Charming Places: Eclectic Style and Warmth at Whitepark House

Welcome back to Charming Places — a series in which I talk about the places I stay. From B&B’s, hotels and guesthouses to apartments and farm stays, I’ll give my honest thoughts on these spaces. I’ve found that the accommodation I choose to stay often directly affects how I feel about a particular destination. And how I connect with that location and its people. So I want to share these places with you by dishing out a bit of info and some of my opinions.

 

“What’s the name of your B&B??” the text from my friend read.

“Whitepark House. It’s really lovely,” I texted back.

“We stayed there!!” she responded.

I was laughing as I read this.

I had just sent my friend in Dublin a photo of the view from my room along the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland.

And it turns out that she and her husband had stayed in the same place a few years before.

 

 

Driving along the Causeway Coast

I drove right past this B&B the first time.

Whitepark House is well marked. I was just not fully paying attention.

It was a stunning day and I was admiring the fabulous views that make up this part of Northern Ireland.

And I drove right by it.

I realized this and turned around and found it.

Although I was a bit early I went ahead and rang the bell and was greeted by Bob, the owner.

He’s a really nice man — eager to give you advice on places to go and to serve up some warm tea and scrumptious treats.

 

Bob took me to my room and I almost fell over — the room was huge, stylishly decorated and had a view out to the coast.

Annnndddd…the bathroom was enormous too.

There was a big ass bathtub that was screaming at me saying, “Come take a nice hot bath in here!”

While it was a bit more than I like to spend, it was worth the splurge.

 

Eclectic style throughout Whitepark House

Bob has traveled extensively over the years so he has decorated his house with treasures from his travels.

It’s an eclectic mix of African and Asian with a bit of Europe thrown in but it works.

All the rooms are different yet had a certain elegance and flare to them.

The sitting room is a wonderful place to have afternoon tea.

And Bob serves up some tasty treats for tea time.

I loved it!

There’s a wide array of interesting books to browse through as well.

So you can sit with your tea and treats and read one of the many books.

 

You’ll also find a lovely garden out back to explore and relax in on nice days.

It was chilly and very windy while I was there so I didn’t get to do this.

Next time.

And while Whitepark House only has 3 bedrooms, I personally think this is a plus.

I love staying in guesthouses and B&B’s that only have a few rooms as I think you receive the best customer service.

This was no exception.

Bob loves to discuss your travel plans.

He’ll pull out maps and brochures to help you out.

We had some wonderful discussions on travel in general, given that we are both in the travel industry.

 

Breakfast is delicious

Breakfast is served in the conservatory at the rear of the house and facing the beautiful gardens.

It’s a peaceful room for starting your day and Bob knows a lot (I mean like ALL) of the bird species.

And the food is yummy and made to order.

Of course there are the usual cold offerings like yogurt, cereals and fruit.

But definitely opt for a hot meal as Bob cooks up a tasty breakfast — from a full Irish breakfast to something simple like scrambled eggs.

And there are vegetarian options as well.

Just let Bob know if you have any dietary restrictions.

 

 

Whitepark House is comfy and convenient

There are a couple of features that really stand out to me.

Number one is that this B&B is right on the Causeway Coast road yet it’s not noisy.

It’s minutes from the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and Bushmills Distillery.

 

The towns of Portrush and Ballycastle are close by as well so you have 2 decent-sized towns for dinner options.

And there’s the gorgeous Whitepark Bay and Beach just across the street.

How fab is that?

 

The second thing is that — while it’s big and elegantly decorated — it’s still warm and cozy.

Whitepark House feels like home.

And it is Bob’s home.

This means a lot to me since I travel quite a bit.

And it’s important to me to suggest places like this — homey and inviting — to my travel clients and readers.

So for all these reasons I highly recommend Whitepark House.

It’s the perfect place to stay along the Causeway Coast.