BBL Loves NI: Backin Belfast at The Merchant and Coppi

Unless you’ve been living in a bubble on the River Lagan you can’t have escaped that my beautiful Belfast is having a rough ride of it at the moment.

More than seven weeks of protests across the city and various parts of Northern Ireland have taken their toll on night life, shopping and tourism.

But last week I took time out to enjoy the city once again for the amazing things it offers – great food, innovation and fantastic people.

One of my favourite spots in Belfast is The Merchant hotel.  From cocktails with the girls to dancing all night at Ollies or a fabulous fashion tea, it is super glam and has a great luxe feel.

The five star hotel is in the most beautiful Grade A listed building set in the buzzing Cathedral Quarter and if you haven’t peeked inside promise me you will next time you are in Belfast.

To add even more excitement to The Merchant they’ve created an alpine ski lodge on the roof garden.  The cabin has panoramic views of the city and is decked out in wooden benches, fur throws and of course the odd moose head.

There are authentic cuckoo clocks and more antlers...

...and it’s the perfect place to take your friends for a glass of mulled wine and a catch up, as the lodge can be hired out for an evening.

In for a penny, in for a pound, straight after enjoying The Merchant’s newest addition, I dandered round the corner for a meal at Coppi, in St Anne’s Square.

I recommend the seabass.

Beautifully served macaroons.

Coppi is lovely and full of dark wood, atmosphere and tasty food at v reasonable prices.  

There’s a great bar section at the front of the restaurant that I’m just itching to get back to for a fabulous Merlot and a great chat with friends.

So I’ve been gushing about an evening out in Belfast, and if you pop on twitter you’ll find I’m not the only one – check out the #OperationSitIn and #BackinBelfast hashtags to find even more amazing Belfasty experiences.