Day 1: Arrival at Dublin airport. After a two-hour drive, visit Castle Ward and enjoy activities based on the Games of Thrones series. Overnight at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle.
Slieve Donard Resort & Spa
Overlooking the seaside resort of Newcastle, the tall stature of Slieve Donard has given its name to this hotel. High for the region, of course, because at 850 m, this large, weathered mound is the highest point in Ireland. Limited though it may be, its stature befits the standing of this century-old resort owned by the Hastings group, which stretches its red brick façade along a windswept coastline.
This venerable establishment, which had Chaplin as one of its customers, exudes a warm British atmosphere around its fireplaces tended by attentive staff. With 181 bedrooms, six meeting rooms and three function rooms, Slieve Donard is the perfect venue for all kinds of events. Popular with golfers thanks to its proximity to Royal County Down, one of the most challenging courses in the world, the hotel offers two restaurants, a spa with a beautiful swimming pool and activities to discover the wild and beautiful Mourne Mountains.
Downs Road, Newcastle - Tel: +44 (0)28 4372 1066 - Email : - Internet : www.hastingshotels.com
Game of thrones : Dungeons and dragons
Dragons, political intrigue, a wheat-blonde queen and a frightening winter that we wait for like we wait for Godot. Game of Thrones. For those who may have missed a few episodes, this phenomenally successful series is set in Northern Ireland, with 70% of scenes shot either in its sublime landscapes or at Titanic Studios in Belfast. The region is therefore sparing no effort to promote this providential tourist asset. Winterfell Tours, for example, organises exclusive tours of the filming locations and incentives for up to 70 people at the former Castle Ward, which dates from the 16th century and, thanks to the scriptwriters, houses the headquarters of Starck. Dressed in HBO branded clothing, participants are immersed in a fantastic medieval atmosphere, practising archery with real extras, then dining in tents for convivial banquets.
Winterfell Tours Old Castle Ward. Co Down - Tel: + 44 (0)28 4372 3933 - Email: raven@winterfell-tours.com - Internet: www.gameofthrones-winterfelltours.com
Day 2: Departure for Belfast. City tour in a black taxi. Lunch at the Culloden Hotel. Visit to Titanic Belfast. Dinner at the OX. Night at The Merchant Hotel.
The Merchant Hotel
A reassuring smell of wood fires mixed with peat and, to add to the magnificence of the place, a few notes of baroque music: whether you are comfortably seated in the sofas of the Cocktail Bar - voted the best hotel bar in the world, by the way - or under the golds of the Great Room - its restaurant - the charm of this five-star boutique hotel is inevitable. Of its former function - the building housed the headquarters of the Ulster Bank in the mid-nineteenth century - the hotel retains a very high-end look This is reflected in the opulence of the 21 rooms and 5 suites in the Victorian part of the hotel, as well as in the Art Deco spirit of the 36 rooms in a new wing created in 2006. This wing also houses four meeting rooms, including the large, flexible Rita Duffy Room, which can accommodate up to 200 people. For groups, the Great Room and Bert's jazz bar can be hired privately, as can the rooftop garden, which is extremely popular in both summer and winter.
16 Skipper Street - Tel: +44 (0)28 9023 4888 - Email: info@themerchanthotel.com Internet: www.themerchanthotel.com
Titanic Belfast, myth restored
For some, its silhouette of glass and metal evokes four prows of ships like those built by the Harland & Wolff shipyards for the White Star Line. Others see it as an iceberg standing a stone's throw from the dry docks where the most infamous of the great ocean liners was built. Whatever the interpretation of its architecture, Titanic Belfast, in the heart of the regenerating docklands, has managed to turn a shipwreck into a huge success. Its scenography illustrates the pre-eminent role of the shipyards in Belfast, the ingenuity of armies of engineers and the hard work of workers hammering steel incessantly, and of course the unheard-of luxury of the first-class cabins as well as the more spartan side of the others. The myth lives on, and many corporate groups use the venue for events and gala dinners, especially the Titanic Suite with its replica of the famous Grand Staircase.
1 Olympic Way, Titanic Quarter - Tel: +44 (0)28 9076 6386 - Email: enquiries@titanicbelfast.com - Website: titanicbelfast.com
Dynamic, becoming the equal of Dublin
" Belfast is today where Dublin was 20 years ago" says Caitriona Laver, Sales Director of Hastings Hotels. That's not only a measure of the city's potential for growth, but also of its tourism potential. Buoyed by the popularity of the Titanic Belfast and supported by a booming conference centre, Northern Ireland's capital has given itself a new lease of life at the same time as the bad publicity caused by the Troubles has diminished. As a result, hotels are opening in droves, restaurants are being awarded stars like OX, run by Stephen Toman, who trained at the school of Alain Passard, while the area around the cathedral is filling up with trendy ads like the Dirty Onion. Unwaveringly attached to the Irish atmosphere, they follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, such as the Duke of York or the Crown Liquor Saloon, a late 19th-century historic monument that is undoubtedly on the list of the world's most beautiful pubs.
Black Cab Tours: Lest We Forget
At every junction of Shankill and Falls Road, the two main Loyalist and Catholic thoroughfares, a plaque or a bouquet of flowers recalls the dark hours when, in the pubs of West Belfast, at the bottom of the pints of Guinness there was always a deposit of tears. From bad Sundays to good days, from Bloody Sunday in 1972 to Good Friday in 1998, when peace was signed, Northern Ireland is licking its wounds. Of course, the area still has a militant street artBut this fighting spirit is becoming gentler. As a result, some of the famous murals have taken on a more neutral tone, focusing on social problems, sport and even peace. A piece of history to be discovered on Black Cab Tours, such as those commented on by Billy Scott, a driver as prolix as he is erudite about the history of his city.
TouringAroundBelfast Tel: +44 (0)77 9860 2401 - Internet: touringaroundbelfast.com
Day 3: Departure for the Glens of Antrim. Visit the gardens of Glenarm Castle, followed by a scenic drive along the coast. Visit to the Bushmills distillery. Dinner and overnight at the Bushmills Inn.
Glens of Antrim: Irish walk
There's nothing more charming than the Glens of Antrim, a succession of nine valleys punctuated by gentle mountains dotted with white cottages with grey slate roofs, yellow broom hedges in spring and of sheep grazing on green grass. In the middle of each valley flows a river; and at the end of each is a sandy beach or a small port, three or four boats, a pub and nothing more. Sometimes a road leads inland, like the one to Glenariff Forest Park, into mossy undergrowth shaded by tall pines, with only the murmur of a river cascading down.
Coming from Belfast, this little diversions precedes the highlight of the show, as the road goes on a rollercoaster ride along the Irish Sea, veering from the big blue to the big green and ending up at Torr Head, a small cape that looks out over Scotland some ten kilometres away as the crow flies, so close that it seems to whisper in its ear "of all the coasts in the United Kingdom, I have the most beautiful scenery". Then the road becomes a little gentler as it crosses the moor to the little port of Ballintoy, the end of one of the most beautiful roads in the world. There's no doubt about it. The ride can continue with a breathtaking experience - or a leg-twisting experience if you're prone to vertigo - as you cross the Carrick-a-Rede. Suspended thirty metres above the water, this rope bridge was used by salmon fishermen to reach a large rock separated from the coast. Today, it is a delight for tourists and photographers alike.
Golden water distillery
Since 1608, the Bushmills distillery, one of Ireland's oldest still in operation, has been organising the alchemical marriage of water, barley and fire, which accelerates fermentation and enables distillation. The infinite delicacy of the Irish The distillation process differs from that used in Scotland, where there are three distillations instead of two, to soften the burn of the alcohol. Similarly, the barley malting process differs from the neighbouring island in that it uses warm neutral air, rather than peat, to dry the germinated grains. With cask ageing and a share of the angels - 2 to 3 % of alcohol evaporates each year - the result is single malts of character that groups can discover on private tours, accompanied by tastings of three whiskeys or premium tastings, covering the full range of the distillery's offerings.
Old Bushmills Distillery 2 Distillery Rd. Bushmills - Tel : +44 (0) 28 207 33218 - Email : visitors.bushmills@bushmills.com - Internet : www.bushmills.com
Bushmills Inn
A few chords on a guitar, a tune on a flute, the sour sound of a mandolin and the unison of warm voices: that's what Irish hospitality is all about. And it's not just on Saturday nights when the Bushmills Inn is packed to the rafters with traditional Irish music. In its nooks and crannies filled with armchairs and sofas, around its fireplaces, in its restaurant renowned for its local specialities, this top-of-the-range hotel translates Irish hospitality into a warm welcome. the region's identity. This former inn, opened in 1608 like the neighbouring distillery, was converted into a hotel in 1987. Since then, it has been extended in 2009 with new rooms, 41 in all, and a meeting room for 40 people. The Bushmills Inn also has a few surprises in store, including a cinema room and a small meeting room hidden behind a back door.
9 Dunluce Road, Bushmills - Tel: +44(0)28 2073 3000 Email: mail@bushmillsinn.com
Internet: www.bushmillsinn.com
Day 4: Visit to the Giant's Causeway and Dunluce Castle. Dinner at the French Rooms restaurant in Bushmills. Overnight at the Bushmills Inn.
Châteaux: alone by the sea
Two castles, but only one family, the McDonnells, who came from Scotland in the 16th century and have been Earls of Antrim for fourteen generations. Typical of medieval architecture, Dunluce Castle is a marvel of an abandoned castle, destroyed in 1641 during the Irish Rebellion. On its promontory facing the sea, its photogenic desolation Glenarm Castle, at the start of the road from Belfast to the Glens of Antrim. When the Mc Donnells are in London, the venerable 17th-century residence hosts very exclusive dinners for around fifteen people, who may even spend the night at the castle. As if they were part of the family.
Giant's Causeway: the remains of chaos
Cathedral builders couldn't have done better than the Giant's Causeway. Nor even Daniel Buren. With almost industrial precision, nature has carved 45,000 basalt columns 45 cm in diameter. Types of hive cells Seen from above, they differ only in size, some rising up to twelve metres. Others are lower, allowing visitors to stand and contemplate this unique site, which was created by the rapid cooling of lava during an eruption that took place 60 million years ago. Legend has it, however, that it was a giant, Finn McCool, who created it in order to cross into Scotland on dry land to confront his rival Fingal. The millions of visitors who flock to this UNESCO-listed site in the early hours of the morning certainly don't believe it. But the story is a good one, and adds to the infinite beauty of the site between land and sea, in the middle of a nature reserve populated by seabirds, seals and dolphins.
Day 5: Departure from the hotel for Belfast International Airport. En route, a photo stop near Ballymoney at the Dark Hedges, an avenue of trees that look like stag horns and once decorated the entrance to a Stuart mansion. Late afternoon flight to Paris CDG.
Also in this dossier: Meet Viktoria Varecza: Viktoria Varecza, Business Development Manager for Irish Tourism
