Best of both worlds
The large entrance feels rather grand as you sweep up in front of a building that is all modern hotel with a slight nod towards its Anglo-Irish country house heritage. Local grey stone and shiny dark slate feature strongly.
The large well-lit lobby area is accessed through those super-sized automatic revolving doors that make me a little nervous with their seemingly unyielding automated motion. The reception area is in the modern open-plan style where the reception desk itself looks like a minor part of a bigger picture. There’s a corner reading room off to one side with views towards the sea. It’s as smartly turned out as the rest of the hotel and peacefully devoid of a television.
The well-trained staff members are as professional as befits a hotel of this standing and the large bar and lounge form a tempting backdrop.
There is an impressive standard of facilities on hand in a place designed to entertain families, small groups, couples and the business traveller.
The hotel claims to have the best meeting and events facilities in the north-west, with a well-equipped ballroom and other meeting rooms and a business centre on the second floor.
The wide open entrance of the Benwisken Bar beckons from the moment you check in. It’s something akin to the normal Irish lounge bar but with a bit of oriental zen added — almost as if to hint to the fact that this hotel also offers spa treatments.
The Sólás Spa & Wellness Centre offers an impressive range in treatments for those who want to feel completely reborn in the heart of a four-star hotel. As we were accompanied by the three boys, we opted for the more family-friendly swimming pool experience, with the adults skipping off now and then to experience the hamman, Jacuzzi and sauna.
The Radisson has 132 rooms, all of which are classed as “deluxe”. We had an executive suite. The bedroom has great space with a view to the sea, while a suitably enormous television takes up a sizeable proportion of the wall space.
The capacious bathroom has the usual amenities, complete with large shower, fancy toiletries and the all-important fluffy bathrobe and slippers.
A nice touch (and one that is becoming a feature in a lot of 4- and 5-star hotels) is the inclusion of a Nespresso machine. George Clooney’s favourite way of drinking coffee has a lot to recommend it.
If you’re a golfer (and judging by the appearances, it seems that golf is the sole activity bringing many weekend visitors to this hotel), you have one of the most scenic golf courses in the country at the County Sligo Golf Club just down the road at Rosses Point.
If you’re not, you could walk or drive the 3km to Rosses Point anyway. It boasts a magnificent beach with the dramatic hulking presence of Ben Bulben forming an unforgettable backdrop. The atmosphere is laid-back and nautical — the sort of place where you could lose many blissful hours strolling the strand or sipping drinks in Austie’s Pub.
Sligo town itself is a short drive or public bus trip away. It’s as lively and compact a large town as you’ll find anywhere, with good shopping and great restaurants and pubs. Like many towns in Ireland, it underwent seismic transformations during the boom, and in Sligo’s case, the transformations were particularly impressive and the results particularly appealing, with a riverfront café culture to rival any in its chic-er rivals like Kilkenny or Galway.
But this part of Ireland is perfect for outdoor sports of every degree, from gentle hill-walking to crazy kite-surfing. We opted for something closer to the extreme end of things with surfing. Under the careful tutelage of specially-imported New Zealand experts at the Strandhill Surf School (www.strandhillsurfschool.com), two hours in the water seem to flash by in seconds as you repeatedly get knocked off, struggle back up and try to catch the next wave.
The Classiebawn Restaurant is the main eating point in the hotel, with its long spacious dining room featuring large windows that allow light stream in from across Sligo Bay to the south. It has garnered an excellent reputation for international cuisine.
As far as the buffet breakfast is concerned, the range and the quality on offer was very good, even if some of the dishes were a little less than hot on the morning we ate there. It is a relaxing spot to eat at any time of day, but particularly so in the morning, with the bright view over to the shores of Sligo Bay in the distance and the impressively manicured set garden on the wide front terrace of the hotel.
The Radisson Blu in Sligo is currently offering a knockout €85 Benwisken midweek package deal that includes overnight B&B stay and one main course in the Benwisken Bar (valid Sun-Thurs inclusive). Their “Dine & Stay” offer runs until the end of the year and includes two nights B&B accommodation and one evening meal in the Classiebawn Restaurant; all for €278.
Sligo Live Festival — billed as “Ireland’s folk, roots and indie festival” — is on throughout the town and surrounding areas from October 26-31. For more information, see www.sligolive.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
