There's an almost 900% increase in accommodation costs for Open week in Portrush
There are still some properties available to rent for the 153rd Open Championship week in Portrush - but they come at a serious cost.
The famous Dunluce Links course - the venue of the 2019 Open that was won by Shane Lowry - will welcome nearly 280,000 golf fans for the return of the major championship to the north-east coast of Antrim, with new Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and reigning champion Lowry among the stellar draws.
It is poised to be the second-best attended Open in the history of the championship after applications for more than one million tickets were made for last year's ballot.
Successful applicants have faced a difficult task to secure accommodation. According to Belfast Live, a number of properties around the area are priced at over €2,300 per night on the Airbnb website. One apartment in Portstewart, which sleeps four, is quoted at just over €71,000 for the week of the tournament.
Yet Booking.com reports that only 10% of it's accommodation is still available for Open week. One Portrush townhouse sees its nightly costs jump from £374 in June to £3,680 per night during Open week, a rise of nearly 900%.
Another venue in the seaside town sees its weekly cost rise from close to €11,600 at the end of July to almost €94,000 for seven nights from July 13th.
Hotels in the area have been inundated with enquiries. Elephant Rock, a boutique hotel in Portrush that is in it's third year, is fully booked for the whole run of The Open. Compared to this time last year, their room enquiries are up over 300% because of the major coming to Northern Ireland.
'The demand for rooms has been phenomenal,' said the hotel's managing director Charlotte Dixon. 'Enquiries have gone through the roof for both accommodation and dining. Compared to this time last year, room enquiries are up over 300% - a record since our opening.
'We still have hundreds of people contacting us every week via the phone, email, social media, our website and quite a few are calling in to check with us direct."
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the hotel is embracing the golf spirit with themed food - including 'Par-fternoon Tea', cocktails, and events.
"We can't help everyone, but the good news is that we do have availability in our restaurant and our terrace area at the front of the hotel," Dixon said. "So even if you don't have tickets for The Open, you can still be part of the action in the heart of Portrush.'
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