Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [580]
A Pier View ( 7082 3234; www.apierview.co.uk; 53 Kerr St; s/d £35/60; ) Any closer to the harbour and you’d be in it! This cosy B&B has three snug rooms, and great views over the harbour and beach from the luxurious lounge and conservatory-style breakfast room.
Albany Lodge Guest House ( 7082 3492; www.albanylodgeni.co.uk; 2 Eglinton St; s/d from £60/90; ) This elegant, four-storey Victorian villa has a great location close to the beach, with spectacular views along the coast. The rooms are spacious and welcoming, with pine furniture and warm colours, and the owners are friendly without being in your face. It’s worth shelling out a few extra quid for the four-poster suite on the top floor, where you can soak up the view while reclining on your chaise longue.
Eating
BUDGET
Café 55 ( 7082 2811; 1 Causeway St; mains £4-7; 9am-5pm Sep-Jun, to 10pm Jul & Aug) Tucked beneath 55 Degrees North, this licensed cafe serves good coffee plus breakfast bagels and pancakes (10am to 11.30am) on an outdoor terrace; it also has daily lunch specials such as fish pie, and an evening menu in summer.
Coast ( 7082 3311; The Harbour; mains £5-10; 5-9.30pm Wed-Fri, 4-10.30pm Sat, 3-9.30pm Sun) Coast is another waterfront place, overlooking the harbour, offering stone-baked pizzas, pasta dishes and a range of steak, chicken and fish dishes.
MIDRANGE
Harbour Bistro ( 7082 2430; The Harbour; mains £8-15; 5-10pm Mon-Fri, 5-10.30pm Sat, 4-9pm Sun) Quality grub – juicy steaks, homemade burgers, spicy chicken, oriental dishes and vegetarian meals – a family-friendly atmosphere (there’s a kids menu) and a harbour-side location make the Harbour one of Portrush’s most popular eating places.
55 Degrees North ( 7082 2811; 1 Causeway St; mains £11-16; 5-9pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-2.30pm & 5-7.30pm Sun) One of the north coast’s most stylish restaurants, 55 Degrees North boasts a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows allowing diners to soak up a spectacular panorama of sand and sea. The food is excellent, concentrating on clean, simple flavours and unfussy presentation, with dishes such as grilled sea bass with new potatoes and leek and chorizo cream. There’s an early-bird menu (mains £7 to £9) available before 7pm.
Entertainment
Kelly’s Complex ( 7082 6633; www.kellysportrush.co.uk; 1 Bushmills Rd) The North’s top clubbing venue regularly features DJs from London and Manchester, and attracts clubbers from as far afield as Belfast and Dublin. Plain and small-looking from the outside, the TARDIS effect takes over as you enter a wonderland of seven bars and three dance floors, which was undergoing a £1.5 million refurbishment at the time of research. It’s been around since 1996, but Lush!@Kellys (admission £7 to £12, open 9pm to 2am Saturday) is still one of the best club nights in Ireland.
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WRECK OF THE GIRONA
The little bay 1km to the northeast of the Giant’s Causeway is called Port na Spaniagh – Bay of the Spaniards. It was here, in October 1588, that the Girona – a ship of the Spanish Armada – was driven onto the rocks by a storm.
The Girona had escaped the famous confrontation with Sir Walter Raleigh’s fleet in the English Channel, but along with many other fleeing Spanish ships had been driven north around Scotland and Ireland by bad weather. Though designed for a crew of 500, when she struck the rocks she was loaded with 1300 people – mostly survivors gathered from other shipwrecks – including the cream of the Spanish aristocracy. Barely a dozen survived.
Somhairle Buidhe (Sorley Boy) MacDonnell (1505–90), the constable of nearby Dunluce Castle, salvaged gold and cannons from the wreck, and used the money to extend and modernise his fortress – cannons from the ship can still be seen on the castle’s landward wall. But it was not until 1968 that the wreck site was excavated by a team of archaeological divers. They recovered a magnificent treasure of gold, silver and precious stones, as well as everyday sailors’ possessions, which are now on display in Belfast’s Ulster Museum.
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The complex is on