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.

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

Most of the hotel is just a very old building right kn the water front. You do get to go into a…read moreturret up a circular staircase. There is a nice walk along the ocean. Had the foresight to book dinner reservations given there is not much around there. The dinner dishes were a bit bland. Odd that they did not have the Red Malt Vinegar. They provide distilled white vinegar for the fish and chips. Server said it was "distilled malt vinegar." Service was very good in the restaurant and hotel otherwise. There is a Game of Thrones door leading into the restaurant.

We ate in the restaurant twice (walking through the very cool door that apparently appears in Game…read moreof Thrones), and it was actually very good. We had our tour finale dinner there, which was ordered off a pre-set menu, and it was very good. The next morning, we had a traditional Irish Breakfast buffet, and it was one of the better ones we had during our 13 days in Ireland. Service was also very good for both dinner and breakfast. Not sure what restaurants are around in Ballygally, but eating at the hotel turned out to be a convenient and good option.

This is quite an interesting venue. It has so many applications... rehearsal space, offices, cafe,…read moremusic venue, gallery and music museum. It is great that it exists and that Belfast has stuck its neck out and is trying to make the music center work. Its not really a place that you can just go into and hang out, unlike the Black Box where you can just go into anytime and it not be unusual.... It is now looking the part after having a couple of years of being renovated in stages. I think it serves its purpose pretty well as it is just a new venture and is making baby steps to have more of a presence in the local scene.

The Oh Yeah Centre is the brain child/labour of love of Stuart Bailie, former editor of the NME…read more Based in the former home of Oh Yeah Records, a punk label from the 1980s, the centre provides a home for local music. Their main aim is to help support and promote the local music industry and they do that pretty well. The range of activities and events it stages is vast. There are gigs, obviously, some of which are aimed at under 18s (something Belfast sorely needed), rehearsal rooms for hire for bands who need space and equipment, a cafe and space for kids to come in, listen to music and hang out, and their crown jewel - the music exhibition. The exhibition basically charts Northern Ireland music from its traditional roots, to modern heroes like Snow Patrol (say what you like about them, at least they're flying the flag!). Recently, the whole thing was expanded and now features video confessionals from civilians like you and me, recounting their favourite gigs, lyrics, Northern Irish bands and so on. The building is also home to small businesses as well, such as Start Together Studios and Small Town America Records - both of which are success stories in their own right and would find it difficult to get city centre premises otherwise. The exhibition is free and open to the public every day except Sunday, so if you have even a passing interest in anything musical, I'd give it a whirl.

Great gallery space. I always try to get here during Late Night Art (First Thursday of the Month)…read more A wide range of work form photography, Installations, Video, Sculpture, Performance, Print making, Graffiti etc etc. I have seen some really experimental work here. The staff are helpful and are usually up for talking about the work or if you have any questions. It is one of my favourite galleries in Belfast. #Recommended

Platform is a studio and art gallery with charitable status located numerous flights of stairs…read moreabove ground level at 1 Queen Street in central Belfast. I visited on Thursday 2 November 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed the diverse range of contemporary art on display. A group show entitled, And This Too, exploring the theme of modern conflict was running. The exhibition showcased work by seven artists; Sean Campbell, Jill Gibbon, Brendan Jamison, Ciaran Magill, Mark Revels, Gail Ritchie and David Turner. It included installations, paintings and sculptures, all of which were entertaining and intriguing, especially Sean Campbell's Lego installation of the American Flag (I Wouldn't Start From Here), and Ciaran Magill's eerily beautiful, poignant paintings of Northern Ireland landscapes. A fantastic gallery and studio space generating creative artwork - absolutely essential for art aficionados when in Belfast.

You're probably looking at this hotel because it's basically the only Marriott in Belfast. This…read morehotel is relatively new and very modern right on the banks of the Lagan river. The hotel is close enough to the Belfast downtown area (maybe 10 minute walk) that it didn't feel like a chore to go. Rooms: The rooms are sleek, modern, and well-appointed with everything you need for a comfortable stay. My room had floor-to-ceiling windows offering stunning views of the river and city skyline. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and the rainfall shower was a lovely touch. Unfortunately, no tub. Dining: If you're a platinum member, there's no free breakfast for you here. There's a small upcharge for breakfast. I can't recall if they only cover one person's breakfast or if it was an 8 pound upcharge for each person. But don't count on free breakfast here. Location: If you love Game of Thrones, there's a Glass of Thrones art piece right outside the hotel on the banks. You can see the H&W cranes from the hotel as well. The Titanic museum is maybe a 20-minute walk away on the other side. Parking: There's a nearby parking structure that's a few minutes walk away, NCP, that the hotel will validate for. It's 11 pounds for every 24 hours there. The parking structure was pretty safe as it was gated to enter and you needed to scan your ticket to get into the structure. Overall, I would recommend staying here if you're in Belfast and don't mind a short walk to some of the major attractions. I really enjoyed the videos.

Great hotel. Location was in walking distance to the mall area. It is in a good location to go for…read morea quiet walk and to just relax. The food at the resturant was ok, I am not a big fan of UK food due to the lack of seasoning; however, the rotisserie half chicken was perfectly cooked and seasoned well. The staff are very professional and friendly, and helpful. The housekeeping service was ok. I had to request them to clean stains on the floor that was there before I arrived, and to service my room. They could do a little better. I would definitely come back again to stay. This was a great hotel.

UPDATE TO REVIEW The caterer for Malone House changed in…read moreOctober 2016. I was at the venue recently (2017) and was appalled. The food was, to me, canteen food, and mediocre canteen food at that. I am convinced that the chips were frozen chips of the cheapest variety. And if you had have seen the scampi - half of the scampi had a light-coloured coating/batter, and the other half was very dark! It was so unusual to look at. It looked like half of the scampi had been fried more than once. What was even more disturbing is that this was the case on two separate plates of scampi! I got the impression that a surplus portion of scampi was lying around and, so as not to waste it, it was fried again later. But to mix such a dark-coloured scampi with light-coloured scampi was a bizarre idea. If you think that going to a grand house and estate means you'll be having a grand meal, you will be tragically disappointed. And why, you may wonder, did this canteen-food company end up with a contract that another company had had for 27 years? Upon investigation, it seems that Belfast City Council's tender for the catering required that applicants for the contract had to have a turnover of £5 million. Never mind the quality of food you're serving, or gathering customer feedback/reviews for the applicants - if your turnover isn't £5 million, you're out. I doubt very much that Belfast City Council cares about any of this: they presumably have the attitude that someone will always want the contracts, so who cares about the quality (or distinct lack thereof) of food being dished out? As far as I can tell, the catering company who 'won' the contract, Amadeus, are also supplying the catering at a restaurant in Belfast Castle, and a café at Lady Dixon Park: two places I will also now be avoiding, lest I end up with multi-coloured scampi and a plate of chips from Iceland (the retailer, that is). INITIAL REVIEW Malone House is set in the beautiful grounds of Barnett's Demesne. Frustratingly, Malone House doesn't serve food after 5p.m., which is of no use to the working population. I was there recently for an event one evening and, while the grounds are well maintained and the house has been lovingly restored and modernised, I found it to be a bit of an annoying venue. The buffet that was served was OK - it's hard to go wrong with sandwiches and cocktail sausages - but the room that the event was in didn't have a bar. You have to come out of that room and go across the hall to the next room, which I thought was a bit odd. It's not like you have to go across the road or anything, it was just a bit of an inconvenience. The room with the bar is quite small, and felt a bit cramped, with the bar awkwardly tucked away in the corner. It had a decent selection of bottled drinks but only had Heineken and Guinness on draught, which is a woefully inadequate selection. I know it's not a pub, but if you're going to host events/parties in the evening, an effort should be made to provide a decent selection of draught beers. Heineken must be one of the least popular draught beers that's available in Belfast, although it doesn't taste as bad as Tennent's (see my Whitefort review). I've heard it said that many services that are run by a local council will operate inefficiently, and it's difficult to argue with that line of thinking when a venue doesn't serve diners after 5p.m., only offers two types of draught beer, and requires you to go from one room to another to get it. Nonetheless, I look forward to the day that I have the free time to sample the food there, but it's not a venue I'd advise anyone to use to host an event, unless it's a teetotal walking society of some description.

Spring Fair. We visited on thr 24th April for the hostibg of the Spring Fair organised by the…read moreBelfast City Council. It was an amazing family event with lots of entertainment and activities for all ages. Live music, crafts, may pole dancing, a flower show and a little petting zoo. Besides buying snacks and drinks everything was free. Beautiful grounds to walk around.