Back in May 2016, I went on a short trip to Northern Ireland. It was not originally on my travel list but given the opportunity I went and I am so happy I did. I stayed in Belfast for 2 days and then on the 3rd day explored the coasts of Northern Ireland which is absolutely beautiful.

Flight: I flew with Ryanair, the flight from London to Belfast is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. When booking for more than one person, they will separate you on the flights and give you the chance to change seats for a fee but thankfully this early plane was quite empty so you could move around without trouble.

Stay: I stayed at The Europa Hotel Belfast. Originally our room was upgraded but when we went inside it was boiling in there, the air-con was making a noise but no cool air was coming out so we spoke to the receptionist, who then moved us back to the original room we had booked. The room was slightly smaller but still spacious and more importantly it was so cool inside! It was clean, the bed was comfy and the bathroom was massive. Our booking also included breakfast which had a very good selection available. As a foodie can you believe it was my first time having a poached egg but since then I have never looked back.

Do: Something that I have never understood is how a person can watch the same film several times (say 10+) but I do have one film that I cannot even count how many times I have seen it and that is, Titanic. So when I found out that I was going to Belfast which has the Titanic Museum I was so excited! I walked to the museum from Europa Hotel which took about 30 minutes. An adult ticket costs £18 and they have time slots, all tickets also include entry to the SS Nomadic (just across the road from the museum). The museum had quite a lot to see and it also has a small ride in there. If you are a fan of Titanic, this is a must do.

Another attraction that I went to was HM Prison Crumlin Road, the only Victorian era (former) prison remaining in Northern Ireland. Thankfully when we got there, the last tour was just starting. Online tickets for an adult is £7.50 and the tour typically lasts for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was a very interesting place to see and somewhat eerie as you can imagine. There was one part where it was a narrow path underground so everyone had to walk one by one in line, somehow I was near the end of the line when we were exiting, as someone that gets spooked easily I would advise you not to run regardless of whatever is running through your mind because it is wet down there.

If you are in Northern Ireland and you are a Game of Thrones fan then one of the sites to visit is the Dark Hedges in Ballymoney (about 20 minutes drive away from Giant Causeway Bay). I am not sure if we went at a time when the trees was too bare and it didn't look as stunning as the image I had in my head but it is one of those things where if you can, you need to visit.
Eat: The only eatery at Dunluce Castle is Wee Cottage Cafe and Gift Shop but the seafood chowder there is amazing! We only got one to share but I wish I had my own, it was both flavoursome and fresh.

On my way to Titanic Museum I had planned on going into a cafe for lunch but can you believe in my 30 minutes walk I didn't come across one, though it was raining at the time and I was speed walking so instead I ended up eating at Bistro 401 in the museum. It is a canteen style place and I had the fish pie which was okay but nothing special. 

However my favourite restaurant on this trip was The Ginger Bistro. It was a pricey meal but the quality and the aesthetics made it worth it. I had the mussels for starters, pork with squid salad for my main and then the most gooiest chocolate fondant I have ever had, for dessert. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Belfast.

That ends my trip to Northern Ireland (•‾⌣‾•)و ̑̑♡