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Meath Chronicle-Inspire* Saturday, 27 September 2014 Page: 30,31 Circulation: 10862 Area of Clip: 138300mm² Page 1 of 4 Opened amid a flourish just before the boom times came t< > a shuddering halt the five-stai Castlemartyr Resort in east Cork has managed to hold ont o its grandeur while room rates have taken a nosedive. ponders whether this is possibly Ireland’s best-value luxury hotel Its the reinvented poster child. Castlemartyr Resort (formerly known as The Capella) opened amid fireworks, fanfare and €500 rooms in 2007, ceremoniously marking its arrival as a symbol of Celtic Tiger largesse. A recession and a rebrand later, the luxury has lingered on while the rates have plunged, ranking it as perhaps one of the best value hotels in Ireland. So is it a getaway no-brainer? I recently made a trip to the former home of Walter Raleigh and the First Earl of Cork to weigh up the star ratings. Located in the accessible surrounds of east Cork (versus the more protracted wilds of the county’s western fringes), Castlemartyr sits a three-hour drive south of the Royal County, lying 10 minutes shy of the scenic shores of Ballycotton Bay. Arriving at Castlemartyr village crossroads on the road between Midleton and Youghal, many household names signpost the hinterland - from Stephen Pearce Pottery to Ballymaloe House, all hallmarks of the regions burgeoning arts and food scene. Once arrived at the main gateway, the resort immediately sets down the grandeur gauntlet. A winding driveway flanked by gushing weirs and a fairytale swan lake veers towards a historic country manor, magnificently buttressed by a 13th-century keep tower. Topping off the exclusive air or romanticism, two Irish setters, Earl and Countess, await to greet guests at the main entrance. All depending on their nap times, of course. The welcome was warm and friendly and rich with the ‘Sir and Madam’ platitudes which I always tend to find at little at odds with our familiar Irish banter. Beyond a regal staircase, my State Manor room was located in the original manor building of the hotel (rather than the extensive new wing) which symbolised the epitome of Hibernian gentrification. * It featured a four-poster bed, gleaming brass, deep-pile rugs and parquet flooring with a Dartmouth green decor providing an airy in-out flow to the horse paddocks and oak woodlands outside. The en-suite, meanwhile, was even more of a highlight: a black-marbled haven with tub, rainforest showers and twin vanity mirrors with toasty underfloor heating. Never mind not going beyond the resort, I’d have been content not to even venture beyond the room. In terms of amenities, the menu is equally pretty bounteous from an 18-hole golf course to the slightly more precious offerings of croquet and archery. The resort’s eye-catching geometric pool, Jacuzzi steam-room and sauna are all complimentary while spa guests all have access to zen-out lounge rooms and hydrotherapy baths. It’s a high-end slick affair with a contemporary edge which one might think more fitting of Miami South Beach than rural County Cork, but somehow it all blends in pretty seamlessly. If you do manage to tear yourself away from the resort, east Cork offers a closelyknit inventory of offerings to while away a perfect afternoon. Foodies can enjoy rustic ‘12 mile’ tapas at the Sage restaurant in Midleton or sip coffee and watch the potters at work at Stephen Pearce’s,while nature lovers can enjoy the cliff walks at Ballycotton or the lesser-known Knockadoon Head. For something a little more active, Crafty Hands in Midleton offers walkin painting classes while at Ballymaloe Cookery School, you can watch Darina Allen & Co performing their daily cooking demos. Back at the resort, come suppertime I opted to eat at the hotel’s Bell Tower restaurant (with the Italian-flavoured Franchini’s the more casual-dining option). The Bell Tower was a formal, French affair where an exquisite dining room overlooked the resort’s equally ornate gardens. Being east Cork, the menu’s inspiration was decidedly local.
