The Best Hotels For Spa Breaks In Ireland
Relax, recharge, and regenerate in the elegant and luxurious surrounds of these holisitc hotels
There's a famous Christy Moore song which talks about the need to take a holiday. According to 'Lisdoonvarna', everyone needs a break, climb a mountain or jump in a lake, some go off to exotic places and others go to the Galway races.
While we all have this basic need to take a break to recharge the batteries, those who come to Ireland enjoy a double advantage as a holiday in Ireland tends to renew the soul in a way vacations in other countries simply can't match but the country also boasts some of the finest spa hotels in which you can be rejuvenated and revitalised.
While a spa treatment by itself is something which can make you feel substantially better in a physical sense, Ireland's culture is one which can re-energise the soul.
Who hasn't gone to a session of Irish traditional music and not had their soul stirred by the melodies and rhythms of really good music played well? If you spend the afternoon in a quiet pub – or café if you wish – reading a book by an Irish author, you will be transported to the world of the writer in a way impossible in other countries.
Relax and re-energise
These all play into this short sample list of excellent hotels for a spa break in Ireland. As much as the facilities themselves, which are superb, the location is also important and cannot be underestimated. What can you do in the immediate surroundings to allow you completely switch off and, continuing the phone analogy, re-energise completely.
In Mayo, for instance, the view on a clear day from the Knockranny House Hotel and Spa as you look west to the town of Westport, with its intimate 'old man' pubs, Croagh Patrick in the Nephin Mountains and Clew Bay with Achill Island in the shade, that view is enough to clear the cobwebs from your city life eyes and lift the burden of the daily drudge from your heart.
The hotel itself combines opulence and comfort with excellent cuisine and unsurpassed spa facilities and services. Its expert staff will put you at your ease from the moment you enter the building and before you even lie down on a massage table.
As they say in Irish, "tús maith leath na h-oibre" – a good start is half the work. After your spa sojourn, take a trip into the nearby town to Matt Molloy's pub. The tavern owned by the traditional music legend attracts musicians from around Ireland and internationally and a day doesn't go by without a pulsating seisiún ceoil.
The view from La Fougère Restaurant at Knockranny House Hotel and Spa
A spa resort worthy of royalty
In the Kingdom of Kerry, you will find scores of hotels with spa facilities and all of them are brilliant without a doubt - but only one, Parknasilla Resort and Spa, can count a Nobel laureate amongst its most ardent admirers.
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw – who won the coveted prize for Literature in 1925 – famously said of the hotel: "This place does not belong to any world that you or I have ever worked or lived in; it is a part of our dream world."
And it won't take you long to see what he was talking about.
The location by itself is breathtakingly beautiful but this palatial hotel has been the holiday haunt to the likes of Charles de Gaulle and international royalty - and little wonder. To enter through the portals of Parknasilla is to arrive in another world and age. Here the level of service provided to guests is that of an artform.
You can avail of the hotel's excellent spa facilities and submit to the expert ministrations of the friendly staff - and you will definitely be rejuvenated. But add in the fine dining, the coastal walks in the 500 acre estate overlooking Kenmare Bay and the heritage outings or the many activities and you get a real sense that you won't waste your newly reclaimed youth this time around.
Add into the mix the opportunities for exploration around the Ring of Kerry and the possibility of a visit to Star Wars location Skellig Michael, one of Ireland's World Heritage sites, and you will have an opportunity to experience the magic you last felt when you were just a child.
Parknasilla Resort & Spa overlooking Kenmare Bay
Reclaim the magic of childhood
Once you approach the Mount Falcon Estate in Co. Mayo, you will get the sense that you are journeying back in time to an era of comfort and opulence untouched by the cold hand of modernity. Not that the hotel doesn't have up to date contemporary facilities but its first appearance is so strikingly reminiscent of an earlier time that this sense of otherwordliness is undeniable.
That's the ideal start for your revitalising break and it continues to get better. Here you can enjoy the facilities of the hotel's spa under the expert hands of the team but add into the mix the many different activities such as fishing and falconry which you can enjoy on the vast estate with its two mile stretch of exclusive fishing waters.
We've already spoken about Mayo so you know what's available in Westport but also remember that you're not far from Foxford's Woollen Mills, a factory which is to blankets and woollen products is what Waterford Glass was to crystal in its heyday.
The indoor heated swimming pool at Mount Falcon Estate
Rural idyll, away from everyday cares
In terms of excellent spa facilities and a convenient location for touring and taking in the sights, it's hard to beat Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel and Spa in County Limerick, close enough to the city to be able to get to shops and the bright lights but far enough away to be able to relax in a rural idyll, away from everyday cares.
It's also a great location if you're taking your family with you - you or your partner can take turns to enjoy the spa facilities while the other entertains the children in the pool or takes in the other activities the hotel has to offer. The level of comfort in the rooms, right down to the goosedown quilts, will ensure those long lie ins in the morning will be a real pleasure, sleep of course being the best guarantee of good health!
A Family Room at Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa
As we said at the outset, a holiday in Ireland is revitalising in itself. But do it at one of our excellent spa hotels and resorts and your friends and family will barely recognise the new re-energised you when you return home!
ABOUT ORIGINAL IRISH HOTELS
Original Irish Hotels are a collection of unique, owner-run hotels, located in Ireland’s most outstanding destinations. Open the door to the magic of unmissable moments with Ireland’s leading collection of independent hotels.
Our 60 hotels are dotted around the entire island of Ireland in must-see locations, from the Wild Atlantic Way, to Ireland’s Ancient East, the Causeway Coast, Dublin and the treasured heartland of Ireland’s midlands and lakelands.
Irrespective of where our hotels are, Original Irish Hotels pride themselves in hosting a unique and truly memorable experience for our guests, and soon to be friends. The collection is made up of a range of traditional and boutique hotels, castles, manor and country houses, all run by locals, ensuring a unique experience every time.