Cork, Ireland
GO. This was a child free weekend. Yes, a child free weekend! A delayed anniversary trip to somewhere that had been recommended to us by friends. We flew into Cork from Manchester - there are perfect flights which arrive around 8am on a Friday or Saturday morning and leave late on Sunday night, providing for a long overnight or 2 night stay. Using the really handy YourParkingSpace spots on the outskirts of the airport (£12 a day), we flew in on the Friday morning and picked up a hire car for the long weekend.
STAY. Two hotels for this trip, one night on the coast at Inchydoney and then one night in Cork city itself.
Our first night was at the amazing Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa - a great hotel in a glorious location. The resort has a small sat water spa pool, two restaurants (one a pub style, one more formal), well decorated and specious rooms and a lovely bar area. The location itself is idyllic, on a small spit of land which ends in a relatively shielded beach. A great stay, with time spent relaxing in the room and spa, and walking along the sandy, windswept beach watching the waves and at time, surfers.
In Cork we stayed at the Montenotte Hotel. In reality this is a stunning location up on the hillside above the city of Cork. Rooms were around £250 a night, however we were able to bring this down by using some credits from a booking website. It is walkable to the centre (approx 15mins), and in a quiet neighbourhood. As well as smart, spacious rooms, welcoming pubic areas and a grand bar/restaurant area, the hotel boasts a lovely second bar, the Glasshouse.
EAT. Warning - there is a lot of food in this post! A trip focussed on relaxing and nice food, we had some great meals during our time in the South or Ireland. At the Inchydoney Hotel and Spa we ate in both the Gulfstream Restaurant and Dunes Pub. Evening meal in the restaurant was a lovely meal in a great setting, and the bar at Inchydoney is plush, with large leather sofas and chair, and a great selection of wines and spirits. Breakfast at Inchydoney did not disappoint, with both black and white pudding!
In Cork, we sought out a fantastic meal at Goldie, a super little restaurant serving fresh, local food which varies daily depending on the available ingredients.
Whilst visiting Kinsale we ate at Fishy Fishy, a highly recommended fish restaurant where we had a huge bowl of potato skins (not pictured!). The food here was great, superbly fresh food including the lesser spotted poached pear.
DO. This was a trip which involved a lot of relaxing, wandering on the beach and strolling around the city centre, with less desire to seek out ‘tourist’ spots. In Cork, the Glasshouse bar at the Montenotte Hotel was a great location for pre-dinner drinks, with super views back over the city.
We also really enjoyed a visit to Kinsale on the Sunday afternoon before returning to the airport, driving out to the coast again for a walk along the clifftops. There is quite a lot to see in the area, with Cobh harbour having a Titanic exhibition, and the Blarney Stone not too far away - definitely enough for a return visit in the future.
Trip Date: Oct 2023.