The Briers

I was traveling in a little bit of a large vehicle, so found it difficult to get parking and eventually needed the assistance of a taxi service. Room was adequate for a one night stay. Big surprise, the following morning was a spectacular breakfast. which I was not expecting.

Had a great stay here and will definitely return, i was a solo traveller with my dog. The Briers had excellent service and nothing was to much trouble. Location is first class, The Briers is in a peaceful location but also so close to Tullymore forest park, Newcastle beach and so much more.

We stayed here last night and couldn't fault it. Our room and en suite were lovely and spotlessly clean. The bed was really comfy and the room was lovely and warm. Lots to eat and drink at breakfast and during breakfast the member of staff was really friendly and made sure everyone had what they needed. It's really close to Newcastle and Tollymore Forest Park is just across the road. We definitely would love to stay again.

The hotel is in a fantastic location, and based on that alone I would happily give it 5 stars. Unfortunately, the management lets it down. I last stayed here 13 years ago when it was under different ownership, and it was excellent. Sadly, that is no longer the case. On arrival, our room keys were left on a desk with a Post-it note saying our room was ready. We didn’t see a member of staff until the following morning. During our stay, the room wasn’t serviced at all, and we had to ask for extra toilet rolls. There was a brand-new hairdryer in the room, but it had a two-pin plug that couldn’t be used in the bathroom shaver socket. Although a three-pin adaptor was provided, it still couldn’t be used without cutting off the two-pin plug and rewiring it, making it completely impractical. Breakfast was particularly disappointing. On my previous visit, a full traditional Irish breakfast was served, but it has now been replaced with a basic continental breakfast. The food appeared to be low quality and cheaply sourced. There were no croissants, just salami, cheese, inexpensive yoghurt, shop-bought pancakes, rye bread and chocolate chip bread. The instant coffee was of poor quality, and although there was a pod coffee machine, it only offered espresso, so if you wanted a normal coffee with milk, your options were limited. The cereal selection was acceptable, but the orange juice was very weak. I understand the hotel may currently be up for sale, and I genuinely hope a new owner restores it to the high standard it once had and brings back the warm Irish hospitality and breakfast experience I remember. Overall, while the location is excellent, I feel the hotel is overpriced for the level of service and quality currently being offered.

​Disappointing customer service and lack of flexibility from a "dog-friendly" hotel ​I am deeply disappointed with the rigid customer service at the Briers Country House. My friend Ruth, my dog Daisy, and I were booked to stay this Saturday. Because of the intense heatwave, I contacted the hotel to cancel. Daisy is an excellent traveler, but an hour-and-twenty-minute bus journey from Belfast in this stifling heat simply wouldn't have been safe or comfortable for her. ​The hotel advertises itself as dog-friendly, but their response felt anything but. While I could have left Daisy behind with my brother and still gone on the trip with Ruth, the entire purpose of booking here was to enjoy a getaway with my dog. ​When I explained the situation to Darren, I wasn't even asking for a flat refund; I simply asked if we could reschedule and move our dates to a cooler weekend. He refused to accommodate a date change or offer any flexibility, stating it was too short notice to rebook the room. ​While I understand businesses have cancellation policies, I expected far more empathy and flexibility from an establishment that claims to welcome pets. True dog-friendliness should include putting the animal's safety and well-being first. Due to this rigid and unhelpful response, we will not be booking here again.

Check in was incredibly simple. Our room had a door to a lovely shared outside area with a table and chairs. This made it very easy to deal with our wee dog, who was welcomed. This is the first time we have taken him away and it will not be the last. The home had beautiful views of the mourns and amazing gardens. The room was clean and the bed was extremely comfortable. Breakfast was simple, which pleased me greatly, I detest not knowing what is going on at breakfast. Our host was cheerful, helpful and obviously very kind.. We had a great stay, thank you so much.

Good condition room, fabulous staff, fast internet, onsite parking, good sumptuous continental breakfast, good location.

We had a great stay in this comfortable hotel. The bedrooms were large and comfortable. The garden was nice and guests were allowed access to it. Rita was especially helpful to us and enabled us to change rooms to a downstairs bedroom as my wife is disabled.

The Briers is a lovely Country House surrounded with beautiful views just outside of Newcastle. We stayed in room 8 which had a very comfortable bed, great shower and large TV. The continental breakfast was very good and the host Rita, was very friendly and extremely helpful. We will definitely be back! Thank you.