Rejuvenate yourself at the Hayfield Manor, Cork
WHEN we had our third child, we knew our little one-night getaways were going to be few and far between.
We both have access to the best grandparents in the world — but the guilt of leaving one-, three- and nine-year-olds with them was getting to be too much. Hotels minus the kids were looking more and more like a very rare luxury. So when I discovered I was having baby number four, I figured my weekend breaks were well and truly a thing of the past.
And then, a random conversation with a work colleague changed everything. She described how herself and her husband were feeling a little flat one Sunday afternoon. They took themselves off to a nearby five-star hotel for some last minute, and reasonably priced, spa treatments. They were transformed, she said, and home in time for tea.
Listening to her, just weeks away from the new arrival, when I was desperate for some time away with my husband before our home became even more wonderfully chaotic, it suddenly dawned on me. We didn’t need to drive two hours away to a hotel to get away. We could simply go 20 minutes up the road for the shortest of five-star rests.
And so, in what I regard as my biggest indulgence yet, we settled the one-year-old down in her cot, got the bedtime story ready for the three-year-old and left granny and the nine-year-old cuddled on the couch with a DVD. With our fingers crossed that the one-year-old would sleep all night, we checked into Hayfield Manor at 8.30pm, ready for our 9pm dinner reservation at Perrott’s Bistro.
The fact that we were staying in a hotel just a stone’s throw from my broke college days made it seem all the more indulgent.
The plan was to stay for breakfast and be home to granny and the kids by lunchtime.
And for once, it all worked a treat. We were the shortest commute from home, but in the five-star, luxury surrounds of Hayfield Manor, we could have been anywhere.
First impressions were great, pulling up at the entrance to find a ‘maternity space’ for the car right at the entrance. I hadn’t seen that before but other hotels should take note.
Our room, a very modern suite, all neutral tones, was so beautiful we toyed with the notion of room service. But the opportunity to eat in a restaurant is so rare these days we grabbed the chance. And it was divine — calamari, €9, and Caesar salad, €9.50, to start, with the fillet steak, €32, and sea bass, €25, for mains. Dessert was cheesecake, and a passionfruit mousse. For once there was no toddler to try to cajole into eating, no baby sitting on our laps.
The bar was buzzing, but there’s something for all tastes. Across the reception area we peered into the library, an intimate sanctuary, perfect for some relaxation time. On chilly winter days and nights the library’s hearth is ablaze, we were told, making it the perfect location for a warming beverage, aperitif or night cap. The drawing room, meanwhile, is home to the hotel’s award-winning afternoon tea.
Back in the room the bed was the cosiest I’ve ever slept in, a sumptuous cushion for my baby bump.
Breakfast was in the main dining room. I requested a paper and returned from the buffet with my orange juice to find not one, but three waiting for me. Now that’s service. Hot breakfasts were delivered fresh to the table and we sat there for an hour — a whole hour — without interruption browsing through the Saturday morning papers. A far cry from our usual weekend mornings of porridge and swimming runs.
Then it was downstairs to the spa for a very reasonably priced — €50 — (and urgently needed) pregnancy massage.
It was nice to know the kids would be welcomed at Hayfield too — their junior packages include mini bathrobes, cookies and milk at bedtime, children’s afternoon tea, plus full access to the pool and also the bird avary and resident rabbits. We might bring the smallies with us — one day...
Checking out at noon, the receptionist told us Cork parents have been doing this for years — arriving when the kids are settled in bed, rejuvenated and back home by noon the next day. I think it may be the secret of a happy marriage.
Hayfield Manor is a member of Ireland’s Blue Book, a collection of country house hotels, manor houses, castles and restaurants. www.irelands-blue-book.ie
Hayfield Manor’s ‘Five Star Package’ offer includes one night’s accommodation in a manor room including full Irish breakfast and four-course evening meal in either Perrotts Garden Bistro or the gourmet restaurant, Orchids. Dinner includes starter, main course, dessert and coffee with choices from the full menu.
Residents can also enjoy exclusive access to The Beautique Spa with indoor swimming pool, outdoor Jacuzzi, steam room, gym and a full range of Elemis Spa Treatments. Prices begin from €139 per person sharing.
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