It can be easy to overlook your own county when deciding on somewhere to go for a staycation.
But when a room with views across the sea and under the Mourne Mountains is available, it's a no brainer that Newcastle, Co Down, is a contender. On Friday night, we took a trip to Avoca Hotel, on Central Promenade.
From start to finish, the overnighter was perfect - and by start, I mean even the drive into Newcastle, with the backdrop of the Mournes front and centre of the windscreen.
Read more: NI staycation opened my eyes to the beauty right on our doorstep
On arrival to the Avoca Hotel, we were met by a number of friendly faces, but the one that stands out is Nicola, the hotel's accommodation manager. Nicola made us, and all guests, feel extremely welcome, and at ease. Exactly how it should be when you are trying to get away from work, home and life through a getaway. Nicola was friendly, with such professionalism.
She showed us to our room, 202, letting it slip that it was her favourite of all 15 rooms in the hotel - and it was clear to see why. The bedroom was decorated to perfection, with a quirky style throughout, from the wallpaper to the cushions, and down to the bathroom.
But the most special part of room 202 was the window seating area, with the most magnificent views. Windows to the floor made it all too easy to lose yourself sitting at the glass and people watching for hours... only we had reservations for 7pm, we could have watched the promenade all night.
A stone throw away from O'Hare's Bar, we took part in a cocktail masterclass before dinner back in the hotel. And what an experience that was!
Most in the room didn't know one another, so it was down to Niall to break the ice, and to encourage the party to give a Pornstar Martini their best shot.
I must admit, we seemed to become further away from the front as soon as the words 'so, who is next?' was announced, in fear that we'd be called to the front to demonstrate our bar skills. But it's not so easy to hide when your other half is 6ft 3, so off we went to the bar area to get measuring, shaking, and the best part, drinking our product.
I'll not give up my day job to go into bar work, but hats off to those who make and shake cocktails for hours each night. It is a workout!
Back to the hotel for dinner, we were seated at the back end of the bar. in a cosy area with spacious seating and a warm feel throughout. Anyone would find something to eat in the Avoca Hotel, from pastas, pizza, steaks and fish, it has pretty much every dish you could think of, and the food was 10/10, and served by Kevin and a great team of ladies behind him.
We'd recommend the pasta carbonara - and be sure to order a pint of water if you opt for the hot wings. Hot indeed! But too good to stop eating.
Nothing was too big an ask of the restaurant team. They checked in on our table over the course of the night, but to the perfect extent, not in a suffocating manner. At one point, I had to remind myself that we were in Newcastle, Co Down, the interior of the hotel was so unique, you really could have been anywhere.
The Avoca Hotel has a cocktail bar too, The Wild Hare, with cocktails to die for. Almost too easy to drink, that kind of cocktail. One where you'd have 'just one more' for a couple of hours, waking up feeling tender. I'd be fond of a Bramble cocktail, but two drinks were my limit, as I had a Parkrun at 9:30am the next day in Ormeau Park for a graduation run for the Colin Jog Belfast group.
You would think that by being in a town like Newcastle, which has good nightlife and is a top visitor attraction, that it would be hard to get a decent night's sleep. But it was quite the opposite. When we left the bar for bed, the atmosphere was infectious, but as soon as room 202's doors closed for the night, it was silent. Pure bliss.
And if we didn't get enough of the views on check-in, waking up at 7:30am on a Saturday morning to the most gorgeous sunrise at your window, would make booking the Avoca Hotel again, and recommending it to a friend, all the more easy to do.
It was a 10/10 stay, with staff and interiors making a much-needed escape, just perfect.
READ NEXT:
Co Antrim spot named in the UK’s '50 Best Fish and Chip Takeaways'
Best NI eateries, hotels and bars crowned at Irish Restaurant Awards
Fast-food chain announce opening of new store in Victoria Square
New 'digital first' health food spot to create 35 new jobs in Belfast
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What's On newsletter here
