The 12 Stays of Twixmas: A dozen hotel breaks to enjoy between Christmas and the New Year
Let’s start off with a cracker! With its deceptively tranquil riverside setting over the River Lee and Sunday’s Well, the four-star Kingsley hotel is a hidden haven just minutes from Cork's city centre. The real haven vibe is down to the hotel’s trademark spa and health club where you can relax following the festive rush in this calming, Leeside oasis. Treatments start from €85 and grant you access to the spa’s blissful circuit of thermal suites, highlight being the heated outdoor hydrotherapy pool, where you can enjoy those great river views on a frosty, starry night!
The hotel’s Fairbanks restaurant serves up fine local produce too; while their imaginative afternoon teas make a popular stocking filler.
December B&B rates from €139 with Twixmas deals from €249.
thekingsley.ie
If you’re looking for a value luxury getaway, Castlemartyr Resort offers some of the best five-star value in Ireland in my book, (I just booked a pre-Christmas stay this week for €167). The resort’s impressive manor and gorgeous grounds make it a fairy-tale winter base too. To check in this festive season, their Twixmas deal for €349 offers a one-night stay for two people sharing with a five-course fine dining dinner in the gorgeous Bell Tower restaurant as well as breakfast the next morning.
During your visit, enjoy the resort’s luxury pool and spa overlooking its French gardens or visit the nearby Ballycotton cliffs for some bracing winter strolls. The hotel offers a fine selection of luxury self-catering options for those seeking a more contactless break too.
castlemartyrresort.com
When the snow dusts the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, it’s hard to find a more magical Christmas backdrop than Killarney. The stunning Cahernane House Hotel, a popular Ireland’s Blue Book member, are offering their Festive Nights, Cahernane Delights package, available from December 28th- 30th this year. The offer includes a two-night luxury stay with arrival nibbles and a glass of Prosecco in the property’s wonderfully festooned Library Lounge or Cellar Bar, a three-course evening meal on an evening of your choice (along with a bottle of house wine to add to merriment), breakfast on each day of your stay and a late 1pm check out to really add to the relaxation. Be sure to make use of Cahernane’s complimentary bicycles to explore Killarney National Park, a few pedals away.
From €289pps
cahernane.com
For a break in the Banner County, the highly-rated Doolin Hotel is offering a two-night Twixmas stay from €185pps. The deal kicks off with an arrival amenity in your room of a Burren Tasting Plate with local cheeses, crackers, homemade condiments with accompanying wine or craft beer, a four-course evening meal in Anthony’s @ Doolin Inn on one evening of your choice and a gourmet Big Burren breakfast each morning. The offer also includes two all-day adult tickets to the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Centre.
doolininn.ie
A stay at Adare Manor may be more bucket list than Christmas list but if you’re thinking of the ultimate festive treat, then one of Ireland’s most exclusive five-star hotels may is just the place to splurge. The Neo-Gothic architectural masterpiece set on an 840-acre estate in Adare, Co. Limerick feels like it has barely had a cushion unplumped since its 2017 makeover, the largest restoration project of its kind in Ireland. Think heavenly rooms, a Downton Abbey festive splendour and the kind of attentive service that would even keep Mr Carson on his toes. December rates at this premium property teeter around €775 per night but if you can hold off until January prices are from €550. Perhaps a very well-deserved Nollaig na mBan break?
adaremanor.com
If you’re looking for a postcard winter retreat, it would be hard to top an escape to dreamy Ballynahinch Castle in Connemara. The 16th century castle on the banks of its eponymous river and lake is the ideal spot to curl up with peat fires, board games, hot whiskeys — and no shortage of old world luxury. Two nights' hotel accommodation with breakfast each morning plus dinner on one night in the fine dining Owenmore Restaurant start from €290pps.
Twixmas dates are booking up fast at the time of print so do consider a pre-Christmas break or an early January break to the West too. While you’re there, make a beeline to the Connemara Smokehouse to stock up with some festive salmon!
ballynahinch-castle.com
Thinking of a Wicklow wonderland break? Why not escape home turf for a night of indulgence at Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa. The five-star hotel with a lavish, supersized feel lays claim to being the magical setting for those not yet ready to say adieu to the Christmas spirit! For their Twixmas breaks, guests can still enjoy the impressive festive décor and soak-up the charming atmosphere between Christmas and the New Year (December 26-30 inclusive) with a two-night B&B stay from €532 for two. While there (and you may not wish to go beyond it!), the resort has myriad attractions from complimentary bicycles to explore the estate to its indoor 20m Swarovski crystal-lit swimming pool. Swit swoo!
powerscourthotel.com
With its Christmas Market, lively bar scene and great shopping, Belfast is proving a popular city break this holiday season. For a Twixmas break, stay overnight in one of Belfast's most historic hotels: Titanic Hotel Belfast is offering their Slipways and Sleighbells package to add to the festive merriment. Guests will enjoy a two-course dinner in Titanic Hotel, with hot chocolate and mince pies upon arrival. Stay in one of the nautical-themed bedrooms and enjoy a 'Titanic-sized' breakfast come morning. If you opt to motor up, there’s complimentary car parking too. From €209 for two.
titanichotelbelfast.com
You can only imagine the magical Christmases former resident Lady Olivia Nugent would have enjoyed back in the 19th Century. But now you can follow in her footsteps by staying in her stunning former abode (and indeed her room) in Faithlegg, Co. Waterford. December B&B rates at the four-star property start from €145 per night but if you can hold off until New Year’s you can avail of the hotel’s Winter Warmer deal. The €370 package includes two night’s B&B with dinner on both evenings at the Roseville Rooms restaurant; you can also enjoy extras like Faithlegg’s complimentary shuttle bus to Waterford city. The rates are available mid-week in December too. faithlegg.com
Think of a Hallmark movie and you’ll think of New York City, Aspen ...and now Ennis! Hear me out — Christmas came early to the streets of Ennis this year as the Clare town was blanketed in snow and transformed into a Hallmark Christmas movie set last month for an upcoming festive film. To celebrate its new Tinseltown cred, The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis is offering guests a chance to book their very own ‘Hallmark Christmas’ couples package with a mix of merry midweek getaways and warming weekend breaks. €310 offers a two-night B&B stay for two with dinner on one evening and mince pies and Irish coffee on arrival. oldgroundhotelennis.com
You can keep discovering Galway this Twixmas with The Galmont’s Keep Discovering Winter rates from €215 per night B&B. The hotel’s excellent location over Lough Atalia not only offers a great springboard to explore Connemara, but it’s set just a short stroll from Eyre Square. Fancy even ringing in the Athbhliain in Gaillimh?
The hotel is also offering a New Year’s Eve package which includes two nights' accommodation with breakfast each morning, a Prosecco reception followed by a four-course New Year’s Eve dinner, and entertainment. You can also unwind with access to the hotel’s leisure centre with pool, gym, sauna, jacuzzi and outdoor hot tub!
thegalmont.com
For a Christmas break — with a little added sparkle — check-in for a getaway at one of Cork city’s most historic hotels. The Metropole Hotel on MacCurtain Street is offering their Afternoon Tea Stay Christmas package from €199 per couple per stay. You can continue the festive indulgence in Cork’s Victorian Quarter by tucking into a spread of freshly mastered sweets and savouries from macarons to banana bread, all washed down with a glass of Prosecco. Come evening, dine in-house at The Met or check out one of MacCurtain Street’s fab restaurants (think Moody’s for some winter tapas?). Sleep it all off in one of the hotel’s stylish newly refurbished rooms before your full breakfast the next morning.
themetropolehotel.ie
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
