My Belfast Hen Do: A Maid of Honour's Review

Editor's Note (December 2025): This real story from a past Maid of Honour has been updated to ensure all travel tips and activity details are current for the 2026 season.

Why We Chose Belfast

I love Ireland. For previous friends' hen dos, we’ve spent weekends in Dublin and Cork, and both were absolutely outstanding weekends away. So when Claire told me she was getting married and asked me to be her Maid of Honour, my immediate thought (before discussing any of the wedding-related items) was “Where in Ireland can we go this time?”

We knew we wanted to go somewhere new, and somewhere that was pretty easy to get to by plane (because we didn’t want the faff of driving to ferry ports). After a small amount of research, we came to the conclusion that a Belfast Hen Do sounded like the perfect choice.

The Booking Process

With the destination decided, I got on with booking it through The Stag and Hen Experience. Naomi was the most helpful person I have probably ever dealt with! Pretty soon all was very smoothly organised with easy payment schedules. The fact I didn’t have to chase any of the hen party for money—as they could all log on and pay themselves—made the process stress-free. All we had to do now was wait for the date to come around.

Friday: Touchdown & Bottomless Brunch

I was so excited about the weekend that the days seemed to slow down. Having been to Ireland on several occasions, this Belfast hen weekend had a lot of expectation to live up to. When the date finally came, I was packed and raring to go.

We all met up at the airport, and pretty soon, nine excited ladies (most of whom had enjoyed a Bloody Mary or three for breakfast) were on a plane and heading to Northern Ireland’s capital city. We arrived too early to check into our hotel, but we headed there anyway as it was very central. We were lucky enough to leave our bags even though it was too early for check-in. It felt good to be free of the baggage!

Once we were bag-free, it was off to our first activity: a Bottomless Brunch with Unlimited Prosecco. Perfect!

Let me just say, I had assumed that the word "unlimited" would be... well... untrue. I assumed there’d be some hidden limit where we were stopped from drinking any more. I was delighted to discover that wasn’t true! For the whole 90 minutes, the drink flowed freely, and given that the food was gorgeous as well, I cannot think of a better way to start a Belfast hen do.

Luckily the venue wasn’t far from our hotel, so after our generous helping of alcohol, we staggered back to check in and freshen up. So far, Belfast hadn't disappointed.

Friday Afternoon: Sightseeing & Gardens

By mid-afternoon, we were eager to head out again and explore the city. As great as planned activities are, I always find that time spent in a different city is enhanced if you do a little bit of touristy sightseeing.

We had a wander around, taking a stroll along the docks and spending a chunk of time resting in the beautiful Botanic Gardens. It is such a beautiful place to be that we were all happy to just lie on the grass and become a part of the scenery for a little while.

The Big Friday Night Out

After we’d decided that we had made the park beautiful enough by our presence, it was time to find some food (which we did in a cute little restaurant) and then pop back to the hotel to get dolled up for our big Friday night out.

We always plan for a big Friday, as we’ve been to too many hen parties where the big night is supposed to be Saturday, but someone goes too mad on Friday and ruins it! So we planned to go big—and go big we did.

I lost track of how many places we visited, but I know it was more than ten. This included at least two amazing Rooftop Bars (the second of which decided we were a bit of a liability!). That was our cue to start hitting the clubs, which I was told was great fun, but I honestly remember nothing of. In fact, I remember nothing after the second rooftop bar until waking up the next day with the world's worst hangover.

Saturday: Recovery & Gin

We were all pretty destroyed that Saturday morning, but we knew we would be! We hadn’t bothered to pay for the hotel breakfast, and I hadn’t planned any activities until the mid-afternoon. The morning was basically spent in bed, crawling into other people's rooms, and experimenting with hangover cures until we found one that worked.

By Saturday afternoon we were back in the land of the living and off to do the one activity guaranteed to put you back on top of your game: a Gin Cocktail Making Class!

Claire absolutely LOVES gin, so I knew this had to be a part of our weekend. It seemed like the best way to get back on the horse after Friday night. It worked a treat. It was great fun, got us all drinking again, and got the ball rolling for our second night out.

Saturday Night: The Classy One

I was determined to remember Saturday night, and the good news is that I did! We went a bit slower this time, visiting the famous Cathedral Quarter. We only visited a handful of bars and spent longer in each one, chatting and laughing our way through Belfast. Because we were taking it a little slower, we found ourselves finishing the night up in a very posh nightclub that would never have let us in the night before!

The Verdict

By the time Sunday rolled around, none of us were good for anything except piling into a taxi and heading back to the airport. We sat around with smiles on our faces and too much alcohol still in our bloodstreams—a situation made worse by Lisa’s insistence on buying a round of cider at the airport to "clear our heads."

And it worked, to an extent. While I will remember every part of Claire’s hen do (except for the bits missing due to alcohol!), having a cider in the airport was the cherry on the cake. A perfect end to a perfect Belfast Hen Do.

If you feel inspired by Claires' Belfast hen do story, or you'd like to explore more accommodation and activity options for Belfast, visit our Essential Belfast hen do guide to explore what this wonderful city has in store for your celebration.

The Stag and Hen Experience has been creating the best bespoke hen weekends away since 2009. If you're looking to plan a package anywhere in the UK or abroad, get in touch on 01202 566100 or via email at [email protected] and one of our expert organisers will help you put together a fantastic celebration.