Slieve Donard Cottage

Slieve Donard Cottage

The half door at Slieve Donard Cottage opens onto a small garden that overlooks the sea, the harbour and the coast, with the Mourne Mountains rising behind and Dundrum Bay stretching beyond. This end-of-terrace, two-storey cottage is one of twelve built in 1843 to house the widows of a local fishing disaster, a piece of history no newer build on this stretch of coast can claim. Inside, it sleeps two to four across a double bedroom with sea views and a twin room, with a freestanding bath and a separate shower down the hall. The living room keeps an open fire and a freeview TV, and the kitchen is stocked for cooking rather than ordering in, with a dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, microwave and full-size fridge freezer. Two cars fit in the private parking space, gas central heating covers the colder months, and wifi and ironing facilities are included. It suits a couple wanting a week of walking the Mournes and reading by the fire, or two families sharing bedrooms and a kitchen table rather than two hotel rooms with a wall between them. It does not suit anyone arriving late: check-in runs from 9pm, checkout by 11am, and the cottage keeps a strict no-smoking, no-pets policy. The town centre, with its cafes and the Newcastle Community Cinema, is a short walk away, and Newcastle Beach closer still. Cots are not stocked but the owners will arrange one on request. What no chain hotel in Newcastle offers is this: a listed 1843 building with its own harbour view and its own front door, not a room number. A listed 1843 cottage on Newcastle's South Promenade, one of twelve built for the widows of a fishing disaster, its garden facing Newcastle Harbour and Dundrum Bay. Two bedrooms and an open fire suit a couple or two families more than a solo traveller passing through for one night.