Harper's Boutique Bed & Breakfast

Mandy, the owner, was warm, friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was great. I slept very well in the comfortable bed. The lovely shower room has underfloor heating, and there are lots of high-quality fixtures and fittings. It's excellent value for a B&B, with a lot of time, effort and money clearly put into restoring this period property. Highly recommended.

We had no Wi-Fi for the whole stay, and staff made no effort to sort it out. The room was nicely decorated, but the amenities were poor. Even the guest toiletries were inadequate, and requests to replace them were ignored. The shower lever was broken, and the towels weren't changed as staff had said they would be. Before checkout, we were also asked to take the room rubbish out to the street bins. For £109 per night, this was nowhere near good enough.

The area didn't feel particularly safe at night, with homeless people and obvious addicts around, and derelict buildings starting only a few doors away. Nearby hotels, including the one directly opposite, are now closed to the public as refugee centres. These days, Harpers feels run down and shabby. It might do for a night or two if you were stuck in Belfast with nowhere else to go, but it isn't cheap. The room may have been beautiful when the display photos were taken more than 10 years ago. Mine was tiny, with one side of the bed pushed against the window. A heavy plastic or nylon curtain had holes worn through it. The bed, little writing desk and chair were all tired and depressing. There wasn't space for a wardrobe, but a wall shelf rack with hangers worked. The carpet was badly stained and had been scrubbed in patches with what looked like bleach, leaving it a mess. The toilet lid was missing. There was black mould in the shower, a mouldy smell and old repair silicone that had also moulded and was coming loose where the walls met the floor. The Bush TV was knackered, and every door in the building slammed as guests came and went. The front steps were buried under leaves and takeaway wrappers. Housekeeping seemed to have stepped over it all and ignored it during my 12-day stay. With budget places like Holiday Inns being commandeered by the government to house refugees, places like Harper’s don't have to keep standards up when there are fewer choices, and prices can rise. They offered me or a friend 20% off a future visit in return for a glowing five-star review. Thanks, Harpers, but I'll probably pass. Happy travels.

The rooms were spacious and beautiful, with amazing showers and lots of breakfast choices. Staff were extremely helpful, and the location is convenient for the city centre and right by the university. One thing to know is that street noise around bar closing time reaches the rooms facing the street, though it probably won't affect most rooms.