LNOF in

September 2023

Belfast is the home of the Titanic Museum, stunning street art and some absolutely brilliant boozers; it’s also the definition of ‘great craic’. Last Night of Freedom went and product tested some of the city’s most fun activities and we had a grand time!

Have a gander of what we got up to on our 3-day trip in Belfast:

FRIDAY 11AM - Flight to Belfast

We started the day with a cheeky drink in Newcastle airport. It was Charlotte’s birthday, so we got her a sash and a tutu. This and the fact that it was all women apart from Adam on this trip, meant we really looked like a hen do ourselves (we’re all about authenticity at LNOF).

You’ll be surprised how quick the flight to Belfast is, it’s barely enough time to order and drink a coffee (you may have to quickly down it!). The flight is over in a blink of an eye, so it doesn’t matter if you forget to pack your headphones/a book.

A female member of our staff dressed in a colourful tutu and a sash that says old but awesomeFour female members and a male member of our team posing for a selfie at the airportA close up of an Air Lingus Plane

FRIDAY 12PM - Checking in at the Maldron

After our airport transfer (where we marvelled at how green and pretty Northern Ireland is) we arrived at the , which is one of over a dozen hotel options we offer. We were more than happy with our lodgings, there’s a swanky bar onsite and the rooms are bright and modern with Belfast-themed art and pretty city views. The hotel had even written us personalised cards and gave us some posh choccies and Tayto Crisps (basically Walkers, but Irish), which we thought was dead cute.

A giftbag with Maldron Hotels on it with two boxes of chocolates and two bags of Taytos crisps with the caption local delicacyA double and a single bed with a piece of wall art that has a fish sculpture on it in the Maldron HotelA view of Belfast from a high up window including the Europa Hotel

FRIDAY 1PM - Lunch at Granny Annies

We’d had a hard morning of a really short flight and checking in, so we were ready to settle down with a meal and a cocktail at (we deserved it!). Granny Annies is named that because food tastes better at your grannys (which it defo does). It even looked like a Granny’s front room with all sorts of quirky décor including upside down furniture on the ceiling, like that bit in Alice in Wonderland. We enjoyed our burgers and frozen daiquiris, which were much needed as it was blooming boiling.

The outside of Granny Annies kitchen with an inflatable archway that says 'Guinness' and two members of our staff posing in the doorwayTwo female members of staff in Granny Annies posing with green cocktailsThe ceiling of Granny Annies kitchen which has lots of upside down furniture on it, including lamps and a record playerA burger with lots of bacon sticking out of it and chips

FRIDAY 6PM - Beer bike

After buying some tins and a bottle of prosecco we boarded the . We were greeted by two lasses who were the driver and the bartender, they were very friendly and bubbly with lots of stories to tell. The driver told us whenever she rings the bell we need to “pedal like Fluffy McDuck” and we did. It was slightly harder than we thought it would be, but it was brilliant fun and there were a few stops along the way, including a pub stop. We banged on the tunes (mostly Abba) and there was a lot of whooping and cheering and it wasn’t all from us as people drinking outside pubs kept giving us a holler. We may not have been going 90, but the craic was.

Team LNOF posing in front of the beer bike with the caption 'on yer bike'Team LNOF sat on the beer bike posing for the camera with the female bartender who is doing a double thumbs upThe beer bike with no one on it, it reads Belfast Party Bike on the frontA close up of four female LNOF staff smiling at the camera with their drinks sitting in drink holes

FRIDAY 8PM - Belfast Bar Crawl

We were met by a friendly Irish guide who took us on a bar crawl of five different pubs from cozy old-fashioned pubs, with live Irish music, to big pubs with buzzing beer gardens. Our guide offered lots of interesting facts and history… for those of us sober enough to take it in! A public bar crawl is a fantastic way to make new friends. We chatted with people from exotic locations such as Australia, Los Angeles and… Manchester (well it’s kinda exotic to us Geordies).

A magical looking alleyway with Guinness Henrys and the Jailhouse written on the wall and an archway that says Guinness with greenery draping down onto itThree musicians (two female one male) sat in a traditional Irish pub with a violin and a mandolinThree female members of the LNOF team doing peace signs for the camera with a bar in the backgroundAn alley at night-time, with a neon sign that says Have you ever seen rain coming down on a sunny day and colourful umbrella decoration in the background

SATURDAY 11AM - The Big Escape

After a tasty Maldron brekkie, we downloaded an app to play – a self-guided adventure. We split into two teams and had to race around the city to find different characters and puzzles on the map, in order to break into Big Al’s casino, with the help from Wheels (the getaway driver) and Dinah Mite (the explosives expert - obvs). We certainly got our steps for the day in and had a great time doing it, whilst getting to see more of the city.

A female member of our team with a last night of freedom hoodie on, looking at a map on her phone outside Belfast City HallTwo female members of our team photographed from behind walking up the street in BelfastSomeone holding a phone with a map on it outside Belfast City HallTwo female members of our staff hiding behind a Guinness barrel

SATURDAY 2PM - Urban Axe Throwing

The afternoon saw us channelling our inner Vikings with a spot of . The guys running the session were so much fun, showing us how to do a range of different throws and even some trick shots. For the final part of the session, we formed a slightly bigger group and had a competition where flare and yelling your head off were encouraged, but who would come out on chop?! Turns out LNOF are brill at axe throwing as Hannah L and Zoe placed first and second in our competition – axe-llent job guys!

Team LNOF all posing with axes in front of two targets with the caption First aid kit on hand'Gif of two female members of our team throwing axes at the targetsThe outside of Black Axe throwing with a sign that says 'Black axe'An instructor showing two female members of our team how to throw the axe so it hits the boardTwo female members of our team, one who is just about to throw an axe and one who has just thrown an axe

SATURDAY 1PM - Cocktails and Tapas

We were all well impressed with . This Cuban-themed restaurant/bar/party heaven is set within a beautiful Art Noveau building and had a live band singing songs like I Wan'na Be like You from The Jungle Book. We all tucked into some delicious tapas with dishes such as patatas bravas, quesadillas and tropical chicken skewers. With the teapots filled to the brim with cocktails that we ordered, we sure were ‘Havana’ a heck of a lot of alcohol (and a great time)!

All 7 members of LNOF staff on the trip in Revolucion de Cuba with a table full of cocktails, including a teapot with a cocktail in itA table in Revolucion De Cuba with lots of colourful cocktails and menus on itThe inside of Revolucion de Cuba in Belfast showing a high ornate ceiling with a disco balls and plenty of green plants

SATURDAY 9PM - Cocktails and Karaoke

Then we went to the gorgeous River Rooms for . It’s not a private room but take it from us when you’re smashed you will not care and will think you’re Madonna. We belted out some absolute flipping bangers such as Teenage Dirtbag, High School Musical’s Breaking Free and even a bit of The Smiths (an upbeat one!)

A giant fake flamingo looking down on a female member of our staff singing karaoke in a karaoke boothA gif of a bartender using a bubble gun to put a bubble on a round of shots with smoke coming off itA female member of staff posing in front of a sign that says 'I'm on Cloud 9. She has an angel outline in lights.

SATURDAY 11PM - Reserved Drinks Area at Ollie’s

It was time to hit the most popular spot in town, and we really do mean popular, as was totally rammed. It’s probably not for you if you want something chilled out, but we’re party animals and loved having a dance, even though we were surrounded by a considerable number of people necking on…

Four female members of LNOF staff sat at a table in Ollie's nightclub in red lightingThe ceiling of Ollie's nightclub with red neon lights and a discoballSix female members of LNOF staff crowded around a table in Ollie's nightclub

SUNDAY 10AM - Escape Room

Even though *some* of us felt like the walking dead ourselves, we were booked on a room 10am sharp. Escape rooms are common these days, but this one was really something, boasting three different rooms and live acting. We had to solve all manner of puzzles and riddles to escape. They also offer a super creepy Anabelle-themed escape room and are working on an IT-themed one – spooky!

Team LNOF posing in the zombie themed escape room with a fake body and axes with the caption 'survivors'.An eerie looking staircase with red lighting and graffiti on the walls

SUNDAY 1PM - Home time

Sadly, it was time to go home, but not before buying ourselves some souvenirs. From shot glasses to caps, we were all made up with our Belfast branded buys, apart from Ashleigh who bought her boyfriend a penny whistle and definitely lived to regret it…

We were absolutely shattered, but we’d all had a fantastic time. Farewell Belfast, you’ve been a blast!

A female member of LNOF staff photographed from behind looking at Belfast's iconic giant fish statue
 

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About the Author

A graduate in ‘Drama and Scriptwriting’, Hannah is a comedy nerd that loves to write, travel, party and try new things. She’s been to twenty of LNOF’s locations and is looking forward to visiting many more. Hannah has taken part in lots of activity testing with LNOF from beer bikes to axe throwing to escape rooms to go karting. She’s also stayed in many of LNOF’s accommodation options, so she knows what’s good. As well as copywriting, Hannah has had many plays produced professionally and has written/performed comedy sketches for BBC Newcastle. She also won the Hunter Davies Young Writers Award for her piece of travel writing.

Article Updated: 11/04/2024

Hannah Sowerby

Content Writer

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