A Bay-Window Bedroom in Belfast's Most Walkable Quarter
Open the curtains in the Standard Double at The Wellesley and the deep saturated blue walls catch the morning light from the bay window, the koi-print wallpaper warms behind the bed, and the herringbone carpet underfoot puts you twenty seconds from the Victorian front door. Step out of that door, turn right onto Lisburn Road, and Botanic Gardens with its 1840 cast-iron Palm House and the free-to-enter Ulster Museum are a few minutes' stroll east through the back of Queen's University Belfast. The Metro 9A, 9B and 9C stop at Ashley Avenue directly across the street; the city centre is fifteen minutes either way.
The Wellesley is the seven-bedroom guesthouse in the Central Belfast Apartments portfolio, the operator that won 'Best Serviced Apartment Operator 1–50 Units' at the Serviced Apartment Awards 2022 in London (the only Northern Ireland winner that year), and 'Northern Ireland's Leading Serviced Apartments' at the World Travel Awards 2024. The rooms are recently renovated; the koi-print Standard Double and the red-stripe Budget Double are the two designs guests describe by detail rather than name. A keyless keypad replaces the reception desk, and a generously stocked shared kitchen replaces the breakfast room, both deliberate, and both repeatedly singled out in reviews.
Wellesley Avenue, BT9, Walk to Botanic Gardens, Bus to the Albert Clock
The address sits in BT9, the postcode that covers Queen's Quarter, Lisburn Road and the southern stretch of Botanic. It is, by some distance, the most walkable corner of Belfast for a first-time visitor: Botanic Gardens Park with the 1840 Palm House and the 1889 Tropical Ravine is 650 yards east; the Ulster Museum (free admission, the Spanish Armada gold from the Girona wreck, an Egyptian mummy) is about 700 metres inside the park; the Tudor-Gothic main building of Queen's University Belfast is on the way. Door to door, the Cathedral Quarter and Titanic Belfast are twenty-five minutes by Metro 9 or a £6 taxi.
On the doorstep is the food strip of Belfast. Ryan's Bar & Restaurant is literally next door at 116–118 Lisburn Road. Damascus for Syrian, Bithika for Indian and Wok N Stix for Asian fusion are inside 100 yards. Deanes at Queens (Michael Deane's neighbourhood European bistro) and Shu Restaurant (a long-running Lisburn Road fine-dining staple) are five and six minutes on foot respectively. A Starbucks at 90 Lisburn Road and a Tesco Express handle breakfast supplies and a 5 a.m. flat white if your itinerary needs one.
Self-Serviced, Spice-Rack-Stocked, and Honest About the Trade-offs
What is genuinely useful for solo travellers and couples is the shared kitchen. A dishwasher, a washing machine, an air dryer, a communal iron and ironing board, and a spice rack stocked well enough that guests cook proper meals, those four amenities together are why returning visitors specifically book here over an apartment further from the centre. Each room has a kettle, a tea-and-coffee tray and a Netflix-enabled TV; most rooms have a mini-fridge, and a fully-stocked shared fridge in the kitchen covers anyone whose room doesn't.
Honest things to know in advance: there is no on-site reception, arrivals are by a keyless keypad code sent before you land, in a 15:00–17:00 window. You must be 25 or older to book (family stays are exempt; photo ID is required for every adult in advance). There is no lift to the upper floors, the hallway and staircase are tight if you've packed heavy, and there is no on-site parking, free on-street parking is available on Wellesley Avenue and the surrounding streets subject to availability. Breakfast is not served on-site; the kitchen, Lisburn Road cafés and a Tesco five minutes away cover that.
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Interesting Points About The Wellesley
- Operated by Central Belfast Apartments, the only Northern Ireland winner of 'Best Serviced Apartment Operator 1–50 Units' at the Serviced Apartment Awards 2022 in London, and 'Northern Ireland's Leading Serviced Apartments' at the World Travel Awards 2024
- Self-serviced with keyless code entry, no on-site reception, so arrivals are by message and a keypad rather than a desk handover
- Shared kitchen guests keep singling out by name in reviews: dishwasher, washing machine, air dryer, communal iron and ironing board, and a spice rack stocked well enough that solo travellers actually cook in it
- Bold designer interiors, including the deep-blue koi-print Standard Double that recurring reviewers ask for by description, plus a red-stripe Budget Double and a green-and-rust palette across the upper-floor rooms
Rooms & Accommodation at The Wellesley
Superior Double Room
Sleeps 2 · 17 m² · King or double bed · Bay-window seat · Private en-suite
The top-of-house room at 17 m², a king-size or double bed against a contemporary upholstered headboard, a bay-window seating area with full-length curtains, a built-in wardrobe and shelving, and a desk-cum-dressing-table that works for a day's remote work. Private en-suite with walk-in shower, towels, hairdryer and free toiletries. Carpeted, non-smoking.
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Standard Double Room
Sleeps 2 · 11 m² · Koi-print designer wallpaper · Private en-suite
Eleven square metres of the boldest design at The Wellesley, the deep-blue walls and koi-print wallpaper room recurring reviewers describe by detail rather than name, with a double or king bed, full-length curtains over the bay window, a Netflix-enabled flat-screen TV, a kettle and a carbon-monoxide detector. Private en-suite with shower. Two rooms in this band may be on the ground floor, confirm with the office team if a flight of stairs would be a problem.
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Budget Double Room
Sleeps 2 · 8 m² · Red-stripe feature wall · Private en-suite
The smallest room at 8 m² and the cheapest way into the house, a double bed against a red-and-white-striped feature wall, a teal velvet headboard, a Netflix-enabled flat-screen TV, a kettle, a tea-and-coffee tray and a carbon-monoxide detector. The compact private en-suite has a shower. Best suited to one person or a couple travelling light; this band may include one of the two potential ground-floor rooms.
Check PricesIs The Wellesley Right for You?
Best Suited For
- Couples on a city break: the design-led rooms and Lisburn Road cafés on the doorstep do the work, and couples specifically book the koi-print Standard Double
- Solo travellers using Queen's Quarter as a base: Metro 9 at the door, Botanic Station 0.6 mi, Grand Central 1.8 mi
- Academic visitors to Queen's University Belfast: the main Tudor-Gothic building is a five-minute walk
- Visitors to City Hospital or the Cancer Centre: both are inside a ten-minute walk
- Self-caterers who want a real kitchen: dishwasher, washing machine, air dryer, communal iron and a spice rack solo travellers actually use
- Repeat Belfast visitors who prefer keyless code entry to a front-desk handover
Worth Considering Alternatives If
- You are under 25 and not travelling as a family: the minimum age for non-family bookings is 25, photo ID required for every adult
- You expect a 24-hour staffed reception: there is no on-site reception at all; check-in is keyless within a 15:00–17:00 window
- You need a hot breakfast included: breakfast is not served on-site; the shared kitchen and Lisburn Road cafés cover it
- You need a lift: the upper floors are accessible by stairs only, and the hallway and staircase are tight if you've packed heavy
- You need guaranteed on-site parking: there is none; free on-street parking on Wellesley Avenue and the surrounding streets is subject to availability
- You expect a swimming pool, spa, gym, on-site bar or restaurant: none are present
- You're booking a hen or stag party, or a group: house rules forbid both; quiet hours 22:00–08:00
Amenities & Facilities
In-Room
- Free Wi-Fi
- Streaming TV with Netflix in every room
- Electric kettle and tea/coffee tray
- Heating, hairdryer, free toiletries, fresh linen and towels
- Mini-fridge in most rooms (a fully-stocked shared fridge covers the rest)
- Clothes rack, desk in Superior rooms
- Carbon-monoxide detector in Standard and Budget rooms
- Carpeted floors throughout
Bathroom
- Private en-suite with every room
- Walk-in shower (Superior rooms have the most generous footprint)
- Towels, hairdryer, toilet paper, free toiletries
Shared Kitchen
- Full cooker with oven, hob and microwave
- Dishwasher, washing machine and air dryer
- Shared fridge plus mini-fridges in most rooms
- Communal iron and ironing board
- Spice rack stocked well enough that guests cook proper meals
- Kettle, basic utensils, tea and coffee provided
- Not available: Breakfast on-site
- Not available: Restaurant or bar
Parking & Transport
- Free on-street parking on Wellesley Avenue and surrounding streets, subject to availability
- Metro 9A, 9B and 9C (Lisburn Road service) at the Ashley Avenue stop directly across the street, runs every few minutes during the day to Wellington Place / Donegall Square
- Botanic train station, 0.6 mi / 12–13 min walk (Bangor / Larne line)
- Belfast Grand Central Station, 1.8 mi · Enterprise service to Dublin in about 1 h 10 min
- George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD), 3.7 mi · 12–15 min by taxi
- Belfast International Airport (BFS), 13 mi · Airport Express 300 from Grand Central, 40–45 min
- Not available: On-site parking
Accessibility
- Two potential ground-floor rooms (one Budget, one Standard), confirm allocation with the office team in advance
- Hallway and staircase are tight; large suitcases are awkward
- Not available: Lift to upper floors
Services & Policies
- Self check-in via keyless keypad code, in a 15:00–17:00 arrival window, advance notice of arrival time required
- Check-out by 10:00
- Minimum age for non-family bookings: 25; photo ID required for every adult in advance
- Children of any age welcome; 13+ are charged as adults; cots and extra beds not available
- Quiet hours 22:00–08:00; no hen or stag parties
- Credit and debit cards only, cash not accepted
- £100 refundable damage deposit charged to credit card seven days before arrival
- Office team available by phone, WhatsApp and email throughout the stay
- Not available: Pets
- Not available: Smoking
- Not available: Housekeeping during stay
- Not available: Luggage storage on-site
Wellesley Avenue, BT9, Off Lisburn Road, in the Queen's Quarter
Wellesley Avenue is a short Victorian residential terrace running off Lisburn Road in BT9, the postcode that covers Queen's Quarter, Lisburn Road and the southern stretch of Botanic. The Wellesley is partway down. Behind it is Queen's University Belfast and 28-acre Botanic Gardens; in front, across the road on Lisburn Road, the Metro 9 stop at Ashley Avenue. The immediate block is residential, quiet by Belfast standards, with the food and drink action one street west on Lisburn Road itself.
What looks like 'south of the centre' on a map is in practice the most walkable corner of the city for a first-time visitor. Botanic Gardens with its 1840 cast-iron-and-glass Palm House and the 1889 Tropical Ravine is 650 yards east. The Ulster Museum (free admission, the Spanish Armada gold from the Girona) is around 700 metres on. Crumlin Road Gaol, Titanic Belfast and the Albert Memorial Clock sit on the same Metro 9 corridor north into town. George Best Belfast City Airport is 3.7 miles; Belfast International is 13 miles via the Airport Express 300 from Grand Central.
- Botanic Gardens Park & Palm House: 650 yd · ~5-min walk · 28-acre Victorian gardens that opened in 1828, with Sir Charles Lanyon's 1840 cast-iron-and-glass Palm House and the restored 1889 Tropical Ravine. Free to enter.
- Ulster Museum: ~700 m · ~8-min walk through Botanic Gardens · Northern Ireland's flagship museum, free admission, the Spanish Armada gold from the Girona, an Egyptian mummy, art and archaeology galleries.
- Queen's University Belfast: ~5-min walk · The red-brick Tudor-Gothic main building by Charles Lanyon (founded 1845); reason solo academics and parents book this address.
- Crumlin Road Gaol: 1.2 mi · ~25-min walk or 5-min taxi · 'The Crum', Northern Ireland's only surviving Victorian-era prison (1845–1996), now a self-guided museum with execution chamber and underground tunnel to the Courthouse.
- Albert Memorial Clock: 1.7 mi · ~10 min by Metro 9 · Belfast's 'Leaning Tower', a 113-ft Gothic sandstone clock tower (1869) that leans 4 ft off the perpendicular because it sits on wooden piles in the reclaimed marsh of the River Farset.
- Big Fish (Salmon of Knowledge): 1.8 mi · ~12 min by Metro 9 · John Kindness's 10-metre printed-ceramic-tile salmon on Donegall Quay (1999), the city's most-photographed waterfront landmark.
- Titanic Belfast: 2.7 mi · ~15 min by taxi · The world's largest Titanic visitor experience in a £97m hull-shaped building on the slipway where the ship was launched in 1911, the most-visited tourist attraction in Northern Ireland in 2025.
- Belfast Castle: 5 mi · 15-min taxi · A pink-sandstone Scottish Baronial mansion completed 1870 on the slopes of Cave Hill, free to enter, cat-themed gardens, a gateway to Cave Hill Country Park's city-and-lough panoramas.
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: Slowtech2000, CC BY-SA 4.0
Botanic Gardens Park
Five minutes east of Wellesley Avenue is Botanic Gardens Park, 28 acres of public Victorian garden that opened in 1828, with Sir Charles Lanyon's 1840 Palm House and the 1889 Tropical Ravine glasshouse still in use today. Both are free to enter and house living collections of bananas, cinnamon, bromeliads and orchids. The park itself is the kind of public green you can wander into with a Lisburn Road coffee and not leave for two hours; the Ulster Museum sits inside it. Open daily, dawn to dusk.
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Photo: Bazonka, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ulster Museum
About 700 metres east through Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum is Northern Ireland's flagship national museum and the place to spend a wet afternoon, free admission, the gold cross and chains from the Spanish Armada's Girona wreck, an Egyptian mummy, the Troubles galleries and a rolling programme of contemporary art exhibitions. Budget two to three hours; the cafe on the ground floor is decent. Closed Mondays and 24–26 December.
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Photo: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Titanic Belfast
Two and a bit miles north on the slipway where RMS Titanic was launched in 1911, the £97 million aluminium-clad Titanic Belfast (opened 2012) is the world's largest Titanic visitor experience and was Northern Ireland's most-visited paid attraction in 2025 with 953,554 visitors. Pre-book a timed ticket, slots sell out at the weekend. From Wellesley Avenue it's a 15-minute taxi or a Metro 9 into the centre and then a 15-minute walk along the Lagan.
View on MapHow to Get to The Wellesley from Belfast Grand Central Station
- Inside Grand Central, board a southbound Bangor / Larne train: Belfast Grand Central Station opened in autumn 2024 and is now the single rail hub for the city. Trains on the Bangor / Larne line run every 15 minutes from Grand Central; the southbound platform is signposted from the main concourse.
- Alight at Botanic, the second stop, about 4 minutes' running time: Botanic is the second stop, roughly four minutes' running time south of Grand Central. Since the October 2024 reorganisation, Botanic and City Hospital are served only by the Bangor / Larne line.
- Exit Botanic Station and head south down Botanic Avenue: From the platform, head south past Queen's University Belfast on Botanic Avenue, then turn right onto University Road and continue onto Lisburn Road. Keep going for 8–10 minutes.
- Turn left onto Wellesley Avenue: Wellesley Avenue is a short residential terrace off the east side of Lisburn Road. The Wellesley is partway down. Total walking time from Botanic Station is about 12–13 minutes. The keypad code for the front door arrives by message before you land.
- Bus alternative, Metro 9A, 9B or 9C from Donegall Square: If you'd rather not walk, board Metro 9A, 9B or 9C (the Lisburn Road service) from Donegall Square or any stop on Lisburn Road, and alight at the Ashley Avenue stop, directly across from the property. Buses run every few minutes during the day.
Belfast and the Surrounding Area
Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, a city of 345,000 people that draws 2.5 million visitors a year on a story that runs from the Harland & Wolff shipyard where Titanic was built, through the Troubles and the Falls / Shankill murals, into a Good-Friday-era cultural revival as a UNESCO City of Music, a Game of Thrones filming hub and a serious food city. The Wellesley sits in BT9 / Queen's Quarter, the leafy academic-residential quadrant anchored by Queen's University Belfast and 28-acre Botanic Gardens, south of the centre, on the Metro 9 corridor that runs into Donegall Square.
The best weather window is May–September (14–19°C, daylight to 22:00 in June). Mid-October to early November is the Belfast International Arts Festival, the city's longest-running international arts event, first held in 1962, running across more than thirty venues. Mid-November to 22 December is the Belfast Christmas Market at City Hall. March brings St Patrick's Day. Avoid the 12 July Orange Order parade period if you'd prefer a quieter city.
Belfast City Guide, Titanic, City Hall, Cave Hill and the Ulster Museum
World Travel Guide's compact 9-minute Belfast orientation across the city's biggest sights, useful context if you're arriving via Botanic or Grand Central without a fixed itinerary.
What Guests Say About The Wellesley
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Very Good
The Wellesley reads consistently as a clean, modern, design-led base for short Belfast stays, couples and solo travellers who walk to Botanic Gardens and the Ulster Museum, cook in the shared kitchen on the way back, and would rather have keyless code entry than a check-in desk. Recurring praise themes are cleanliness, the spice-rack-stocked kitchen, the bold designer interiors (the koi-print Standard Double in particular), and quick communication from the office team by WhatsApp. The repeated watch-outs are room size, the Budget Double at 8 m² is genuinely small, occasional street and pub noise on the Lisburn Road frontage, and a first-night learning curve on the keyless arrival. Couples rate the two-person trip in line with that overall picture.
Excellent location just up Lisburn Road near Bradbury Place, next door to Ryan's Bar. The keycode entry worked smoothly; clean and cosy. No fridge in our specific room but a well-stocked shared kitchen covered it.
Trudi
Excellent location just up Lisburn Road near Bradbury Place, next door to Ryan's Bar. The keycode entry worked smoothly; clean and cosy. No fridge in our specific room but a well-stocked shared kitchen covered it.
2026-01-04Easy check-in. Helpful staff who arranged an early arrival, kettle and tea/coffee in the room, well-equipped spacious kitchen and a convenient location. Room a touch smaller than expected.
2026-01-16Love the modern interiors. Walkable to everywhere in Belfast and the keyless concept made it easy to leave and enter. The walls are thin so you can hear neighbours, and the check-in process felt a bit complicated the first time.
2026-04-14The unit was lovely and spacious. The kitchen is fully stocked and it was nice to be able to use the laundry. Very accessible to the city centre. Bathroom could use a towel hook.
2026-04-22A nicely styled room, we loved the deep blue walls and the koi wallpaper. The bed was comfortable, the city centre a manageable 30-minute walk away, and the Botanic Gardens and Ulster Museum are right on the doorstep.
2026-05-06A genuine home-from-home feeling. The kitchen is brilliantly set up and the spice rack is amazing.
2026-02-28Comfortable rooms with easy access into Belfast city centre on public transport. The staff communicated well beforehand and even rang after I'd left to check the stay had gone smoothly.
2026-05-18The furniture and bathroom were new and clean. The bathroom is small, and the building hall and stairs are tight, large luggage is tough to carry upstairs.
2026-03-21Good to Know Before You Book
You must be 25 or older to book (family stays are exempt)
The minimum age for non-family bookings at The Wellesley is 25. Photographic ID is required for every adult on the booking, sent in advance. Family stays with children are exempt from the age policy, message the office team if you're not sure which category applies to your group.
Self check-in only, in a 15:00–17:00 arrival window
There is no on-site reception. A keypad code is sent by message before arrival; advance notice of your arrival time is required. If you're landing outside the 15:00–17:00 window, message the office team to arrange a workaround. The office team is reachable by phone, WhatsApp and email throughout the stay.
No lift and no on-site parking
Upper floors are accessible by stairs only; the hallway and staircase are tight, so large suitcases are awkward. There is no on-site parking, free on-street parking is available on Wellesley Avenue and the surrounding streets subject to availability. Two ground-floor rooms (one Budget, one Standard) exist; confirm allocation with the office team in advance if a flight of stairs would be a problem.
No breakfast served, but a fully stocked shared kitchen
Breakfast is not served on-site. The shared kitchen has a cooker with oven and hob, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, air dryer, mini-fridges in most rooms plus a shared fridge in the kitchen, communal iron and ironing board, kettle and a spice rack. Half a dozen cafés on Lisburn Road and a Starbucks at number 90 are inside a five-minute walk. Luggage storage is not available on-site; contact the office team in advance if you need a hand around the check-in window.
Photos of The Wellesley
The Wellesley Belfast FAQs
The Wellesley is on Wellesley Avenue, Belfast BT9 6ND, a short residential terrace running off Lisburn Road in the Queen's Quarter, between Queen's University Belfast and Botanic Gardens. The Metro 9A, 9B and 9C stop at the Ashley Avenue stop directly across the street; Botanic train station is 0.6 mi (a 12–13 minute walk) and Belfast Grand Central is 1.8 mi.
Yes, check-in is entirely self-service via a keyless keypad code, in a 15:00–17:00 arrival window. There is no on-site reception. A keypad code is sent by message before arrival; advance notice of your arrival time is required. The office team is reachable by phone, WhatsApp and email if you need a workaround outside the window.
The minimum age for non-family bookings at The Wellesley is 25. Photographic ID is required for every adult on the booking, sent in advance. Family stays with children are exempt from the age policy. House rules also forbid hen and stag parties.
No, breakfast is not served on-site and is not included in the room rate. Every room has a kettle and a tea/coffee tray, and there is a generously stocked shared kitchen with cooker, hob, oven, microwave, dishwasher and a spice rack. Half a dozen cafés on Lisburn Road and a Starbucks at number 90 are inside a five-minute walk.
There is no on-site parking. Free on-street parking is available on Wellesley Avenue and the surrounding streets subject to availability, the immediate streets can fill up, particularly on weekday evenings. Bus alternative: Metro 9A, 9B and 9C stop directly across the street.
No, upper floors at The Wellesley are accessible by stairs only. The hallway and staircase are also tight, so large suitcases are awkward to carry up. Two ground-floor rooms (one Budget Double and one Standard Double) exist; confirm allocation with the office team in advance if a flight of stairs would be a problem.
Botanic Gardens Park is 650 yards (about a five-minute walk) east of Wellesley Avenue. The Ulster Museum sits inside the park, about 700 metres on. Queen's University Belfast's red-brick Tudor-Gothic main building is roughly a five-minute walk. Belfast Cathedral Quarter and the Albert Memorial Clock are 15–20 minutes by Metro 9 from the Ashley Avenue stop opposite the property.
Luggage storage is not available on-site at The Wellesley. If you're arriving before the 15:00 check-in or need to leave bags after the 10:00 check-out, contact the office team in advance. They can sometimes arrange a workaround, and a nearby paid-luggage option exists for guests with late flights. The office team is reachable by phone, WhatsApp and email.
Ready to Book The Wellesley?
Seven contemporary en-suite rooms across a Victorian Wellesley Avenue terrace, a few minutes on foot from Botanic Gardens, the Ulster Museum and Queen's University. Keyless code entry, a generously stocked shared kitchen and the Metro 9 at the door, all run by the multi-award-winning Central Belfast Apartments group.
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