BIGSTYLE ATLANTIC LODGE
In 2019, my business partner and old school friend, Ben McDonald and I, yours truly, Kris Goodbody, took a chance on renovating a fading old hotel on the Wild Atlantic Way and turning it into something unique.
It’s called the BigStyle Atlantic Lodge and it’s a boutique, 15 ensuite bedroom hotel with surf and standup paddleboarding schools, a yoga studio, indoor and outdoor stages for live music, an oldworld pub and restaurant called P Dan’s, and a spa, with arguably one of the best views in Ireland.
It’s based on a rugged stretch of coastline in south Co. Mayo among a tiny collection of houses, sheep farms and fantastic views called Killadoon. To find us, simply go to Westport and turn southwest. After passing Croagh Patrick, Clew Bay and Louisburgh, you’ll arrive in this magical little spot in about 30minutes.
It’s a bit of an unlikely place to find a boutique hotel; especially one like this. BigStyle Atlantic Lodge is, and in its own way, slightly out of step with its surroundings – it’s like the beachy surf and yoga hub was pulled out of Australia or California and placed with love in the rolling, sheepfilled hills of Connaught. At the same time, with its turf fires, postsurf sauna and onsite traditional Irish pub, the feel of the place has been tweaked just enough to make it belong.
A usual Saturday in the lodge would begin with yoga and breakfast, followed by a hike up Killadoon Hill to take in the views, then a veggie poké bowl for lunch, an afternoon surf and spa session. All rounded off with woodfired pizza from our onsite oven, a few pints from P Dan’s pub and some tunes on one of the stages. This place has been a labour of love and we enjoy running all the events as much as the guests enjoy taking part.
Our company, BigStyle, has its roots in outdoor adventure and was started in 2013 by Ben and I. It began as a watersports school in Dublin that specialised in taking people on kitesurfing and surfing trips around Ireland and abroad, to exotic locations like Kenya and Sri Lanka. We even established a kitesurfing centre in Tanzania where we spent every winter from 2016 to 2020. Our business in Dublin is still there in the form of a Stand Up Paddleboarding centre in Dun Laoghaire harbour.
In 2018 we arrived in Killadoon and found the dream location to set up our permanent base. It had everything an adventurous person could need, and all within walking distance: surf beaches, mountain ranges, lakes, caves, harbours and cliffs… surrounded by some of Ireland’s most stunning scenery. We didn’t have very much investment money so we started building everything by hand, learning as we went everything from how to hammer a nail to how to cut a shipping container in half.
Through a lot of hard work and dogged perseverance, especially throughout COVID, we believe we’ve created a magical place and it’s a perfect way to experience an isolated and almost untouched corner of Ireland in style and comfort. Our team in the lodge have become our close friends over the years and the feedback is that during a stay at the lodge, you can’t help but be infected by the laughter and spirit of adventure, which is the lifeblood of the place. We hope you can come and stay with us this year and feel it for yourself.