Belfast Ireland was not what I expected. I was surprised to see how divided this city still is after all of the fighting. Belfast uses the pound, versus the Euro, so our US dollar was only worth about 50 cents. Not a promising way to start the trip, but you should research the exchange rate before making the decision to visit this part of Ireland. Belfast is considered to be part of Northern Ireland and the locals will remind you of this often.
To be honest, I would skip Belfast altogether. After visiting Dublin and Carlingford, it was difficult to stop in Belfast. The only thing that it made it worthwhile was getting to stay at the 5 star Merchant Hotel. The hotel was previously the Ulster Bank Head Office and was converted into a very unique hotel. Part of the hotel has the original dark colors & dark wood making it feel luxurious and the newer part is art deco almost an old Hollywood 1920's feel.
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| Merchant Hotel 5 star |
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| Merchant Hotel |
One of the 1st things we did when we arrived was catch the afternoon tea served in the Great Room. I highly recommend this experience! The staff is outstanding and no request is too tall.
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| The Great Room |
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| Afternoon Tea |
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| Glass ceiling in Great Room |
The rooms were very nice as well.
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| Deluxe room |
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| Bathroom |
The next day we asked the hotel concierge to set up a private driver - black cab taxi service for 4 hours. We could've done the hop on/hop off buses like Dublin had, but we wanted to try something new. Our driver took us around to see the sites of Belfast.
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| SS Nomanic |
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| Titanic Museum |
Next stop - our taxi driver took us around Belfast to see some of the murals depicting the fighting between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
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| Check point separating the Catholics from the Protestants |
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| Memorial |
Next, we will hit the road again and head north to see the famous Causeway Coast Way. Get ready to see breathtaking views of Northern Ireland.
Happy Traveling!
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