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Hotel Class: 
5 Stars - 543 Opinions
Fota Island, Cork, Ireland
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of people enjoy staying here
543 Opinions
I stayed at the Sheraton Fota Island for two nights and thought this hotel was definately an execellent five star hotel starting from the friendly greeting I received from the concierge. My room was spacious and I had a lovely view not to mention the most fabulous bed I have ever slept in. I dined in the Fota restauarant and the staff there were attentive and friendly. All in all fabulous would recommend to all.
The Sheraton Fota Island is nowhere near as bad as some of the so called users put on this site. I stay at many hotels and in some ways this hotel is ahead of its time.
Yes it's a little wacky from the outside - inside it's a 5* property no doubt about it. Only 2 floors so you never waited for the lifts, fine reception, bar, and helpful, foregin staff it must be said.
The rooms are it's treat - really good, large size, bed to die for and a bathroom that is even better - I have stayed in rooms smaller than the bathroom !
The hotel I believe currently lets itself down by offering waiter service cooked breakfast - which they haven't got the hang of yet - instead of the normal carvery / buffett breakfast - this is my only main gripe.
The golf is stunning - try Cork Golf Club as well - and the swimming pool. spa. hyrdotherapy pools were fantastic too - try it out. Will return.
We stayed at the recently (April 2006) opened Sheraton Fota Island from 21st to the 28th of October and were generally very impressed with the hotel and its facilities.
The building is quite futuristic and seemingly not quite at one with its surroundings, but it was explained to me that the design will blend in as the hundreds of new trees mature around it together with further developments such as a marina. The grounds are beautifully laid out, with time share lodges tucked away in a seperately landscaped area.
The food is excellent in both restaurants, particularly the fine dining 'Cove' with its emphasis on locally caught fish. The prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the whole dining experience. A meal for two including pre meal drinks and wine came to about 120 euros (approx £80 ) on average in the 'Fota' restaurant. The range of breads baked in their own kitchens is super, especially at breakfast, when together with a full Irish breakfast you really don't need to think about food for the rest of the day. A big plus these days is that all cooked breakfasts are freshly prepared - no keeping food semi warm in the covered pans that many hotels use.
The staff are amongst the friendliest I have come across, many of them local Irish who seem genuinely proud of the hotel which already has seemingly quite a loyal following in an area not noted for accepting the new and innovative. Rooms are well designed with a lovely walk in shower area in the bathroom, my only quibble would be a chronic lack of hanging and wardrobe space, especially if staying for more than a few days.
The surrounding countryside is lovely, visit Kinsale, Dingle, Bantry Bay, stunning scenery, lots of genuine craft shops in most towns and villages. Some roads still need to be treated with caution, although improvements are rapidly being made. Take care on roads with the strange 'hard shoulder' which seems to serve a number of purposes as tractor lane/ slower traffic pullover/ breakdown lane etc. Apart from that driving is quite stress free.
We recently stayed at the Sherton Fota Island Resort for four nights. We were scheduled to stay for three nights, and extended for an additional night. The rooms were very clean and new and the bathrooms were lovely.
The Hotel: As others mentioned, the exterior of the hotel looks like a hospital sitting atop a hill. Once you enter the doors, however, you can see that this resort is a 4+ star hotel, not quite a 5 star hotel.
Pros: The property is immaculately kept. The staff is courteous and the Island Spa is lovely. Do make a reservation for the hotel restaurant "The Cove". The food is fabulous and the staff is courteous without being overwhelming. If you are so inclined, please know that they offer free internet service in your room. So, bring along your laptop and keep up on the news in your hometown! (This is a real plus . . . before Fota Island, we spent 4 days in Dublin at the Westin Dublin and they charged $40 USD for daily internet service. We felt as if we were being ripped off, and I do think we were.) If your partner is golfing, I highly recommend booking spa treatments. You will be treated like a princess (or prince)! If you are looking for a secluded holiday, with relaxation as your primary concern, this property is for you. You are, at a minimum, 20-30 minutes away from City Centre Cork and 40-45 minutes from Kinsale, a fabulous fishing village with wonderful quaint stores lining the cobblestone streets. You will get the freshest seafood here, so come with a hearty appetite!
Cons: You are secluded at this property. Without a car, you will need to hire a cab to go anywhere off the property. This could become burdensome, if possible, I would highly recommend that you rent a car for your stay. Housekeeping hours are sporatic. We left our room early every morning. We'd return around 3:00pm to nap before dinner, etc. and our room still was not cleaned. The hotel is 3 floors; there should not be such a long wait for housekeeping services, in my opinion.
Areas for Improvement: This is a new property and as such there are some kinks to be worked out. For example, I do think they should consider having a gift/toiletry shop on the premises. You are secluded at this property . . . without any shops or a place to buy a magazine or toiletries you may have forgotten, you are at a loss. You would need to hire a cab to take you to town for such amenities. This is a true inconvenience. Also, if they do strive to be a five star property, they should consider a turn down service in the evening. It was not offerred at the time of our visit, and it is the little things like turndown service that leads to a 5 star rating. I would also suggest that they furnish the rooms with more face towels. Americans use washcloths. One washcloth for two people per day is not an option. Everyday, I left a note asking for more washclothes, and they readily complied. But, I shouldn't have had to ask for them. They should be aware that one cloth is not an option for two Americans per day. Bath towels, however, were in abundance. Kudos for that!! (Heated towel racks were a lovely touch, as well.)
Overall: We would absolutely stay at this property again. We travel extensively. Have learned to "go with the flow" especially in cultures different from our own, but are not willing to accept sub-par service or accommodations. Sheraton Fota Island is a lovely property and in time will be a spectacular property. We look forward to revisiting this hotel sometime in the future.
For those who like the opulence and spaciousness of a top international hotel chain, this Sheraton doesn't disappoint. It's a good few miles out of Cork, in a beautiful golf course setting.
At present the hotel has only one restaurant, and checking in at 7pm, we discovered there was no table (for 2) available until 10pm! However, hotel redeemed themselves by recommending a good alternative (The Tides Reach), and arranging free transportation there and back by courtesy car.
Bedroom was large, with contemporary decor and comfortable King size bed. Large bathroom with excellent "rain forest" shower. The designers had forgotten to include any lighting over or around the dressing table/desk area, and there was no stand or shelf for suitcases.
Excellent self service breakfast buffet with full choice of hot & cold fare.
This hotel is almost excellent - a bit more attention to detail will make it so.
Absolutely loved this property - I can only reccomend it to other people.
Any food lovers will have to try out the Cove Restaurant - Seafood to die for! I reccomend booking in advance as it is an intimate dining room, designed as a complete dining experience.
Spa awesome too!
We booked a last minute deal and really weren't sure what to expect. We were wowed from the moment we drove up the hotel's long & winding driveway. The hotel lobby is cosy and welcoming, sitting down to check in starts the sense of real relaxation. This was added to by some super treatments in the spectacular spa - this place is massive and has this fantastic hydrotherapy pool - basically like the biggest jacuzzi you have ever seen, only better. Dinner in the Cove restaurant was superb with some wonderful fish in a really atmospheric room. All staff were really friendly and went out of their way to deal with my partner's food allergies. Was great value and we can't wait to go back.
We stayed for one night September, 2006. Initially the outside was depressing-looks like an office park in the middle of a lovely forest. The first staff member to 'greet' us acted like I was not worthy of staying there-"was I lost?". After the intial put off it was great from check in on. I added spa services when I wanted to go-no story about no availibility. Room was average business room but the bath was superb. The wait staff in the lounge were tops-they spoke to you and were helpful with suggestions without acting like they were going to get in trouble for speaking. Good local info. The oyster and champagne appetizer must be tried. Take a short walk around to the golf house-beautiful stroll. So, get over the outside appearance-it changes once inside!
I've stayed in 5 of the top 6 irish hotels listed on tripadvisor so I can't understand some of the luke warm comments by other people. I stayed at the Sheraton last weekend and it was by far the best weekend break I've had in Ireland. From the concierge who ran half way accross the car park to help me with my bags to doorman who patiently went through all the gym equipment with us in the middle of the night the service from the staff was exceptional.
The hotel is modern from the outside. While it does look a little out of place in the forest setting, I think it will grow into it's surroundings as the golf course matures. The interior is decorated in warm colours and dark wood. The reception area is like the grand hall of a stately home and off to the side are several alcoves to relax with a good book on comfortable couches. We stayed in a junior suite which was lovely with a great view over the golf course. The room design was quite funky and modern. I'm not sure how this will look in 10 year but at the moment it is very trendy. The bed was huge and extremely comfortable. The bedroom had a lcd tv and tea making faacilities. The living room was larger than usual and had a couch, easy chair, working desk, another lcd and lots of storage. The bathroom had a walk in shower with the bigest showerhead I've ever seen. The bath was designed for two people and beautifully deep.
The gym was well stocked for a hotel facility and while the pool was quite short (15m?) the hydrotherapy facilities were a real hit with my boyfriend. We didn't have time to try the spa facilities. Dinner and breakfast were both marvelous. The staff were on hand to help us all the time.
My husband and I stayed here for the October Bank holiday weekend 2006 and I have to say we were less than impressed! The property itself is fantastic, the rooms are the nicest ive ever stayed in and ive stayed in some very nice hotels but the problem lies with the service. It was totally understaffed and the staff that were working were incompetent!! The price of the food was astrnomical!!! We paid €40 for two sandwiches which were tiny, a cup of tea and a coke. We then went for dinner in their "casual dining" restaruant and that cost €93 for a burger and a steak with one glass of wine!!! My husband ordered a steak burger for €16 and got a steak instead which was €27 and this seemed to be happening a lot with other guests too! Breakfast was €44 and was cold, unedible & half and hour late. If your looking for good accomodation then this is it but dine eslewhere!
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Address: Fota Island, Cork, Ireland
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