THERMAL BLAST
Want a winter warmer? Dunboyne Castle Hotel’s special spa does the trick
THERE is a growing trend towards holidaying near home. The idea of entering the environs of an airport on my own gives me the cold sweats. But the mere contemplation of getting on a plane with an entourage of young children ensures I will just stay at home, mindful of the wise words – a holiday with children is just transferring the stress to another location.
And who needs the additional stress of air travel? The glories of the West of Ireland are a long way by car. So, like many couples, we are seeking our breaks closer to home
Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa, just 30 kilometres, mostly by motorway, from my north Dublin home certainly falls into the close proximity category.
Lazy? Isn’t that the point? It’s got everything you need for a short break. When we went it rained... well, this is Ireland. So its spa was appropriately named Seoid (Irish for gem). It provided all the water related fun for the kids inside.
And there are all the thermal suites and treatments that you expect of a top-class facility. And of course, the treatments are available to book even if you’re not staying there.
The hotel is contained within fine grounds within 18km of Dublin.
Dunboyne Castle makes sense for those willing to only travel so far for their short breaks. Yet just one-eighth of our population live in Dublin.
So, for those from the rest of Ireland, there is the traditional attraction of a reasonably priced hotel for a family holiday away from their own patch.
WHEN holidaying abroad I’ll often stay in a hotel that is a satellite of a large city.
It allows you to shoot into the city by public transport, avoiding the horrors of negotiating an unfamiliar metropolis’s traffic and the inevitable embarrassment of driving around and around a ring road aimlessly.
You can take a day trip or two but still be conveniently situated to see the hinterland. To stay north of Barcelona, or north of Boston, will offer you splendidly varied holidays.
Dunboyne, though it is now defined as a part of the greater Dublin area, is in Co. Meath. And Co. Meath is home to some of our most popular and glorious tourist destinations.
Dunboyne Castle is only 40 minutes of traffic-free, hassle-free motoring along the M3 motorway and N2 to Newgrange.
Newgrange is a 5,200 year old passage tomb located in the Boyne Valley – it was built before the pyramids of Giza. Built by Stone Age farmers, in an area of about 1 acre, it is the centrepiece of network of passage graves.
And you never know, you might win the lottery to get in there at the end of December for the stupendous winter solstice phenomenon, when the rising sun hits the back of the grave in a shaft of eerie light.
Ireland’s Ancient East, is one of the tourist geographic packages, similar to the incredibly successful Wild Atlantic Way.
Dunboyne Castle is at the centre of Ireland’s Ancient East so offers the opportunity to branch out to adjacent sites like the medieval Trim Castle, the Hill of Tara and early Christian Ireland at Monasterboice and Kells.
The Ancient East stretches from Newgrange and the Boyne Valley in the north-east and all the way all the way to Waterford’s Viking Quarter and Cork.
Now nobody is advocating staying in Dunboyne while contemplating visiting Waterford but certainly I would suggest that thinking of a venue on the fringe of Dublin for branching out on tourist trips around the East.
AND then, of course, the abundant suburban bus service will bring you into Dublin city in a about 20 minutes. One of Europe’s most popular cultural capitals, you can sample Christchurch Cathedral and the Guinness Hopstore and be back in the hotel in time for dinner.
Dublin and Meath offer golf that attract thousands of visitors from the United States, Europe and Asia and Dunboyne is right at the epicentre of that network of golf course.
The hotel has an arrangement with the nearby Luttrelstown Castle. But internationally renowned links courses like the Island Golf Club and Portmarnock Golf Club are only 30 kilometres away.
The Island in particular offers very competitive winter rates and links golf, with the courses built of beds of natural sand offer the best opportunities for pleasant winter golf.
The familiarly named Ivy Restaurant could rival it’s glitzy rival.
The Ivy Restaurant uses only ingredients from local suppliers and Dunboyne Castle provides a range of seasonal offers including dining packages. There is also the Terrace Bar or Sadlier Bar for more casual eating and accommodating the kids after their swim.
Nearby Dunboyne village is well known for its restaurants and pubs if you like a bit of variety.
There are Christmas packages and even one that takes in Christmas Day, for families who do not fancy cooking this Christmas. Brendan Grace is making a visit as is Santa Claus. We are assured that they are different people.
But with these weekend or weekday breaks the big attraction for me is the Spa, in the depths of winter, lounging in a jacquzzi or steam bath looking out at snow or frost on the ground is one of life’s great pleasures. And the Seoid spa compares to any I have experienced in five star hotels at a far greater cost. And all without the hassle of traffic or airports.