Latest news with #DunluceLodge
Belfast Telegraph
02-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
North coast hotel wins five-star rating from Tourism NI
The hotel was opened in February by US owners Links Collection Capital ahead of the Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club this month. It is operated by global company Valor Hospitality in its first Northern Ireland project. The hotel, which overlooks Royal Portrush's fourth fairway, has 35 suites. According to Tourism NI's quality grading scheme, 'upon inspection, the bedrooms were found to be spacious and finished to an exceptional standard while the restaurant demonstrated superb interior design'. It added that 'staff were found to be friendly and courteous with high levels of hospitality and service provided'. David Roberts, director of strategic development at Tourism NI, said: 'Tourism NI is delighted to award Dunluce Lodge a five-star accommodation grading. 'This is a thoroughly well-deserved award, testament to the exceptionally high-quality facilities and services on offer to guests. 'I have no doubt the bespoke hospitality experiences this hotel offers will increase Northern Ireland's popularity as a destination for the lucrative golf and luxury segments of the tourism market.' Stephen Meldrum, general manager of Dunluce Lodge, said it was 'thrilled' at the five-star rating. 'From the very beginning our intention has been to provide a new level of genuine Irish hospitality on the Causeway Coast and the awarding of five-star status is testament to the exceptional service we provide for our guests in luxurious surroundings. 'Looking ahead, we want to be constantly evolving and setting new standards. We already have exciting plans to further develop our spa offering and complement our packages with a series of wellness experiences. This is just the beginning for Dunluce Lodge.' Dunluce Lodge is among a wave of new high-quality accommodation to open on the north coast ahead of the Open. Marine & Lawn, which also owns the Slieve Donard in Co Down, unveiled its revamped Adelphi Hotel Portrush earlier this year. And Andras House opened the Marcus Hotel, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton venue, last week.
Sunday Post
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Sunday Post
Travel: Portrush is Open for business as golf's big show returns
Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Thank you for signing up to our Sunday Post newsletter. Something went wrong - please try again later. Sign Up The low sun casts a golden glow over the sand dunes, where pockets of perfectly manicured lawn appear like an oasis. This is Royal Portrush Golf Club on Northern Ireland's famous Causeway Coast, where the famous Open Championship is due to start in a few weeks' time. As the wind blows through the spiky Marram grass that edges the fairways, it makes a murmur that echoes like distant crowds cheering on former golfing glories. The place is a hive of activity, as work on massive grandstands, tents, marquees and parking enter their final stages ahead of the event on July 12-16. When the event was last held there in 2019, it became clear there was a lack of high-quality accommodation in the town, which is expected to welcome in excess of 250,000 people over the four days. To this end, Dunluce Lodge, a new multi-million-pound resort has been created, overlooking the fairways of the world-renowned Royal Portrush Golf Club, and is the only five-star resort on the Causeway Coast. The retreat, behind gated access, is exclusive to guests, and has 35 luxury suites. Opened at the start of April and finished to the highest standards, its decor simply oozes luxury. The suites feature everything you would expect from a lavish hotel: king-size beds, a vast living space, coffee machine, well-stocked mini-bar and an offshoot bathroom area with marble finishes throughout and underfloor heating. Although squarely aimed at the high-spending golfing community, particularly from the United States, Dunluce Lodge also offers a huge variety of things to do for accompanying family such as a putting green on-site, as well as a luxury spa. It is situated a little way outside Portrush, but within walking distance, although transport can be provided, and free transfers to nearby golf clubs is on offer. There is a lovely bar with a terrace which looks out to sea over the golf course, and an outside fire pit and outside kitchen area, so guests can relax and watch the sun setting over the Donegal coast. Needless to say, dining facilities are superb, and the menu features the best of local produce, with an emphasis on seafood caught nearby. Another multi-million-pound investment, which has just been completed, is the transformation of one of the town's principal hotels, the Adelphi. Now owned by the Marine and Lawn Group, which also owns famous golfing hotels such as Rusacks in St Andrews and the Marine hotels in Troon and North Berwick, it is another oasis of luxury. Closed for several months while the work was carried out, this town-centre hotel now has 34 unique rooms. Each bedroom boasts bespoke furniture, high-quality bedding and bedside power and USB sockets plus the usual desk, TV and minibar. The highest-quality furnishings indicate this is an establishment offering comfort and tranquility, and the food in the Red Sail dining room blends locally sourced ingredients with Italian favourites. Away from golf, the area offers a wide range of cultural and sporting activities ranging from basket weaving and glass making to surfing, paddleboarding, e-bike rides and even a portable sauna on the beach. The area is world-famous for the Giant's Causeway, a few miles away. Under the care of the National Trust since 1961, the unique mostly hexagonal basalt rocks are simply awe-inspiring. A recently built £18 million visitor centre offers an interactive exhibition, cafe and audio guides, but the causeway itself can be visited free of charge. It takes around 20 minutes, but there is a regular bus service which costs £1 each way, although National Trust members can ride for free. Along the coast is the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, again a 20-minute walk from the car park and only for those with a head for heights and not scared of a bit of swaying! Nearby is the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery at Bushmills, which has been operating since 1608, and offers tours of the distilling process followed by a tasting of several of the whiskeys produced there. The area has a number of artisan small-scale food and drink producers, and one of the best ways to experience this is to take a two-hour sail along the River Bann from Coleraine on the beautifully restored MV Kingfisher, built at Harland and Wolff. With a full lunch, canapés and locally produced gin provided, there are plenty of opportunities for wildlife spotting on the sail. © Christopher Hill The seven-mile-long Benone beach attracts hundreds of people who can park on the sand. Among them is a towable sauna, with access to the sea to cool down. For those who are keen on aquatic pursuits, Ricky Martin and his team at Alive Adventures offer surfing, kayaking and paddleboarding, at locations along the Causeway Coast. Ricky also offers e-bike rides along the coast, with him leading on a cargo version containing the food and drink for a picnic along the way. Elsewhere, LIR in Portrush is run by Stevie McCarry (of Great British Menu TV fame) and his wife Rebekah. This seafood restaurant, on the banks of the Bann at Coleraine, is growing in popularity due to Stevie's innovative menus, which included shrimp lasagne and six different flavoured oysters. Likewise, Shanty offers a wide menu with an emphasis on seafood with lobster a speciality. P.S. The area is well known for its range of unusual arts products, with many based near the Giant's Causeway at the Boat House Gallery and Glass Workshop, run by Eleanor-Jane McCartney. Visitors are able to cut stained glass sourced from the windows of a former local church, and using the Tiffany glassmaking technique, create their own unique masterpiece. Likewise, a fascinating visit to Louise and Trevor McLean's studio on the outskirts of Portrush allows you to try out traditional basket weaving. Factfile Dunluce Lodge: Rooms start from £299 per room on a B&B basis ( Portrush Adelphi: Rooms start from £245 subject to seasonality & availability per room per night, including full Irish breakfast and VAT. Pet friendly. (
The Independent
09-06-2025
- The Independent
The surprise UK destination rapidly becoming a golf holiday hotspot
I'm standing on a manicured lawn, legs hip-width apart as I shimmy my weight forward. I move the putter back a tiny amount and hit a golf ball wonkily towards the hole. 'It's a good putt,' PGA pro Charlotte Reid tells me. 'You just need to hit it like a pendulum.' Charlotte is frequently dishing out advice here at Royal Portrush Golf Club – home to The Open for the third time this summer. Around 278,000 people will be heading to Northern Ireland's prestigious location for the 153rd championship. It's one of the most sought-after golf courses in the world, and costs visitors like me £385 to play a round. It's one of the reasons some seriously fancy hotels are opening up in and around Portrush – a Northern Irish seaside town full of heart. On the fourth fairway, the region's only five-star resort opened in March. Dunluce Lodge's 35 suites are decked out in earthy shades, creating a calming yet traditional space. Little details – like locally-sourcing everything, free beer and snacks in the rooms, and chocolate and a bedtime story – give the hotel a homely feel. And the never-ending sunsets can be soaked up from the terrace, open year-round with an outdoor BBQ and firepit. In land, the Portrush Adelphi has been bought and renovated by Marine & Lawn – their first hotel which isn't directly on the coast or golf course. It's a small, boutique affair with 34 rooms, but it's the downstairs decor that really stands out. Grand but cool, shiny green tiles frame the bar lined with six plump leather stools. At the bay window, cloaked in long flowing curtains with miniature gold tassels, four revolving Chesterfield tub chairs are upholstered in plush green velvet, and the walls and ceiling are adorned in green corduroy. Up the road, Hilton's £11million hotel The Marcus Portrush is currently being refurbished, set to open on July 1, and a big spa hotel has also got the go ahead to open in nearby Portstewart. Aside from the golf, there is plenty to do in this part of Northern Ireland. The untamed coast is home to UNESCO World Heritage Site Giant's Causeway. The jaw-dropping geological wonder formed almost 60million years ago from volcanic eruption and slowly-cooling lava. It's a basalt plateau that has to be seen to be believed, the honeycomb-shaped columns jutting upwards in all shapes and sizes. I wobble my way up the smooth hexagonal hill, tip-toeing over the Wishing Chair and up to the top for the photograph everyone is here for. Going earlier in the day definitely helps avoid crowds – just watch out for jelly legs on the way down. As I snap unreal photos from Magheracross viewpoint, looking out over Whiterocks Beach with the rocky Skerries in the distance, crashing surf swooshes and swirls like a belligerent shiver of shark fins, green moss dusting their tips. The sea is as blue as the sky and there's barely a soul in sight. Two minutes away, the ruins of Dunluce Castle – built on sheer headland with Causeway stones between the 15th and 17th century – hides rocks, reefs and sea caves. I stumble over the cobbles, admiring the fat, sturdy walls. It's sprawling and beautiful, much like the coast it overlooks. Anyone looking to fill up their days with more than just sightseeing can head out on the Causeway Craft Trail – visiting local artisans inspired by their gorgeous surroundings. The Boat House gallery – complete with a rowing boat strung up to the ceiling and lit with fairy lights – hosts a local craft collective. There's always an artist here and an array of affordable items to buy. Emer Dixon, who specialises in Irish heritage silver jewellery, plucks a box from her glass storage cabinet – it's a necklace she's just finished called Messy Heart, 'because everyone's heart is a wee bit messy', she says. At Atlantic Craft, I meet Louise McLean, who teaches us how to weave willow and somehow, magically create decorative swallows. Louise has been basket weaving for 25 years, has met the King, had pieces bought by celebrities and makes props for big-budget film and TV shows. 'It's the oldest crafting skill in the world,' she says. 'You have to weave using both hands and, because it uses both sides of the brain, it's really therapeutic.' My favourite thing to do in Portrush, however, is the Spirit of the Bann foodie tour. We meet by LIR – undoubtedly the best restaurant in the area – ran by Stevie McCarry (who made the Great British Menu final this year) and his wife Rebekah, who's responsible for the epic pink walls, glitterballs, Tiffany lampshades and David Shrigley artwork. The whole space looks out onto the riverbank. I grab our skipper Ian McKnight's hand and haul myself onto the shiny burgundy M.V. Kingfisher. 'It's the love of my life,' Ian says of his lockdown project. We take our seats beneath the colourful bunting and miniature festoon lights as Simon Hogg from Dunluce Distillery pours us a large shot of La Riva Nata. His Great Taste award-winner is made with the peel of Sorrento lemons and is the first limoncello born in Ireland. It's 11.30am and Ian merrily toots his horn at other boat owners. Tall reeds line the riverbank, spines perfectly upright soaking up the rare sunshine on Northern Ireland's longest river. We learn all about the area of outstanding natural beauty, the salt marsh and reef beds providing a home to dragonflies, native bluebells and rare orchids. Simon serves up a Shore Born gin, made with juniper, lavender and cardamom, as the estuary starts to open out. Native cormorants sit on the jetty, wings outstretched, drying off in the sunshine, while others flap close to the sea, seeking out supper. A family of three stand on a stretch of beach they have all to themselves, as we look out to Mussenden Temple – one of the most photographed places in Ireland – and the hills of county Donegal. The river becomes a little more undulating, the sun dancing on the ripples, twinkling like diamonds, as we chug our way into the Atlantic. We stop for lunch and a cheeky cocktail, all served on locally-made slate and wooden platters. Simon shakes up a round of Twilight Shores – gin, blueberry purée, lavender syrup, and mint from his garden – which pairs perfectly with the cheese and charcuterie. The condiments are phenomenal: Distillers Pickle Sauce – a concoction perfected during lockdown by chef Gary Stewart; a rhubarb chutney made by Amanda Hanna – a farmer's wife whose farmshop business Jam At The Doorstep has exploded; Irish Black Butter, which is not actually butter, but a delicious sauce made with Armagh Bramley apples; and Dart Mountain Craft Drizzle made with Armagh dry cider, which I pour over an oat biscuit topped with a hunk of cheese and walnuts. Simon chats about his creations modestly, a squashed cap wonkily placed his head, and we finish the trip with an Irish coffee made with his coffee liqueur. I may be full of gin and cheese, but romantic plans of upping sticks and moving to Portrush feel like a genuine possibility. The people are friendly, the food and drink is delicious, and the surroundings are utterly beautiful. I'm not the greatest golfer, but this part of Northern Ireland has much more to offer than those 18 holes, no matter how fancy they are. How to plan your trip Rooms at Dunluce Lodge ( start from £299, with breakfast. Rooms at Portrush Adelphi ( start from £245, including full Irish breakfast. The Spirit Of The Bann Gin Tasting Tour is run by Causeway Coast Foodie Tours and White River Charters, costing £79.50. A half-day willow weaving workshop with Atlantic Craft costs £45. Giant's Causeway is free, but a visitor experience ticket, which includes parking and tours costs £15.
