Hotels
Part 2: Shannon to Donegal
| Hotel 10: Woodstock,
Ennis |
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| Sunday 09 Sep to
Monday 10 Apr
(1 night) |
| Room 309
(King+Single Superior) |
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The Woodstock is a family-run hotel (formerly a country
house) on the edge of Ennis, County Clare. I thought that
both my room and the public areas were very nicely
presented. The only negative was that on Sunday evening, the
bar was exceptionally busy, to the point that service of
food and drinks was somewhat chaotic. The hotel has its own
Leisure Club, which I didn't experience, and the Woodstock
golf course is adjacent to the property. My room was the
first of four examples this week of that curiously
Irish phenomenon, the room for three |
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| Hotel 11:
Harbour, Galway |
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| Monday 10 Sep to
Tuesday 11 Sep (1
night) |
| Room 119
(Classic Double) |
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The Harbour Hotel describes itself as a 'contemporary 4-star
hotel in the heart of Galway', and it's hard to disagree
with this. I was very happy there. Parking was convenient,
while everything that I wanted to see was within easy
walking distance. The in-house Dillisk on the Docks
was an excellent choice for dinner. |
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| Hotel 12:
Harlequin, Castlebar |
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| Tuesday 11 Sep to
Wednesday 12 Sep
(1 night) |
| Room 108
(King+Single Executive) |
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The Harlequin's website claims that its guests 'love the
unique style and contemporary feel of our chic,
boutique-style hotel'. While I had a perfectly acceptable,
and even enjoyable stay there, I also felt that the property
somehow managed to look both modern and old-fashioned at the
same time. Perhaps the main culprits were the ubiquitous
chunky, white-leather chairs, which looked as though they
may have escaped from a fairy tale featuring princes and
princesses. On a more practical level, they also looked
difficult to keep clean. In addition, the restaurant felt
surprisingly formal, although the food was nice enough. |
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| Hotel 13:
The Glasshouse, Sligo |
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| Wednesday 12 Sep to
Friday 14 Sep (2
nights) |
| Room 223
(King+Single) |
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Fortunately, the Glasshouse provided an excellent base for
the only 2-night stay of my 'Part 2' week in Ireland. The
striking building was easily accessible by car, and also
convenient for reaching Sligo's points of interest on foot.
My room was modern, functional and comfortable, while the
impressive restaurant directly overlooked the River
Garavogue. |
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| Hotel 14: Mill Park,
Donegal |
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| Friday 14 Apr to
Saturday 15 Sep
(1 night) |
| Room 238
(King+Single) |
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The Mill Park has an edge-of-town position in Donegal, and
is set in ample grounds offering lots of parking. Public
areas were impressive, my room was comfortable and the food
was enjoyable. What more could I want? Well, how about some
peace and quiet?! With uncomfortable echoes of Part 1 of my
Round Ireland adventure, this stay was ruined by the
presence of a large function - a wedding, in this instance -
where the drunken bad behaviour of far too many of the
guests spoiled the experience for everyone else. |
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