The hotel has a very contemporary feel  with 130 rooms designed to be elegant, comfortable and luxurious. Each  room boasts desigber textures and fabrics, crisp White Egyptian
linen, duck down feather pillows and quilts and cd players with the  essential mp3/iPod connections.
With a delightful restaurant and great bar this hotel is fast becoming  one of the notable places to stay, eat and drink when in Belfast.

For more details checkout their website at www.fitzwilliamhotelbelfast.com

Finding ways to fill your in Belfast and Northern Ireland is not difficult, it is easy. Belfast offers a lot for the outdoors type with dramatic coastlines, mountains, lakes, and some of the best golf courses in the world. It is also a haven for superb fishing, water sports and walking trails.

For the culture vultures the majestic and beautiful Grand Opera House offers theatre, musicals, opera, ballet, comedy, concerts and pantomime, while the Lyric theatre,  specialises in works by local dramatists. The recently renovated and now re-opened Ulster Hall is also a venue worth a visit to take in a concert or two. Belfast’s Waterfront Hall houses an award-winning conference, music and arts centre holding a wide spectrum of events.

Belfast has a rich tradition of arts festivals, the highlight of which is the highly regarded annual Belfast Festival at Queen’s. It also has one of the best underground music scenes in the world, with live music playing across the city every night.

The rejuvenated Cathedral Quarter of Belfast has become the most fashionable part of the city to eat, drink and socialise. The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival features an eclectic mix of music, dance and drama, much of which is performed on the street.

Add to that, excellent restaurants, pubs, clubs and everywhere the famous Northern Irish ‘craic’ and it isn’t hard to see why Northern Ireland has been named as one of the ‘must-see’ travel destinations by Lonely Planet’s Blue List.

Belfast Festivals

Below is a sample of the festivals in Northern Ireland

Belfast Festival at Queen’s (October – November) – www.belfastfestival.com

Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (May) – www.cqaf.com

Féile an Phobail West Belfast (August) – www.feilebelfast.com

Festival of Fools (May) – www.foolsfestival.com

Venues

There are concert and theatre venues in cities and towns across Northern Ireland

Grand Opera House, Belfast – www.goh.co.uk

Millennium Forum, Derry – http://mforum.sed2.info

Odyssey Arena, Belfast – www.odysseyarena.com

The Nerve Centre, Derry – www.nerve-centre.org.uk

Waterfront Hall, Belfast – www.waterfront.co.uk

Lifestyle

Whether you’re interested in attractions, entertainment, shopping or getting back to nature, there’s a wealth of things to see and do on your doorstep. Some are listed below:

Derry Visitor and Convention Bureau – www.derryvisitor.com

Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau – www.gotobelfast.com

The Glens of Antrim – www.northantrim.com/theglensofantrim.htm

Mourne Mountains – www.mournemountains.com

Fermanagh Lakes – www.fermanaghlakelands.com

Belfast itself offers a unique balance of urban and rural, modern and ancient. Though Belfast’s very much a capital city, you’re never far from stunning scenery and fine Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and a rich shipbuilding history provides a striking contrast with modern investments including the Victoria Square complex, home to the Norths very Open Apple Store, and the Odyssey Pavilion, home to the Mighty Belfast Giants.

For those who live or travel here, you will find that your social life’s is bright with new hotels, clubs, bars and restaurants springing up all over the city, it’s good to know that the efficient pink and white Metro bus will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go.

For those seeking employment, there is plenty of variety and choice and despite the Credit Crunch, belfast is still attracting investment and creating jobs in some sectors. at the same time, house prices have come down significantly and are not at a level that is right having gone through what was a huge surge in valuations.

Some of the top companies to consider are:

• Tesco – 10,000+ employees
• Bombardier – 5,000+ employees
• Asda – 3,500 employees and growing
• BT – 2,600 employees
• HBOS – 2,200 employees
• UTV Media – 900+ employees

Some of the cool up and coming IT companies include:

• Latens
• ATG
• Kainos
• Liberty Information technology

1) In 2008 Belfast saw the erection of its very own Big Wheel – The city with its spires, domes and cranes, welcomes a lofty new feature to the skyline. The Big Wheel stands 200 feet high in the grounds of the Beautiful Belfast City Hall. It is a great way to see the city and the rolling hills beyond. For more information, go to Belfast Wheel

2) Discover the story of Historic Belfast. A short distance from the City Centre is the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Once there you will find a carefully recreated ‘Old Town’, which tells the story of life in Ulster in the early 1900’s. Click here for more information on museums and galleries in Belfast.

3) Take a Walk and stroll through the Victorian streets of Belfast. There are many Walking Tours available or better still, go explore yourself. The city Centre is small and can be easily explored by foot. Guided tours include The Old Town, Titanic Trail, Blackstaff Way tours and the City Centre Walk. For more details on the tours including email and contact details, check out our “Belfast Walking Tours” post

4) There’s so much for children to enjoy in Belfast from fabulous attractions and entertainment of all kinds plus fun places to eat and shop. The Odyssey Complex is great for kids and is home to W5 Interactive Discovery Centre and the Odyssey Arena – home of the Belfast Giants Ice Hockey Team. Experience exotic animals at close range in Belfast Zoo, built into towering Cave Hill, or get a more ‘hands-on’ experience at Streamvale Open Farm.

5) Take a motorized Tour of Belfast if our tip on walking is too much for you. You can see the city by boat or black taxi, open top bus or mini-coach, chauffeur driven or by bicycle – to discover the best of Belfast, old and new, take a tour. And if you want to explore further, tours to the beautiful Northern Irish countryside depart from Belfast daily.

6) Go on Historical Pub Walking Tour or if you get really into it, a crawling tour. No visit to Belfast would be complete without a trip around its famous and historic pubs. The hospitality of Belfast city and its people is legendary and there’s no better way to enjoy the ‘craic’ and the banter with the locals than over a few Guinness.

7) I can’t believe I am even saying this but you really can Shop ’til you drop!  Belfast offers a wonderful array of products ranging from the traditional to the more contemporary. A must for all shoppers is the central shopping area which runs from Donegall Place to Royal Avenue, and is easily explored on foot. St George’s Market (the oldest covered market in Ireland) runs a Variety Market every Friday morning which boasts the largest indoor fish market in Ireland with 23 seafood stalls! The Saturday morning Farm & Speciality Food Market offers a wide range of local high quality specialist food products. The Lisburn Road in the south of the city boasts a trail of chic designer boutiques, with plenty of al fresco cafes to offer a rest stop along the way. There are also many fine shopping centres throughout the city and suburbs. Plus as if that is not enough, you can easily waste a day and a few pounds (sterling that is) in the magnificant Victoria Square, host to some of the finest shops and restaurants in the city
Go out and get stuffed, have a meal that is. Since local celebrity chef Paul Rankin first put Belfast on the culinary map, the landscape of restaurants and cafes here has changed beyond our wildest dreams. From Michelin Star excellence, cosy neighbourhood brasseries, authentic Asian cuisine to traditional Irish pub grub – you’ll find something to suit all tastes in Belfast. I love going out for a meal in Belfast as it really has come on in leaps and bounds. A favourite which you may have stubled upon during the Pub Crawl is the Cathedral Quarter. A great place to eat and drink.

9) “If you haven’t had a night out in Belfast, you haven’t lived” Sara Cox, BBC Radio One DJ. Sara’s right, this is a great city to party, we love you Sara. All you need is a lot of energy and a little inside information! Sample a local brew in one of Belfast’s historic hostelries, visit one of the traditional pubs for a live Irish music sessions, or check out the hip and trendy bar and club scene, you’ll find it all in Belfast!
You’ll also find a fantastic programme of top name concerts at the Odyssey Arena, a variety for all tastes at Belfast Waterfront Hall, top West End productions and performing arts at the Grand Opera House. Belfast also offers an array of Festivals throughout the year.

10) Last but not least book your flight to come back again. I think a few items on this list alone will take over a weekend if not a week, so jump on another flight and come finish the list. We hope to see you soon.