Meanwhile, on the food scene, mainstays like Mourne Seafood rub up against innovative upstarts like the Muddlers Club.
Shunned by travellers for decades because of sectarian violence, in recent years Belfast has emerged as one of the most culturally vibrant and friendly city break destinations in Europe. This a big-hearted town where a lone traveller can turn up alone at a Cathedral Quarter bar like The Spaniard and find a few new friends before they’re halfway through that pint of Guinness. The Merchant remains the city’s smartest hotel, but there are a smattering of stylish and oddly affordable boutique joints, of which the Bullitt Hotel is an exemplar. Meanwhile, on the food scene, mainstays like Mourne Seafood rub up against innovative upstarts like the Muddlers Club.