The Open Portrush

[FancyLimePoet]

Looking for advice on where to stay. Three adults flying in from England and looking for accommodation. Would rather not rent a car as we are hoping to have a drink. Could take the ferry or fly into Belfast / Dublin. Anyone with local knowledge have any advice ?

Portrush is a very long way from Dublin by public transport or even driving. NI isn’t particularly well endowed with public transport so if you fly to either Belfast airport, getting to Portrush on the train and buses will be fiddly. There’s no direct train from Belfast to Portrush. Maybe there will be coaches laid on for the golf from the airports and shuttle buses from the local towns if you don’t manage to get a place to stay in Portrush.

Fly into Derry City airport and hire a car from there. It not far to Portrush.

Accommodation close by will be very expensive though if you’ve not booked anything.

This is the largest sporting event in the history of NI, which is being held in a small town, has been known about years in advance, so be prepared for high prices and limited availability. However, if you can make it work, it should be a great trip!

There is an official Open campsite, which is probably the cheapest option close the course, though I wouldn't be surprised if you're too late to book:
www.stayattheopen.com/camping-register

You may need to stay elsewhere in NI...

Translink run public transport in NI. They are better than most transport operators in England, Scotland and Wales, despite railway lines being rather thin on the ground.

Here's their page on the open:
www.translink.co.uk/the-153rd-open

Here's their page on "special" trains from Belfast, which have a limited number of spaces and need to be booked in advance:
www.translink.co.uk/special-events/the-153rd-open-rail

There are also "special" buses from Belfast and Derry.

Still a few properties in Portrush/Portstewart available for the Open week but they're up in the 2,3,4k price range.

Good luck with that one

You are not going to get near the Port for less then 6k now

Your best option now will be finding an Airbnb near one of the train stations that the train will pass through - Belfast central, city hospital, Lanyon, Yorkgate or Antrim and booking your train tickets now. If you fly into Belfast you have more transport links then International - you can get the bus into Antrim or Belfast from there

The Port is tiny. They have even built 3 new hotels for the trade this year and a couple of others have been upgraded - think used to be £70 a night bucket and spade places to £1k a night upmarket places. Everyone has hiked their prices up, always do for the the sporting events held up here but for the Open - they are eye watering

NI is pretty sanllt light so you could still hire a car, watch golf all day and then drive back to your accommodation in time for a meal and a drink!

you can fly into Belfast city, international airport or derry. NI is small and from any of those airports you’ll be less than 1.5 hours from portrush. Depending on where you are in England you can get the ferry into Belfast or larne.
it will be difficult to get accommodation in port rush but you could try portstewart or coleraine (with a train link).