Beautiful grounds…read more The venue was perfect for my brothers wedding, quaint and pretty but with all the mod cons. Loved the outside area and the attentiveness of staff Highly recommend

Located in the idyllic setting of the Kiltonga Nature reserve Kiltonga Hall has recently been…read moreadvertised as the perfect place to get married or have a baby naming ceremony by Ards Borough Council. The building is a 200 hundred year old stone structure is small and intimate that is a venue registered to host weddings the venue itself seats around 60 people. It can be booked as a traditional church or a registry office. Kiltonga is close to Newtownards and within driving distance form Bangor. With great accommodation in the area including Bed and Breakfasts and Hotels Kiltonga would not only provide a picture perfect day but also a convenient day for all your guests. The facilities in Kiltonga Hall include disabled access, toilet facilities and electrical points. The cost to hire Kiltonga Hall is £380 with a £50 deposit to be paid at least 6 months in advance. In my opinion this is a bargain as the grounds and hall are sure to make your special day a perfect day.

We were looking for a place to eat in this town as we were going to see Irish comedian Tommy…read moreTiernan in a nearby hotel so we chose this town centre pub. It's on Main Street, it is like an old church or castle keep inside with some wonderful wooden floors and on different levels with a few stairs to negotiate as you go in and around. While Its charming I'm not sure it's disabled friendly, particularly with the toilets two floors down. We were welcomed literally as we walked in the front door, given our choice of tables to sit at, we chose near a front window down 2 or 3 stairs and our drinks order taken with menus handed over and explained to us, all with panache. Now we thought that's the way to do it right. We both opted for their buttermilk southern fried chicken supreme, which came with wonderful chunky chips, my favourite tobacco onions and a robust lemon pepper mayonnaise. Essentially we had an upmarket lightly seasoned chicken breast burger & chips with heavily flavoured mayonnaise from a jar, but don't get me wrong, it was beautiful tasty food with every element cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed it very much. If you are going to use mayo from a jar it really needs to be well flavoured as it's only a vehicle for other flavours. Everything on the plate was delicious, and most importantly done with thought and done well - this is a confident cook. I asked for and got Colman's English mustard, the worlds greatest mustard bar none. Service was great, seating cosy, the pub filled up with dinner guests as we sat and my cappuccino was very good too. It was obvious from conversations that some were regulars, which is also a good sign. We wouldn't hesitate to return here. Finally being a bit of a food snob and I self admit to being a general pain in the derrière there's two things I'd add. This chef is so confident (and skilled) why not make mayo in-house; a rapeseed oil mayonnaise would be marvellous, and it may just have been my misfortune but my chicken burger was served with a knife through the top with the tobacco onions held on the top of the bread bun, but this made the handle of my knife oily. I had to wipe oil of the handle and my hands as I started to eat. This is minor and a nuisance but hey-ho first world problems.

Walked into a local pub which did not serve food and they recommended Fiddlers Bistro…read more From the minute we walked in they made us welcome. Our server Barry was excellent. He recommended a few entrees. I ordered the beef medallions with onion strings. Loved it! My wife had the fettuccine with chicken. Both large portions. Don't forget about the FREE wifi.

Moored in the Lagan is The Belfast Barge, quiet and unassuming it doesn't blow its own trumpet but…read moreit really should. There are 3 elements to the Belfast Barge which was news to me when I visited last week. Much more than just a boat The Belfast Barge is a successful restaurant, a museum and an events venue. Next week they are hosting a comedy night in their events venue, which will be very cosy. The museum is full of maritime facts and history depicting Northern Irekand's ship building and boating heritage. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions. The restaurant is fully licensed and acts as a café bar during the day and at night live music and cabaret dominate the barge, the boat will literally be rocking!

A unique performance space. I have seen comedy performances and gigs here. It's holds a lot of…read morepeople and worth going to if you get a chance #Comedy #Music

So this is not a bed-and-breakfast- well I mean, I guess it is in the fact that you can both sleep…read morethere and eat breakfast but what this is is a beautiful resort with grounds that look like they're out of an episode of Downton Abbey. This is the kind of place that kind of typifies old world class, but still has a family, friendly atmosphere with the giggles of kids running through the trees. The breakfast is a buffet style, and there are different activities throughout the resort. The only one we checked out was the pool just due to our time constraints, and it was lovely, more on the pool below (note that a swim cap is required, they have them at the pool check-in desk to purchase). unfortunately, the outdoor hot tub was closed while we were there and speaking to other guests, it sounds like it's been closed for the past six months, but it's supposed to be up and running soon. Wheelchair accessibility: There are accessible parking spots, but not a ton, there were never any available when we were coming or going. There is an accessible entrance to the left of the main entrance that has a ramp, there are two sets of double doors that require some maneuvering to get through. Much of the resort is carpeted, but there are ramps everywhere. we stayed in an accessible room that was great and roomy, the only issue was the angle of the shower bench made it such that significant leg strength is required to be able to actually sit on the shower bench. Accessibility at the pool: the staff were super helpful and accommodating. There is a ramp to get down to the pool deck, and then stairs with a handrail to get down into the pool. I didn't see a pool lift on site. It also looked like there were stairs to come into the pool from the locker room and so I'm not sure if there would be an accessible entrance into the locker room, I didn't use the locker room since we had a room. The indoor hot tub was up some steps with a handrail as well, and there didn't seem to be a step free path to get over to the indoor hot tub area.

The hotel was nice with plenty of space, beautiful grounds and friendly staff. Friends and I got…read morethe feeling that this hotel caters to an older crowd. And events at the hotel can be loud when you're looking for some peace and quiet in Dundalk. Breakfast was included with our room but it wasn't very impressive - some fried eggs gone cold on a buffet, limited healthy choices otherwise. Unfortunately, I had some bad luck when it came to my stay. When my plug adapter went missing, the hotel provided one. However, it didn't work. By the time I figured that out, it was too late at night to roll down to reception for another one so I just made do. A wedding at the event space meant that drunk partygoers were roaming the hotel grounds, singing and yelling, until the wee hours of the morning. Although I had booked a non-smoking room, and although I was thrilled that the window and balcony door could be opened to let in fresh air, my neighbor decided to smoke on his balcony (continuously) until 3 am. In a desperate attempt for sleep, I called the front desk. Once, the call rang without answer. And on the second try, they hung up on me. Great service and help, guys. I probably wouldn't stay here again.

The MAC is a good spot to spend a few hours and get in touch with your arty creative side. There…read moreare normally at least two exhibitions on show which are usually pretty quirky and reminded me alot of some of the galleries I visited in Paris. Exhibitions are very modern and new age quite like the building itself which is architecturally pleasing. Downstairs there is a reception area, kids play area and 'Native' cafe which also serves alcohol. Seating is plentiful and really comfortable. Make sure and go to the 2nd floor of the building where you will find an amazing white leather sofa which once you perch on you will want to just curl up and stay forever. I really want one for home! There are lots of shows in the theatre and upcoming listings can be found at the reception. There are lifts throughout and wheelchair access is excellent. It's also based in St Anne's Square so has a multi storey carpark park nearby and lots of on street parking around the side streets.

Awesome venue with loads of things to offer regarding events…read more Have a good size eating area. I visit here frequently for seminars,lectures and art shows. Their quality of artists that have shows here are world class.

What can I say about this place? I had my wedding here and…read moreit was the best venue we could have possibly chosen. I know that wedding venues need to be personal to the couple in question, and everyone's needs are different, but Larchfield was fantastic as a venue for us. The quaint walled gardens and the incredibly romantic private lake and forests where you can have your pictures taken, as well as the rustic, charming barn was just perfect for us. The barn is a little plain by daylight, but if you get talented event designers in, the place can really become a fairly land. They have three main rooms in the barn, one large function room, a bar area and a dance floor area, as well as an attached marquee. We were lucky with the weather, and had our cocktails on the lawn - it made things really special. The staff and owners of Larchfield were incredibly accommodating and helpful and made our day totally perfect. I think anyone who is looking somewhere a little different for their wedding should look here. I want to go back there and do it all again! P.S - The venue is really not appropriate for young children or toddlers.

From the owner: Larchfield Estate is set in privately located grounds just outside of Lisburn, Co. Down and offers…read morethe most idyllic setting for your wedding day, corporate away day or special event. With a mix of conference facilities, accommodation and of course our extensive landscaped grounds which includes our luxury barn, orangery and picturesque courtyard we can cater to all your event needs in style.

We came here for a wedding and it was incredible. Each room has a unique feel to it and with over…read more100 people at the event it felt very comfortable. We stayed upstairs in room 11 and it was really pleasant. Newly remodeled and clean. Highly recommend checking this place out for an event or just to stay and admire the castle!

When one of my best friends told me he was going to get married in a castle in Ireland, I was…read moreimmediately pumped for the trip. And Bellingham Castle was the chosen venue and boy it exceeded all expectations. I even got to stay here for one night and they had such a pleasant hospitality. We ended up getting the "Kevin" room, which had a balcony view of the garden and patches of greenery that stretched as far as the eye could see. The place was really peaceful and my New York State of mind was completely gone, although temporarily. I really felt like a little kid when I went on to explore the different rooms in the castle. The furnishings and designs are things you would expect to see in films. My favorite rooms were probably the Bottlery (wine room) and The Buttery (the kitchen). Their castle dog, Ri, was super adorable and roamed around as if he owns the place. Some castles can feel intimidating but this place felt very intimate and homey. If only I could live there forever....

Island Arts Centre is a well equipped, modern venue that runs an impressive programme of theatre…read moreshows, exhibitions, concerts and community arts activities. I've been there to watch a community youth drama production in the small studio theatre, and recently saw an excellent exhibition of student art. There is always plenty going on there in terms of classes and performances, doing a really good job of both serving the community around Lisburn with arts activities while at the same time drawing in some top notch professional productions. Inside the centre is incredibly well appointed and laid out while the outdoor surroundings are interesting for the canal and lock just outside which from which on a good day you could also enjoy a walk up the Lagan Valley.

Been to a few gigs here and think it's great venue. Good sized car park, well stocked bar and…read morecentrally located. It's a very intimate venue, great for gigs and plays. The only negative i can think of is that the bar area could do with more seats and you can't bring drinks into the auditorium.