I stay in this hotel every time I go to Belfast, (3 times now in the last year and a half), and I've never been disappointed. It is a great, budget- friendly hotel for a quick stay in the city. For 2 people it actually works out to be less than a double-ensuite in one of the youth hostels! If you book online and pre-pay, you can get a double room for 39 pounds, and usually you can get a hot buffet breakfast for about 3.50 each.

Now, I'm in my late twenties and come to Belfast just for a trip away - I feel like I'm too old for hostels but I'm not that fancy, I just want something clean, comfortable to sleep and shower. I like to save money on the hotel so that I can enjoy going out to eat and visiting the sites - so I think this is a great place that's cooler than a typicap budget hotel, but I do know what I'm getting.

The rooms (I've stayed in doubles) are sleek and modern - wooden floors (which always feel so much cleaner than carpet), big windows, crisp white bed linens, but the low price translates to bare essentials in the room: while you do get a flat screen tv, a hairdryer and kettle with tea bags and coffee, there is no fridge, and I don't remember if there's a radio or clock. The bathrooms are capsule style (like a big white plastic capsules placed into the room), featuring a decent sized standing shower, but narrow over all (if I recall correctly, a twin room at the Ibis has a super narrow bathroom, which was a bit of a pain, so if you need space be sure to run that by the registration desk). Super white with super bright lights, it's a bit spacey but they've always been clean. The toiletries are also minimal - you get a general body soap in a pump in the shower and at the sink, so unless you like an unbranded all-in-one body/hair wash, bring your own toiletries. There is no shower cap, sewing kit, lotion, or anything else.

There's no free wifi either - it's 2.5 pounds for an hour, or 10 for 24 hours - there is a computer in the lobby that you can use for 20 minutes for 1 pound.

The lobby, restaurant and lounge area is sleek, modern and clean, and I've always found the staff to be helpful (though on off-peak times there aren't many of them, so you might wait a bit to be assisted). As I mentioned above, the breakfast, which is usually about 6.50 on its own, can be pre-purchased for almost half the price. It's fairly standard fare - coffee, juice, cereal, yogurt, breads, cheese, cold cuts, and sausage, baked beans and eggs. Great deal for the price, my only complaints is that the fresh fruit was not fresh - they were incredibly old-looking, and I wonder if they were actually more for display than consumption, as they obviously hadn't been refreshed in ages.

The location is great, right by the beautiful Queens University but still central to the city - nearby Botanic road is exactly what you'd expect of a main street by a uni, with lots cool cafes, book stores, thrift stores, etc - bustling but not crowded, and well lit and comfortable to walk at night. You can walk to across town to City Hall in about 15 minutes, another 5 minutes to the main shopping area around Victoria Square.

None of the issues I've mentioned are actual complaints, I'm just mentioning them for full disclosure. For my purposes, the hotel is exactly what I need when I want to take an inexpensive city break, and I will most certainly continue to stay with them whenever I go to Belfast.

The hotel is absolutely beautiful and isn't too far out from the city centre, so everything is easily accessed and is only a short walk away. We appreciated the staff's helpfulness and careful attention to all of our needs. The only thing I would advise you against is buying alcohol or dinner at the hotel as it is quite pricey and can be got cheaper elsewhere. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at the Ibis and will be sure to return when back in Belfast.

I was treated extremely well. Having traveled for 12 hours in rough weather over Atlantic it was nice to have the people at the Ibis get me into a room and give me advice on the local walking adventures. I booked an extra day because of their quality treatment.

An urban Ibis hotel (next to a church) convenient for sleeping, showering, leaving one's luggage and street parking a car while one visits central Belfast. Botanic Avenue and University Road nearby have a variety of restaurants, several Asian, with reasonable prices. Queen's University (with the revived Tudor-style Lanyon Building) and the Botanic Gardens are a 5-10 minute walk. It takes about 20-25 minutes to walk to the center of Belfast (City Hall and the main pedestrian shopping area). Exit 1 of the M1 motorway (A12) is about 7-10 minutes away by car along Donegall Road.

All the staff we encountered at the hotel were pleasant, friendly and helpful,. The women on evening shift, who checked us in, were cooperative and responsive, and gave us the type of room we asked for.

Quietest rooms are on the top (6th) floor, at the end of the corridor away from the lift-elevator, on the side facing away from the church, that is, overlooking rooftops and facing the back of other buildings lining the streets.

The room had built-in, light-colored furniture and included tea-coffee making facilities. The window (which partially opened) was double-glazed. The firm bed had a platform base with a 7-inch-thick, king-size mattress. The heating-air conditioning unit worked well. A flat-screen television provided several dozen local entertainment and news channels and several radio stations, all in English. Soundproofing was tolerable, provided people using or cleaning other rooms did not slam doors. Servicing of the room was dependable and efficient.

The bathroom had a shower, but no bath or bidet. A liquid-soap dispenser was attached to the wall at the wash basin and another in the shower. The hot water worked well.

Free parking is available on the street in front of the hotel and in surrounding (narrow) streets. The availability varies with the time of day and what is happening at the University (classes, holidays, weekend and the like). During our brief stay we always found street parking in front of or in the near vicinity of the hotel.

Access to WiFi costs 10 pounds per 24 hours from the time you register and log in with "bitbuzz", the Internet service used by the hotel. Internet connection at the hotel computer in the lobby costs one pound per 20 minutes. There is a Starbucks coffee shop around the corner on Botanic Avenue where you can use free WiFi.