The 1852

The room above the bar was available at a discount, but we decided against it. We could still hear some noise, though it didn’t bother us too much. The bar staff were great, and the free beer in the fridge as you enter the hotel is a nice touch. We’d stayed here before, over 20 years ago, when I think it was called the Crescent Townhouse. The staff were friendly and welcoming this time too. I have allergies and had no trouble getting hypoallergenic pillows. I should have asked for all the bedding to be changed as well, since the duvet was down filled, but that was my own fault for not thinking of it.

Room 105 was the big problem for us. Our view was onto the back of a restaurant, it smelled of oil, and the only thing we could hear was a generator. The windows didn’t shut tightly either. Maybe you can ask to move, but I’d avoid that room. The bedding was uncomfortable too: one pillow was nearly a brick, the other was practically nothing, and feathers from the duvet were everywhere and kept pricking us. We noticed too late to ask if different bedding was available. WiFi wasn’t great, though it wasn’t our priority. There were some good points. The Botanic area is handy and not far from the city centre, the design has a cool vibe, and you get a free beer at check-in, though that’s no good if you’re celiac. The bathroom was clean and modern with a great big hot shower. It was cheap compared with Belfast generally. The room was spacious and had good heating. Ours needed a little TLC, but it wasn’t too bad. A guy even showed up with a paint bucket as we were leaving, hah. Self check-in didn’t work for anyone arriving while we were there. From other reviews, it doesn’t seem to work very often. There’s a phone for help, though, and someone called us shortly afterwards to check everything was okay.

It’s a bit of a walk into the centre, but the hotel was very quiet at night. The staff were friendly and accommodating, like just about everywhere we found in Belfast, and I’d recommend staying here. We arrived early and could leave our bags in a secure, locked room. Our room for four was spacious, with two huge, fairly comfortable beds. One quilt was paper thin, but we managed to stay warm. The bathroom was big and modern, with a powerful shower, complimentary toiletries, and plenty of clean, fluffy towels. There were enough sockets for our gadgets, and a hairdryer and iron were provided.

The room was a good size and nicely furnished, but the hot water was a serious problem. During my four-night stay, I struggled to get a comfortable shower temperature on three mornings, and one morning there was no hot water at all. That’s not acceptable for a modern hotel. My arrival didn’t get off to a good start either. There’s no check-in desk, just a self-service terminal, and it couldn’t find my reservation. I had to wait while staff fixed the system. I’m fine with technology, but it needs to work reliably, and this made a poor first impression.