Five-star quality award for Portrush bed and breakfast

The beautifully restored Shola Coach House, situated just a mile from Portrush town centre, dates back to 1860 and is steeped in local history.

The property oozes character and boasts four individually-styled bedrooms, including an enclosed garden room, sumptuous interiors and guest lounge.

Proprietors Sharon and David Schindler opened the business in 2013 after returning to Northern Ireland from New Zealand.

Their unique B&B was rated the second best in the world in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards last year, and it also scooped the Best Serviced Accommodation award in the 2014 Northern IrelandTourism Awards.

The five-star award indicates that the accommodation is of an ‘outstanding’ or ‘exceptional’ standard, and was awarded five stars following a mystery overnight assessment.

Tourism NI Chairman, Terence Brannigan said: “The Accommodation Grading Scheme is designed to provide visitors with information on the quality level of the accommodation they can expect, whilst assisting operators to maintain and continually improve the quality of their offering. The quality on offer at Shola Coach House is simply of the highest standard, and fully deserving of a five-star rating.”

Sharon Schindler said: “We are delighted to be recognised as a five-star B&B, and grateful to Tourism NI for its support. Our vision has not changed, and we continue to aim to exceed customer expectations and to make our guests stay a memorable one.”