Antrim hotels, coaching inns, other accommodation on Northern Ireland's Antrim coast. Sights include the Giant's Causeway, Bushmills Distillery and the Glens of Antrim

NORTHERN IRELAND'S ANTRIM HOTELS AND ATTRACTIONS

The Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the country, and of the whole of Ireland. The northern Antrim coast includes major attractions such as the Giant's Causeway (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Rathlin Island and Carrick-a-Rede island with its famous rope bridge. The stunning Glens of Antrim lead down to Antrim's east coast, north of Belfast. On the Antrim coast you'll also find the Bushmills Distillery too, and attractive and lively towns like Ballycastle and Ballintoy.

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HOTELS IN ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND

Antrim hotels are plentiful and range from cheap, budget guesthouses and b&bs to luxury 5-star hotels and other accommodation including historic coaching inns. The best of these Antrim hotels also have fine dining restaurants, where excellent Northern Ireland food is prepared and served, and this can range from simple but hearty dishes to new Irish cuisine.

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WHERE TO STAY IN ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND

Although the county of Antrim is large in Irish terms (the 9th largest of all the Irish counties), it's still only 2844 sq km – smaller than Rhode Island. You can drive the entire Antrim coast in a couple of hours, so if you find an Antrim hotel that you like, you could stay there for a week or more and still be able to cover the whole of the Antrim coast easily. However, unless you're traveling at the height of summer, you can also move around and should be able to find good Antrim hotels or other accommodation options without booking ahead.

For visiting the Glens of Antrim and the eastern Antrim coast, Carnlough and Cushendall make good bases. On the north Antrim coast, somewhere around Ballycastle makes it easy to explore the eastern end, while there are plenty of Antrim hotel and accommodation options in Bushmills and Portrush at the western end of the north coast.

Here are some select suggestions for Antrim hotels, including coaching inns, guesthouses and a modern country house hotel.

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ANTRIM HOTELS: EAST COAST

The Londonderry Arms Hotel

20 Harbour Road, Carnlough, County Antrim

Tel: 0044 (0)28-288-5255

Right on the harbour-front, this one-time coaching inn has 35 bedrooms, 3 stars from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and a rosette from the AA for its cooking. Carnlough is at the foot of Glencloy, one of the nine Glens of Antrim.

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Cullentra House

16 Cloghs Road, Cushendall, County Antrim

Tel: 0044 (0)28-2177-1762

Voted Northern Ireland Guesthouse of the Year, Cullentra House is about a mile outside Cushendall. It has just three ensuite rooms and is in an area giving great views of the Glens of Antrim and across the sea to Scotland.

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ANTRIM HOTELS: NORTH COAST

Bushmills Inn Hotel

9 Dunluce Road, Bushmills, County Antrim

Tel: 0044 (0)28-2073-3000

The Bushmills is a historic coaching inn, part of which is thought to date back to about 1608, when the nearby Bushmills Distillery was granted the first licence in the world to allow it to distil whiskey. Most of the inn dates from the 1820a, but it has been recently renovated and the rooms are modern with all the comforts. It has won awards for Best Hotel, Golf Hotel of the Year and its bar and restaurant have won accolades too. Ideal for the Giant's Causeway and other north Antrim coast attractions.

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Glenmore House and Restaurant

94 White Park Road, Ballycastle, County Antrim

Tel: 0044 (0)28-2076-3584

This modern country house hotel in Antrim is between Ballintoy and Ballycastle, and has 10 ensuite rooms, two of them with their own Jacuzzis. Set in 95 acres of countryside, it's ideal for walkers and wildlife watchers. There's golf and trout lake fishing options too, and Glenmore has its own restaurant and traditional Irish music sessions too, on some nights. Very cheap prices for the excellent facilities and superb location.

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