The Briers

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.

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.

A very disappointing and frustrating experience. I so wish I'd never booked here.

Beautiful guesthouse in a beautiful location. Comfortable bed with great views. Friendly welcome and Colin the owner was friendly and very helpful. We will definitely return

We had a brilliant stay at The Briers to celebrate a family 60th birthday. From start to finish, everything was handled so well and the setting was perfect for such a special occasion! A big thank you to Collin, the owner, who really went above and beyond to help make the celebration memorable. His attention to detail, friendliness and willingness to accommodate our family made a real difference and added a personal touch to the whole experience! The venue itself was ideal for hosting and brought everyone together in a warm and welcoming atmosphere! The dog-friendly rooms were a perfect addition and meant our pets didn’t miss out on the break! The fresh continental breakfast was excellent served with warm hospitality and plenty to enjoy—such a great way to start the day! Overall, it was a fantastic place for our family to stay and mark an important milestone. We’d highly recommend The Briers to anyone looking for a comfortable, friendly and well-run place to stay in Newcastle.

We were a family of 17 celebrating a 60th birthday. Colin and his team were an absolute pleasure to deal with- nothing was too much trouble. The Briers was perfect for our family celebration. A curtesy bus took us into Newcastle for dinner. We were able to come back for drinks in the hotel bar and finished our evening sitting comfortably together in a little snug room. The bedrooms and en-suite were spotlessly clean. The beds were very comfortable. We had a fabulous weekend. Thank you Colin for making our family celebration so special..

1st time here, May '26, brought my Mum. New owners there 2months. Stunning location! 3mins drive in2 town centre yet nestled in mature countryside, u cd hear a pin drop at night! Room 1 (to right of front entrance) could see mountains & lambs (20ft away) from king size bed! Everything new & v tasteful. Powershower incredible! Shampoo & conditioner in pumps in shower & handsoap & handcream by sink. Lovly new quality bedlinen & pillows, blankets. Radiators hv modern temperature dial with lit up temp, V useful as had to turn it down during night & didn't want to put light on. Owner cd nt hv been more helpful, friendly or upbeat. Ring bell at reception & he's there in 30seconds! Breakfast more than expected- Various cereals/oats etc, fresh blueberries & blackberries, eggs, meats, cheese, yoghurts, fruit, range of breads, pancakes etc juice. Told will offer cooked breakfast in near future. Huge garden, hot tub & new sauna arrived. Everything being updated, a real gem, will definitely be back! Thanks so much guys! :)

After having stayed in The Briers several times in the last few year's hassle free Unfortunately this time it was not to be. On arrival there was no one to meet guests the cleaner had to source the information for our room. We left our bags off an left quickly wanting to take advantage to the beautiful weather. We returned to the room a few hrs later only to find it in horrible condition dirty bed linen, hair and dirt on the beds, chair, bathroom, mould on the bathroom window, a tiny window in the bedroom that didnt open properly due to being broke, dust an dirt an grim very run down. We where horrified, we then bumped into a group of girls who had been waiting 2hrs for check in again zero staff no management nothing. After an hr of trying to sort the room an calling all the numbers provided none of which worked. We decided to leave we managed to get a last minute booking with a local B&B further up and we moved to them at a loss of more money Unfortunately this has meant we had to cut our trip short this has really ruined our weekend away for my husbands birthday as money we had set aside for meals an night's out. Eventually hours later management got in touch an offered a refund. I'm just glad to have got some money back. They are doing renovations and we understood this before going but that doesn't mean they can lapse on basic hygine an upkeep.