Belfast

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Photo by Robert Lemermeyer

Where to Stay

A bellwether of Belfast’s renaissance, Ten Square boutique hotel has a Euro-Zen atmosphere. The swell set flock to its Grill Room & Bar.

10 Donegall Sq. S., 44-28-9024-1001, www.tensquare.co.uk

New to the Cathedral Quarter, The Merchant Hotel provides aristocratic accommodation – tapestries, Corinthian columns and frescoes – in the 1860s former headquarters of the Ulster Bank.

35-39 Waring St., 44-28-9023-4888, www.themerchanthotel.com

Malmaison Belfast reinvents bordello chic with heavy drapes, moody colours and plush velvet. Try a “Rock ’n’ Roll Suite,” then pick up a Sound Affects Malmaison CD at the hotel gift shop.

34-38 Victoria St., 44-28-9022-0200, www.malmaison-belfast.com, www.malmaison.co.uk/shop

Where to Eat

The cavernous Ta Tu Bar and Grill packs in the cool-hunters on Lisburn Road.

701 Lisburn Rd., 44-28-9038-0818

Call it mopulence: In the recesses of the Merchant Hotel, Ollie’s Club mixes 1960s mod with age-old opulence. For a more traditional pub, visit the Cloth Ear, also on-site.

35-39 Waring St., 44-28-9023-4888

If you’re still hungry, Cayenne has a good mix of upscale international cuisine. Time Out voted it one of the Top 10 restaurants in the U.K. To quench even an ocean-size thirst, stop by the Potthouse, built on a 17-th century pottery.

Cayenne 7 Ascot House, Shaftesbury Sq., 44-28-9033-1532, rankingroup.co.uk/cayenne

The Potthouse Bar + Grill 1 Hill St., 44-28-9024-4044, potthouse.co.uk

The bars, restaurants and IMAX cinema at Odyssey entertainment complex draw a youngish, fun-hungry crowd.

2 Queen’s Quay, 44-28-9045-1055, www.theodyssey.co.uk

What to Do

Head to the Cathedral Quarter for contemporary crafts, right from the artisans’ studios. Garvan Traynor’s bold square sterling rings (sold at his designer-sister Céline’s store) and Jude Young’s hand-stitched purses are two notable finds.

Céline Traynor Suite 15 Washington House, 14-16 High St., 44-28-9027-8787, celinetraynor.com

Jude Salvage Chic Cotton Court, 30-42 Waring St., 44-0776-420-8216

Una Rodden is the spot for smart handmade couture. A bespoke Irish linen blazer lined in hot pink silk starts at £400.

50 Upper Arthur St., 44-28-9024-8811

Take an easy drive from Belfast to find two outstanding golf courses. To the north, Royal Portrush’s windswept links hosted the only open championship played outside Britain. To the south, Royal County Down puts those picturesque Irish landscape paintings to shame.

Royal Portrush Golf Club Dunluce Rd., Portrush, Co. Antrim, 44-28-7082-2311, royalportrushgolfclub.com

Royal County Down Golf Club 36 Golf Links Rd., Newcastle, Co. Down, 44-28-4372-3314, royalcountydown.org

Resources

Celebrating its 20th anniversary next year, the Be Our Guest Ireland 2006 from the Irish Hotels Federation is a compendium of guesthouses and hotels.

irelandhotels.com

Dynamic new Irish music includes Bell X1 (www.bellx1.com), a soulful quartet that has forged a partnership with Oxfam for its latest U.K. tour. Its new album is called Flock. The Frames (theframes.ie) are Ireland’s own Tragically Hip. Burn the Maps is a classic. Frontman Glen Hansard’s new solo album, The Swell Season, features Czech singer-pianist Marketa Irglova. County Derry’s Snow Patrol (snowpatrol.net) actually formed in Scotland 1994. (A recent track played on Grey’s Anatomy introduced them to North America.) Eyes Open is their latest CD.

Getting There

Air Canada offers convenient service to Belfast through London, in collaboration with Star Alliance™ partner bmi.

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