The Bollinger Champagne Garden at Culloden is back for summer 2026

There are close-to-home escapes and then there are close-to-home escapes. Champagne on a sun-drenched lawn overlooking Belfast Lough, with a spa waiting and a proper hotel bed at the end of it? That’s the kind of trip that makes you feel like yourself again, before you’ve even had to queue at a departure gate.

The Bollinger Champagne Garden at the five-star Culloden Estate & Spa in County Down has reopened for summer, and it’s looking better than ever. Perched on the lawns beside the hotel’s Cultra Inn with sweeping views over the Lough, the garden is serving up Bollinger Champagne, a brand new spritz menu, cocktails, and a sharing plates menu that does not mess about.

Think Véire Irish Wagyu Meatballs, Rockvale Farm Buffalo Chicken and Tiger Prawn Skewers. The kind of food that goes down very nicely alongside a glass of something cold and fizzy while someone else manages the clearing up.

Less than two hours from Dublin

The Culloden sits just outside Belfast, which puts it well within reach for a weekend away that doesn’t require an early alarm, a packed lunch and an argument about who has the passports. It’s a genuinely beautiful setting, all manicured lawns and castle-style stone architecture, and it’s the sort of place that feels like a proper treat without the faff of international travel.

Staff at the Champagne Bollinger garden bar launch.

General Manager Cormac Fadden says the garden has become something of a summer institution at the hotel. “The return of our Bollinger Champagne Garden signals the beginning of summer at the Culloden Estate & Spa. Each year we build on this unique experience with new food and drinks offerings. As well as an enticing summer spritz menu, visitors and guests can enjoy dishes such as Véire Irish Wagyu Meatballs, Rockvale Farm Buffalo Chicken and Tiger Prawn Skewers.”

The stay offer worth knowing about

To mark the reopening, the Culloden is running a seasonal stay offer that makes the whole thing even easier to justify. 15% off selected dates is available until 31st August, with Garden Rooms starting from €265 for two people. That includes breakfast, a complimentary room upgrade and full spa access. The Garden Rooms have been newly refurbished, and from the look of them they’re the kind of place you’ll want to stay in bed far longer than is reasonable.

A cosy, stylish hotel room with garden views.

Full spa access is the detail that seals it, really. A morning in the spa, lunch in the Champagne Garden with something cold and fizzy, a long walk by the Lough and dinner somewhere lovely? That’s a weekend that earns you about a fortnight’s worth of good humour when you get home.

Worth booking sooner rather than later

Summer weekends at a five-star with an offer like this tend not to hang around. If you’ve been quietly staring out the window wondering when you last had a proper break, this is probably your sign. Grab a friend, a sister, or whoever has been on the group chat saying “we really need to do something this summer” and lock it in.

For more information and to book, visit cullodenestateandspa.com.