Our Staff Journalist Gemma Weir was invited to spend the weekend with her husband Jim and tiny man, Solly, in wonderful County Wexford at the Ferrycarrig Hotel.
The Weir’s were off on their travels again – We do love a little escapade! This time, we were delighted to be invited along for a stay in County wexford at the four star Ferrycarrig hotel.
The SatNav lured us into a false sense of security as she promised a three and a half hour car journey from Belfast; but being my usual unorganised self, I managed to time our approach for the hectic Dublin ring-road, right about rush hour. That M11 was a cruel mistress, but we got there, all be it a decent five hours later. Which leads me to my top tip – leave earlier! It was an easy, straightforward drive though, and with our tiny master strapped into the car seat in the back, we made sure to utilise the service stations on the way to stretch his tiny legs and grab plenty of snacks.
When we arrived, it was dark and a bit blustery so we were all quite delighted to step inside to lovely welcoming reception. We knew that we had arrived at a four star hotel because it had everything you would expect – clean, modern and stylish furnishings, spacious public areas and huge smiles behind the reception desk. We instantly felt relaxed after our elongated car journey.
As we blundered our way up in the lift with all of our bags and baggage to our room and swung open the door, I was blown away! Our room was very large and pristine. We had our own balcony, two lovely beds (its always good to have a back up incase there’s a row) and Solly had his little cot all made up in the corner. It’s nigh on impossible for a hotel to be ‘toddler proof’, but I think the Ferrycarrig had got it as close as is possible. I felt quite relaxed letting the blonde curly haired tyrant toddle up and down the large floor space knowing there was very little to cause me concern. Even the tea and coffee making facilities were tucked safely away on a higher shelf in the wardrobe! Solly kept saying “bootyfol” – Which is toddler for ‘beautiful’ – So I think the Ferrycarrig even got His Lordship’s seal of approval!
The Ferrycarrig is really thoughtfully designed – all 102 bedrooms are facing the River Slaney Estuary, so the views are just wonderful! The balcony with the seating area is a great use of space and to take advantage of the scenery that Wexford had to show off. Ferrycarrig offer standard, superior, deluxe, junior suite, large family rooms and executive suites.
After a great comfortable night sleep (even Solly slept to almost 8am) and a monster buffet breakfast (full shebang complete with a funky little pancake maker) we decided to pull ourselves away from the comfort of the Ferrycarrig and find out exactly where we were. We love Wexford! We ventured into the town to have a nosy around the lovely little shops and bars all lined along the cobbled streets. It looks very traditional and it’s a great place to spend a few euros. The typical Irish welcome is pretty much behind every counter. One of the trips I am glad we bothered to do, was the Hook Lighthouse. It was a bit more of a drive to get there (Around 45 minutes), but it was absolutely worth the journey! The views are stunning, the cafe is fantastic and the fresh air conked us all out, we got the heads blew off us at the top. The Hook are very into their environmental ethos and their conservation efforts are remarkable – It’s also the oldest operational lighthouse in the world… How can that not be worth a visit?
It’s no secret that my favourite past time is eating. I could quite happily eat my way around the globe, but I’m delighted that I don’t need to travel too far for a great spot of grub! I think that’s an island thing – Ireland is surrounded by every fresh ingredient we could imagine. I was delighted that Reeds Restaurant has made it’s home at Ferrycarrig. Reeds restaurant has been awarded with AA rosettes for culinary excellence three years in a row and offers a relaxed bistro style experience – magnificent sweeping views of the estuary and fresh local ingredients lovingly prepared to impress the diners. Jim and I were treated to a beautiful three course meal while Solly slept in his buggy (The Hook blew all the rascally-ness out of him so we could enjoy our dinner in peace – another brownie point for The Hook!). Reeds is absolutely deserving of their accolades and the staff were just lovely. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend getting your table booked! The menu is refined and adventurous and each dish delivered on our expectations of a decorated restaurant.
After another amazing sleep, our bubble was about to burst; but not before another breakfast of champions! Jim loves to tuck into his cooked breakfast, Solly had worked his way through the freshly made pancakes and more maple syrup that a full grown maple could supply, and I even had my veggie sausage request met! That is the recipe for a really happy lot!
It’s the little touches at the Ferrycarrig that make it that little bit more lovely – As we packed up our suitcases and headed down to check out, Solly had a balloon waiting for him on the door handle “we will miss you!” – What a lovely gesture, I chuckled to myself ‘aye, dead on you will’, remembering Solly’s breakfast performance over a sachet of forbidden Nutella (the first two were not forbidden). As we walked along the halls, we noticed the doors of the child inhabited rooms ready for check out with their balloons tied to the handles too! We passed one room with four balloons… I was glad I wasn’t in there.
The trip home was much quicker (because I didn’t march everyone out the door at the height of traffic… I’ll never be allowed to forget that!) I think that Ferrycarrig is the perfect family staycation, hence, it is one of Irelands leading family hotels! Don’t be put off if your child averse though, Ferrycarrig have everyone covered with their Adult Only Floor for a relaxing escape. They have an entire floor of guest rooms that are reserved for adults only! I wouldn’t get caught up on the driving either, it’s an easy enough scoot down the road if you time it right, or even better… Take the train!
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