Historic Spa hotels of Northern Ireland

After enjoying complimentary airport lounge access, fly out to Belfast City airport, picking up your car hire at the airport, take time to explore historic Belfast with the redeveloped Titanic Quarter and the renowned Titanic Belfast museum nearby. Then make the short drive east to your accommodation the Culloden Estate and Spa, first built in 1876 as an official palace for the Bishops of Down, who picked a heavenly spot on a wooded slope overlooking Belfast Lough, the buildings have been extended over the years to accommodate a high quality spa and restaurant serving outstanding food sourced from local suppliers.

Stay: Culloden Estate & Spa, Holywood nr Belfast (Deluxe)

Today you might want to head back into Belfast just nine miles west by local train from the railway station at the bottom of the garden takes to Belfast Central Station. Alternatively enjoy the relaxation and treatments of the spa facilities or explore the 12 acres of mature gardens and take in the stunning views over the Estate and Belfast Lough, and the County Antrim coastline. The award winning Mitre Restaurant is one of the finest restaurants in Northern Ireland. With breathtaking views over Belfast Lough, it serves modern Irish Cuisine using the freshest local produce. The Cultra Inn, complete with log fires, is a cosy bar and restaurant which nestles in the Estate - perfect for a tasty lunch or pint by the fireside.

Stay: Culloden Estate & Spa, Holywood nr Belfast (Deluxe)

After breakfast take the scenic drive south, wind through North Down along the Ards Peninsula to Portaferry where you crab and prawns from the quayside are a treat, then drive onto the Strangford ferry to cross the lough. With the Irish Sea coast on one side and Strangford Lough on the other, you drive through the creative peninsula, home to many artisan producers. The coast of County Down brings beautiful beaches and many heritage sites, and overlooking a windswept beach you will reach Newcastle and your hotel the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa.

Restore and revitalise while the majestic Mountains of Mourne and the rolling sand dunes of County Down provide the perfect backdrop. Experience healing heat experiences, relaxation rooms and a gold flecked mosaic pool, surrounded by breathtaking floor-to-ceiling sea views. Built in 1897, right on the beach in a Scottish turreted style, with world-famous golf course on one side, the mountains on the other, the ocean in front and a great spa and old-school charm within. Whether your days are filled with treatments, beach or mountain treks or exploring by car, in the evenings enjoy true Irish gastronomy with whiskey and dill-cured salmon, followed by beef fillet marinated in Guinness and treacle served in oak-panelled splendour. After dinner, pour yourself into the cosy adjacent Chaplin’s Bar, named after his stay in 1921, for a nightcap, or if you’re feeling adventurous, tackle the one-minute walk to the Percy French pub at the entrance to the grounds. 

Stay: Slieve Donard Resort & Spa, Newcastle (Deluxe)

After breakfast, make the drive back to Belfast City airport and drop off your car hire prior to your flight back to the UK.