Not the first choice for a visit to Belfast

I stayed at the Belfast Malmaison for the Spring holiday weekend. I had not stayed there before.

The check-in process was friendly and efficient, and the room was a good size and was generally well maintained. The bathroom contained large bottles of shower gel, shampoo and body lotion as well as some thoughtful little extras like 2 condoms neatly tucked into a glass jar with a shower cap.

The contents of the minibar however were rather limited. There were none of the usual spirits and mixers and no Champagne. The bed was very hard indeed and it was difficult to sleep comfortably. In spite of it only being about 60F outside, it was too warm to cuddle up in bed for any period of time. The windows only open a crack and there is no air conditioning in the rooms in this hotel - only in some of the common areas downstairs. I was very glad that it was a cool weekend and I would strongly advise against staying here at any time at all during the summer.

There is no car parking at this hotel. The Hilton has a car park at which you can get special rates if you stay at the Malmaison (although you may well think why not just stay at the Hilton in the first place).

The bar was dreadful. The service was painfully slow, inefficient and the cocktails are far from top notch. I have had better from a bar in a railway station. The restaurant is OK, but does not deliver anything memorable. I would recommend exploring some of the great contemporary restaurants that have sprung up all over Belfast in recent years, for example Shu on the Lisburn Road for a sirloin that really was first class.

I would not stay at his hotel again.

Nice Try!

I stayed in this Hotel at the beginning of May and first off I have to say I had very good impressions.

The Hotel itself from the outside is set in a beautiful building in an up and coming part of Belfast. On entering reception you will notice a huge drop in light (no matter if it's day or night). This is not to my taste.

I had a speedy check in by a pleasant receptionist and went to my room.

The room itself was average to small in size. Decor nothing special to be honest but a nice bathroom with nice oversized soaps etc

I had a few drinks in the bar that evening ( very very quiet bar). I then retired to my bed. (This is where the real problems began).

The room and even the corridor really smelt of rotten eggs. I reported this to the night attendant, who apologised but had no solution for me. In fact this is apparently a frequent occurance!!

Then out of the blue at around 4am i was awoken by what can only be described as a mighty crash outside the Hotel. My night was not a silent one!

I did not have time for breakfast the next morning but on departure I mentioned the noise outside and wanted an explanation. Apparently the lady on the desk did not have time for a proper explanation and grunted something to do with the bank next door and gave the impression once again that this is a regular occurance.

Overall, a nice try at something different but next time I will be staying elsewhere!! NEVER AGAIN

Style over substance - Restaurant is a shocker.

On the plus side the Hotel decor is very funky and trendy. However the hotel overall is a little dimly lit. 2 Areas to be wary of:

1.Restaurant.

2. Bar

My biggest problem was the restaurant - definitely to be avoided at all costs. At £23 for a steak it is not entirely cheap, however when ordering the steak to be cooked 'medium' I and another member of the party were given something which was not even rare, it was completely uncooked and in a raw state in the middle. (Maybe in the dim lighting I nor my guests were not suppodsed to notice!) As a result I felt quite unwell later that evening and the next day. This was particulalry embarassing as we had recommended Malmaisson after previously having lunch without any gastric incidents. When I brought the matter to the waiter's attention I was advised that this was the french style of cooking. Silly me perhaps I should be grateful for the stomach cramps and try being a little more cosmopolitan! In fairness the meals were discounted off the bill, but that isn't really the point - the evening had been ruined.

As for the bar if you are happy to pay over the odds i.e almost £5 for a glass of wine or almost £13 for a 500 ml bottle of the house wine then you may like it - personally I thought this, like the restaurant menu, to be overpriced. Malamaison is clearly trading on its image with high prices which don't match the overall experience. Not recommended there are too many better alternatives in a great city.

Excellent hotel

We stayed at the Malmaison over the Easter holidays and I have to say it was one of the better hotel experiences in Ireland. From the casual and relaxed check in to the sumptuous room, completed with flat screen TV and DVD player, the Malmaison managed to provide an excellent base from which to explore Belfast. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We booked through a late rooms consolidator so for £ 90 per night/room this was definitely a steal.

A nice touch was the brunch option on Sunday which enabled us to leisurely check out at 3pm.

The only downside was the overzealous security staff in the hotel bar who could not differentiate between hotel customers and the general public.

Lovely hotel!

Spent a night here very recently and had a very enjoyable stay. Service was excellent, staff were friendly and polite, which is definitely not the case in many hotels. Personally I liked the decor and the low lighting but then I was there to relax and not to work. It was certainly light enough to read. Above average breakfast too. Hope they can maintain these standards - certainly good to have somewhere like this in Belfast.

A coffin decor?

When I walked into the Malmaison last weekend, I thought I was entering a large size coffin. The decor is so dark and so dull that there is not excuse of 'modern design'. I asked for the lights to be turned up so that I could see what I am writing, only to be told that the setting was the highest they could have!? Imagine you create a new hotel and the light is fixed at such a level that people can hardly see each others faces. Definetely not for me!

Definitely 10/10

What an absolutely fabulous place. My first visit to a Malmaison and I loved it. It's great to see a hotel of this calibre in Belfast and I have no hesitation in recommending to readers. The staff are friendly,helpful and genuinely enthusiastic. The decor is dark and rich with what my daughter describes as Alice in Wonderland chairs and sofas. I stayed in room 102 and was impressed by the amount of space . A very comfy bed with proper pillows, special touches like the scented candle and in the fridge just what every woman wants; a huge bar of chocolate! I enjoyed a good meal in the Brasserie and an equally delicious leisurely breakfast with the Sunday papers. The Malmaison is 2 minutes from the main shopping streets and although there is free parking near the hotel entrance it is limited. Well done Malmaison,definitely 10/10.

Glorious

Well, as a new comer to Malmaison I really did not know what to expect. A joy of a hotel! I agree that this hotels decor may not suit all but if you are looking for cutting edge design, excellent service, efficient staff and good value then this is the place for you in Belfast.

Belfast itself was an amazing city too but i really have to say this hotel made our stay. Our room was spacious with origional beams, dvd player, large comfi bed and lush toiletries.When u get up there is a breakfast to die for.

A special hotel in a special city!!!

Loved it!

The first thing that struck us on arrival was the genuine charm of both building and staff, indeed the staff had to have been the friendliest we'd met in ireland. The building itself is beautiful, with some genuine Belfast touches such as most of the artwork in the rooms above consisting of artwork from the troubles. The only real difficulties with the hotel relate to parking, aside from that beautiful restaurant, stunning rooms, friendly staff and a weeekend retreat to die for

Gothic Refurb

The new Malmaison in Belfast was formerly The McCausland Hotel. When we stayed it had only been re-opened for a couple of weeks following an extensive refurbishment and we were able to take advantage of some of the good opening offer room rates. Notwithstanding that, the usual room rates look pretty good value for what is on offer.

As my title suggests, the designers have adopted a somewhat dark colour scheme as part of the refurbishment but I quite liked it (although it might not be to everyones taste). Our room was comfortable and spacious.

When we stayed (a Sunday night), the hotel seemed fairly empty. Service from the staff was exemplory. Both the bar and restaurant were excellent.

On the downside if you are arriving by car, parking is somewhat limited .