A perfect two night weekend break for stressed out parents
WHEN one has children, one takes every opportunity to escape as fast as one’s legs will carry one. A last minute invite from two not-so-aged aunties, and a visa out of Cork for two nights equals train-trip to Dublin, baby.
Shopping was a priority so we stopped off in Kildare for some discount goodies. (www.kildarevillage.com.)
They have a gorgeous new VIP room — the paint was still fresh when we popped in. You get to have champagne, your own key to the room so you can come and go, dropping bags and it’s all free. Do register for a VIP discount card too, it’s well worth getting an extra 10% off. And you heard it here first, Mulberry will be opening there very soon. They have a shuttle service from the train station so it was all very easy.
Kildare has lots to offer and while drooling over Lulu Guinness bags is a highly enjoyable experience, it’s worth wandering a little further afield while you’re there. See intokildare.ie for some ideas.
We left our accommodation to the last minute, so went to the site of the same name to try and bag a good deal. The lastminute.com’s Top Secret Hotels option lets you browse accommodation options by location, star rating, and price — but only after your final booking will the name of your hotel be revealed. A little bit of a thrill, whoo, and savings of up to 35%. (www.lastminute.ie). They’ve just launched a Tours and Excursions section too with everything from a cultural Vatican walking tour, to a trip of the Guinness Storehouse. (excursions.lastminute.ie).
We ended up in The Croke Park Hotel for the Saturday night, a beautiful triple room, more champagne, a fine big bathroom; we were in our element. (crokeparkhoteldublin.com).
We hit the big smoke, and sure, we decided to go all out and hit The Inn on the Green Bar at The Fitzwilliam Hotel Dublin to try out the ‘Love Ireland’ cocktail collection. After two of these, we loved everything. My favourite was the Strawberries and Cream, a blend of Wexford Strawberries with crushed ice and fresh Irish Cream with a dash of Créme de Fraise and Absolut Vodka, served with a single strawberry in a tall martini glass, all done with an impressive flourish by Alex the bartender. A legend of a shaker, I’ll have you know. And at €7.95, totally worth dropping in to try them out. The Hedgerow Mojito is fairly special too. (fitzwilliamhotel.com)
We treated ourselves during the day too — squeezing lots in, there’s just so much to do in Dublin. We sashayed into Brown Thomas and got our make-up done at the Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown counters. The not-so-aged aunties were only gorgeous after it. Shopping until we were nearly dropping, we stopped in to the JW Sweetman Craft Brewery. With its very own micro-brewery, we reckoned it would be the best place to quench our thirst. We tried a few but the consensus was the California-style dry-hopped Pale Ale blend was our favourite. A good balance with an oddly citrusy aftertaste, it was yummy. We chanced lunch while we were there for a bit of soakage — fabulous choice, huge portions, very reasonable prices and great view out the window. I can recommend the Gaelic whiskey chicken €10.95, and we shared a side of smoked bacon and buttered cabbage that was divine. (jwsweetman.ie).
Sunday night we moved to The Cliff Townhouse on Stephen’s Green, after a slight mix up when our affable taxi man dropped us to the wrong blue Georgian door and we ended up in what the cross doorman told us was a ‘Gentleman’s Club’. Intriguing.
Back where we were supposed to be, and oh my, what a delight this place is. With only 9 bedrooms, it can be hard to get in here, but it’s so worth it. My bedroom was classic, comfortable and a look out the double sash-windows reveals lovely, leafy Stephen’s Green. Touches like silk curtains, Donegal tweed on the bed and the original fireplace made our Sunday night stay very special. Dinner in the Oyster Bar was the highlight of our whole trip.
Head chef Sean Smith runs a tight ship. Every morsel we daintily put in our little mouths was sensational. And our sommelier picked the perfect wine to complement the cuisine, well, I think he did. Far from sommeliers I was reared. It tasted perfect, anyway.
Do yourself a favour and book a table if you can. (theclifftownhouse.com).
A fabulous finish to a wonderful weekend. We’re planning next year already...
Highlife kicks off its ski season with early offers on chalet accommodation in three resorts, starting with a Nov 30 date to Val d’Isere. Prices start at €695 per adult and €576 for children under 12. Check out www.highlife.ie or telephone 01- 6771100.
American Holidays offers $500 on board spending money on selected cruises between Nov and next May. Bookings must be made by Oct 31 and details of the cruises on offer are available on www.americanholidays.com or by telephoning 01-6733804
Longhaul deals are available from Sunway for travel in November to both Dubai and the Maldives, the two centre deal 10-day deal that is partly all-inclusive costing from €1,955. www.sunway.ie or phone 01-2886828
Clickandgo.com offers Christmas sun packages to the Canary Islands with a price range to suit everyone. Two weeks in two star apartment accommodation in Lanzarote comes in at €525 rising to €1,285 for higher rated accommodation in Fuerteventura. Details on www.clickandgo.com
Galway’s Hotel Meyrick’s ‘Golden Getaway’ deals feature two, three, four and five night packages at special rates through the coming months, with a two-night stay pitched at €320 (per couple) to include breakfast and dinner. Details of everything on offer is available on www.hotelmeyrick.ie or call 091-564041
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