I can't believe I am the first person to review The Cove. This is a true Yelpers paradise. This wee…read moregift shop is literally full to the brim with antiques, cards, gifts and presents that your mum would like. Thy have a huge rang of vintage items set outside the store, this is what actually caught my attention. It's a bit like an upmarket car boot sale. There didn't really seem to be a theme to the items. There was a mix of furniture, household decorations and general bric-a-brac. I loved it - there is something really exciting about sifting through all their products. Almost like a treasure hunt. Antiques collectors would love this place. It also had a range of vintage camera equipment that was behind lock and key. Upstairs houses more modern handmade gifts, cards and part accessories. If you want a unique gift for a loved one or are decorating your home and want something a little different look no further than The Cove! Couldn't recommend it highly enough.

Yes this shop is great. My first car was a Morris Minor, dark blue. I got a little Corgi car…read morejust like it, even the registration number is similar!

I could have absolutely sworn this place was called Antiqua (sounds like a character from Star…read moreWars, doesn't it?), with the emphasis more on the antique-y part of the shop. However, upon a second look, it is actually called Artiqua (sounds like a chilly North Pole shop of some description, doesn't it?), with the emphasis more on the arty side of the shop. I'll let you get your head round all that before I proceed... Thankfully, the latter name seemed more applicable to this rustic boutique. It is overflowing with expensive jewellery (oooh, it was lovely), models of aeroplanes and cars, bronze ornaments made by some German company, those Granny handbags which almost resemble some weird tapestry, and animal ornaments and figurines. I spotted an unusual beanie ornament type thing, with a cat on it (yes, I know, I'm useless at explaining things), which hugely resembled our own wee puss. I had to do a double take. The shop keeper was in deep conversation with an elderly man about some antique he owned, so we didn't get a chance to natter with him. The shop is very well-kept, and laden with great gift ideas for those awkward people in your life. I'm already eyeing up a Concorde model for my dad for Christmas...he'd better not be reading this! Could always buy the cat that strange beanie thing and pretend its a mirror...

From the outside this shop looks like it is going to be filled with expensive little bits and bobs…read moreand guess what? It is! It's a boutique on the High Street in Holywood so you would expect the items to be a little pricey. I was drawn in by the window display which includes... ladies - this is amazing, wait for it....here we go! - replica jewellery that has actually appeared in episodes of Sex In The City! Seriously this shop stocks jewellery by the same designer and if you want it be prepared to pay for it - over £100 for some pieces. I would. This is one of those shops that keeps thinks like tapestry bags with dogs faces on them - I never really know who would buy these, I certainly wouldn't. There are other cool things like funky shopping trolley things that you usually see in tartan and being pulled by an elderly lady - this gives that bag a new twist with a cool look to it. One other thing really took my fancy and that was the jewels for dogs - bling! bling! silver and diamante collars and funky little, expensive looking necklace thingys for your mutt - you gotta love it, I'm definitely getting our Toby something from here for his woof-day.

Holywood Exchange is a vast retail park kind of arrangement with huge superstores that take half an…read morehour just to tour the perimeter. It has a few shops which are the only outlet for that brand in Belfast, Northern Ireland, or in the case of IKEA, the whole of Ireland. IKEA is self explanatory in terms of what they sell and how they sell it. Its neighbours are Harvey Norman, a vast Next Home, Sainsburys and B&Q, so it's very much a functional shopping zone rather than an indulgent shopping place. I go there for storage baskets (IKEA), stuff for the kids rooms (Next) and groceries (B&Q, only joking, Sainsburys). Harvey Norman has some really good offers on electricals, especially TV and DVD players. Too good actually - I saw the Samsung DVD player that I paid over £100 for at under £50. Raging as they say in Belfast. The next exciting instalment is a sports goods shop called Decathalon Sports which claims to sell quality running trainers for £9.99. It will be the first branch in Belfast so watch this space for an update.

I don't really understand why Holywood Exchange is getting such bad reviews. In terms of…read moreconvenience it's absolutely perfect. Located off the A2 and in close proximity it offers a great out of town shopping destination. It is split in to two sections and there's plenty of free parking. One section houses Sainsbury's and B&Q and the other is home to Decathlon, BHS, Costa Coffee, Subway, Harvey Norman and Next Home. There's also an Ikea that has its own multistory car park. This Ikea attracts plenty of plane spotters due to its proximity to the City Airport. As other have mentioned there are a few small negatives of Holywood Exchange - it's so vast that you may need to drive between shops. There's also a severe lack of ATM's on site apart from at Sainsbury's, which as mentioned is a trek from all the other shops. For this it has got to be 3 stars!

What have the Ulster Rugby players and food festival have in common?…read more They were both at Victoria Square in Belfast today. The Ulster and Irish players Jared Payne, Rory Best and Ian Henderson were at the Grand opening of the Flagship Lifestyle Sports Store in Victoria Square. All three are Ulster and Irish players, Rory being captain of both, Jared hailing from New Zealand and Ian aged 23 all took time out to answer questions before getting ready for big Pro 12 semi final next week.....Good luck guys!!!! The food festival was on the lower ground floor and made of two sections. The first comprised of mini stalls serving up samples of pickles, preserves and sauces. My favourites here was the Habanero Steves gourmet chilli jams, which did jams in increasing strengths and hot sauces (I got the Venom one and am looking forward to it!!) and Ruby's Pickles. The second was a mini "Michellin Man Tent City" which had eateries from Vic Sq serving up samples off their menu. The first stop was Yo Sushi for a range of delicious Sushi (salmon,mackerel,tuna,crab and prawn), chicken and Gyoza as well as desserts. Chef Ryan was doing Sushi making classes but I missed them!! Still in the Orient it was the turn of Wagamama to produce up Gyoza, chicken, fresh fruit juice and sake (rice wine). For the very exotic experience of surf and colour,the Hawai'in Ku 'Aina served up chicken teriyaki and craft beers. TGI Fridays were sampling cocktails and for the tea total folk Starbucks had coffee and cookies. Finally the global Cosmo plated up ribs, prawn toast, prawn crackers, chilli chicken and Spring rolls. There's a great buzz about the place and fantastic atmosphere. I certainly ate "around the world" and you can do today and tomorrow. There are some great offers to be had in the restaurants taking part.

It's hard not to love this massive semi-outdoor shopping center. Steel and glass and lifts and…read moreescalators with so much fresh air moving through. It's clean and well patrolled by security and there are retail outlets for everyone and restaurants, too. I think what most people are missing is the rooftop atrium, called The Dome. The lift goes to the top and from there, a tremendous view over the city of Belfast. It's free and should not be missed. [Review 1885 of 2024 - 867 in United Kingdom - 22907 overall]

Eek! Boutique! I should have run but I was lured in, as I always am, by the uniqueness of the…read moreplace. I am not a boutique person for two reasons. 1. i do not have a wad of fifty pound notes literally falling from every pocket, purse of orifice of my body - unfortunately. 2. I am a size 14/16 - boutiques do not like my body. Nuff said. They had lots of flimsy, artsy, printed pieces for rich skinny folk - all priced at the steep end. Somethings in there were £200 plus - yikes! I will say that as a fattish poor person I don't maybe give a fair review. They do have lovely little necklaces that I have never seen anywhere before - very long chains with little sculls or handcuffs on them - lovely and in the sale! Horrah!

A wardrobe staple! Lesser known but top designer brands from NY and LA, get them here before they…read moreshoot to megastardom. The owner Fiona's eye is so good, that even when I lived in NY I shopped here! She and her sales staff are the best at helping you put together an outfit. Sure some of the clothes are a little steep but you get what you pay for and everything I have bought here has gotten years of mileage. (Sales are not to be missed!) The styles are wearable, elegant and understated and work well in my professional life as well as when I am out and about! Plus very cute accessories that make brilliant gifts for your best girly friends! And the Marketa bags are to die for. I am currently crushing on one that is the most gorgeous purple suede!

This is a neat little boutique just off the main street in Holywood…read more I have only given this little shop three stars as it does not stock the kind of fashion I would ever wear. There is a broad range of very snazzy day wear for the type of lady who has plenty of money to spend on choice pieces. There is everything from gillets to waistcoats to formal suits and posh jackets. The garments are Kirsten, Libra and Koifun brands and the cheapest item I could spot was a puffy sort of waistcoat for about £65. I think this shop is aimed at anyone of about the age of 40 upwards and who wants very durable and long lasting pieces that they are willing to pay through the nose for. The shop was buzzing with more elderly people but really nothing in this shop was for me, I'm too young still for these clothes which I feel are more of a glamorous granny style.

Nantucket stocks a variety of good quality stock ranging from smart casual to dressy. Everything is…read moredisplayed in a way that it is easy to make choices. The proprietor is friendly and helpful and I will certainly make return visits.

Belfast gems in Belfast gem run by Belfast gem!!…read more Delightful shop run by the magical Mandy, assisted by her beautiful mother. Had a blast on my visit, picked up some gorgeous jewellery & the kinkiest shoes (which are also somehow tasteful?). Ordinarily I'm not a fan of much chat when browsing places, but the owner of Pretty Vintage is such great company, so helpful & so knowledgeable, you can't help but melt.

Place has more variety then most vintage shops in the area. However, the greatest part was the…read moreexperience with the owner. She was super friendly and helpful in finding the right piece. I love supporting local businesses and this one made my morning. I left when a peice of jewelry that I am treasure for life! Reasonable prices. Cheers!

I have driven past City Side Mall thousands of times over the last year but I never feel the need…read moreto pay it a visit. Yesterday this all changed when I went in to pick up a few bits for Friday nights dinner. City Side Mall is always busy and the parking spaces are at a premium! It's a deceptively large mall with a cinema, Burger King, New Look, Sport shop, Bargain stores, Tescos and many others. As the name suggest it is just outside the city but still walkable. It really is a jack of all trades and I'll definitely be paying it another visit. Nothing too special and nothing awful, so that makes it okay in my book.

City Side Mall (previously known as Yorkgate shopping centre) is conveniently located on York…read moreStreet. This shopping centre has a variety of different shops - Tesco, Tescos Petrol Station, Poundland, Home Bargains, Burger King, Pound Stretcher, a Movie House Cinema and much more. Parking is free at City Side Mall however the car park is managed by UKPC so make sure you not illegally parked as you will end up with a fine.

White Bicycle is small boutique that sells fairly expensive, though…read more not top high end, designer clothes of understated good taste. There are, for example, things like white shirts costing over £150 but White Bicycle seems, nevertheless, to have a good number of regular customers or at least, the stock sells out quickly as I discovered when I asked about a very cool black linen dress the woman in the shop was wearing, when she told me that those dresses had sold out but there would be new stock from the same designer the following week. This shop is quite variable, sometimes there is good stuff, sometimes not, it just depends when you happen to be there and what you are looking for. There are often excellent knock down price sales though, so if you wanted a simple pair of good quality classic trousers for instance this could be a good place to look. If you have the time and the cash a quiet, discerning shop like this can certainly give hectic city centre shopping a run for its money.

From the owner: Ladieswear. Sandwich, Transit, Sarah Pacini, Marc Aurel, Part Two, Inwear, Charli, and Sticky…read moreFingers are just some of our labels.