Being invited to spend the weekend with my family at the the four-star Clayton Hotel Sligo was such a treat.The drive from Moate in County Westmeath was smooth and the hotel was easily located. The hotel is a beautiful and historic building and has 162 spacious and comfortable bedrooms of which 96 are superior bedrooms and 66 are suites.
The suites come complete with kitchenette facilities containing a microwave and fridge, very helpful when you have a three and six year old in tow. The family suite was spacious, clean and comfortable with two single beds in one room and a double and single bed in the other, a perfect size bathroom and a supply of tea and coffee and bottled water. The Clayton Hotel Sligo provide free WiFi, which was great for the children's devices. There was a tent for the children set up in their room, a little treat tote bag on each of their beds with vouchers for free popcorn and colours and fun games inside.
After settling in, we took a stroll around the hotel which has a modern, bright and homely feel. The staff were lovely and accommodating and greeted us with a smile. The hotel has plenty of safety measures in place so you feel very comfortable during your stay. There's a fairy trail for the little ones to make the experience even more magical!
We booked breakfast for 8.30am, it is table service with a wide selection on the continental and cooked side of the menu. It had a great vegan selection for my husband so all guests are catered for, the children, of course, chose the freshly made pancakes with Nutella, while I opted for the full Irish and my husband had vegan sausages, hash browns and beans, the perfect start to the day. There are also fresh juices, tea and coffee and baskets of toast available.
We then made our way to the pool which we pre-booked each day for 10.20am. The pool is divided into zones (10 in total ) so you and your family have your very own section in which to have fun. The baby pool was great fun for my youngest, it is the perfect depth for the small ones, the pool is clean, bright and vibrant and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The session was 50 minutes duration so plenty of time for fun.
There is also a playroom with air hockey and pool table to keep the children entertained for hours, not to mention Aunty Sheila's sweetshop with all the nostalgic treats and hot fresh popcorn. After breakfast we spoke to Valerie, the lovely hotel manager, and she recommended Rosses Point for the beach and Glencarr Waterfalls, so off we went to take in the local sights. The waterfall is only a 10 minute drive and was a beautiful sight, there is a small cafe beside it with a playground and we spent about an hour there before heading to Rosses Point, we were very lucky that the rain stayed off and we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach.
On return to the hotel we went to Singergie restaurant for dinner at 6pm which was also pre-booked. The menu had a wide selection for adults and children alike. I had the wings to start, the children had garlic bread and my husband and eldest opted for salad and satay chicken. For mains, my eldest and I had the Indian curry, with saffron rice, chips, garlic naan and freshly made poppadoms. I couldn't recommend this meal enough - it was stunning, the flavours were incredible and danced on my tongue. My husband had the vegan beetroot burger and said it was a delight, while the smaller children both had the penne pasta with tomato sauce and cleared their plates! Dessert was a tough choice, they all looked mouth-watering on the menu, the children had ice cream and gobbled it all up, my husband chose the vegan tart and I opted for the lemon tart.
We had no complaints and the coconut ice cream was just incredible! The table service was wonderful, the staff cannot do enough for you, they are so friendly and helpful and really took care of us during our stay, they truly do a brilliant job and I can't praise them all enough. If you wanted to sit and have a meal in the bar, Bulben's is a great choice, warm friendly and comfortable and you are sure to enjoy your dinner there too! All of the produce in both the bar and restaurant is locally sourced helping to keep local businesses trading.
Once the children were settled and asleep we left our eldest to babysit and sat in the lobby taking in the hustle and bustle of the hotel. Once you sit down there is a drinks menu with plenty of choice including cocktails to suit everyone. We relaxed for an hour before heading to bed to get some much needed shut eye.
Overall, we had a wonderful family weekend away the hotel is very much geared towards families but also would be a perfect couple getaway, The Clayton Hotel Sligo really has it all for that much needed break! To book your stay you can contact the team on (0 )71 911 9000 or email [email protected], you will love every second.
