Uncover the Haunted Secrets of Hawthorn Hollow, Ballymena!
Uncover the Haunted Secrets of Hawthorn Hollow, Ballymena! - My Honest (and Slightly Over-Dramatic) Take
Okay, folks, buckle up. Because I just got back from Hawthorn Hollow in Ballymena, and let me tell you, it was an… experience. An experience that's still rattling around in my brain, a bit like those ghostly whispers they claim haunt the place. So, let's unpack this, shall we? And no, I didn't see any actual ghosts. (Or did I? Hmm…)
(SEO & Metadata Jargon Alert: Hawthorn Hollow Ballymena, Haunted Hotel, Northern Ireland Getaway, Spa Weekend, Wheelchair Accessible Hotel, Family Friendly Accommodation, Ballymena Reviews, Best Hotels Ballymena, Things to Do Northern Ireland, Luxury Hotel Northern Ireland)
Accessibility: The Good, The Okay, and the Slightly Bewildering…
Right off the bat, Hawthorn Hollow seems to try to be accessible. Wheelchair accessible rooms are a big plus (tick!). But I'm telling you, navigating the place sometimes felt like a treasure hunt with a wonky map. The elevator? Fine. Finding the actual entrance to the spa? Had to ask three different staff members. A bit of a logistical hiccup, eh? But hey, they're trying. And the fact facilities for disabled guests are listed is a good start.
On-site accessible restaurants / lounges: Didn't see much in the way of specifically marked 'accessible' areas within the restaurants, but the layout generally seemed okay. Just, you know, ask before assuming you're good to go.
Internet: My Love-Hate Affair with Wi-Fi
"Free Wi-Fi in all rooms!" the website boomed. And, bless its little digital heart, it was mostly true. The Wi-Fi was… there. Sometimes strong, sometimes a little… ghostly, like a forgotten spectral signal. (Okay, maybe I'm channeling too much of the haunted vibe here.) I tried the Internet [LAN] - but come on who uses that anymore! Internet services generally were fine. But for the love of all that is holy, could they upgrade the Wi-Fi in public areas? Seriously, trying to upload those Instagram stories about the pool with a view was like pulling teeth. The Internet in the room… well, let's just say I spent a good chunk of time cursing the digital ether. And that's not even mentioning the Internet access.
Cleanliness and Safety: Comfort Zone Vibes
Okay, this is where Hawthorn Hollow really shines. And considering the post-pandemic world we're living in, that's a HUGE win. They were on it.
- Anti-viral cleaning products: Check! My inner germaphobe was doing a happy dance.
- Cashless payment service: Perfect. Because who carries cash anymore?
- Daily disinfection in common areas: Yep, saw 'em doing it. Felt safe and secure.
- Hand sanitizer: Everywhere. Seriously, you couldn't escape it (which is a GOOD thing!)
- Hygiene certification: Another win.
- Individually-wrapped food options: Essential. Especially after a particularly enthusiastic sneeze from a fellow breakfast-goer - just saying.
- Physical distancing of at least 1 meter: Mostly observed, though sometimes it was a bit… “Ballymena close.”
- Professional-grade sanitizing services: Good to know, though I didn't see them in actual use.
- Rooms sanitized between stays: A must-have.
- Safe dining setup: Generally well managed.
- Sanitized kitchen and tableware items: My spidey senses didn't detect any issues.
- Staff trained in safety protocol: Definitely. They seemed to know their stuff.
- Sterilizing equipment: I didn't need any, thankfully!
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking: A Culinary Adventure (With Ups & Downs!)
The food situation was… variable. Let's put it that way.
- A la carte in restaurant: Yes, but sometimes with a limited menu.
- Asian breakfast: Nope. Not that I could see.
- Asian cuisine in restaurant: Now, there was the most amazing Asian cuisine and it was the highlight of my trip. Unfortunately, the name of the Asian restaurant escapes me.
- Bar: Yep, a few good options, decent atmosphere.
- Bottle of water: Provided daily. Essential, especially after indulging in…
- Breakfast [buffet]: A buffet. A standard buffet. Overcrowded at times, but good enough, to be completely honest with you.
- Breakfast service: Fine.
- Coffee/tea in restaurant: Abundant.
- Desserts in restaurant: Delicious.
- Happy hour: Worth checking out.
- International cuisine in restaurant: Yep.
- Poolside bar: Not applicable this place doesn't have one.
- Restaurants: A few options, but not a huge variety.
- Room service [24-hour]: A lifesaver at 3 AM when that late-night craving hits.
- Salad in restaurant: Fresh.
- Snack bar: Didn't eat there.
- Soup in restaurant: Decent.
- Vegetarian restaurant: Nope.
- Western breakfast: Standard fare.
- Western cuisine in restaurant: Standard fare.
The Spa: A Symphony of Bliss (Mostly!)
Okay, this is where Hawthorn Hollow truly delivers. The Spa/sauna. The Steamroom. The Massage. Oh, the massage! I opted for a deep tissue massage after the long drive, and it was sublime. The therapist was fantastic, working out all the knots and kinks. I could have floated away. So much so I couldn't concentrate on the the rest of the Spa features. The Body scrub and Body wrap are also excellent. The whole setup is just… luxurious.
Pool (with View!), Fitness, & Relaxation: The "Me Time" Gambit
- Pool with a View: The pictures online don't do it justice. It’s a gorgeous indoor pool, and I spent hours just floating, staring up at the (fake) stars. Pure escape.
- Sauna: Standard.
- Spa: As mentioned, amazing.
- Swimming pool [indoor]: A highlight for sure.
- Gym/fitness: I’m not a gym person, but it looked well-equipped, if a bit… sterile.
- Fitness center: See above.
- Foot bath: Didn't try it myself.
Things to Do (Besides Pretending You're a Ghost Hunter):
Honestly? The hotel is the thing to do. The spa is the main draw. Relaxing by that pool with a view is a major highlight. Hiking is only 20 minutes by foot from the hotel, so this is a great place to launch a hiking adventure. Ways to relax? You can do it all here! But, if you're feeling energetic, take a trip into Ballymena. Which is… fine. Not exactly bustling with excitement, but it has a few shops.
Services and Conveniences: The Little Things That Matter
- Air conditioning in public area: Yes.
- Audio-visual equipment for special events: Unsure.
- Business facilities: Didn't use them.
- Cash withdrawal: Yes.
- Concierge: Helpful.
- Contactless check-in/out: Efficient.
- Convenience store: Yes, handy for snacks.
- Currency exchange: Yep.
- Daily housekeeping: Solid.
- Doorman: Didn't see one.
- Dry cleaning: Available.
- Elevator: Essential!
- Facilities for disabled guests: See above.
- Food delivery: Allowed, I believe.
- Gift/souvenir shop: A bit pricey, but cute.
- Invoice provided: Yes.
- Ironing service: Available.
- Laundry service: Also available.
- Luggage storage: Yes, no issues.
- Meeting/banquet facilities: Multiple.
- Safety deposit boxes: In the rooms.
- Smoking area: Yes.
- Terrace: Lovely.
- Xerox/fax in business center: Didn't need them.
For the Kids (Gotta Keep 'Em Happy!)
- Babysitting service: Don't know.
- Family/child friendly: Yes.
- Kids facilities: Yes.
- Kids meal: Yes.
Room Rundown: The Sanctum Sanctorum
My room? Pretty good. Clean. Comfortable.
- Additional toilet: Nope, standard one.
- Air conditioning: Yes.
- Alarm clock: Yes.
- Bathrobes: Yes.
- Bathtub: Yes. *
Okay, buckle up buttercups, 'cause we're about to go on a bloody mental trip to Hawthorn Hollow, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Forget your sterile, color-coded itineraries; this is gonna be a ramble, a rant, a love letter, and a minor existential crisis all rolled into one. Consider this your "Maybe-We-Go-Maybe-We-Don't" guide.
Hawthorn Hollow Pilgrimage: A Clusterf*ck of Good Intentions
(Day 1: Arrival & the Great Potato Famine (of my Stomach))
- 10:00 AM (ish): Touchdown at Belfast International. Alright, alright already! Arrived. The airport…well, it's an airport. A bit bleak, a bit drizzly (surprise!), and definitely lacking in any apparent sense of joy. The bloke at the car rental, a stoic fellow with a suspiciously shiny comb-over, gave me the keys to… a Vauxhall. Brilliant. My driving skills, let's just say, are… improvisational.
- 11:30 AM (give or take): The drive. This is where the adventure really begins. Actually, it began the moment I realized I'd forgotten to download offline maps. Brilliant planning, self! Praying for good reception. The countryside is truly gorgeous though. Rolling, green hills as far as the eye can see. Cows. Sheep. A few abandoned tractors. I swear I saw a leprechaun wink at me, but maybe it was just the fatigue. The roads, on the other hand, are a rollercoaster designed by a sadist. Narrow, windy, and punctuated by suicidal potholes. My knuckles are currently the color of my steering wheel.
- 1:00 PM (approx): Arrive at Hawthorn Hollow. Or, I think I do. Signs are vague. Place feels… quiet. Beautiful, though. The old houses are gorgeous. The wind is howling, which, frankly, suits the vibe of the whole trip.
- 1:30 PM: Food. GOD. I thought I was prepared. I packed a small bag of granola bars. I thought. No. I forgot. I forgot everything. My stomach is starting its own personal famine. Find a pub. Immediately. Find a pub with food. And maybe, just maybe, a pint of Guinness to calm my frazzled nerves. God, I hope they have Guinness.
- 2:00 PM: Pub! Found one! "The Rusty Bucket," it's called. Perfect. Smells of peat fire and something delicious. I order the "Ulster Fry." Oh, dear Lord in Heaven, it was a masterpiece. Bacon, sausage, eggs, black pudding, fried bread… My arteries are screaming for mercy, but my taste buds are orchestrating a party. Absolutely incredible! Talked to a local, who looks remarkably like Liam Neeson. Turns out he also thought the directions were "a bit ambitious."
- 4:00 PM: Exploring Hawthorn Hollow itself. It's… small. Very small. But that's part of its charm. The old mill. The (closed) church. I walked, mainly, because after an Ulster Fry, the only option is walking. The wind. The wind is relentless. I think I've developed a facial tic.
- 7:00 PM: The hotel/B&B. "The Cozy Cottage." It was cozy, until I dropped my suitcase on the foot of the bed. Now, it's a messy room. The owner, a sweet woman named Margaret, welcomed me. She spoke for 10 minutes, about her roses, then gave me a pot of tea. I'm finally starting to breathe.
- 8:30 PM: Dinner. Went back to the Rusty Bucket. The food was good, but I really wanted the Fry. It wasn't the same, without the anticipation. Discussed politics with the man and learned a lot, but I don't understand it.
- 10:00 PM: Fall into bed. Exhausted. Content. And probably slightly overfed. Tomorrow: More adventures! (Or, you know, more wandering around while lost.)
(Day 2: Lough Neagh & the Great Waterfowl Conspiracy)
- 9:00 AM (maybe): Breakfast at the Cozy Cottage. Margaret's on my "good list." Because she made me a full Irish breakfast (not as good as the Ulster Fry, of course).
- 10:30 AM: Embark on a trip to Lough Neagh. This is what I came here for. I'm sure after I see this beautiful place, I will, without doubt be at peace.
- 11:30 AM: The lake. And all the birds. And it was…fine. It’s a lake. Big. Lots of geese. Too many geese, actually. I swear they were plotting something. I felt watched. The surface shimmered with an endless array of shadows. They were everywhere like they didn't want me to see anything.
- 1:00 PM: Lunch. At the lake. The most boring sausage sandwich I ever ate, on a picnic bench. Couldn't avoid the geese. They followed me relentlessly, judging every bite. I started to feel like I was an exhibit at a waterfowl conference. I tried to make friends with a particularly large swan. It hissed at me. Clearly, the swan did not understand my humor.
- 2:00 PM: The forest trail around Lough Neagh. Getting back to the car was harder than it needed to be.
- 3:00 PM: The museum. Found a museum! It was about the history of the area. Unfortunately, I have a short attention span, and the lighting was dim. I learned a lot about the Bog Side and the history of the civil rights struggle, but my mind kept wandering.
- 5:00 PM: Return (sort of) to Hawthorn Hollow. I got lost, again, which is becoming a theme of this trip. I stopped to ask for directions, and was greeted by the friendliest old woman ever! The woman looked me up and down, studied all the maps, then gave a very detailed, confusing set of directions, then gave me her son's phone number to "call in case I got lost." I felt strangely comforted, by the end.
- 7:30 PM: Dinner in the Rusty Bucket. Talked to the owner about the meaning of life. He wasn't sure, but he offered me a new pint.
- 9:00 PM: Back at the Cozy Cottage. I'm starting to get used to the wind. And the isolation. And the geese. Maybe, just maybe, I'm starting to understand this place. Or maybe I'm just delirious from lack of sleep.
- 10:00 PM: Watch the sunset. It was beautiful.
(Day 3: Farewell & the Realization That I'm Going to Miss This Mess)
- 9:00 AM: Final breakfast at the Cozy Cottage. Margaret's kindness made me teary-eyed. Then, she made me a full Irish Breakfast.
- 10:00 AM: One final stroll around Hawthorn Hollow. I took a picture of the old mill. And the wind whipped my hair into a tangled mess.
- 11:00 AM: The long drive.
- 1:00 PM: Return the car. Thank god.
- 2:00 PM: Wait for the plane.
- 3:30 PM: Take off.
- What I learned: My directions are terrible. I love good food. Birds are scary. The people here are the best. Northern Ireland has a hold on my heart. I don't wanna leave.
(Post-Trip Ramblings):
Okay, so it wasn't a perfect trip. I got lost. I ate too much. I probably offended a few swans. But the imperfections…they are the point, aren't they? This wasn't some sanitized, Instagram-ready vacation. It was a messy, chaotic, beautiful (and delicious) adventure. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm going to miss the wind, the food, the people, and the constant, delightful sense of impending doom that comes with driving in Northern Ireland. Maybe I'll be back. Maybe I'll get lost again. Maybe I'll run into those geese one last time. And maybe, just maybe, I'll figure out the meaning of life. Probably not, though. But hey, at least I'll have a good story to tell.
Escape to Paradise: Your Dream Ark Beach Apartment in Rabbit, Split, Croatia
Alright, let’s get the basics out of the way. Hawthorn Hollow. It sounds pretty, doesn't it? Like a fairy glen, maybe? Nope. Think more… abandoned scrapyard with a serious identity crisis. It used to be a factory, a bustling hive of… something. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure *what* they were making. Judging by the rust and decay, probably despair. Now, it's a spooky collection of crumbling buildings, murky ponds that look like they’re breeding eldritch horrors, and whispers. Oh, the whispers! They’re the real stars of the show, to be honest. Hawthorn Hollow is basically a crumbling playground for… well, something. The unseen. The… the things that go bump in the night, maybe? Ugh, I'm already getting the willies. Basically, you're signing up for a serious dose of “nope.”
Now we're getting to the good stuff! The *who*, the *why*, the sheer, delicious *creepiness* of it all! Honestly, the history is a proper tangled mess. Think industrial accidents, unexplained deaths, a general sense of "wrongness" that clings to the air like cigarette smoke in a pub. There's this story... *shudders*... of a poor fella, a worker, who… well, let’s just say he met a rather unfortunate end. A terrible accident, right? But the whispers say... the whispers say it wasn't an accident at all. It was… something else. And the place has been attracting, well, *them* ever since. And the worst part? Nobody knows exactly what happened which makes it so much worse. The silence is deafening. Like, you'll be standing there, feeling a cold spot and the thought of what happened haunts you, not the ghosts, but the things that happened… yeah.
Expect to be scared. Like, seriously scared. And probably cold. And definitely a little bit… muddy. Hawthorn Hollow isn’t exactly known for its pristine conditions, you know? Think damp, decaying, and downright unsettling. But seriously, what’s the deal with the mud?! It’s like it wants to *ingratiate* itself with you. Anyway… Bring warm clothes. Layers! Seriously, even on a summer night, it's chilly. A good flashlight is a MUST. I mean, you can't see anything! And, and… maybe bring a change of underwear. Just in case. (You’ll thank me later). And about those Ouija boards… *shivers*… Look, I'm no expert, but I'm going to suggest leaving the "inviting" devices at home. You don't want to accidentally invite something… unwelcomed. Leave the paranormal games at home, please.
Oh, God. Okay, here we go. Prepare yourself. Because yes. Yes, I absolutely had an experience. And let me tell you, it's the kind of experience that clings to you like… well, like a ghost. I was on a nighttime tour, and, of course, I got separated from the group. Classic. We were in the old machine sheds. Dark, damp, echoing… you could hear the dripping water and feel the weight of ages. Suddenly, while I was trying to find my way back to the group, I heard it: footsteps. Behind me. And I turned around. Nothing. Not a soul. But the sound… It was undeniable. Heavy boots on the stone floor. They were so real. The sounds made me feel like someone was hunting me. And it just kicked my fight or flight into high gear. I started to run. And then… I swear, I saw it. A shadowy figure, just for a microsecond, in the doorway of the shed. Black as night against the dim light, just *watching*. My heart nearly exploded. I swear, I ran faster than I ever have in my life. I didn’t look back, I just wanted to get out of that place. It might be the most terrifying moment of my life! And I don’t think it was a friendly ghost!
Oh, the gossip! Alright, alright, let’s spill the tea, shall we? Alongside the usual suspects, whispers of voices. Unseen voices, talking… about what? Who knows! Cold spots, naturally. Because where there’s a ghost, there’s a cold spot, and they're everywhere in Hawthorn Hollow. Then there are the unexplained smells. Rotten meat, sometimes, even though there's no source. Phantom, like something that has just died around you. And people have talked about objects moving on their own. Doors slamming shut, tools shifting from one place to another. The big one, though? The feeling. The overwhelming sensation of being watched. Constantly. Like someone's peering over your shoulder, even when you *know* you're alone. It’s the worst. It messes with your head. It's a constant, nagging… dread. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me want a stiff drink.
Ugh. The million-dollar questionThe Stay Journey
