It's a dogs life...

Turf is the newest addition to our little family, an incredibly long-legged Yorkie with a beautiful scruffy face. We brought him home in June 2012 and we have been inseparable ever since. We take him everywhere we can with us... to the pub on Friday night, out to Sunday lunch, to visit family and friends, to my office... the list is endless. As I am lucky enough to travel quite a bit for work J and I were worried that we might have to leave Turf behind at some stage, unthinkable! So we got our thinking caps on and came up with a plan. I do quite a lot of hotel/weekend break features that don't involve any flying - usually we take the car and travel by ferry - and recently we had been discovering that a LOT of places are dog-friendly - and we're not just talking about your average B&B's, we talking country lodges, Scottish Castles and top 5* hotels. Pets across the country can be enjoying a weekend break with their owners - lounging in plush dog beds with luxury chef prepared treats, while their owners are enjoying a Michelin-starred meal or being pampered in the spa, and the best thing is... pets go free!

Our first weekend break as a threesome was to the stunning Glenview Hotel in County Wicklow...

It's a dogs life in County Wicklow

Whether it's a village B&B or the 5* Claridges in Mayfair, most hotels now allow dogs to stay with their owners. As a dog owner myself, I think this is a fantastic idea, and one that not many people know about! Our one concern about getting a pup was that we might have to leave him behind when we travelled - but we needn't have worried. On a recent trip to the Glenview Hotel in County Wicklow we simply packed our cases, strapped the dog (Turf) into the car and hit the motorway.
Located just south of Dublin off the N11 motorway, the Glenview Hotel is within pretty easy reach for a weekend break... only three hours from Belfast, and more importantly, welcomes dogs. Nestled high on the hillside in the picturesque Glen of the Downs in County Wicklow, the hotel is perfectly positioned for those who want a country retreat near to Dublin, but don't want to pay out the nose for it!
 

 

 Exterior view of the hotel from the gardens

Dating back to 1914, when it originally opened as a cottage, hunting lodge and guesthouse, the Glenview Hotel used to be part of the nearby Powerscourt Estate, but is now in private ownership. It's easy to find - you can spot it from the motorway - although we still managed to get lost, taking turnoff 10 instead of turnoff 9! It was easy to scoot back towards Dublin again though and five minutes later we were parked and heading for the hotel reception with Turf trotting along beside us.

The staff were very friendly and welcoming (even making sure to wish Turf a 'happy stay'), which set the scene for the rest of our visit. We had very thoughtfully been put in one of the front suites with a balcony, meaning turf could do his business outside without one of us having to take him downstairs - this was great in the middle of the night when he needed a widdle. To say the room was huge would be an understatement, Turf had plenty of room to play. There was also an attached dressing room which led to the bathroom, so we weren't tripping over puppy paws while getting ready for dinner.
While dogs are allowed in the hotel's main areas, they are not, of course, allowed in the restaurant or bar, so we left Turf snuggled up in an armchair while we headed down to the bar.

The bar area is open plan to the bistro, with a large open fire providing a cosy warmth throughout. We chose a table beside the fire for our dinner - nothing better than a roaring fire, good food and a few glasses of wine!
 

Entrance to the Glenview Hotel

I had the Asian chicken salad to start while the other half opted for the soup of the day with fresh crusty bread. We both chose the sirloin steak, chunky chips, onion rings and three peppercorn sauce for mains, while we shared the dessert - a beautifully light fruit cheesecake with whipped cream... and of course more wine. I have to say, the three peppercorn sauce was absolutely divine with the sirloin... it was warm (not mouth-scorchingly hot) with a lovely sweet taste which complemented the meat beautifully. The service was very prompt too, no sooner had we finished our starters than our mains appeared... this pleased the other half no end, as he's not one for drawn-out dinners.

The night was still young, so not wanting to head to the room just yet, we sat a little longer by the fire (we currently do not have a fire at home, so we wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible!) When we did eventually did decide to head upstairs, Turf was still fast asleep in the armchair... his little head popped up only long enough to see if we had brought him any leftovers, unfortunately for him though we had scoffed everything.

With it being very much into winter, and the nights being very dark and our bellies very full, we all snuggled up in the huge bed for some Saturday night TV and a cup of tea - I don't think Turf missed his after-dinner walk too much that night.

Breakfast consisted of a selection of cereals, continental pastries and a hot buffet. We both headed straight for the hot buffet... a fry-up being one of the highlights of staying in a hotel, as it's not something we would make at home. I was very glad to see black and white pudding in the buffet, as not many hotels serve it, but it is absolutely delicious and I had two pieces of each. Not wanting to return to the room empty handed again (after all, this was Turf's holiday too) I cut up a sausage into bite-sized chunks, which the breakfast waitress very kindly wrapped in tinfoil for me, to take back to the room.

We put our overnight things back into the case while Turf enjoyed his sausage chunks... one thing about travelling with a dog is that they seem to have more bits and bobs to fit into the case than you do.

Gardens at the Glenview
 
We wanted to be on our way pretty sharpish for the drive home, so checked out at 10.30am. This gave us plenty of time to put the case in the car and take Turf for a walk around the little garden to the front of the hotel.

With plenty of grassed areas, trees, shrubbery and flower beds there's no excuse for doggy boredom, and Turf careered around them all with abandon, happily running through muddy patches (it had been raining overnight), sticking his nose into every tree root and rubbing alongside the damp moss on the fences. The walk isn't very long and we covered it in 10 minutes at a very leisurely pace (including stopping to relax on a bench or two along the way), so we circled it a few times for Turf's amusement and to tire him out for the journey home.

If you too are travelling with your dog the Wicklow Way is a great way to spend the day - the Wicklow Way is the best known of the wonderfully unspoilt mountain trails in Ireland.

 Our cheeky boy Turf

We had a fantastic time at the Glenview Hotel and as it was the first time we had taken Turf away with us overnight, it gave us the opportunity to make a 'snag' list - a list of things we should or shouldn't have packed for him. A dog seat belt is absolutely paramount, we would never take him anywhere without one - and he sits on the back seat, not on the passenger side incase of an emergency where the airbag would be deployed - safety is everything. 

Turf can get carsick, so plastic bags, kitchen towels, baby wipes and a spare blanket are essential for the car journey. We also like to plan ahead, make sure he has been walked and fed at least an hour and a half before we leave, so as he has burned off some energy and has had time to digest his food. We also make sure he has done his business before we put him in the car, and plan if we will need to stop on the way. A small plastic bowl and a bottle of water is kept in the car with us (not in the boot!)

We take puppy pads for the hotel room (incase he needs to go while we are having dinner or during the night), a kong, stuffed toy and a cushion - although he likes to make himself comfy in an armchair!

We also bring treats (for the kong) and his normal food and bowls. This is what I mean when I say we pack more stuff for Turf than for us!

Our next adventure will take us to Sheildhill Castle in Scotland, and I'll post the feature/review as soon as its printed.

Food Provenance excellence!

It's all about the food...

When I was at the Culloden Hotel on Tuesday night there was one thing in particular that really impressed me... the dedication to supporting local food producers - they use local produce in all of the six Hastings Hotels across Northern Ireland.

Food is a great love of mine, I believe it's one of life's greatest pleasures, something to be savoured and enjoyed, and I really love knowing that the food I'm enjoying is sourced locally and supports local producers.

Moyallon dry cured back bacon and breakfast sausages, Gracehill award winning black and white puddings and eggs sourced locally from Crossgar are a staple of all Hastings Hotels Ulster Frys, while musesli and granola, handmade by Crawford's Foods in County Down, and porridge, made with White's porridge oats (and a touch of Bushmills Whiskey) graces the breakfast tables of those who prefer a healthier start to the day.

The Armagh Cider Company provides all hotels in the Hastings group with their Apple Juice, while the milk, butter and cream is all fresh from Farmview Dairies in the Castlereagh Hills, and the yoghurt is naturally made just a few miles down the road at the Clandeboye Estate.

The famous Irwin family provides the finest Irish breads for toast, sandwiches and burgers, while The Yellow Door Deli and Patisserie bakes some delicious speciality breads for the hotels.
I was extremely proud to hear that all the vegetables and salads are provided by Killinchy-based Willowbrook Farm as I am a former employee and can personally vouch for the freshness and delicious farm-to-fork flavour of their produce.

Potatoes are provided by Wilson's Country Potatoes in County Armagh - who have also just patented a very special hexagonal Causeway chip for the hotel group... these are delicious and we were lucky enough to get to sample these crispy, chunky delights on Tuesday night!
A firm Northern Ireland favourite, Tayto NI Ltd supplies the crisp garnishes for the sandwiches and panninis... a real lunch time treat.

The list goes on with pork sourced from locally reared Irish pigs, grain-fed chicken and duck (again reared locally in counties Down and Armagh), grass-fed lamb, prime local breed Irish beef including the native Dexter and Irish Moiled. Glenarm Organic Shorthorn from the Glenarm Estate is on the menu alongside certified Northern Irish Hereford beef from Hannan Meats in County Armagh. Glenarm Organic salmon and langoustines landed in Kilkeel (which is used in their signature Guinness battered scampi) ensure the survival of the fishing trade by being sourced responsibly and sustainably.

No great dinner would be complete without a cheese board, and Hastings Hotel's is a truly Irish affair - Kearney Blue from County Down, Coolkeeran from the Causeway Cheese Company, Fivemiletown Ballybrie and the famous Irish Gubbeen all served with delicious handmade Ditty's oatcakes.

Afternoon tea? The Yellow Door Deli and Patisserie (a firm Belfast favourite and a regular at St George's Market) is one of the artisan producers who prepare the hotel's baked goods and patisseries while Glastry Farm near Kircubbin in County Down provides delicious handmade ice-cream.

The unique Hastings House Blend tea is made by the Thompson family in Belfast while the iconic Irish brand Bewley's provide the coffee.

In a previous post I called the fillet of beef I had on Tuesday night "the best piece of meat I've ever tasted" (or something to that effect)... and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the culinary genius behind such a sublimely tender piece of meat was so young (there he is in the wee picture below with Managing Director of Hastings Hotels, Howard Hastings... chef's the one in the white hat)! Many chefs twice his age would be in envy at his skill!

Howard Hastings with the uber gifted Culloden chef!

The bottom line is I enjoy good local food and I love it when hotels and restaurants share that passion - it makes my dining experience one hundred per cent better to know that my gorgeous beef fillet came from the farm only a couple of miles from my home and hasn't been frozen and bounced about in a container on it's way from France or Spain or Germany.

So get out there and experience this for yourselves - get yourself some locally sourced proper Irish grub at one of Hastings Hotel's fine establishments!

Here's a wee video from Howard Hastings...

Hastings Hotels - Food Provenance from AV Browne on Vimeo.

Chilling out in the mild West

In need of some rest and relaxation, I headed off to Westport in County Mayo for some Clew Bay cod and a spot of reflexology...

ON one of the most western points in Ireland, deep in County Mayo overlooking Clew Bay sits the quiet little town of Westport. Shadowed by the towering Croagh Patrick, Wesport has become an extremely popular destination for long weekends and short breaks in Ireland.

It was dry and sunny when we set off on the drive across Ireland for what was to be our girlie-getaway. Taking the most direct (and quickest) route direct to the west coast from Belfast we headed west to Enniskillen where we stopped for a lovely late lunch at Maud’s Ice-cream parlour and café.

Forgetting that the UK and Ireland are well on the way into the winter season, we sat on at lunch longer than we should have, and by the time we got back on the road again the sun was quickly sinking on the horizon. It was just past 7pm when we drove into the beautiful little town of Westport and immediately we were impressed. Litter and lout free, with plenty to do Westport is the perfect place for a quick, cheap break.

The Castlecourt Hotel and its sister hotel, the Westport Plaza, sit adjacent to each other in a sort of semi-circle formation around an inner courtyard with an ornate fountain marking the middle. The fabulous Spa Sula is serenely tucked away toward the back of the resort, which only adds to the tranquility of its location.



We had booked in to the luxurious Castlecourt Hotel and wasted no time at all in driving to the back of the hotel and parking the car in the underground car-park (completely free of charge) and heading straight for our room. Tired after the drive we checked out the room service menu and ordered the Chicken Curry with rice and chips. Included in our package were two ¼ bottles of wine in our room, which went splendidly with the spicy curry, also two little boxes of chocolates, which we ate as a lazy dessert.

The next morning we got up pretty early and headed down for breakfast (which is also included in the package). After helping ourselves to the continental buffet a waiter came to take our orders for the hot breakfasts. I opted for the Clew Bay breakfast of cod and toasted brown soda (wheaten bread to you and I).

After breakfast we took a quick walk around the town, popping into the Tourist Information centre to have a chat with the lady there about her recommendations on the best places to visit in the area.

She was very helpful (if a little vague about the distances to these places) so we hopped back in the car, map in hand, and headed along the Clew Bay Archeological Trail out towards Roman Island. Our destination for the morning was Croagh Patrick and the Famine Memorial, and we found it about 20 minutes drive outside the town. Croagh Patrick is one of Europe’s best known places for pilgrimage each year many climb barefoot in memory of St Patrick, who according to legend spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting on the summit.

The National Famine Memorial sits opposite the car park and the foot of Croagh Patrick and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, facing out to the west where so many emigrants sailed. The memorial, entitled ‘Coffin Ship’, was designed and created by artist John Behan. The bronze sculpture takes the form of one of the emigrant ships, the rigging of which is made from bronze skeletal figures. It is an extremely moving monument. Situated just down the lane from the Memorial is Murrisk Abbey. On the east of the Abbey there is a window carved with human heads on the outside wall.

Back in the car again, it was off north to Achill Island, the largest island off Ireland. If you like to do a bit of sightseeing then I definitely recommend you either drive to Westport or hire a car once you’re there and it’s a good idea to note that although the locals may say “agh it’s just up the road there”, their idea of “just up the road” may not be the same as yours. After 40-minutes of “just up the road there” driving we realised that Achill Island was probably a two-hour round trip away from Westport, but since we were already more that half way there we kept on driving, stopping only for the sheep, dogs and cows that occasionally wandered across the road.

Achill Island is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge between the villages of Achill Sound (on Achill Island) and Polranny (on the mainland). If you drive to the north-west of the island you will reach the beach at Keel, which is excellent for gathering the kind of shells where you can hear the sea if you put them to your ear.

I’m one of those people who just can’t resist a spa, so as soon as I had learned there was a spa at Castlecourt Hotel I picked up the phone and was booked in for a treatment. Described as a ‘luxurious temple of harmony for body, mind and spirit’ as soon as you walk through the door you feel at ease and relaxed.



The spacious tranquil sanctuary is designed to allow you to de-stress. Everything from the specialised dry and wet heat cabins, rock sauna, steam room, salt grotto, tropical rain showers, foot spa, ice fountain, heated relaxation room, rasual chamber, heated outdoor Jacuzzi rock pool and the Zen garden unwinds, detoxifies, cleanses and relaxes body, mind and spirit.



I’m a big massage fan and typically go for a full body massage, so in order to get out of my massage rut, I instead opted for a spot of Reflexology. This ancient pressure point foot treatment concentrates on a map of the body’s organs and structures. This is a technique used to help the body’s natural healing process and after a 60 minute session (half and hour on each foot) my therapist was able to tell me all about my neck and shoulder pain and even the headaches I sometimes get if I don’t wear my glasses when working on the computer!

Having spent the day in a mixture of careful driving through the coastal roads of west Ireland and blissfully chilling out in Spa Sula, it was with much effort that we left the hotel room and headed to the restaurant for dinner.



The Castlecourt Hotel has two restaurants to choose from, the Orchard Restaurant (where we had breakfast) and the Courtyard Bistro while Petie Joes Bar provides live music every night. If they’re fully booked you can pop across into sister hotel, the Westport Plaza and try out the menu in their Restaurant Merlot or the Plaza Bar. The Library Lounge is the perfect place for some afternoon tea or a quick panini.

After discovering that the Orchard was fully booked until after 8.30pm (our own fault for forgetting to reserve a table) we nipped across to Restaurant Merlot in the Plaza. After an absolutely mouth-watering Sirloin and a delicious melt in the middle Chocolate Pudding we were thoroughly full and took a little a walk about town to walk off our sins.

For such a small town, Westport has quite a number of little pubs, restaurants and hide-away bars, most offering traditional live music and ‘good craic’ - we walked the long way around town, down the river and over the bridge then back up past the little church, which has been converted into an Indian and Thai Restaurant.

Few towns in Ireland have as much charisma and charm as Westport. Great for family holidays, romantic getaways, and girlie spa breaks, it’s no surprise that this small coastal town is fast becoming one of Ireland’s top holiday destinations.

Factbox:

For more information on the Castlecourt Hotel and Spa Sula log on to www.castlecourthotel.ie or www.spasula.ie.

Peace and love,

GT