Golflinks Hotel

A 19th-century hotel with its character still intact, Golflinks Hotel faces the Atlantic coastline opposite Royal Portrush Golf Club. You get a place with a clear sense of purpose: coastal air outside, a bar by the fire, and a restaurant ready for the business of feeding you properly.

The atmosphere shifts with the hour. The Library Bar is made for a quiet whiskey or a cocktail on the terrace, while the DeerStalker Bar brings live sport, music and what the hotel calls great craic. There is also an on-site nightclub on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, so this is worth knowing if your ideal night ends early rather than loudly.

The hotel has 23 refurbished, air-conditioned bedrooms and a lift for the upper floors. With free WiFi throughout, a 24-hour front desk, luggage storage and private parking, you get the useful parts of a straightforward base without having to turn the place into a resort brochure.

You are in Portrush, on the Atlantic coast of Northern Ireland, with direct access to a sandy beach. The sea is not a distant backdrop here: the hotel sits on the beachfront, with outdoor seating, a terrace and a sun terrace for taking in the weather when the North Coast decides to be kind.

Royal Portrush Golf Club is around 0.5 miles away, directly opposite the hotel. Whiterocks Beach is around 0.6 miles away, while Dunluce Castle lies roughly 2 miles along the coast. The Giant’s Causeway is about 6 miles away, giving you a strong day out when you fancy trading fins for geological oddities.

Portrush railway station is around 1.4 miles away on foot. The surrounding area also gives you places to eat and drink beyond the hotel, including The Deerstalker Bar & Bistro around 0.5 miles away and several restaurants within roughly 1 to 1.5 miles.

The room choice is fairly easy to read. The Standard Double Room is the compact option, suited to a couple who plan to spend their waking hours on the coast rather than arranging a full expedition indoors. If you prefer more space around the bed, bags and post-swim clothing, the Deluxe Double or Twin Room gives you a more generous layout.

Every room has air conditioning, heating and a fan, which matters on a coastline where the weather can change its mind before you have found your socks. You also get a private bathroom with a shower or bath, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer, along with a wardrobe, alarm clock and a socket close to the bed.

A coffee machine, tea and coffee-making facilities, a desk, television, radio and telephone cover the practical side of the stay. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel, and room service lets you keep things contained when the day has taken enough out of you. Daily housekeeping is included, with laundry available as a separate service.

The White Pheasant Bar & Grill handles breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu built around locally sourced and international cooking. That gives you room for a proper meal rather than a hurried plate between activities, whether you want something familiar or a dish with a stronger sense of the North Coast.

Breakfast covers continental, full English or Irish, vegetarian and gluten-free choices. You can also have breakfast in your room, which is useful when the morning timetable is less forgiving than the weather forecast. Special diet menus are available on request, and children’s meals are offered.

There are two bars, each with its own reason to sit down. The Library Bar focuses on whiskey, cocktails, a fire and the terrace; the DeerStalker Bar is the livelier room, with live sports and regular live music. Wine and champagne, fruit and a coffee house on site round out the drink-and-snack side of the hotel.

The beach is the obvious post-activity option, with direct access from the hotel and miles of white sand along the coast. You can take the simple route: walk out, find a seat in the outdoor area or on the sun terrace, and let the Atlantic do the talking for a while.

Golf is right across the road at Royal Portrush Golf Club, around 0.5 miles from the hotel. That makes it easy to add a round or a golf-focused day to a coastal stay without turning every outing into a transport exercise. Dunluce Castle and the Giant’s Causeway also give you solid alternatives when you want scenery and history rather than another sporting commitment.

Back at the hotel, live sport, live music, evening entertainment and themed dinner nights keep the evening moving. The nightclub operates on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, while the Library Bar offers the quieter option with its fire, whiskey and terrace.

You can drive to the hotel and use free private parking on site, with accessible parking available. City of Derry Airport is around 23 miles away, while Belfast International Airport is roughly 40 miles away and George Best Belfast City Airport about 49 miles away. An airport transfer service is not part of the listed hotel services, so arranging your own onward transport is part of the plan.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to 23:00, and you need to give the hotel your expected arrival time. Bring photo identification and a credit card for check-in. Check-out is by 11:00, giving you a reasonably civilised morning before the road, the railway station or the next coastal stop.

The hotel sets the minimum check-in age at 18. Its stated policy does not accept children, and cots or extra beds are not available. The 24-hour front desk, lockers and luggage storage are useful if your arrival and departure do not line up neatly with your plans.