Weekend Break: Park Hotel, Kenmare, Co Kerry
IT WAS more Hogwarts than Downton Abbey. That’s what our daughter thought as we stepped over the threshold into the genteel and luxurious Park Hotel Kenmare — and it wasn’t hard to fault her cultural touchstone.
With antique furnishings, dripping tapestries, oil paintings that appeared to move in a certain light, high endless ceilings and a suit of armour properly standing guard on a stairway landing, there is a frizzle of magic about the place.
And while he may not be Dumbledore, owner Francis Brennan was something of a wizard himself, conjuring up the best of old world hospitality, class and charm to help a family escape the modern muggle world for the weekend — and get treated to some five-star service.
We were given a warm welcome and allowed to vanish, although we certainly weren’t forgotten.
Bottles of Prosecco greeted us in our room overlooking Kenmare Bay and the radio was discreetly tuned to Lyric FM.
The curtains were open and the wide windows threw in the changing light of the bay and the mountains beyond.
Rabbits darted in and out of bushes below the window — and I wondered how Francis pulled it all off. A stuffed toy sheep greeted us on the master bed.
Our tastefully appointed and spacious suite had a living room area with a plush sofa (which was mysteriously transformed into a bed for our daughter when we came back from dinner).
The room turned on old world charm without being old fashioned — although I was wary to fiddle with my mobile phone.
The only 21st century giveaway was the radio on the elephant-sized antique chest of drawers and the flat screen TV with DVD player (the Park boasts an extensive DVD collection and even a 12-seat cinema to close out the evening with a film).
But any cinematic offering was put on pause for dinner. Kenmare boasts a wide range of pubs and restaurants, but when you’re in a five-star hotel, five-star fare must be had. We dined — to say “ate” fails to give the food its proper due — in the Park’s main restaurant and the food was a revelation.
But first a disclaimer: My wife, daughter and I are vegetarians, which precluded us from tucking in to most of the menu’s offerings, which reflect the seasons and spirit of the area. But the vegetarian options were no mere afterthoughts.
There was no slapdash stir fry or rubbery overcooked pasta in anaemic tomato sauce to shut up the fussy vegetarians.
We started with a silky asparagus risotto that hit the right balance of creamy texture and bite (I’ve been trying to recall a better risotto outside of Italy, but I can’t). The asparagus were perfect, snapping in our mouths like breadsticks.
For the main course, we continued with the Italian theme and had gnocchi and vegetables. The pillow-plump gnocchi were light and fluffy as they should be and the eclectic mix of vegetables, which included baby carrots and baby radishes, inexplicably worked.
Compounded with the wonderful homemade breads, a rich garlic and celeriac soup, and palate-cleansing sorbets, we still had room for dessert — luscious poached peaches and an artisan cheese board that was a meal unto itself.
The next morning after breakfast — another five-star meal — we strolled around the Park’s 12 acres of gardens and woodlands to the shores of Kenmare Bay, looking out for those rabbits along the way.
I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a Victorian hunting party ambling through the woods.
We then left the 19th-century for the Samas spa, entering a different world, where waterfall walls and dancing tea cup candles led us to some serious 21st-century relaxation.
The Thermal Suite — with its steam room, showers with monsoon and Irish mist settings — stirred the senses and settled the mind.
Overlooking a canopy of trees, the heated outdoor pool brought relaxation to a new level. As my wife lost herself in a serious spa treatment, the sleek 25m stainless steel lap pool was the perfect tonic for dad.
And while I was reluctant to leave the hotel behind, we had a daughter who wanted to explore Kenmare and do some horseriding.
Killarney may wear the tourism crown, but Kenmare rightly holds the keys to the Kingdom and is an ideal starting point to explore Kerry’s fabled Ring and stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way. We went horseriding at the nearby Dromquinna equestrian centre.
We set off on an hour mountain trek with a friendly staff who helped this city slicker relax while astride a massive beast, which had become a gentle giant by the end of our journey.
The next morning after a serious spa-induced sleep, it was time to trundle back to Cork. When we reached the car, there was a business card discreetly tucked under a windscreen wiper.
It was emblazoned with the Park Hotel logo and read: “We have cleaned your windscreen to give you a better view of the Kerry countryside.”
It was a classy gesture from a classy hotel, but they really needn’t have bothered. As we pulled away, we were too busy looking through the rear-view mirrors.
www.parkkenmare.com
The Park is offering a two-night hideaway break with breakfast each morning and dinner on an evening of your choice. Rates from €240 per person sharing.
For the months of October and November and March and April 2016, special hideaway breaks are on offer for €95 per person sharing inclusive of breakfast
Day Spa prices from €135 per person sharing
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