In Bloom at Cork city’s only five-star

A new glass-box cocktail bar in its garden has added a twist to Hayfield Manor’s traditional comforts. Here’s a luxury hotel that doesn’t look down its nose at you...

It feels like there are fewer and fewer family-run hotels around these days. When I step into the lobby of this one, I realise just what we’re losing. Hayfield Manor’s door is held open. There’s a real fire, two locals chatting over pints in a wood-panelled bar, and a family playing cards in the drawing room. Photos of the extended Scally family — who also own the Killarney Royal and Great Southern — are hung close to a gallery of celeb visitors like Graham Norton, Enya, Katie Taylor and an off-duty Leo Varadkar in Vans trainers. On a landing, one guest has found a nook to read his newspaper as sunlight splashes across several paintings.

It’s hard to believe Hayfield Manor opened in 1996. The five-star feels like it’s been here forever, and I love its instinct for luxury that never looks down its nose at you.

Arrival & location

It’s just one and a half kilometres from the English Market, but the leafy University College Cork campus is next door, and the red-brick, manor-style hotel ensconced in gardens at the end of Perrot Avenue feels more country than city.

The lobby’s marble, columns and staircase pull towards pomposity, but the space is saved from that thanks to some beautiful zoning - a layout subtly tweaked since my last visit. A pianist plays in a corner, fresh flowers now screen the entrance from couches circling a table of coffee-table books, and there are lots of little breakout areas in which to sit, sup and converse. A bottle of Drombeg whiskey with two glasses sets the tone at reception, too.

This Blue Book bolthole is grand, but not too grand. Intimate, but not overly so. In an age of open plan, all-thingsto-everyone lobbies, there’s also something charming about the old-school layout, with doors leading off to inviting bars, restaurants and lounges. 8.5/10

Service & style

Hotels have to keep moving. Little evolutions and freshening-up ensure things don’t go stale, and there’s a balance in wooing new generations without alienating old ones.

Bloom is a brilliant addition — and much-needed, given the new oomph to The Montenotte and River Lee hotels, both potential future five-stars in the city. The glass-box cocktail bar is set in its walled garden, allowing it to be playful without upsetting Hayfield’s cosy conservatism. It’s a jewel, with pops of colour, tulips on tables and tasty cocktails (mine’s a margarita, €17.50) — you’ll feel like dressing up a little, but it’s not blingy or posh. Brunch has taken off, I’m told, and the space opens up in summer. The new blood reminds me of the Sea Rooms at Kelly’s in Rosslare, though I’d love more Irish ingredients on its cocktail list.

Hayfield’s pool and small spa are highlights too. A new relaxation area replaces the old gym, and the pool opens from 6am-11pm, with kids allowed at any time — all very generous (there’s no lifeguard; kids under 14 need adult supervision). There’s a small outdoor hot tub, too — I take a dip in the dark, feeling the rain on my face.

As other five-stars upgrade, its limited lounging space, small sauna and stream room and abundance of draped veils are starting to feel a tiny bit dated. But that’s being picky. The whole package feels lovely. 8/10

The rooms

A golf putter and putting cup! It feels like the 1980s since I’ve seen such a thing in a hotel room. I can’t resist.

Hayfield Manor’s 88 rooms are generously sized and now include a refurbished ‘Historical Collection’ of suites named for figures like Shandon and Ford. Palettes tend towards creams, golds and thick stripes, which can feel very traditional, but refreshed rooms include warmer touches like rattan wardrobe doors, gilded baths and earthy splashes of orange and green. I understand the draw towards classic luxury, but would enjoy a few more twists. Taking subtle flavours from Bloom indoors could add nicely to the bedroom art or soft furnishings, I think, without spoiling the established elegance.

My own suite has some delicious details — including yum Vision Linens robes, a record player (I drop the needle on Sinatra), a stool under the bathroom sink, and a push-button shower with controls in front of the water — so you don’t soak yourself testing temperatures. 8/10

Food & drink

“It was landed in Castletownbere this morning,” the server at Perrotts Garden Bistro says, offering the day’s sole on or off the bone (€40). It tastes as fresh as it sounds.

Orchids is the fine-dining space, with floor-length table linen, garden views, and table d’hote menus at €79pp. Perrott’s is a casual option in the conservatory, and though my window table is a little chilly, the experience is warm, with locals and guests enjoying its modern Irish cuisine. A tasty Rosscarbery pork belly starter (€13.50) is served with a pear and walnut salad, though it features celery rather than the celeriac listed on the menu. “I’d prefer if you were honest!” the server says, taking the feedback nicely.

Whatever about brunch at Bloom, Orchids’ breakfast is a barnstormer. Alongside hot options like buttermilk pancakes, or Matt O’Connell’s smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, an entire room is full of displays worthy of a TV show (The Great Irish Breakfast-off?) — fruits, pastries, cold cuts, juices and treats like homemade doughnut balls or chocolate and banana bread. While printed menus hum with provenance, however, the labelling is a little generic — ‘Bee happy!’ is a note by the honey, for example. 7.5/10

The bottom line

Hayfield Manor feels like a country house in the city, and its gentle evolutions are mostly on the money (imagine how cosy it must be at Christmas). It’s a five-star with feeling; I wish more like it could stay in the family.