WEEKENDERS
Left Deluxe room at The Merchant Hotel
Above Bar at The Merchant Hotel
Below Big Fish Sculpture
away from the booming retail centre - and the new Victoria Square shopping haven
(the largest retail development in Europe, I add, with names like Cruise, AllSaints and
Urban Outfitters). For an intimate dinner try the Malmaison Brasserie, sister hotel to
Glasgow’s Mal, it’s Gothic chic at its best and seriously moody inside. Or head to
Deanes Deli for a lighter brighter bite and stop off for a swift half in the traditional
styled Crown Liquor Saloon after.
DETAILS
Deanes deli
Belfast’s compact centre is easy to get around on foot and the City Hall on Donegall
www.michaeldeane.co.uk
Square is a good central landmark if you lose your bearings. The Big Wheel nearby is
Tel: 028 9024 8800
good for some impressive views of the city but it’s best avoided by those not great
with heights. At a reach of 200ft, it wasn’t the highlight of our trip for my other half…
Malmaison Brasserie
www.malmaison-belfast.com
But for an insider’s view of the city, the best way is with a black taxi tour or with Blue
Tel: 028 9022 0200
Badge Guide, Hugh Rice – an infectiously passionate local who knows the city and its
colourful past inside out. My partner and I opted for the latter and the sightseeing tour
The Merchant Hotel
took us everywhere from the buzzing Cathedral Quarter to the Titanic Quarter (where
www.themerchanthotel.com
the boat was constructed), along the rather unsettling Falls Road to see and learn
Tel: 028 9023 4888
about the political murals - a world apart from the cosmo centre and a definite must
Flybe direct from Glasgow to
see - and onto Lisburn Road full of plush boutiques and quaint coffee shops.
Belfast City airport,
www.flybe.com
Shopping, partying or purely for a relaxing weekend and spot of culture, Belfast comes
www.gotobelfast.com
highly recommended.
i-on_Glasgow_16_Oct08.indd 64 22/9/08 11:37:34
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