Whilst away in Ireland it was our 3rd Wedding Anniversary. In keeping with our tradition of heading to a lovely Michelin Star Restaurant to celebrate ( 1st – Adams, 2nd Purnells ) we had a look what options there were over in Ireland. We came across the Cliff House Hotel, which seemed like fate, as logistically it was in a perfect position along our already partly planned road trip.
The hotel is built into a cliff overlooking the sleepy fishing village of Ardmore, and we were much looking forward to a night of relaxation and good food. I’ll tell you separately about our dinner experience but here’s a look at the hotel itself.
The lobby area was full of eclectic furnishings and artefacts with a seating area and also roaring fire.
Our room was a deluxe double, and had a terrace that overlooked the bay. I thought the room itself was absolutely stunning, with it’s mix of bright blue, abstract art and tartan patterns, and the king size bed seemed to go on forever! The uber comfy armchair had a great view out onto the balcony, and the views were even more beautiful when you stepped outside.
In the room there was a stereo with bluetooth capabilities as well as a little library of books with everything from the classics, to autbiographies and cookbooks! Lee was in Nespresso machine heaven, and fresh water and drinks in the minibar were eyed up for later on whilst reading in the bath some of the good selection of magazines that they also provide.
Speaking of baths, the bathroom was a special special place, I would go as far to say its the best hotel bathroom I’ve used. A large freestanding waterfall bath occupied one end, and large rainfall shower the other, with a vanity area in the middle complete with a bar of the hotels own soap. And the tiles on the floor and in the shower itself were SO pretty.
And when I say its the little touches that count, I really mean it. Coming back from dinner to find a little bag of lavendar on your pillow along side a sleep well guide is lovely thought.
On one floor of the hotel you will find The Well, the hotels spa. It has a 20m pool with panoramic views from the floor to ceiling windows, a grotto like beautifully tiled steam room and spacious sauna, as well as out door hot tub with more of those views. As part of their treatment offering you can have out door bath treatments and scrubs which sound perfect for summer months!
The bar was warm and welcoming, and seemed almost Scottish in its decor. An outdoor terrace was just warm enough for us to dabble in a couple of cocktails whilst looking through the menu options for dinner.
For breakfast we were served individual fruit bowls with pots of local natural yoghurt. The out came an afternoon tea stand of baked delights including herby muffins, pastries, bread and toast. There was an A La Carte hot menu, from which I chose the ‘House Benedict’ which added spinach and mushrooms to the traditional. It wasn’t the best benedict I’ve had but a good version, the eggs were well cooked but the whites a bit messy and the hollandaise was spot on.
Overall, we absolutely adored the hotel itself, the staff, the decor, the rooms and the facilities but, did we like the Michelin Starred food? Well thats a story for another day….
Disclosure: Paid in Full
