The Lodge at Ashford, Co. Mayo
The Quay, Cong, Co Mayo. Ireland
The Lodge at Ashford is one of those places that really has the ‘Wow' factor. The setting couldn't be more spectacular, overlooking Lough Corrib in Cong, Co Mayo, and inside the surroundings are no less impressive. This beautiful, four-star boutique hotels provides luxury as standard but is still warm and welcoming to families with kids of all ages. You can expect rich deep pile carpets, super king beds with goose down duvets and pillows, bespoke furniture and the latest flat screen technology in all of the 24 bedrooms and 26 suites which are located in a tranquil courtyard setting.
Clare, Paul, Ruby and Ted visited:
We arrived at The Lodge at Ashford on a wet day - it was absolutely lashing it down - and even though it was rainy and grey we were still very impressed when we approached the hotel. This lovely Georgian country house sits atop a hill looking out over Lough Corrib in Co Mayo with a view that even the rain can't spoil. As we'd been in the car for a few hours we borrowed some wellies from the hotel's collection (luckily we all found a pair to fit - they have all sizes and patterns!) and went for a walk down to the quayside. This is wonderfully picturesque, dotted with boats and looking out over the wide lough, but in the end we were defeated by the weather and headed back inside.
Thankfully the Lodge at Ashford has plenty to offer on a wet day, and the kids were soon ensconced in the hotel's very own Wii playroom. Thankfully this was no multi-coloured wipe-clean nightmare room, but a dark, plush and sophisticated boudoir-esque room decorated with maroon red velvet luxurious quilted walls, plump cushions and bean bags and equipped with a huge flat screen TV and a variety of Wii games. We left them to it and headed to one of the lounge areas (of which there are many) and relaxed on the comfy sofas with a cuppa and the newpapers. The lounge areas are dotted with multiple bookshelves with plenty of other reading matter and in the cellar of the old house is another playroom called the Vault where there is a pool table, games and books for the whole family to enjoy. On Sunday- Thursday from 11am-1pm and 5pm-9pm the hotel runs a Kids Club, The Pirates of the ‘Corrib'ean which runs a variety of different activities to keep your little ones entertained.
We spent the afternoon in nearby Galway (about half an hour's drive away) which had plenty to keep us entertained with shops, walks and tourist attractions. We arrived back at the hotel and headed to our duplex room, where housekeeping services had been in and turned down our beds, also providing some cookies for the kids, decorated with iced smiley faces! Our room was a beautiful contemporary duplex suite, with impressive double-height ceiling and an amazing chandelier. The hotel had provided two beds in the lounge area for the children but there was still loads of room. Upstairs was our bedroom, a huge, lavish affair decorated in a contemporary style, with its own balcony area. The marble-tiled bathroom was very luxurious with underfloor heating and huge fluffy towels. We all were provided with our own robes and slippers.
As it was still a wet evening the kids chose a DVD from the hotel's library and housekeeping provided them with a large bowl of popcorn each (they will also set up a screening in the main hotel or in the Wii room if parents want a little more time alone). We settled down in our suite on the sofa in front of the fire and enjoyed our film before turning in for the night.
Breakfast was a lavish affair in the Salt restaurant with fabulous views out over the lough. There was a huge choice from the buffet with fresh juices and home made pastries followed by a hot choice. The sausages were a big hit with the kids! Luckily the day had improved and we spent the morning enjoying an informative cruise on Lough Corrib where Captain Patrick regaled us with historic tales of St Patrick and of the largest fish caught in Ireland - a 49lb pike which was pulled out of the lake in the 1960s.
The Lodge at Ashford offers a really family-friendly treat in luxurious contemporary style which not even terrible weather can spoil!