Give it a miss

For the prices they charge they could do so much more. When I stayed there the room service took over an hour, the rooms are cramped and staff arrogant, when staying in belfast you have so much choice now, so avaid at all costs

Not recommended

Breakfasts in our room on three consecutive mornings were badly overcooked and the orders were wrong. One morning the breakfast arrived exactly one hour early and we were told it was because the hotel 'was busy'.

They have valet parking, but on our last day a passer-by stopped us as we were leaving the hotel to say he had witnessed a member of staff 'revving the guts out of our engine' and driving our car so aggressively in the car park that he and his wife had to jump to safety.

This passer-by came with us when we made a complaint to the duty manager, and apart from an apology we got one night's free parking. No mention of what damage might have been done to the engine. Oh, and if you leave your car all day in the car park it will cost you an extra 18 pounds per day on top of your bill.

There are better hotels in Belfast.

Trip to Befast - November 26th - 28th

In our quest to get round all of Europe's major cities with the cheapest airlines but classier hotels, my wife and I with a couple of friends, booked to stay at the Europa. After placing the booking I checked this website and was rather perturbed to find some not so good reviews. Well on arrival, we were most impressed with the hotel and were greeted by extremely pleasant front desk staff. We got to the room, which was the usual double room layout with the bathroom at the front and living area at the rear. The only criticism would be that the room size was made smaller due to the amount of furniture that they had put in i.e. table, chairs, desk and two sets of drawers, all very nice but cramped all the same. The hotel is situated in the city centre but perfectly on the edge of the shops, bars and restaurant area. We only ate breakfast but if that was any indication as to what the rest of the food can be like it should be perfect as it certainly set us up for the rest of the day which, invariably was shopping and more shopping. We found an excellent restaurant called Bourbons which is about fifty yards down the road from the hotel, the food was absolutely fantastic and unbelievably cheap, there were four of us all had starter, main and desert with several rounds of drinks and a couple of bottles of wine and the bill only came to £130.

A bit about Belfast in general which can be captured in a comment from a local guy we met in a bar and that is Belfast is a great city but is about 30 years behind some of the other European capitals for obvious reasons, that's not to say there's nothing to do as there is, it's just that there is fewer places to do it. That said it's a place that we will be visiting again very soon and we will be staying at the Europa.

Recently stayed at the Europa Belfast

Just stayed at the Europa Hotel in Belfast 10/9/04 and had a wonderful stay. The people were more than helpful everywhere throughout the hotel. I used previous reviews to pick places to stay and the reviews for the Europa were mostly positive but some commentss about poor experiences were made. I stayed at the Europa twice during my visit to Ireland and both times during October 2004 I had great experiencies. From the front desk to eating and drinking in the pub, breakfeast and second floor eating, all good experiences. The people were helpful and attentive, everyone did a great job. Maybe the people who had poor reviews had other agendas. The Europa is close to everything you need and the people were helpful and considerate, some of the the best. I would recommend and stay there again when going to Belfast.

Great stay at the Europa

It is difficult to satisfy everyone all of the time and there are those who are simply never satisfied. I read a review of the Europa that was less than generous with praise so I had to respond.

I stayed last year and had a wonderful time. The staff, the food and the very comfortable lounge and bar made my stay most enjoyable. I recommend it

and can't wait until my return.

Much better available these days

There was a time when The Europa was THE place to be but times have changed and Belfast now has a wide range of hotels to choose from. The staff at The Europa can be sullen and unhelpful but it would be unfair to say they all are. The ground floor restaurant is a mess and the first floor restaurant feels better quality but lacking in soul. The food can be average. If you plan to stay just once in Belfast then The Europa should be considered as it has a genuine history and many of the staff remember The Troubles all too well. The bar at the hotel used to be a magnet for the local transvestites for some reason. The pubs nearby are well worth a visit and everyone should drink at The Crown once in their lives. If you plan to visit more than once then try some of the newer more trendy places.

Disappointingly average hotel

Impressive grand entrance - so good first impressions - but as a regular business traveller this hotel promised much but ultimately failed to shine. Queues at check-in, could have been better staffed, but polite efficient service at the desk. Later on desk staff were too busy with internal discussions to attend to guests - but followed by helpful advice and a smile! First impression of the room was that it was tiny (it was!) and old (a matter of taste I guess). Standing water on the bathroom floor - obvious as soon as one entered the bathrom, so something houskeeping management should have spotted before I did! Everything was clean and tidy though. Comfortable bed, plenty of pillows. Shower worked fine (big plus point in my book - but only once one had woken up enough to control the temperature!). View from window was of a solid wall about 2 metres away (not that this bothers me much, but would be a disappointment to say a tourist). Cheerful greeting to the breakfast room, crowded, fair food choice (but empty servers in the hot food area - not kept topped up). Finally, check-out was fast and efficient. Overall, does the job, but in a competitive market it did not shine - not a hotel I will avoid, but neither is it a hotel I will ask for by name.

Avoid if possible

Due to lack of choice with city center hotels in Belfast in recent years I've had to stay at the Europa several times . I have to say, that the front desk staff were consistently off hand to the point of being rude. The rooms are okay, bathrooms need a bit of a revamp though, some are a bit run down. Both the food and the service in the downstairs brasserie were pretty substandard as well, if not to say dreadful despite the fact that it's rarely full. Room service was slow, overpriced and bad quality. Upstairs Lounge area is pleasant & comfortable with good service. NOise from the hotel night club is also a problem for anyone who may actually want to sleep !! Personally I found it consistently bad quality in relation to the price. If possible I would avoid staying there again.

Great place

I stayed here the beginning of October, 2003. Very nice hotel. Of the hundreds of hotels I have stayed at through the years, this one had THE BEST shower. Fantastic water pressure. Hotel is in a terrific location, walking distance to City Hall, shopping and pubs. Lots of pubs.

Breakfast was good, rooms were very nice. Would highly recommend.

Good hotel, great location!

I stayed in this hotel for a recent business trip and found it to be of a very high standard. The location is excellent, only a few minutes away from city centre shops, restaurants, bars etc. I had a single room which was quite small, but certainly adequate. Rooms were spotless, staff were friendly and I would definitely stay here again.