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holiday inn express m2 antrim

  • 20-04-2014 1:56am
    #1
    angelmum
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭


    we're planning to go to belfast this weekend and we dont want to spend too much on hotel but seems like the midrange hotels are all fully booked. we're planning to do giant causeway for a day then 1 day in belfast city. i saw the holiday inn express m2 antrim (says near junction one) and i have enough reward points for 2 nights so a big sabings for us but husband is worty about location. kt's our first to go to belfast and he's scared driving with southern plates. does anyone know if the area around the hotel is ok? is it ok to drive around the coastal road heading towards giant causeway with southern registration or are we better off joining the bus tour? where would be the cheapest place to park in the city near the tourist attractions (titanic, etc).

    thanks and would appreciate any inputs


Comments

  • #2
    pow wow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,288 ✭✭✭pow wow


    Stayed there loads of times with 'Southern' and Northern plates and never had an ounce of trouble. Great hotel - a little bit remote in terms of where it is (mixed residential/industrial area off the motorway) and yes it's an 'ok' area. Driving with ROI plates is really nothing to worry about at all. You're instantly recognisable as tourists - why would anyone have a problem with tourists up for a few days? The issues in NI are between elements of the communities that live there, not with tourists from outside of it.

    There's a few surface carparks that are cheap in the city, and Castle Court multi storey does a flat day rate during the week.


  • #3
    angelmum
    Registered Users Posts: 200 ✭✭angelmum


    thank you so much pow wow. this made my husband relaxed and we finally book the hotel for this weekend for our anniversary. sorry for the question about security i hope i didnt offend anyone with my question. day 1 we might just take it easy after a long drive, day 2 will be heading towards the giant causeway, rope bridge and got location, day 3 we'll take the city and titanic tour. looking forward to this trip as we really wanted to see the causeway for a very long time now.

    i hope u dont mind if i ask i more question. is there any decent restaurant near the hotel that u can recommend in case we cant go in the city on our first day

    thanks again for your help


  • #4
    pow wow
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,288 ✭✭✭pow wow


    No offence taken at all angelmum, we just see a lot of threads with people being genuinely frightened to visit NI which is a shame as the vast majority of people in NI are very welcoming and would pose no threat to safety :)

    There is a restaurant in the grounds of the hotel - it isn't part of the hotel but is perched on one side of the carpark. It's a steakhouse type place, not super fancy but a few steps up from Burger King drive thru in the shopping park across the road! There are also some chinese places etc. a couple of minutes drive away.


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