Check out: Three Christmas hotel breaks for a festive getaway to remember

Cork, Waterford or Galway — revive and refresh with a getaway to a chic hotel

Sat, 06 Nov, 2021 - 06:00

Tom Breathnach

First Impressions

'Don’t be like the rest of them, Darling!' That's the motto illuminated at The Imperial's new cocktail bar Sketch. The iconic Cork hotel may have been overshadowed by recent hotel openings and refurb but now a bar is offering a fresh spin to a Cork classic so I checked in last week to check it out. Set along the leafy boulevard that is Cork’s very own Park Avenue, the iconic Imperial Hotel looks oh-so inviting on a crisp autumn evening, its canopy of broadleaves bronzing against its façade on the South Mall. The hotel is one of Cork’s most historic, dating back to 1816, and its old-world charm is apparent once within the regal refuge of its lobby. Guests are greeted with an impressive double-decker marble foyer, wrapped by a vaulted staircase, chandeliers, and extravagant floral displays and a mahogany front desk. The ambiance feels distinctly Corkonian but, dare I say, the hotel has the finesse of a four-star Shelbourne?