Kitsch Carnival, Barry's Portrush is a Fun Fair of Nostalgia

The past weekend we were up at the Causeway Coast for a holiday-at-home break, blogging about Northern Ireland for Tesco Magazine. Once the article has been published I will blog about the attractions, but we also made an unscheduled stop at Portrush, photos of which I can share now.

Every child brought up in Northern Ireland has happy memories of Barry's in Portrush. It's a big indoor fun fair with lots of rides and games. Despite having lots of brand new, up to date rides, my favourite bits are the older rides from the 80s, which look very cool.

Do you have any favourite Barry's memories?

The Malone Lodge Hotel, an Oasis of Luxury in Belfast City Centre.

Friday was our sixth wedding anniversary, and to celebrate we stayed in The Malone Lodge Hotel  in Belfast city centre for a treat.  We had been invited to peruse their new makeover, which sees the accommodation and restaurant revamped into a boutique hotel & apartments, which wouldn't be out of place in any stylish European city. 

Aptly, The Malone Lodge is situated one street along from where I lived when my husband and I started going out together. In a tree-lined avenue in the University area of Northern Ireland's capital, it's a great base for those visiting from all over the world. They have 111 luxurious rooms, with 23 five star apartments to suit families and tourists alike.

Our couples package starts at £180 per room and includes strawberries & champagne on arrival, plus dinner in The Knife & Fork, the hotel's exclusive restaurant with an award winning chef. You will also both have a full Irish breakfast the next morning.

We were blown away by the stunning room, crisp and clean with a huge king sized bed. The Knife and Fork restaurant however was even more special. For five year's The Percy French at the Slieve Donard Hotel held the title of, 'The best steak, ever' as awarded by my husband. The Knife and Fork snatched the title on Friday night, and we will be back to dine there again very soon. 

As a starter, my husband had soft, juicy rack of ribs. I opted for the very unusual Thai chicken wrapped in deep fried seaweed, with wasabi dressing. 

Main course for myself was salmon, another locally sourced product, which is an important part of what makes The Knife and Fork special. The restaurant has close ties with local producers and farmers, bringing only the best of Northern Irish food to your table. 

my husband had a mocha brownie for dessert, but my sweet course was the show stopper. A huge meringue that was so generous other tables of diners turned to get a peek, then ordered it for themselves! 

After being spoiled with The Knife and Fork's delights, we returned to our room to relax and enjoy the plush surroundings. We watched Die Hard 2 on the huge flat screen tv, highly romantic choice for an anniversary, right? 

We slept well, and despite being in the city on a Friday night, it was very quiet.  

Breakfast just had to be their big Ulster Fry, it would have been terribly rude not to indulge in the province's traditional breakfast. 

The final cherry-on-top touch was a fresh fruit plate & wedding anniversary card from the staff at The Malone Lodge, part of the very attentive service we received during our stay. 

website for other deals such as the family theatre deal or girls' night pamper package. 

The Snugg- Ipad Mini Stylish Case & Stand all in one. Have a nosy at my The Shining Wallpaper too!

The Snugg is your go-to website for beautiful, stylish iPad, Tablet, Smartphone and Kindle covers. They sent me a swish, baby blue, PU Leather case for my iPad mini, which I do all my blogging from. 

It feels very secure, comfortable to hold, would be great for using iPad on the move as it has a hand grip on the reverse. It also works as a stand should you want to use your tablet to watch a film or tv. My case cost £29.99 and comes in ten colours.

You can also pick up some other fancy iPad accessories like a car headrest mount that your tablet slips into for your children to watch movies on the road. There's a Snugg wireless Bluetooth keyboard, transforming your touchscreen into a mini-laptop. Stop by The Snugg and fill your cart with their goodness!

What Have You Got For Lunch? An Edible Cover of a Bjork Album? Nice, I've got The Plane from Lost. 22 Pop Art Bento Boxes.

Crazily Cool Hand-painted Shoes

Works of art for your feet. From Hart Custom Shoes on etsy.com

This Week I'm Tweeting for @Ireland !

I have the great privilege of taking the reins of the @Ireland Twitter account this week, from this morning until Sunday evening. The account is given to a new person every week and I think I'm the first from Northern Ireland to have a chance to tweet for the whole island.

If you have Twitter you can follow @Ireland this week and see what I'm up to.

Stellar Colourtone Knives. Hands off, boys.

Does anyone else find their kitchen's supply of knives seems to disappear over time? I think it's a symptom of husbands using them for repairs (mine fitted our car radio with a knife and fork). If the knives are there, they blunt very quickly, so I'm glad my new Stellar Colourtone knives come with their own sheaths. It also makes them safe to bring on picnics or BBQs.
They are very reasonably priced from £4.00 with a set of three for only £14.50 on Amazon. Plus, they are pretty. There will be a ban on these being used for DIY purposes.

Scenes from Game of Thrones Recreated in Lego

Most images from www.LegoGameofThrones.com