Slieve Donard is a magnificent Grande Dame hotel built in 1898 by the Belfast and County Down Railway as the ultimate luxury holiday destination. It has recently undergone a £16 million renovation to restore the hotel to the embodiment of Victorian opulence. LLM’s Baldwin Ho checks in to find out more.
Hotel
The reimagined lobby space makes quite the statement as you enter the building. With plush dark wood aplenty, greenery blossoming from the walls and a spectacular multi-layered chandelier that just draws all your attention, you’ll know you’ve arrived at a five-star hotel. The reindeer heads adorning the walls help to accentuate the stately home ambience.
It will take some navigating initially as the expansive hotel offers four dining and drinking options, a world-class spa and boasts around 180 tastefully furbished rooms. That also means that it’s the kind of self-contained hotel where you don’t have to leave the premises for the whole day and enjoy their award-winning amenities.
The location of the hotel could not be more central; it is a short stroll to Newcastle’s old town with a plethora of boutique restaurants and independent shops. The striking Royal County Down Golf Club is right next door and is consistently voted by Golf Digest as the number one course in the world, and there’s also the Mourne Mountains in the backdrop, which includes the highest mountains in Northern Ireland.
Room
The Victorian touches are very much in evidence in the guest rooms, from the floral curtains to the eye-catching plaid carpet. You’ll find local legends gracing the walls such as Rory McIlroy and the general green palette blends perfectly with the wilderness viewed from the windows. Each room has a bespoke design due to the nature of the buildings, but the ones offering the sea view are the most desirable.
The bathroom has fashionable white and green tiling and the room’s refined ensuite features a spacious bath and a separate walk-in rainbow shower. Bathroom amenities are from Floris, owners of a royal warrant from King Charles and have been in business since 1730.
Food and drink
Breakfast is served at the scenic, J.J. Farrall’s with the rolling Mourne Mountains visible through the windows and tastefully arranged hanging plant baskets throughout the restaurant. Steps away from the main building of the hotel is Percy French, serving elevated pub classics and regional cuisine in a relaxed environment and often with live bands performing to create a lively atmosphere. Hearty Mourne seafood chowder with wheaten bread is a must-try local dish, and you’ll be assured of the high-quality nature of their ingredients when you see that their sausage and mash is made with premium Wagyu beef.
Two restaurants nearby I would highly recommend include Brunel’s and Graphite. Both show off a progressive cooking style that embraces other cultures like their chicken satay spring rolls. The former offers a flavoursome pan-fried chicken breast immersed in laksa curry and accompanied by coconut rice and charred pak choy. The latter offers the finest local ingredients including Irish mussels steamed with fermented chilli, coriander and lime and a main course of confit potatoes with melted onions.
Spa and wellness
The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the hotel’s thermal suite and pool. They offer a relaxing, heated vitality pool and a wide Jacuzzi area which looks onto the majestic Irish countryside through floor-to-ceiling glass windows in addition to a steam room, sauna and drench showers. My advice is to go during working hours, as they do have local residents who are members of the spa, so it can get quite lively in the early evenings.
Expect top-of-the-range ESPA spa treatments, which combines a tested holistic approach along with modern-day techniques to deliver a soothing, calming experience. The highlight is their Celtic Journey, which includes a tea ritual along with treatments like a seashell back massage and scalp massage. Their gym includes state-of-the-art Peloton bikes and Life Fitness equipment.
To do
If you’ve developed a taste for stately homes, there’s no grander place to visit than Hillsborough Castle and Gardens. It is the official Northern Ireland royal residence and also the government residence in Northern Ireland. Apart from the 100 acres of picturesque gardens and regal decorations aplenty in the castle, it is the site of numerous important events such as the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement on 15 November 1985.
If you want to sample the high-quality artisan produce from the region, do check out Killowen Distillery and Neary Nogs. The former is arguably the smallest distillery in Northern Ireland. The time-consuming processes they employ mean they’ve been producing small-batch spirits that have been winning rave reviews and countless awards. A great gift to purchase is their poitin, their ‘Irish moonshine’.
Having a chocolate tour with owner Shane at Neary Nogs would inspire you to truly understand what craft chocolate means. They are the first bean-to-bar chocolate maker in Northern Ireland and the oldest in Ireland. You might be surprised to discover only around 1% of the chocolate market is craft chocolates. They use no additives, ensuring the chocolate bar you are getting is much more healthy than the mass-produced variety.
In a nutshell
Whether you are looking for a spa break, a golfing holiday or a foodie weekend getaway, the five-star opulence of Slieve Donard is just the place for you.
Factbox
Slieve Donard offers rooms from £165 per night.
Address: Downs Rd, Newcastle BT33 0AH
Phone: 028 4372 1066
Website: marineandlawn.com
For more information visit: Ireland.com
