During our most recent trip in June 2014, we booked in with Castlemartyr after visiting Cobh and sending our friends off to Dublin for the end of their trip. It isn't far from Cobh so I thought we would check in early, take in the pool and the grounds with our 4-year-old daughter... some down time after traveling for 6 days to show our friends as much as we could.
Even the best-laid plans don't always work out on vacation as we ended up driving to Waterford City for the day to show our friends Waterford Crystal and make sure they got closer to their destination. We never arrived until 6pm, hungry, tired and ready for bed.
Castlemartyr Check-In
We pulled into Castlemartyr's driveway around 6pm and rather than using valet, as we should, we decided to park and walk so Clare could get a glimpse of the horses along the way. What we didn't realize is that parking at Castlemartyr is difficult with a small parking lot further away from the entrance and mainly full of locals utilizing the spa. We manage to get our luggage to the front entrance despite our weariness from the day's travel.
The front desk could not find our reservation and asked if I had a confirmation. Of course I did -- in the car. Up until now I had carried my documents with me to each and every location but the previous five locations we didn't have an issue. Murphy's Law kicks in and now I have to prove to Castlemartyr that we were indeed confirmed, more so for the rate than the room itself because the still had vacancies.
I ran back to the car, in the rain, to retrieve my documents and glanced at them to ensure I was there on the right day -- and right year (past experience requires this!) Yes, I had an email confirmation and so the front desk handled it fairly quickly and got us on our way... with a bellman to help with our luggage as the journey to our room was quite long.
Castlemartyr Deluxe Room
Past the spa, Francini's Resturant... down a long hallway and past a banquet room... up the elevator... another long, quiet hallway and into the next building and we were home for the night!
Entering into the hallway, we see that there is a dressing room and closet to the right as well as the bathroom off that. To the left is the king bed, desk and TV. Right away we notice a computer panel in the wall for lights and one on the nightstand desk for curtains and lights. Quite a high-tech room yet you wouldn't expect it from the luxurious decor.
Right away we noticed that there wasn't a bed for our daughter, despite noting the room was for 3 and asking her how old she was. We called the front desk to advise that we need a roll-away cot for our daughter and they said it would be there shortly.
No worries, we were off to dinner, opting for Castlemartyr's Francini's family-friendly restaurant rather than dressing up for fine dining ... we were too tired tonight.
Castlemartyr Francini's Family-Friendly Italian
When Francini's was described as "family-friendly" and "with it's own playroom", we both conjured up images of something very fast and quick... simple fare to be quite honest. What we got was completely different...
A nice bottle of wine and some authentic Italian appetizers. Our daughter's entree was actually a charcuterie and cheese plate which she ate completely -- when we finally got her out of the playroom! Needless to say the food was above our expectations and the wine was good, helping us mellow from the day's activities. Next time we hope to eat more upscale in the dining room since Francini's was quite good.
When we got back to our room, we found a pack-n-play which wasn't going to work for a 4-year-old, despite her cries that she wanted to sleep in it. Another call to the front desk to explain that she is 4 and we need a roll-away bed ... is when we learned a "cot" is comparable to a pack-n-play in Ireland. When we asked for a bed, the manager brought up a twin bed, rolled it in and we helped set it up so Clare could get right in bed... and all was good.
I'd like to stress that even travel agents have issues on vacation and very few things will ruin a trip, if you don't let it. This was just a blip on our vacation and a learning experience... we wanted nothing free from the hotel as we have seen/heard others try to bargain with.
Castlemartyr Breakfast
Breakfast is one of our favorite parts of experiencing some of the luxury Irish properties and Castlemartyr is right up there with the rest of the 5-star properties.A separate room houses all of the cold items including fresh yogurt from a local dairy, fresh fruits, breads, cereals, etc. The spread is quite lovely and there is no way you can try it all...
You can also order from the menu, including French toast and omelets... which we did. Unfortunately it took quite a while to arrive and we had to gulp it down and leave as we were meeting a friend in Mallow.
While the omelet was quite nice, having the time to enjoy it would have been better.
Castlemartyr Lessons Learned
The biggest lesson I learned from our night at Castlemartyr was to get there much earlier than we did. Check-in is a 3pm for many properties and I highly recommend you do just that. It allows you to take a walk around the grounds and get a swim in at the pool before dinner.I also learned to carry my documents in to EVERY property so I don't have to run back to the car... as well as confirm, at the front desk, the type of roll-away that will be brought to the room for our daughter. Minor, but it will definitely save time and frustration for everyone.
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