Ireland’s Wineport Lodge – lakeside luxury pampering and gourmet food
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On the shores of Lough Ree in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland, Wineport Lodge is a gourmet’s paradise, offering acclaimed cuisine using the finest local ingredients.
This boutique hotel started life as a restaurant back in 1993 but husband and wife team, Ray Byrne and Jane English, soon started adding rooms. There was plenty of space to expand, so their clever idea was to build sideways, creating a giant cedar bungalow. This means that you’re always close to the lake, whether in your room, drinking in the bar or dining in the restaurant.
All 29 rooms have lakeside views and you can sit on your balcony and watch the sun go down over the water, with a glass of something cool and refreshing in your hand. The rooms are so spacious that the walk-in closets are bigger than some individual hotel rooms and you can easily get lost in the huge bathrooms or drown in the giant tub. Of course, the king-sized double beds are exactly as described and a rather neat addition is the Sonos sound system, which allows you access to a wide range of music which you can programme to serenade you whilst soaking in the bath.
High level pampering is also on offer. On the roof is a cedar hot tub where you can relax, looking over the lake, before or after visiting the therapists in the spa. They offer a selection of treatments including massages, facials and body wraps using exclusive products from Yon-Ka and Lu’lur and service is of high quality.
As well as the peace and quiet, what people really come here for is the food and drink, and each bedroom is named after a wine vintage. You can eat simply in the bar but you really do have to sample the restaurant. It’s been used as the set for the Irish TV show, the Restaurant, and Chef Cathal Moran offers the finest local seasonal ingredients in a distinctive mix of classical and modern combinations. I particularly enjoyed king scallops with black pudding as a starter and roast cod with chorizo as a main and the local cheeses are to die for.
Room service breakfast is included in the room rate, but I preferred to sample the delights of freshly squeezed juices, oven baked bread and huge slices of smoked salmon in the dining room. You can sit for hours watching the play of light on the lake or studying the ducks eating their own breakfast.
The hotel offers a unique setting for a romantic break, family holiday or a long weekend. It’s also an idyllic wedding venue, with a warm and intimate ambience and the option of a civil ceremony in the Harbour Room. Best of all is that all your guests will be forever in your debt.
Unwind for the weekend and stay at Wineport Lodge from just £205 per person* for two nights including full Irish breakfast each morning and one dinner in the famed restaurant. (*Valid until 31 March 2011. High season prices of £220 / €255 per person for two nights runs from 1 April 2011 until 30 September 2011.)
Contact tel: +353 (0) 906 439 010, e-mail:
Cost standard double room: £££
Services spa, parking, hotel restaurant, hotel bar, creche/listening service, room service, business services, internet access, water sports, wheelchair accessible, concierge, air-conditioning
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Tourism Ireland has more information about holidays and visiting Ireland call 0800 039 7000
Wineport Lodge, Ireland
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