After reading the other two ops in this category on the Europa, I was really looking forward to my stay here. Over the last few years through both business and pleasure I have stayed in hotels the length and breadth of not only the UK but mainland Europe and have come to the conclusion that you have seen one room, you have seen them all and to stick out from the crowd they have to possess something pretty special, such as my 6’ 6” bed in Amsterdam or my 3ft deep bath in Prague, well I am sad to say that the Europa let me down on both these fronts but more about that later.

LOCATION
For this the Europa undoubtedly gets full marks, from what I can gather, although I didn’t wander too far, there is a myriad of pubs, shops and eateries within its immediate vicinity, including a pub opposite and slightly to the right which apparently presents the best pint of Guinness in the city, I can’t vouch for this, what I can advise you though, is do not queue behind anyone ordering 6 pints of the stuff else you will die of thirst – they do things properly over there and pour in stages and then shape a shamrock into the top – it looks absolutely gorgeous and very tempting, although my companions didn’t seem over impressed, although that may have been something to do with the 4 course meal and several bottles of wine they had just devoured. The hotel also has a cash-point in its wall outside, although if you are only in Belfast for a short-time beware, I got myself a sizeable wedge of money out so that I wouldn’t have to worry when I got back to the mainland, only to find myself with £50’s worth of Irish notes, which although considerably prettier than their English counterparts and totally valid tender on the mainland – will land you in some interesting debates with cashiers as I discovered to my cost.

GETTING AROUND
As someone else pointed out, there are only two lifts in this hotel and they certainly seem to have a mind of their own, thus getting to where I wanted to go did take a while, although it did provide me with the opportunity to weigh up the rather influential guest-list which included Jeremy Spake (and camera crew) (the guy who made it big through the first Airline series – apparently he speaks 7 languages) and also I am reliably informed Neil Morrissey was also there during our stay although I didn’t get to witness this myself.

The room was en-suite, small and adequate for one person, despite being a ‘double’. It had the customary trouser press, colour TV, Tea and Coffee making facilities tucked away in the wardrobe, bed and seating area with a table, two chairs and a wealth of literature on how to spend your time in Belfast and also details on other hotels in the Hastings chain – whose logo suspiciously resembles the Jarvis chain.

The TV sported a massive range of channels incorporating all the usual UK ones, BBC, ITV, Channels 4 and 5, a few standard sky channels and a wealth of Irish channels I had never heard of, but should imagine by the line-up or programmes they are in some way associated with ITV. In true hotel style my remote control was missing and I advised reception of this immediately along with a request for an iron and ironing board so that I wouldn’t have to rush the next morning. I ended up with 2 irons and ironing boards and no remote control until after I returned from my ‘socialising’ somewhat later that evening following a second request.

o Vegetable Tartlet with Goats Cheese – this was revolting

o Lamb served on a bed of lyonnaise mashed potato with boiled potatoes, Swede and parsnip mash, minted beans and gravy all plated. I am not typically a red meat eater (apart from the occasional steak) and never eat lamb, but after a little cajoling from my dinner partners (the alternative was almost definitely starvation) I did eat the lamb and have to say it was one of the nicest and most tender meat dishes I have eaten in years, it was mouth-wateringly tasty and very very filling.

There was a vegetarian option that sounded even more uninviting that the lamb dinner and both red and white wine were available in abundance. There was also plenty of chilled water for wine haters like me.

OTHER FACILITIES
As I have already mentioned, I tend to find rooms are pretty much of a muchness in hotels irrespective of the chain and the star rating, so what else did the Europa have to offer? A restaurant, a bar (where a pint of Stella cost £2.70) a very grand and imposing reception area and a hair and beauty salon. Pretty much it I’m afraid, so if you are looking for lots of facilities, forget the Europa, although I am led to believe there are numerous activities within easy walking distance.

MY VERDICT
If I had been paying for any of this myself at those rates I would have been sorely disappointed. If you look on their website, some of their rooms in the photo-gallery look very imposing with good facilities such as PC’s connection points, Videos etc, but trust me my room nothing like it – if you want to find out more for yourself – visit:

UPDATE: It seems I have clearly upset another member who has stayed in this hotel and feels I am being unfair.