belfast

one of my dearest graduate medic friends is from northern ireland. every friday, she flies home to her five young children. i think she's superwoman, balancing the demands of motherhood and medical school, sailing through with merits no less. she's a constant encouragement and inspiration. and when i think about how she's so much on her plate (compared to mine with just the mister, a fully functioning adult!) yet she manages to get good work done, she blows all my sorry excuses and attempts at procrastination out of the water. her story's always intrigued me, and she's often invited us to visit over the weekend. much as i'd love to stay with her and her brood, i appreciate how precious time with them is and chose not to impose. however, the mister and i did hop over one weekend last month and were excited to see the rugged north in all its splendor. the mister chose the merchant hotel in belfast and we weren't disappointed. nifty tip: if you're going over the weekend, don't bother paying for valet parking despite the hotel's warning that it's hard to find (free) roadside parking. it wasn't and i'm glad the mister steered clear of that trap. also, we had a lovely spacious room in the art deco wing that was much better value than the junior suite in the older wing that we also saw. was happy enough with the hotel. apparently high tea at the merchant's a big thing in belfast, sort of like high tea at any peninsular (guess which one i prefer haha) and breakfast was adequate. it's got a great french restaurant (more about that later) and cosy bar that we probably spent too much time at. decent spa with outdoor jacuzzi overlooking the belfast skyline, and the option to have plastic bottles of champagne while soaking away the day's cares. the photo above is the view from our room! and the photos below from our walk around the city.

jumping forward, G had some ace recommendations. the crown salon was beautifully done (as you can see below) and served a delicious lunch, although we did opt for a curry :/ can't get enough of the gorgeous wood panels, comfortable booths and mosaic floor. the natural light gently filtering in also added to the charm.