Culloden Estate and Spa review: The original and still the grandest Northern Ireland 5-star hotel

By Billy Foley

March 22, 2026 at 6:00am GMT

When you walk into the Culloden Estate and Spa you immediately appreciate that it remains the quintessential Northern Ireland 5-star hotel. For years, it was the only 5-star in the north and it spoke of opulence when we were only beginning to emerge from the darkness of the Troubles. These days, it’s joined by four other NI hotels with a 5-star ranking, but it remains the grandest of the lot.In fact, it’s celebrating the 30th anniversary of gaining the top ranking, two years before the Good Friday Agreement.📷

It was originally built, at its prominent Cultra elevated site in North Down, six miles from Belfast, as a home in 1876 for William Auchinleck Robinson, a stockbroker. It was designed and built by Belfast firm Young & Mackenzie, who were also responsible for many of Belfast’s most significant buildings, including The Scottish Provident Building in Donegal Square, the Robinson & Cleaver store and the Anderson & McAuley department store. In the late 19th century, it was converted to a bishop’s place, as the residence of Robert Knox, the Church of Ireland Lord Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore, and three subsequent bishops. Converted into a hotel in 1962, it was bought by the Hastings family in 1967.The location (in large grounds overlooking Belfast Lough from the south) and the Scottish Baronial style reflected the status of the occupant. There have been several extensions to the original house to incorporate additional rooms and a spa. We were guests of the hotel to mark the refurbishment of the Garden Room, which, not surprisingly, overlooks the beautiful, manicured gardens.

As do the magnificent drawing rooms, which – with ceiling-to-floor windows – look out over the grounds and Belfast Lough beyond and make a lovely spot for afternoon tea. You immediately know you’re in for a treat when you check in. The staff are as professional and efficient as you’d expect and it’s a reminder of previous times to have your bag brought to your room. After checking into our impressive and near prefect room (king-size bed with Egyptian cotton sheets), we headed to the Cultra Inn for a late-afternoon refreshment. The Inn is in the grounds and is only a couple of minutes’ walk from the hotel entrance, through the gardens and down the hill. The Cultra Inn is probably more focused on food than drink, but there’s a very comfortable bar to while away an hour or two.

It also has an attractive sun terrace which hosts the popular ‘Bollinger Garden’ in the summer months. Then it was back to the hotel for some pampering in the luxurious spa. Glass-fronted and set into the hill beneath the main hotel, it too faces onto Belfast Lough. All the treatments you can imagine are available in their eight treatment rooms, plus there’s a very attractive pool, steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi and a large gym. I had the 50-minute Body Tonic, which is an ideal way to soothe tight muscles in your back, legs and feet caused by the stresses of life. It includes back exfoliation, marine mud back mask, hot stone back massage and lower leg and foot massage. It was very relaxing, but you might need a bit of a rest after it to recover. Once I’d gathered myself, we headed to the hotel dining room, Vespers, for dinner. It’s an impressive space with the ambience and service you would expect for fine dining.📷Afternoon tea in the drawing room at the Culloden Estate and Spa

The food was perfect and it was accompanied by a spectacular wine menu, which made for fascinating reading but sadly much of it was out of the budget of your correspondent. Nonetheless, we contented ourselves with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to accompany our filled pasta starters, followed by the terroir of the Cote du Rhone with the mains. Afterwards, there was a surprisingly lively atmosphere in the Lough Bar where a singer got the crowd buzzing on our Saturday night visit. After a fantastic night’s sleep in a hotel room that for once wasn’t overly warm, we headed back to Vespers for the prefect hotel breakfast, overlooking the gardens once more. It left us wanting to do it all over again.

Located six miles from Belfast, you don’t have to travel too far from The Culloden to find things to do. The Ulster Transport Museum, always a hit with the kids, is next door.

The county of Down has the second highest number of golf clubs after Dublin and one of the best is just around the corner. The Harry Colt-designed Royal Belfast Golf Club, founded in 1881, is one of the oldest and best in Ireland.

Crawfordsburn Country Park is a short drive from the hotel and a perfect walking spot, plus a good beach for the warmer days.
A few miles back into Belfast and you’ll see the Titanic Museum, one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions, which tells the story of the ill-fated Titanic liner beside the Belfast shipyard where it was built.

Nearby is also the seat of political power in Northern Ireland at Stormont. The opulent building was opened in 1932 to represent the power of the new northern state.  Free guided tours are available Monday to Friday.

For walkers, North Down Costal Path can be accessed by foot from the hotel and takes you from Holywood, through Crawforsburn Country Park and on to Bangor.

Take this trip
The Spa Escape includes an overnight stay, full Irish breakfast, ESPA spa treatments for two (50 minutes each), bathrobes, slippers and access to the health club facilities. This package is available from £450 for the Garden Room.For more information visit: www.cullodenestateandspa.com