An historic hotel on the Antrim coast once owned by Winston Churchill has been named as the top place to stay in Northern Ireland.
The Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough, formerly the Londonderry Arms, was picked as the regional winner as part of The Times and Sunday Times 50 Best Places to Stay in the UK.
Bought over in 2024 by hotelier Adrian McLaughlin, master Irish whiskey distiller Darryl McNally and businessman Carl Harrison, it reopened last year after an extensive rebrand and was marketed as Ireland’s first whiskey hotel.
It also served recently as a filming location for Lisa McGee’s Netflix comedy How to Get to Heaven from Belfast.
The judges from the Times praised the venue for its “live music, bespoke tastings and pretty renovated rooms”.
Co-owners Darryl McNally and Adrian McLaughlin toast the official opening in May 2025 of the Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough redevelopment. PICTURE: BRADLEY QUINN (BRADLEY QUINN)
They add that guests can expect to enjoy “refurbished rooms” and choose from “200 whiskeys, an on-site whiskey shop, bespoke tastings and a whiskey-fuelled food menu”.
Claire Irvin, Head of Travel of The Times and The Sunday Times, commented: “This list is as celebratory as the judging was uncompromising; our criteria remain fixed, even as our readers’ focus on genuine value sharpens.
“And while what constitutes ‘affordable’ and ‘worth it’ is subjective, in a world of rising costs, we know that every break must do more than simply tempt you – it must unequivocally earn its place on your calendar. But it helps that 22 out of the 50 come in at or under £200.”
Elsewhere on the list Scotland claimed this year’s overall winner, named as Ardbeg House on Islay.
Adrian McLaughlin, co-owner of the Harbourview Hotel in Carnlough. (BRADLEY QUINN)