SLEEPOVER HASLEM Haslem perfectly positioned at the far corner which gives it the opportunity for outside seating. Immediately you’re hit with a casual yet modern sophisticated vibe. Entering the foyer there is no grand reception desk - infact it’s all rather understated. Instead priority is offered to creating a really cool space with a fun vibe. You’re immediately in part of the entertaining / bar zone, there is seating and booths around you with people having the craic and the buzz of fun is in the air. We checked into our room and headed up in the lift. Our room was spacious yet simply and tastefully designed. No over the top, unnecessary frills. But the is an obvious attention to even the smallest detail in the bespoke bedroom furniture. The bed is big and more importantly comfy. There’s a big TV on the wall to watch when I’m hungover in the morning, and the windows look out over the bustling market street part of town. As expected from a hotel within the Beannchor portfolio everything is well thought out, the ensuite shower room is beautiful with a great, powerful rain head shower. Oh, and not forgetting, and this is a particularly important one - the room has a full length mirror in it, that might sound a bit dramatic but have you ever tried to get ready in a hotel and it only has a wee mirror above the dressing table - absolute nightmare. After showering and getting ourselves ready we headed down for dinner. The restaurant is next to the bar, again it’s all pretty open so there’s a great flow and you can absorb the at-
mosphere from the bar and hear the live music (it was a Friday night). We were shown to our table and our friends joined us shortly after. The choice of dishes is great, not too over the top but enough to cater for all tastes. I had lamb (I always do, everywhere), hubby had Pork and my mates both had burgers - all totally gorgeous. I’m not going to dive into great detail about the ins and outs of the food, just to say it tasted beaut, was presented perfectly, and the staff serving it were amazing, friendly and attentive. Really this hotel is more about rooms and food - it’s more of an experience. After dinner we headed out into the lobby bar for a few cocktails and beers. There was a live acoustic singer on who was great - really added to the cool vibe, people were generally chilled and enjoying
themselves. This alone was a refreshing change for me when having a drink in Lisburn. And please don’t get me wrong there are some great bars in town and I still go to them - but the vibe in here was, well different. No notions of community divides or ownerships, no lary drunk people shouting abuse from the corners - just a bit more, well, Belfast City Centre to be very honest. We stayed here for a few and then headed across the square to the Lark. Again a great bar, bustling and busy with more of a high energy vibe. After this we went on a bit of a bar crawl around Lisburn. A great night was had, bumping in to some old familiar faces along the way. At the end of the night we retired back to the Lobby Bar at Haslem for a wee nightcap. In the morning we draggeed our hungover-selves out of bed and down to breakfast. It tasted great, but I’m sure to be honest if I’d been fresher I’d have appreciated it more - but sure what are wee hotel nights for. All in all, like I’ve mentioned previously. Haslem isn’t just a hotel for Lisburn. It’s an experience - a long over due one at that. For me the rooms (although very necessary in my situation) were secondary. The tone and atmosphere this venue brings to the town with it’s food, drink, and community crossover are what makes it stand out.
GNI MAG [85]