but because it’s so close to bedtime … oh, it wasn’t.

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Causery offers a buffet breakfast, from bacon, eggs, sausages and black and white pudding “Full Irish” to the hotel’s special Bushmills whiskey porridge or the classic continental fruit, pastries, cereals, meats and cheeses. I am. ..

The hotel has a close relationship with local food suppliers and has also created a special “WhoMade My Breakfast” booklet detailing the group of artisans with which it is affiliated. Many include Farmview dairy products owned by the McDowell family in nearby Castle Ray Hills. P. McCann and Sons produces artisan apple juice in Armor County. Homemade granola made by Jill and David Crawford on the Portaferry, a coastal town in County Down. Black and white pudding from Grace Hill Fine Foods in County Antrim.

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Enjoy the hotel’s homemade “scone”, a cross of scones and muffins.

Due to its excellent location, the Europa Hotel is within a 10-minute taxi ride from many of Belfast’s most popular attractions, including the Ulster Museum, Titanic Experience, Waterfront Hall and SSE Arena Entertainment Center.

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The hotel does not have its own car park, but it is a 2-minute walk away and is available at a discounted rate.

And don’t forget to take your plastic duck with you when you leave – it’s a cute Hastings tradition. Send your photos back from an exotic location and they will be published in House Magazine.