I was struggling with finding a place to stay in Belfast. It was a last minute trip, and I only have a weekend there – so I wanted to make sure that I get the perfect location for my short break. Then I found Maldron Hotel Belfast City.
Location
I booked this hotel because of the location vs price, combined with the reviews I read from various travel websites. The location is excellent – it’s close to everything.
I wanted somewhere close to the pickup point for my day trip to the Giants Causeway, AND the hop on hop off pickup/stop. So that’s a “check”! The hotel is also walking distance to key places like the City Hall, the Grand Opera House and St George’s Market, which is great. It’s close enough to all the shopping too. I went shopping every evening during my stay there! And the room rates are not too high that I can still afford to do some decent shopping.
Reception
The hotel is new, so that is definitely another plus. The lobby setting is modern, bright and cheerful. The lobby/reception area is not that big and was a bit busy and noisy when I checked in for the weekend. It looked like the hotel was really packed. But check-in was still considered fast, and the people at the reception gave me a warm welcome and spent a bit of time to help explain how to go about around the hotel area. I felt very welcomed. Checking out was also easy and fast.
Food
The breakfast spread was good – you have the usual traditional breakfast – toast, eggs, mushrooms, baked beans etc. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly and welcoming.
I also had dinner at the restaurant. A bit disappointed that there were not many vegetarian options, and for some reason, they didn’t have seafood that day. If you are into meat – then you’re good though – plenty to choose from. The portion size was good and I didn’t have to wait long for my food. The vegetarian curry was ok – but not memorable.
In Summary…
It was my first time staying at a Maldron hotel. The main reason for choosing the hotel was the location, plus it was within my budget. I wished they had more seafood/vegetarian options for dinner – but it was not really a major problem because there are restaurants all around the hotel. The hotel area is also quite safe – there are many people all around all the time (perhaps also it was the weekend). So I felt quite comfortable with doing my evening shopping etc. I would highly recommend staying here.
For things to do around Belfast, check out “Belfast – So Many Things to See – Part 1 and Part 2“
Note this is my personal review based on a 3 night stay at the hotel. The hotel did not pay me or sponsor my stay for this review.