USP In the style of a London gentleman’s club, this five-star
hotel, which incorporates a small spa, offers soothing luxury and the latest
Elemis and Eve Lom treatments in the heart of some gorgeous golf country.
The idea being that, when couples come to stay, he can go out bashing balls
on one of the many spectacular local golf courses, while she wallows in the
spa, getting pampered to a pulp. What could be better for marital harmony on
a weekend break?
AMBIENCE The spa has a fairly minimalist feel, slightly
softened with low lighting and pastel colours. Between treatments you hang
out in the relaxation room – which is cosy, full of comfy chairs, and
mercifully without the annoying tinkly-tinkly New Age music so prevalent in
other places. And the spa staff who take you through to the intimate
treatment rooms are smartly dressed and always smiling. They have the
wonderful gift of silence, too: no banal chit-chat about my future holiday
plans; no intrusive questions about my family life; just blissful quiet
unless you ask about a specific treatment and then they demonstrate their
knowledge. As well as relaxation and treatment rooms there is also a
caldarium – a hot room where you can sit between treatments and gently sweat
the toxins out. There’s also a smart, modern health and fitness club and a
spotlessly clean 20m indoor heated swimming pool.
EXPERIENCE After a blazing day out in the spectacular Kerry
countryside, I was ready for the cool of the spa. I had the hydrotherapy –
basically you sit in a converted bath and are pummelled for 20 minutes with
jets of hot water. And it was both relaxing and invigorating. My wife Mary
had hydrotherapy, too, but said she preferred the outdoor hot-tub that looks
out on to the garden. She also had an Elemis facial which she said was
wondefully rejuvenating and left her feeling like a 19-year-old. After
hydrotherapy, I had the deep-tissue massage which lasted for an hour – but
seemed like ten minutes. The massage was just on the right side of painful.
No namby-pamby fondling but a good brisk rub-down that kneaded the deepest
muscle knots into submission. Afterwards, I wafted out of the spa on a
magic-carpet of endorphines. One small criticism: the robes and slippers
provided were a little on the small side for a strapping 6ft, 16st man such
as myself. I felt rather like a sumo-wrestler with gross, flipper feet, as a
result of the Lilliputian proportions of the spa garb. For golfers, I’d
particularly recommend the Ring of Kerry Golf & Country Club (near
Templenoe). As you stroll round the delightfully fiendish course, you are
treated to some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe - purple
mountains, lush green pastures and a white-flecked inlet of the blue
Atlantic. If you don’t fancy golf – or it is raining (this is Ireland after
all) - the Killarney Park Hotel is perfect for pottering about in between
spa sessions. It has a beautifully light, chintzy morning room with a
wood-burning fire; and a wonderful tweedy drawing room (wood panels, old
books, leather armchairs) where you can retire after a good lunch on a damp
afternoon and read the paper - or snooze under it, if you prefer. If you
feel a little more active, there is a snooker room: the perfect place to
enjoy a post-prandial brandy and the soft click of balls on green baise.
FOOD In the spa itself, the refreshments are limited to fruit
juices and mineral water but the hotel has a fabulous restaurant on the
floor below and a garden bar where posh pub food is served. I had two
terrific full Irish breakfasts - on different days - in the Park Restaurant
but it is not until the evening that the restaurant shows its true quality.
At dinner, Mary and I had a delicious shredded crab starter and then a
tender fillet of Irish beef at a candle-lit table with crisp white napery;
meanwhile the resident pianist played a selection of hymns – a bit odd,
perhaps, but beautiful nonetheless. And the service was superb – unobtrusive
but always there when you required something.
IN CROWD I was told by the staff that the usual clientele was
American golfers and their wives in summer and, in winter, Irish folk
holidaying in their own back yard. However, when we visited in June we heard
only the soft Irish lilt from guests.
WALLET WATCH Not cheap – the rooms start at E400 (£280) per
night, a signature Eve Lom facial at the spa costs E145 for 90 minutes and
the deep tissue massage is E100 for 55 minutes - but for a fabulous weekend
treat, it’s very much worth it. And, as Ryanair fly directly to Kerry
Airport (20 minutes drive from the Killarney Park Hotel) from London
Stansted in just over an hour it makes it extremely easy to pop over for a
weekend spa and golf break.
NEED TO KNOW For more information, contact The Killarney Park
Hotel, Town Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry, Ireland (353 64 35555; www.killarneyparkhotel.ie).
The Ring of Kerry Golf and Country Club (353 64 42000; www.ringofkerrygolf.com).
For flight information, visit www.ryanair.com
For more information contact Tourism Ireland at www.tourismireland.com
or call 0800 039 7000
