East Cork has a whole lot to offer
TO PARAPHRASE the great comedian, WC Fields, you should never travel with children or animals. Unless you have to. And if the little sprogs are your own and you can’t cod anyone into taking them for the weekend, make it easy on yourself. Base your break around them. You’ll all be so much happier.
We squeezed into the car, wedged between buggies and balls and Ben 10 books, off to Ballycotton Bay.
Arriving at night to Garryvoe Hotel, we missed a lot, only realising when we saw the view from our window the next morning. The lobby is spacious with welcoming, curved lines and a flow from reception to bar, an open fire, twinkling lights, modern artwork and nods to the sea in the interiors theme that continues to the giant windows, the view of Ballycotton and the roaring Atlantic outside.
Our room was plenty big for the four of us. Lots of little extras — like heated mirrors and towel rails — make for a special stay. The decor was tasteful with neutral colours and quality accessories. The soft furnishings were all high end and I loved the fact that a diffuser was supplied with the hair dryer. The view from our room was truly beautiful and we once we threw open the curtains, we couldn’t wait to get onto the golden five-mile beach.
There’s been a hotel on the beach at Garryvoe since the early 1900s, but it has always been family-owned, family-run and as we found out in the restaurant Saturday night, family-friendly. We headed into the Lighthouse Bar and Grill early, around 6.30pm. The atmosphere was pleasant, lighting subtle and high chairs and crayons dispatched with a flourish and a smile. As the waiter proudly presented us with “a menu that’s never seen an air mile”, the little dude got his own menu too, delighted with himself. He picked out the mushroom soup and demolished the whole thing.
The menu really triumphs local goods and, as one would imagine, is led by their proximity to Ballycotton pier. We tried the golden fried salmon and crab cakes with wilted greens and saffron sauce, and the seared Castletownbere scallops with Clonakilty pudding, cauliflower purée and spinach sauce (a nod to head chef Kevin O’Sullivan’s West Cork roots). The meat is sourced from farms through Kelly’s family butchers up the road in Killeagh and veggies from the Midleton farmers’ market. The warm chocolate fondant brought me close to tears of sheer joy, and I had to physically fight off little dude number two for the accompanying pistachio ice-cream. ’Tis far from pistachios that fella was reared.
We used the pool twice, with easy access in the lifts. It’s a very impressive health club with fancy water jet massage cannons and an aqua jogging ring. There’s also an outdoor hot tub, steam and sauna rooms and large changing area.
The beach stretching directly in front of the hotel was the real star of the show. Granny and aunty came to visit us on Sunday and we spent a happy hour collecting shells, walking the shore, and working up an appetite for afternoon tea back at the Cave Bar — enroute through the super-cool playground outside the hotel.
There’s loads to do in East Cork for families. Don’t dare visit the area without going to Fota Wildlife Park — it really is awesome. There are daily wildlife talks and you should try to time it (12.45pm and 4pm) so you get to see the chilling power of the cheetahs when they feed them using a special zip wire that forces them to run for their food. Also see www.fotawildlife.ie/kids/activity-camps.
Trabolgan is another handy one, www.trabolgan.com, and the Jameson Experience in Midleton, www.tours.jamesonwhiskey.com.
Foodies will love this area of Cork; there are loads to choose from between farmers’ markets and speciality food shops. The Midleton Farmers’ Market is worth a visit.
For more things to do in East Cork, visit www.discoverireland.ie.
The Garryvoe Hotel has lots of family offers, one being ‘Let your Little Monkeys Run Free’. (€285 per adult sharing, Sunday to Wednesday, €295 per adult sharing, Thursday to Saturday).
This offer includes three nights B&B plus one evening meal, a family day ticket to Fota Wildlife Park, packed lunch for your day adventure, admission to Jungle World indoor play area in Midleton. Contact 021-4646718, res@garryvoehotel.com, or see www.garryvoehotel.com.
The staff was outstanding during our stay, genuinely friendly and wonderful with the kids. Julie at reception even offered us a DVD player complete with kid-appropriate movies. The whole weekend was hassle free; it’s a charming place to be.
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