Question re Belfast

[Rois]

Ten Square's a gorgeous place, lovely reasonable restaurant, good bar for drinks but no leisure facilities.  The Fitzwilliam is right beside Jury's (and the Europa) but obv a wee step up, might be good to try.  Walked past it today and it has a right bit to go if it aims to be open next month though! 

Ach go down to the Merchant and go all out - good bar, stunning place inside (the kind of place I went for afternoon champagne tea - get the picture?), great restaurant, and nightclub if you want.  Might be a wee bit noisy though down there at the weekends.

[Minder]

Does anyone actually use a gym in a hotel,surely the whole idea is to get away and relax and if you were interested in keeping fit you would do that another time.

[Lecale2]

Parador on the Ormeau Rd is your only man. 5 minute bus ride from City Hall and great craic in the bar every night of the week. One of the few places you'll get top watch GAA on a Sunday if there's soccer/racing on.

http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g186470-d211235-r7432165-Parador_Hotel-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html

[Tony Baloney]

Ten Square's a gorgeous place, lovely reasonable restaurant, good bar for drinks but no leisure facilities.  The Fitzwilliam is right beside Jury's (and the Europa) but obv a wee step up, might be good to try.  Walked past it today and it has a right bit to go if it aims to be open next month though! 

Ach go down to the Merchant and go all out - good bar, stunning place inside (the kind of place I went for afternoon champagne tea - get the picture?), great restaurant, and nightclub if you want.  Might be a wee bit noisy though down there at the weekends.

He's on a wedding anniversary overnighter in a city centre hotel so I can't imagine the gym will be high on his to do list.

The people that frequent the likes of the merchant would make you vomit so I'd give it a miss.

[Rois]

Tony not sure why you would say that.  A tad judgemental.  The Merchant is a lovely place, Cloth Ear not the best bar in the world but the cocktails in the residents' bar are nice - real top class service and definately not something you'd get everywhere.  Muck-savage free. 

Prob agree about the gym but not all the leisure facilities - with a bad head on me there's nothing I like more than a swim.  If it's a weekend break, there might just be time to check out the jacuzzi and sauna in there, not out of the realms of possibility on a rosemantic break. 

[Tony Baloney]

Tony not sure why you would say that.  A tad judgemental.  The Merchant is a lovely place, Cloth Ear not the best bar in the world but the cocktails in the residents' bar are nice - real top class service and definately not something you'd get everywhere.  Muck-savage free. 

Prob agree about the gym but not all the leisure facilities - with a bad head on me there's nothing I like more than a swim.  If it's a weekend break, there might just be time to check out the jacuzzi and sauna in there, not out of the realms of possibility on a rosemantic break. 

I'm not knocking the place. Belfast is full of nice places, but they are often let down by the people in them. City centre establishments are full of pretentious arseholes and The Merchant would be a prime example. Unfortunately the likes of The Errigle is going the same way which is a shame. I like real people.

[Minder]

I hear you Tony,i was in the Cloth Ear once and it was packed with people trying to look pretty,and that was just the fellas. The order of the day seemed to be to sip on one bottle of beer for an hour and pout. It didnt actually feel like a pub,it was all very artificial. Why would you bother your arse getting ready to go out if you are going to get on like that on a night out. Each to their own but its not my idea of a night out. I read today that another bastion of pretence, the Potthouse, is only opening at weekends now due to falling trade.

[Quagmire]

You're right there, The Errigle has gone to the dogs, I used to love going infor a few pints and a craic, you'd always end up having a yarn with a few randomers. Now you're paying city centre prices to be squashed to the walls and have no craic!! The Pavillion is a much better bet now for a relaxed yarn over a few sups.

[Puckoon]

I like real people.

What the hell are you doing on here then foo?

[redcard]

Parador on the Ormeau Rd is your only man. 5 minute bus ride from City Hall and great craic in the bar every night of the week. One of the few places you'll get top watch GAA on a Sunday if there's soccer/racing on.

http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g186470-d211235-r7432165-Parador_Hotel-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html

I booked to stay at the Parador for three nights. It was cheap but clean and the staff seemed friendly. Our first night was fine though the bar directly under our room was very noisy during the day and night. On the second night we arrived back at the hotel at 1.30am( the bar shut at 1) and the place was empty. No staff, no night porter, no answer on the telephone and no key on the set we were given matched the outside door! Luckily having lived in Belfast I had friends to stay with a £30 taxi fare away. When we returned the next day to collect our things and leave the managers response was oops sorry about that! We were not offered any compensation or valid excuse. The manager even suggested we must have been back later than we said and that we must have had a key for the outside door! When we gave him the keys to check, unsuprisingly he did not return! Will not be back!!
http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g186470-d211235-r21868091-Parador_Hotel-Belfast_Northern_Ireland.html#REVIEWS

[Chrisowc]

I hear you Tony,i was in the Cloth Ear once and it was packed with people trying to look pretty,and that was just the fellas. The order of the day seemed to be to sip on one bottle of beer for an hour and pout. It didnt actually feel like a pub,it was all very artificial. Why would you bother your arse getting ready to go out if you are going to get on like that on a night out. Each to their own but its not my idea of a night out. I read today that another bastion of pretence, the Potthouse, is only opening at weekends now due to falling trade.

Belfast is so far up it's on hole.  Victoria Square took the biscuit.

[Maguire01]

I'd say it's no worse than any other city of its size. It's just that 10 years ago there was nothing like the Victoria Square / Merchant etc.

Have never set foot inside the Potthouse myself, and never intend to.

[Quagmire]

Belfast is just trying to catch up with other cities as it was left so far behind when the Troubles were on, it's a vastly changed place in the last 10 years and I think it's great to see. The Merchant and Vaudeville are obviously old buildings which have been renovated and Belfast was trying to promote a new, vibrant image in the wake of the recent past. Weekend visitors from the UK rocketed and was evidenced in the amount of budget hotels going up. 
Belfast may have got up it's own hole abit but it's only for those of us who can remember it differenly, younger people who only know Belfast as it is now might think it's like any other city of it's size.

Personally I'm not a fan of these bars and the Cathedral Quarter in general, but thats just me, ye couldn't beat the Bot with a big stick in my eyes!! 

[Tony Baloney]

The Bot has always been full of arseholes

[Quagmire]

you'd hope so, everyone has one and it's a busy bar!