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Travel > BelfastNorthern Exposure I’m a Northern girl at heart, if not by birth. I have lived my entire adult life in the North of England, quite by choice. So when my lady friend (at the time) suggested a naughty weekend in Ireland for my 40th birthday I applied the same logic and immediately thought… Belfast! Not an obvious destination for a romantic weekend break but  Belfast has changed dramatically since the ceasefire 10 years ago. Not so long back there was just one hotel in Belfast - The Europa; the most bombed hotel in Europe (32 times!) but there are now 18 international class hotels catering to the thriving tourist and business market. Not least of these is sultry, sleek Malmaison; an ‘A’ grade listed 1850's warehouse conversion with a unique internal structure of oak beams and cast iron columns, dark wood panels with plush designer furniture which provided an intimate, seductive setting for my celebration break. After a superb dinner, accompanied with the excellent house Sauvignon Blanc in Malmaison’s Brasserie and followed by a Black Russian (or 3) served to our oversized Alice in Wonderland chairs in the cocktail lounge we walked (despite torrential downpour) into the city centre. We enjoyed lesbian spotting from the VIP balcony of supposedly ‘straight’ Moulin Rouge style Café Vaudeville, then headed to the Cathedral Quarter to explore 3  floors of converted shoe factory, packed with an even mix of gay guys and girls in the Union Street Pub before staggering back to Malmaison to soak in the luxury of our lush bathroom and sumptuously draped king size bed.On Sunday we took the most eye-opening guided black cab tour. Focusing on Belfast’s political heritage, our unbiased driver and informative tour guide (one and the same) showed us the colourful but poignant murals of the Protestant Unionists around the Shankill Road area and contrasted them with those of Catholic Nationalist Falls Road and its IRA war memorial garden. The ‘Peace Wall’ dividing these parallel roads has enormous barbed wire topped gates and to this day blocks each of the adjoining streets on evenings and weekends. The hundred yards or so between each side is eerily silent but I couldn’t help feeling that if it serves its purpose it’s a far preferable solution to the armed militia which were stationed on every corner of the area during ‘The Troubles’.  The taxi tour ended on a more positive note showing us some of Belfast’s great and beautiful traditional architecture followed by the new and striking modern structures of the music and theatre venues of the regenerated waterfront area. Before dropping us back to the hotel we drove through the largely derelict and demolished docklands to the massive Harland and Wolfe dry dock where the Titanic was built. Our guide explained that 20 years ago thousands of the city’s workers were employed by the various shipbuilders in this area but today there were less than 100 men still in the trade there. Virtually every building razed to the ground, just the massive twin cranes known as Samson and Goliath remain as the legacy of the industry. This region is also under a massive redevelopment programme and in another five years Belfast’s Titanic Quarter should rival Manchester’s Salford Quays or Liverpool’s Albert Docks. Belfast’s new generation gay scene reflects the city’s rapid social, cultural and political progression and this vibrant, modern, re-emerging city has an exciting air of sophistication and European flavour. We joined in the fabulously entertaining Bingolicious at Mynt; (www.myntbelfast.com) hosted by self-proclaimed Z-list celebrity Titti Von Tramp that evening and finished the night off in the highly polished soviet-chic of the Kremlin. The venue itself is straight out of Grand Designs with several unique bar areas, one of which is no smoking. The Kremlin occasionally hosts Manchester’s girly night Fussy Pussy; we danced the night away in Red Square! (www.kremlin-belfast.com) Belfast’s 16th Gay Pride Parade was held in 2006 and for the first time The Parades Commission imposed no restrictions on the march. Unlike pride parades in most other large British cities the Northern Irish gay community still have everything to fight for. Visit www.gaybelfast.net for an insight into the progress the community has made in recent years as well as the struggle the Gay Rights Association still faces. It's illuminating reading. Getting there... Staying there… You can always take a ferry and drive yourself to Belfast, this way you can even take your beloved pooch (for just £10 p/n Malmaison provide a dinner bowl and comfy basket). If booked far enough in advance bargain flights can be found with no frills airlines such as Flybe and Bmi Baby. Whoever you fly with it's essential that you check which airport you fly into. Belfast City Airport is only 3 miles from the centre which costs just over £5 in a taxi; from Belfast International it is closer to £20 so bear this in mind when considering which your lowest cost option is. Our Black Cab guided city tour was £25 for up to 3 passengers and £8 per head after that. (Cheaper and far more informative than the open-top bus.) Belfast’s first gay guesthouse, Universe House has recently opened close to the city centre and gay scene. Call (028)9029 8804 for further details. Belfast is Malmaison’s most intimate hotel with only 62 rooms. Double rooms start from £99 per night. All rooms have lap-top size safes, complimentary internet access, LCD TV’s with DVD, and there’s a film & CD library at reception. Our 2 course meal in the Brasserie came to £22 per person including a bottle of excellent South African Sauvignon Blanc House White. We had a buffet breakfast in the Brasserie included in our stay and opted to pay a little extra for the highly recommended Eggs Benedict. On Sunday morning we took the option of breakfast in bed, baskets with fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereal and croissants were delivered to the room with the Sunday Papers.  If you really want to push the boat out, you can follow in Kylie’s footsteps and book a Rock ‘n’ Roll suite, with leather sofas, real fire, walk-through shower, free-standing double bath, a 9ft wide super-king bed & even a purple baize pool table! Ideal for a wedding night or luxury hen party for around £300 per night. Book online at www.malmaison.com or call 0845 365 4247 |
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