In a swaddle of green grounds unravelling towards the River Lagan, John and Louise Mathers are the ‘personable, totally customer-centred’ hosts of this ‘remarkable’ guest house.

The turf fire is always lit at this friendly old coaching inn, in a village on the Causeway Coastal Route.

In a well-maintained Victorian villa in a leafy residential suburb, Mary Callan’s homely guest house is a good-value base for the city centre and university.

A rich collection of the late poet-playwright Seamus Heaney’s books and memorabilia is displayed at Eugene and Gerardine Kielt’s elegant town-centre B&B in the heart of Heaney country.

On the scenic Antrim Coast Road, this ‘excellently located’ hotel, in a 17th-century castle, is set in ‘well-kept grounds’ overlooking the beach.

Liked for its laid-back, village-hub atmosphere, Peter and Caroline McErlean’s lively 200-year-old inn is in a conservation area on the shores of Strangford Lough.

Bob Isles’s ‘exemplary’ B&B stands above the sandy beach of Whitepark bay.

Within easy access of the centre, Olive and Roger Nicholson’s restored Victorian house is close to popular neighbourhood restaurants, independent shops and a park.