Review: Adare Manor
October 2003
I've stayed at Ashford Castle and toured Dromoland so this year it was time to indulge ourselves at Adare Manor and Spa located about 45 minutes from Shannon Airport -- the perfect ending to a wonderful trip!
This stay was planned well in advance and our spa reservation was confirmed for the three of us from 4:00pm - 6:00pm, just enough time to relax, get acquainted with the manor and ready ourselves for a formal dinner with two of my favorite people. Even the best thought-out plans don't work exactly as planned, right?
We were running late after taking a wrong turn in Lahinch and the Irish PGA was being held at Adare Manor so traffic was very congested on our approach, putting us in at Adare extactly at 4:00pm and I was sweating profusely -- I like to be early for just about everything!
Let me back up just a bit -- Charlene had no idea we had booked our last night at Adare and thought we were going to a B&B for our last night. Using Adare for a restroom break, we pulled in and started unloading the car and Charlene was a bit perplexed why we would be doing that when we were just there to use the restrooms. Once we told her that this was our final stop for our trip, her face lit up with a huge smile!
John, the doorman, walked over to the car and introduced himself and asked for our names to check us in. He promptly asked to take our luggage and walked us inside to the reception desk announcing, "The Woolson party has arrived!" WOW, we have arrived -- as though they were waiting for us and the party wouldn't begin until we were there! How important were we???
Sitting at the large leather-topped desk with fireplace just behind it, we were checked in and told that the spa had just called to inquire about our arrival -- "Shhh, Charlene doesn't know about the spa just yet!" I whispered. The spa was called to let them know we would be there in just a few minutes.
We were told our luggage would be taken to our rooms and to ask John to drive us to the spa, which he was more than happy to do, chatting us up for the short drive. Once there John advised us that he would introduce us to the staff and we never felt more welcome while traveling than we did here... as though it were one big family and we were just and extension of that.
The staff of Adare Manor Spa introduced themselves and whisked each of us to our rooms for our treatments -- a one hour massage followed by a one hour facial! My therapist was wonderful, asking about our trip in the beginning and slowly tapering off the conversation so I could relax and enjoy the massage and calming music playing in the darkened room. Even my feet and toes were treated and I'm extremely sensitive but didn't giggle once during this process! Calming... relaxing... wonderful...
Immediately following the massage the facial started -- a first for me and I was a bit apprehensive at first. A scrubbing lotion was applied and the dead skin removed gently during the initial process. Afterward a series of lotions were applied and gently removed with warm, wet, scented clothes -- some allowed to set for a few minutes to work their magic. During this whole process my upper chest, neck, head and shoulders were massaged! Absolutely worth every minute! And how eloquent is my explanation of the process? Remember, a guy is writing this ...
Our final bill for the Spa was about $460 U.S. not including the cash tips.
Rather than have John pick us up, we decided to take a leisurely stroll back to the Manor, taking in the gardens, golfers and setting sun.
We were given a quick tour of the drawing room, bars and dining room before taken to our room -- where our luggage was waiting for us along with Adare Manor bathrobes and slippers! It was time to get ready for our 8:30 reservation in the Oak Dining Room!
Formal dining at it's best -- Adare Manor sets the bar! From the moment we entered the dining room we were immediately greeted and escorted to our table, chairs pulled out, and napkins gracefully placed on our laps! The whole process is very rarely found these days and I could get accustomed to it quickly.
We started our meal with an Australian Cabernet ($50 euros/bottle) which was served by the sommelier with precision, exchanging our wine glasses, offering the cork and allowing me to taste. A complimentary appetizer of grilled quail was offered and very enjoyable -- I'm not much for fowl but ate the entire appetizer. Next was my appetizer of goat cheese dumplings and chorizo sausage ($14.00 euros); three scrumptious dumplings filled with goat cheese and three slivers of grilled chorizo sausage complementing the plate -- great appetizer! My entree was veal ($30 euros) and perfectly seasoned and grilled, complemented with sauteed vegetables. Rounding out our dinner was the lavender ice cream ($13.50 euros) which was quite different but very good! Our dinner lasted almost three hours and not once were we rushed through our courses nor did the service lag anywhere in between... and we were expecting the final bill of $351 euros, including 20% gratuity.
We retired downstairs to the bar for one drink and listen to the piano player for a bit. Unfortunately the cigar smoke was overwhelming us and we called it quits fairly quickly and went back to our room for the night.
Adare's breakfast rivals that of Ashford Castle, offering fresh-carved ham, scrambled eggs, mushrooms, bacon and sausage, danishes, juices, fresh fruits and more -- too much to actually eat! The traditional Irish breakfast is filling enough so this was overload, though having a choice was quite welcomed.
We checked out without a problem and were on our way to the airport -- just a short 45 minutes to Shannon!
Adare Manor and Spa is, without a doubt, a perfect ending to a week in Ireland! A premier property with top-end Spa and golf course, you'll definitely enjoy yourself here without a worry in a World. Located just 45 minutes from Shannon Airport you can easily make a flight home with time to spare. Adare Spa is top-of-the-line with services and staff and definitely sets itself apart from both Ashford Castle and Dromoland Castle, just one more reason to choose Adare.
All accommodations, meals, treatments, etc. are paid for by Enchanting Ireland's agents thereby reducing favorable reviews.
The views written here are the views of our agent and are not necessarily the views of Enchanting Ireland or it's parent
company, eTAO Group, LLC. All reviews are based on the experience of our agent during a particular date in time and
may vary by clients.