Ten Square Hotel

Any hotel that’s frequented not just by travelers but by locals as well — whether for its lobby bar, restaurant, pop-up gallery or spa — is getting something right. This is especially true at Belfast’s Ten Square, where the steakhouse and bar are so firmly established and popular that many Belfastians might not realize the building also houses a hotel.

Located in a landmark building just behind City Hall, right in the middle of the busy city center, Ten Square is the kind of fashionable but warm boutique hotel that works equally well for weekend tourists as it does for business travelers. There are three floors and just 22 rooms, outfitted in a style that’s both practical and design-minded, featuring tech-forward amenities from free wi-fi to a vast in-room entertainment system, plus pretty details from modern patterned wallpaper and baroque design elements to freshly cut flowers.

Guest rooms are divided into three tongue-in-cheek categories: Cosy, Wonderful, and Fabulous. All have king- or super king-sized beds topped with crisp cotton sheets and down comforters, flat-screen TVs, coffee and tea stations, and bath products by London-based purveyor The White Company. Fabulous rooms feature double corner windows with views, stocked refrigerators, original artwork, and free-standing bathtubs — from the tub in room 209, you can see Belfast City Hall. At the top of the line at Ten Square is the Linenhal Suite, more like a contemporary apartment with extra amenities like a double walk-in rain shower.

Downstairs, the Grill Room & Bar gets packed on weekends; the place turns into a full-blown party on holidays and during special events when DJs spin records or live musicians perform for a champagne-sipping crowd. On a regular evening, it’s the perfect spot to stop for a pint on your way out for the evening — naturally, you can walk everywhere from here, from the business district to the waterfront to shopping in Victoria Square.