The Harrison Chambers of Distinction

It’s tempting to describe the rooms at this boutique guesthouse in Belfast’s Queen’s Quarter as quirky. But 'quirky' doesn’t quite do The Harrison Chambers of Distinction justice. Indeed, each room in this grand Victorian townhouse is unique, named after a famous creative with a link to Belfast and cleverly decorated to match. The result is much more than just quirky: it’s interesting and intelligently put together, but most important of all, it’s very comfortable and cool. Not only that, these chambers of distinction are also handily located for visiting some of Belfast’s major attractions, including the city's university, theatres and botanic gardens.

Stay in one of the suites and you’ll have a Victorian-style free-standing bath in the room and a four-poster, emperor or sleigh bed to sleep in. There’ll be plenty of space to spread out and a bay window overlooking the leafy avenue leading to the heart of the city. The decadence continues with a breakfast tray delivered in the morning, so you can savour your first meal of the day in bed. The other rooms are characterised as Gallivanters or Bohemians and no less charming. Choose the former for a kingsized bed, the latter for a cosy double. Either way, you’ll find the owner Melanie has used the same flair and care to put them together. Breakfast is included too, taken downstairs in the lounge.

Each room has an en-suite bathroom with a rainfall shower. Standard inclusions are quality linen, locally-made toiletries, tea- and coffee-making facilities and WiFi. But those are the only things you could call standard. These are the very antithesis of the 'standard rooms' of big-chain hotels, where neutral walls and furniture direct your eyes to the TV. Here, it’s all deep tones, colourful wallpapers and velvet curtains – and, in fact, no TVs. Instead, the room's features have been carefully chosen to complement the varied folk they’re named after. There’s a mini library and a typewriter in the CS Lewis suite, for example, and a record player in the one named after singer Ruby Murray.

This celebration of Belfast alumni and the city’s culture is apt for the hotel’s location – opposite the historic Queen’s University, close to the Lyric Theatre, The Grand Opera House, Botanic Gardens and plenty of smaller music venues. If you want to visit any of them, this makes a fantastic base. And if you want to know what’s on or where to eat, ask Melanie. You can enjoy a cheese or charcuterie board and a drink down in the lounge, but for more than that, you don’t have to go far, because the area has plenty of good bars and restaurants, starting with Blank in the townhouse next door.