A hotel is helping to ignite the Derry Girls spark with a unique day trip to celebrate the third and final season of the classic sitcom.
The Derry Girls Experience from Hastings Hotels and McComb’s Coach Travel lets fans of the massive TV hit – back on our screens on April 12 – follow the footsteps of Erin, Orla, Michelle, Clare and James.
The fun-filled tour features some of the landmark filming locations – and the icing on the cream horn is a themed afternoon tea of Derry classics – Tayto sandwiches, sausage roll baps, chips and cream horns in the four-star Everglades Hotel.
It begins at Hastings’ Europa Hotel in Belfast, where a 90s-music-filled luxurious coach kicks off the fun, with a 10p mixture of sweets for every passenger.
Arriving into Derry, an expert guide from McCrossan City Tours will take you on a walking tour of the city, presenting a host of interesting facts about the show and life in the Bogside during the Troubles.
See the Guildhall, where President Clinton was welcomed in the early 90s – as portrayed in season two – and explore Long Tower Church where the ‘miracle of Our Lady’ occurred, followed by the Bishop’s Gate, where Toto made a miraculous appearance.
Then there’s the chance to take a selfie at the famous Derry Girls mural.
After the tour you will be brought to Hastings’ Everglades Hotel for afternoon tea with a Derry Girls twist.
“We top off the tour with a fun and tasty afternoon tea. As well as fresh cream horns, there are some famous Derry sausage roll baps, a cone of chips, plus some Tayto cheese and onion crisp sandwiches and a cocktail,” said Julie Hastings, Marketing Director of Hastings Hotels. “You’ll also get your very own Michelle – the Derry Girls duck – to take home with you before departing back to Belfast on board the McComb’s coach.”
For those who want to stay over in Derry, there’s a ‘Be a Derry Girl’ package, which includes the tour and afternoon tea along with an overnight stay and breakfast at the Everglades.
Alternatively, stay in Belfast in one of Hastings’ four other hotels there – the five-star Culloden Estate & Spa, the iconic Europa Hotel, the super cool Grand Central Hotel or the Stormont Hotel.
The Derry Girls Experience costs from £65 and includes return coach transfers from Belfast to Derry, the walking tour and afternoon tea with cocktail. Coaches depart on Saturday from 9.30am with limited availability.
Line of Duty Tour
Hastings Hotels and McComb’s have also joined forces to create a Line of Duty Experience, beginning with lunch in the Grand Café in Belfast’s Grand Central Hotel, before an action-packed guided tour onboard a luxurious coach taking in some of the most recognisable filming locations.
The Line of Duty tour and lunch package costs £65 and an overnight tour package starts from €335 for two people on April 30.
https://www.grandcentralhotelbelfast.com/lineofduty/
Bridgerton Afternoon Tea
Guests of the five-star Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast, meanwhile, are invited to experience the splendour of high society with a scandalously decadent Bridgerton-inspired afternoon tea in the hotel’s stunning setting overlooking Belfast Lough.
Tastebuds will be tickled with a demi-tasse of soup (a small cup), followed by elegant finger sandwiches, warm buttermilk scones with lashings of clotted cream and a sumptuous array of pastries and cakes – all served in fine bone crockery laid out on a suitably dressed antique table.
The Bridgerton-inspired afternoon tea costs from £35 per person and gift cards are available from the Hastings Hotels website: https://www.hastingshotels.com/afternoon-tea-gift-cards.html)
Game of Thrones Afternoon Tea
A fourth themed break is being offered by Ballygally Castle, which has created a unique experience for Game of Thrones enthusiasts.
The hotel offers a Game of Thrones inspired Afternoon Tea which includes Lannister egg Rolls, Baratheon Bread, Little Finger Chicken Caesar wraps, Jon Snow Cakes and Dothraki Trifle with mini-Dragon’s eggs.
It starts from £30 per person at Ballygally Castle. (https://www.hastingshotels.com/ballygally-castle/gameofthronesafternoon.html
