From hellhole to haven

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This was published 12 years ago

From hellhole to haven

Belfast's historic Europa might have a few shortfalls but it continues to survive and delight.

By Fiona Duncan
No trouble at all ...  the Europa.     Europa Front light HI.jpg

No trouble at all ... the Europa. Europa Front light HI.jpg

HOTELS - and I've always said it - are about people, about events. Of course they are in demand for purely practical reasons - simply as a place to lay one's head - but they also host so many of life's big moments: romantic assignations, weddings, bust-ups, intrigues, celebrations. They can be places where people hide or places where they show off.

And not infrequently they can be marked by history. In the case of the Europa hotel, it was its dogged determination to remain open throughout the Troubles, despite being damaged 33 times by IRA bombs between 1970 and 1994, that marked it out. Sheltering countless journalists, it became known as "Hardboard Hotel" when little glass remained in its windows.

But there's been plenty of glamour here, too: President Clinton stayed twice, the Penthouse Poppets served drinks in the glitzy top-floor bar, Brad Pitt hung out in disguise in the lobby and Julia Roberts holed up with her new man until she was rumbled by the press. Late last year, the hotel hosted the 700-strong, celebrity-studded MTV Europe Awards after-show party, proving it has as much pulling power as ever.

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The Europa is a hotel that is much more than the sum of its parts. Which it helps to remember when staying there because, despite its well-documented camaraderie, in looks and practicalities this famous hotel is unremarkable. My mother (aged 89) was not impressed with her room. "There's a jet engine in my bathroom," she declared, "and it's freezing and the light won't turn off." She was right on all counts. My sister Caroline and I didn't have the light problem but the whirr of the automatic fan was deafening and the bathroom was steely cold, as was the corridor outside. "You could sit on that seat out there on your way up to bed," Caroline said, "and they'd find your frozen body in the morning." I bumped into a friend at breakfast. "There's a jet engine in my bathroom," he remarked.

The food, on brief acquaintance, spanning an excellent beef sandwich in the Piano Bar and several indifferent self-service breakfasts, might also be described as unremarkable.

But we really liked the Europa. The brilliantly located hotel, despite its shortcomings, somehow felt special and made a soothing haven. Our "executive" room in the new wing, despite the noisy (but very attractive) bathroom, had a definite cosiness, there was plenty of storage space and the beds were divinely comfortable.

The Europa is . . . much more than the sum of its parts.

Best of all was the first-floor Piano Bar, which is sophisticated but unpretentious, where each guest is made to feel special by the polite, chatty barmen; indeed the staff throughout the hotel were, without exception, thoughtful, hospitable and full of the same genuine warmth that one encounters across Belfast.

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"You've just missed a beautiful bride," said the smiling concierge as we entered on one occasion. Seeing my mother's disappointment, he whisked her up to the Piano Bar for a glimpse. "Is everything all right now? I'm very concerned," asked the receptionist after my mother had been moved to another room in which the light switched off. And she really meant it. Telegraph, London

Trip notes

The beds are comfortable.     Europa Executive Bedroom.jpg

The beds are comfortable. Europa Executive Bedroom.jpg

Where Great Victoria Street,

+44 2890 271066; hastingshotels.com.

How much Doubles from £105 ($156) a night; singles £80, including breakfast. Adapted rooms for guests with disabilities.

Top marks For a landmark hotel that does its job, brilliant value.

Black mark Workaday self-service breakfast; stick to the Piano Bar.

Don't miss 2012 is a very big year for Belfast. The Titanic was built here and in the fated ship's centenary year an enormous new £97-million visitor attraction opens on March 31, the largest Titanic-themed exhibition in the world. The tourist board also provides all sorts of Titanic-related walking tours, boat tours and so on. titanicbelfast.com, discovernorthernireland.com.

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