Stopped off here a couple months ago but never got round to review it. We stopped here after an…read moreenjoyable day out exploring the Silent Valley and Spelga Dam just outside Hilltown. We drive back following the Mourne Coastal Route and wanted something nicer than just standing at a chipper. We saw the front of the hotel and decided to circle back and give it a shot. The hotel is literally just opposite the water and not far at all from Warrenpoint town centre. There was a wedding taking place and most of the hotel was just loud and busy but still, we headed up to the restaurant and SO glad we did! Despite a bit of confusion on arrival of where to go to be seated or if we could be seated, a few different waitresses eventually circled through and took our drinks and food orders, brought out everything while we sipped through ciders and kiddie-friendly bevvies, and enjoyed both the company, the decor, and the vibe. The food when it arrived was awesome. We sampled everything we ordered and honestly, not a single complaint - we shared through a chunky tasty bird-and-beef burger, pizza, spicy chicken curry, garlic bread, steamed fish and veggies and barbecue ribs. All of it was terrific - none of that greasy tasting feeling after - food was amazing and I actually was very impressed. It really did cap off our day trip quite nicely and I'm looking forward to maybe check-in sometime for a weekend and give it a whirl as well.

I love the Whistledown. I've come over to Northern Ireland several times for work in the last few…read moreyears and my company uses two hotels as standard. Most of my stays have been at the Whistledown and I've never had a negative thought about the place. The beds are comfortable. The staff is friendly and helpful. The restaurants (there are two and a pub) are great. In fact the last several times I was there I ate dinner there each night (my stays are usually a week at a time). The hotel itself looks great. They still had some of the holiday decorations up, so it had a little bit of extra cheer this time around. I do know that the place is big for weddings now, so make sure you get your reservations as far out as you can manage. Oh...and you can't beat the view when you walk out of the front door. Carlingford Lough is right outside and you can look across to the Republic and the beautiful mountains there.

We were invited here 15 January 26 and as we chatted away we all instantly realised the food was…read moreawful so our host became repeatedly apologetic for it and the grim coffee. It wasn't his fault his only mistake was choosing here. There is absolutely no satisfaction in writing a review like this. None. Moreover and regardless I think it will not change what desperately needs change but at least readers are informed. The staff are delightful. The place is real cosy. Parking is free WiFi is reliable. The problem is that the carvery food is really awful and overpriced. Our memories of the food here is just this. I took the meat to give to the dogs. I ate the potato mash and cabbage; the portion of each was mean. It's old folks home standard on an alright day that we queued for. I got some Cajun pepper sauce from another Bain Marie container (the gravy looked unappealing) and it's obviously not made from fresh in house - factory made maybe even a packet mix requiring no skill or food knowledge only water. The English mustard too is poor quality it's oil based, cheap and in a tube where it stayed. Just nasty rubbish served intentionally. The cappuccino is grim and for this there's no excuse either. Management may rebut my opinion and the opinion of my wife and our host but this has been our experience time and again over many years. It's been a long time since we last dined here. We had hoped it had improved and we said how bad can the food be as we made our way there. Sadly the answer is very very.

Absolutely amazing, will be back!! We came to the hotel for birthday and when we walked in we were…read moregreated with so much respect and the rooms were amazing!!

My first visit to Carlingford, in August 2017, was for a friends birthday. A crowd of us rented a…read morehouse and spent a couple of nights there. Not only is Carlingford a beautiful little village filled with flowers, cobbled streets and medieval castles/ architecture, it's also located beside a stunning lough. We booked our accommodation, a mystery cocktail tour and an evening meal through Visit Carlingford. Everything was organised perfectly and this made our trip completely stress free and enjoyable. An excellent weekend.

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....

We turned up here last Sunday evening as they had live music starting at 6pm…read more We've been here quite often in the last few months with family so we knew it was worth going along hungry. I ordered an 8oz fillet steak which came with French fried and tobacco onions, yummy pepper sauce, parsnips roasted to perfection and buttery delicious champ, all in all about £25. The chef here can cook and knows how to season. My wife opted for salmon with a buttery sauce. Light and delicious. Good coffees to finish, terrific staff great live music and no downsides. As we drive home it was kinda spooky to seen Venus and Saturn so close, bright and aligned in the night sky. Some days are diamond. M

Pretty basic pub food in my opinion. I got the carbonara (wrong spelling in the menu) and it was…read moreneither american nor italian carbonara. It was british which a very interesting flavour i would say but yeah its pretty basic. Pretty nice and upscale pub in my opinion. The downside is that i have to use cash to pay so frustating gotta take out money from spar. Cheers!

I've been at this place twice over a year and on each occasion it's been by invitation to a…read morefunction. On both occasions the place was buzzing. Also on each occasion the food on offer has been pizza, sandwich and breadcrumbed chicken based. Once we were in the ground floor and once upstairs. The upstairs room we were in has a great harbour view. This type of food tends to be accompanied by industrial made garlic mayonnaise and sweet chilli sauce out of a bottle. The pizzas are darn good and four star on their own and this was our experience each time but I found the sandwiches and the breaded chicken just ok and the service was poor and haphazard. The food also came out far too slowly both times. If we ever go for something to eat here we'd probably opt for pizza but I find it unlikely that we'll bother. On our most recent visit about 50 guests were being attended to by one server so this was poor. I asked him for salt as we didn't have any. While my request was acknowledged it never actually arrived. I overheard server saying that they had suffered a power cut that weekend. One great plus here is the huge and diverse range of beers and gins on offer. In fact it's pretty unique in the area in that respect.

A lovely place to stay for a pint, a meal, or a night…read more We stayed here for three nights and it was lovely. We hosted our aunts 80th birthday and they were attentive and reasonable. The tea that they set up was beautiful! Our room was comfortable and lovely. Plenty of space, quiet and very clean. Well, it was quiet except for the amazing Friday and Saturday live music that was playing downstairs.

excellent place for al ropund entertainment check local press for details of weekly events in bar…read more64 i think the pub is called. great food johnny bells restaurant is great value for money for a lunchtime snack of a bit of tea in the eveniong children are made very wellcomed with a menu designed with them in mind. the food is delicious im hungry just thinking of the pan fried chicken with rosemary. big portions and staff very helpful. ive been to several functions here including my own wedding reception and its perfect for those type of things as it has its own bar and of course dance floor it has a rear carpark with a back entrance for anyone attending functions in the main function room or a front and main reception at the front. the carpark at rear of hotel is for those using the hotel only.

After much faffing about I finally got round to booking a hotel in Newcaste County Down for my…read morefriends wedding - the only problem was that due to my faffing hotel rooms in the seaside town were few and far between. This led me to The Avoca Hotel. They had one room left and it was 'basic' which is their terminology for a single room with an in room sink and a shared bathroom. Although this sounds a little but grim it was anything but - The Avoca isn't the most aesthetically pleasing hotel in the world, and the exterior could definitely do with a lick of paint, but it does it's job nicely. The reception staff are excellent - friendly and accommodating even when rushed off their feet. The Avoca is a bit of a maze inside so make sure you listen to the receptionist when they are directing you to your room. The rooms are 'basic' but as I was told this when booking I was not shocked - I was actually quite impressed with what was on offer for such a minimal price. Rooms come equipped with a sink, tea and coffee making facilities and mine came with a beautiful sea view that would rival views at the 5 star hotel up the road. The Guest information books says that you must pay for wifi but when I asked at reception they gave me the password without charge. You can opt to have breakfast included in your package, which I would highly recommend. I was served with a full fry up, 4 slices of toast, orange juice and a pot of coffee. Overall I can't say a bad word about the Avoca Hotel - although, as mentioned, the building and facilities could do with a face lift their customer service has stood the test of time and this makes all the difference.

This building is in dire need of renovation. We barely slept that night due to the noise of other…read morepatrons. You can hear every step, every snore, every word. The blinds did not block the street lights. The carpeting turned our socks brown. Also, I'm not entirely convinced the sheets were clean. The "en suite" bath facilities were old, dirty, and in need of caulking. Overall, we highly considered leaving in the middle of the night, but being from the US, we had no idea where we would go. I consider our stay here a waste of £99, and I will urge others to avoid the premises, even though the one employee running the bar, restaurant, and hotel reception was a very nice person.