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SLIEVE DONARD HOTEL - NORTHERN IRELAND: HOT ROOM - AND IT WASN'T THE SAUNA
So, expecting a wonderful review of this grand luxury hotel and its amazing £15 million refurbishment? Well either you have the wrong review, the wrong hotel or both. With that kind of money you would think they would have put in comfortable beds and air-conditioning. They didn’t. I couldn’t sleep due the heat in the room and the bad mattress. Even after I opened both windows to the partial extent physically allowed – I was hot. Only the mosquitoes came in, not a cool breeze. I don’t care how good your lobby, spa, bar and restaurant are – you go to a hotel (any hotel) to sleep!
Did I mention they have a great lobby, spa, bar and restaurant?
When I drove up to this imposing Victorian masterpiece I was really impressed. Outside this is a beautiful hotel. It sits right on the beach and looks right up to it’s namesake – Slieve Donard. Slieve Donard is the highest peak in Northern Ireland and the scenery is dramatic. Shame about my room.
On the plus side I would recommend spending a day here. The SPA and gym are awesome. Brand new, fully equipped and lots of creature comforts. They provide robes, great changing rooms, fantastic Jacuzzi, pool and steam room. The interior of the hotel is quite nice as well. I had breakfast here even though I was ‘room only’. They don’t do a lot of checks. The buffet is massive with everything from great tasting Irish bacon, sausages, many egg dishes and fresh fruit. The whisky with the oatmeal was my personal favourite. It certainly put a kick-start into my day.
Yes this is a great hotel by day. At night it is a different matter.
My room was more than £100 ($150+ US). It looked ok. Oldish bathroom with a big deep tub and some nice toiletries. 2 beds, mini-bar, a large closet, mirrors, TV, phone, desk, chairs and a table. Then I tried to go to sleep. The room was already hot. It was summer after all. I went to look for the thermostat. None found. I rand the desk and asked about changing the temperature. They knew I was asking for the heat to be put on. They told me to open a window. How thoughtful. I open both windows that opened on to the back of an annex. Blocking off useful things like views and wind. No air, no breeze, just sweat. And the mattress sucked. Both of them. Lumpy, uncomfortable. Terrible.
Had I known I could have booked into one of the nice B&B along the beach road just opposite the hotel. There were several. Instead I stumped up the extra money to get more comfort. Well I was short-changed.
My suggestion – find somewhere else and save the cash and have a good nights sleep. Do use the SPA. And have breakfast of course.
• Dramatic location and gardens next to the Mourne Mountains and the sea
• Great history with a small (free) museum room
• Excellent breakfast buffet
• Free newspapers in the lobby
• Excellent modern SPA and gym facilities
• A great looking bar for coffee or a nice pint of Gunniess
• Great location for a wedding reception or business meeting
