A Few of My Most Recent Favourite Hotels - The Hoxton Southwark, Hotel MOTTO Vienna, The Mayson Dublin

Long time, no blog post is an understatement. It's been over 2 years since my last blog post, and while I'm not entirely sure if blogs are still a thing people enjoy, I've certainly missed writing posts, so I thought I'd revive this little corner of the internet, and what better post to come back with then a roundup of a few of my most recent favourite hotels. There's nothing I love more than finding a gorgeous new hotel, and these three really impressed me, so without further ado, here they are...

Hotel MOTTO, Vienna: 

We visited Vienna for the first time back in March, and during my research for the trip I came across Hotel MOTTO, a boutique hotel with gorgeous interiors and the perfect location (it actually sits right on top of a metro stop). 

Location: 

Hotel MOTTO is located in the Laimgrube neighbourhood of the city and is just on the corner of the main shopping street, 'Mariahilfer Straße', which you can walk down (for about 15 minutes) to get straight into the heart of the city. Even though it's quite a busy street, with lots of people shopping and walking about during the day, the hotel rooms are lovely and quiet, which is great because while it's nice to be in the thick of it all, I still like a quiet hotel room. As I mentioned above, an entrance to the Neubaugasse metro stop was just under the hotel, which we found very handy for hopping on the metro to get around the city.

The Room: 

I booked a Deluxe room, and as soon as I opened the door, I instantly knew it would be one of my top 5 most favourite hotel rooms that I've stayed in. Every little detail had been thought of and perfected, from gorgeous printed fabric that covered the headboard and wardrobe, to the most stunning claw foot bathtub. Speaking of the wardrobe, it was nice and big, with more than enough hangers (something that's so rare in hotels these days), so we were able to fully unpack and also store our suitcases in the wardrobe too, and since we were there for 4 nights, this was ideal.

Overall:

We had such a great stay in Hotel MOTTO and if you're thinking of booking a trip to Vienna, then I'd highly recommend staying here. There's a restaurant on the top floor with incredible views, and I think since we have visited they have opened their rooftop bar too. Every single member of staff we encountered could not have been more helpful or friendly. Make sure you also check out MOTTO Brot, the bakery attached to the hotel, they do the most delicious pastries and breads!

The Hoxton Southwark, London: 

I am a big fan of The Hoxton hotels, and having stayed in the Amsterdam location for my birthday last year (a trip I will definitely have to write a post about soon as I have so many more recommendations to share), my expectations for the Southwark location in London were high. Thankfully, it did not disappoint and lived up to all of my expectations of The Hoxton brand. 

Location: 

When I was first looking at booking The Hoxton, Southwark, I wasn't sure if it would be central enough, and if we'd feel like we were miles from the heart of the city, but with Southwark tube station a 2 minute walk from the hotel, it was actually perfect. It's also only a 10 minute walk along the Thames to the Millennium Bridge (and of course the Tate Modern and The Globe Theatre in that area too), and less than a 10 minute walk to Waterloo Station which we took advantage of and got the train over to Staines to go to Thorpe Park for the day). Long story short, I think it's the perfect base for a trip to London!

The Room: 

Like with all of The Hoxton hotels, the room was gorgeous, with wood paneling on the walls, clever use of space, a nice big smart tv and a rainfall shower. We booked a Cosy room, which was a little small, but perfect since we were out all day anyway, but one thing I will say is that in hindsight, I would definitely have booked the room up from that (Roomy). We are very used to our king sized bed at home, so the queen sized bed in the Cosy room felt just a tiny bit too small, but that's just personal preference I guess! 

Overall: 

As I mentioned above, if you're looking for the perfect base for your trip to London, and love a laid back, chill hotel vibe, then The Hoxton, Southwark is perfect. There is a seafood restaurant on the roof of the hotel called Seabird, which has the most incredible, almost 360 degree views of the London skyline, and while we didn't eat there during our stay, I have only ever heard rave reviews about it. 

The Mayson, Dublin: 

Back in June I was lucky enough to be invited by The Mayson to stay in one of their beautiful Townhouse Suites, and 3 months later I am still thinking about how beautiful the room was, and how much I miss their heated outdoor pool!

Location: 

The Mayson is located right next door to the 3Arena in Dublin, so it's the perfect place to stay for the night if you're going to a gig there. We actually went to see one of my favourite bands, Foals, in Fairview Park the night we stayed which was less than a 10 minute drive away, so it was ideal for us. 

The Room: 

I adore the 'heritage' style of interiors, and The Mayson gets it spot on with their Townhouse rooms. There were so many details in this room that I want to recreate in my own bedroom. The copper roll-top bath had to be one of my most favourite features. All of the rooms in The Mayson have a Dyson hairdryer, a turntable (with records in the lobby that you can choose from and bring up to your room) and a Marshall speaker, and I think it's the details like these that really set this hotel apart from others in Dublin city.  There are also Warehouse rooms, which have more of an industrial, NYC kind of vibe, and I think the next time I stay in The Mayson, I'm definitely going to book one of the Warehouse Suites.

Overall: 

I think one of my favourite parts of The Mayson has to be the heated outdoor pool and sauna. We checked out of our room and headed down there for a few hours of relaxation and it was pure bliss, I honestly could have stayed there all day. We also ate dinner in Elephant & Castle, one of the restaurants in the hotel (there's also Ryleigh’s Steakhouse on the roof of the hotel too), and I finally got to try their famous chicken wings and they did not disappoint. If you're heading to a gig soon (and like myself, don't live in Dublin and have to drive almost 2 hours home afterwards), then I'd definitely recommend treating yourself to a stay here. 

Well it only took me over 2 years to actually write a new blog post, but we did it Joe! I hope you enjoyed it, and hopefully it's not another 2 years before I write the next one. If there's anything you'd like to see in particular on here (be it city guides, or book reviews etc), then please do feel free to pop me a message over on Instagram! Thanks so much for reading.

(This post contains affiliate links.)

A Few of My Most Recent Favourite Hotels - The Hoxton Southwark, Hotel MOTTO Vienna, The Mayson Dublin

21.9.22

Let's Catch Up!

I feel like I've been seriously slacking when it comes to blog posts over the last couple of months so I thought why not do a little life update/catch up post for anyone who doesn't follow me on Instagram and or might not keep track of my every move (honestly, I wouldn't blame you, I'm not that interesting). I'd like to do more of these chatty kinds of posts, so do let me know if you like them, or if they bore you to death, feel free to let me know that too!

The biggest life update I have for you is that I got my first proper 'adult' job after finishing my degree last May which is very exciting! I'm halfway through my second month and it's going very well with lots of exciting plans coming in the future. I do like to keep a certain degree of my life private so I won't be shouting who the company I work for is from the roof tops, just because I don't think it's relevant to my blog and I'd like to keep the two separate, but I will tell you that my official title is "Social Media Co-Ordinator" and if I could have come up with my dream job, this would probably be it!

The second big exciting life update that I have is that Dara (my boyfriend) and I have moved in together. It's something we've been trying to do for about a year or so, and I am delighted that it's finally happened, although I totally underestimated just how much effort (and money) was involved in moving out for the first time. Things I've always taken for granted and never really thought twice about like Wifi, electricity and even which pots and pans are good quality are now all I think about and I feel very grown up indeed.

A few weekends ago we made a trip to IKEA to buy everything we needed for the new house and I finally understood the cliché joke about couples and making it through an IKEA trip without breaking up. On our previous trips to IKEA, we were only picking up the odd thing here and there, but on this last trip we had a full on list of things we actually needed and it was definitely the least fun IKEA experience I've ever had. At one point in the lighting section I very nearly had a meltdown because we couldn't agree on which wall lights we wanted... I mean really? Wall lights? It was at that moment that I realised we were officially fully fledged adults!

That weekend wasn't all bad though as on the Friday night we went to see one of my absolute favourite musicians, Ben Howard, in the 3Arena and he was as incredible as always. Unfortunately lots of the audience seemed to only be fans of his first few albums which he didn't play, so there was a lot of talking within the crowd which kind of ruined the atmosphere but I enjoyed the gig nonetheless.

That night we stayed in The Wilder Townhouse which I'd seen on Instagram and had instantly fallen in love with the decor and vibe. I was surprised at just how close it was to Stephen's Green/Grafton street too and would definitely recommend it if you're looking for a very central hotel in Dublin that's beautifully decorated and does a delicious breakfast (avocado on toast just wins me over every single time). One thing I would say is that if you're driving to The Wilder, there is limited parking and we had to park on the street for a while so it's just something to keep in mind.

We also took a trip to Budapest in the midst of all the moving madness which was definitely some bad planning on my part but we loved it nonetheless. It's such a beautiful city, one that really surprised me as I had zero expectations of it going over there, but I'll save all that for a proper blog post about our trip so stay tuned for that!

So my life for the past month or so has just been full of lots of change which for a Libra like myself is just terrifying but I've been trying to not freak out too much. I'm hoping now that I'm getting settled both into my new job and house that I'll have a bit more time for blogging again because I really have missed this little creative outlet of mine.

Thanks so much for reading and I promise I won't leave it as long until my next blog post!

Let's Catch Up!

21.2.19

Escape To The Wicklow Mountains - Druids Glen Resort Review

Isn't that just one of the most stunning views from a hotel window that you ever did see? It's certainly the best view I've ever had from a hotel room and I could have sat there all weekend looking at all of the autumn leaves! This past weekend myself and Dara headed up to Wicklow for a bit of R&R and were lucky enough to be guests of Druids Glen Resort, a hotel that I'd already heard such amazing things about. It took us about 2 hours to drive up from Waterford, and even the drive itself through Wicklow to the hotel was stunning. Upon walking into the hotel lobby, straight away I fell in love with the decor, and how bright and open the hotel was. It also helped that at the reception desk there was a warm non-alcoholic apple cider that was literally the most delicious, soul warming drink I've ever had (I actually need to find out the recipe)! Since we arrived just before 3pm, we expected to have to wait a little for our room as check-in wasn't until 4pm but to our delight, our room was ready and waiting, and it did not disappoint! 

 The Room:

Originally we had been booked into a Superior King Guestroom which we were so excited about but just a few days before our stay, I got an email to say we'd now be staying in the Executive Suite and like I said above, it did not disappoint! After we'd checked in, we headed up to the third floor and found our room which had double doors, and I don't know about you, but I've never stayed in a hotel room with double doors. Upon opening those doors, we walked into the suite's sitting room which had an open fire already burning and I just totally fell in love. It was so cosy and welcoming and exactly what you'd want for a relaxing weekend away. As well as the fire, the sitting room had a comfy little couch, a table and chairs and a big tv, which would be perfect for a movie night.

 Then from the sitting room/lounge, there are sliding double doors into the bedroom. The bed was gigantic and super comfy, and again had an incredible view out of the window at all of the gorgeous scenery. I loved that the decor of the room had a bit of a countryside vibe to it without it looking dated at all, it was fresh whilst still feeling homely and cosy. The bedroom also had a huge tv which allowed us to plug in a USB stick so we watched a movie after dinner. Between the bedroom and the bathroom there was a dressing table and an impressive coffee machine set up with lots of nespresso pods and also a walk in wardrobe which had some slippers and the best robes I've ever worn. They were towelling on the inside but soft and fluffy on the outside and I definitely considered taking one home with me!

 From the little dressing room area you then walked into the bathroom which had a double sink and a separate bath and shower which I always love because for some reason having a shower in a bath always makes me feel like I might fall over, but maybe I'm just weird! The best part about the bathroom was that there were L'Occitane en Provence toiletries which I was very impressed by as it's a gorgeous brand and their products smell amazing. The bath even had little tea lights and holders for the ultimate bath time experience and anyone who knows me at all knows I love ALL of the candles when I have a bath, so I thought that was a nice little touch and something I haven't seen in a hotel before.

 The Food:

While Hugo's in Druids Glen holds 2AA rosettes for culinary excellence, and I have no doubt that the food is incredible in there, myself and Dara like a much more relaxed, casual kind of dinner (yes, we are 5 years old), so opted for dinner in the newly refurbished Garden Rooms and Bar. The menu in here was right up our street, and certainly didn't disappoint. The restaurant itself was also so well decorated, with blue velvet booths, gorgeous wood flooring, dark marble tables and mood lighting so good we felt like we were in a top class restaurant. I ordered the sweet potato chips for starters whilst Dara had the kofti kebabs and for mains I of course had to order the pizza and Dara ordered the burger. The best part by far was dessert, where I had the chocolate tart, but instead of having it with the mascarpone it should have been served with, I instead asked to have the toasted banana ice cream with it that I saw came with the sticky toffee pudding (which is what Dara ordered). Let me tell you, it was heaven in my mouth! I also have to mention Kevin who served us because he was so friendly and chatty and made us feel right at home.

After such a lovely meal the night before, I had no doubts that breakfast wouldn't disappoint and I was right. Breakfast was served in Hugo's which was again decorated so well and was lovely and bright. The breakfast was a buffet (my favourite) with a little twist. They had an omelette station where you could pick what you wanted in your omelette and they would make it right there for you. Now I actually don't eat eggs so I didn't try this out but they also make pancakes at this station too which sadly I didn't realise until we had finished our breakfast and I couldn't fit another bite.

One thing I have to mention as well is that Druids Glen is just a 30 minute drive from Glendalough, although it felt much shorter because we drove through such stunning countryside. If you've never been, Glendalough is one of the most breathtaking places I've been to in Ireland and Dara and I did the Blue walk, which took us right up to the top overlooking both lakes. Definitely a bit of a trek to the top, and much harder than I thought it'd be but so worth it so if you're thinking of staying in Druids Glen, definitely pencil in a visit to Glendalough too!

Druids Glen also has amazing leisure facilities and a spa that I actually had a good few messages from people recommending it on Instagram but between us wanting to be lazy and chill out for a bit and then our visit to Glendalough we didn't get a chance to check them out, but what better excuse to stay there again eh?

I hope you enjoyed this little look into the Druids Glen Resort and a big thank you to them for having us this past weekend, it was just what we needed!

Escape To The Wicklow Mountains - Druids Glen Resort Review

12.11.18

The Comfiest Bed I've Ever Slept In - Midlands Park Hotel Review

Ready to hear all about a hotel that offers not only a luxurious, relaxing stay with delicious food but also won't break the bank like some other hotels might? Myself and Dara spent the past weekend as guest of the stunning Midlands Park Hotel and I was so excited to share this gem of a hotel with you all that I actually started working on this blog post as soon as I got home from our trip to Portlaoise! When I mentioned on my Instagram story that we were heading up to the Midlands Park Hotel, straight away I had at least 5 messages all raving about the hotel, which actually doesn't happen too often so I knew we were in a for a treat. Kelly's Steakhouse was also mentioned a few times which had Dara and I very excited for dinner as we had booked in there for 6pm. Upon arrival to the hotel (which was only just over an hour and fifteen minutes away from us which is a nice change from lots of hotels in Dublin/Cork) we were greeted by such lovely, friendly staff which is another thing that the people messaging me on Instagram had mentioned. 

The Room:

We stayed in one of the hotel's suites which are actually located in a separate building to the main hotel but are still connected to the hotel by a walkway meaning that it's a nice, quite area. Our suite was room 505 or the Glenbarrow suite and honestly, it was the most incredible hotel room/suite that I have ever had the pleasure of staying in. Firstly it was HUGE, with really high ceilings, a massive window and so much space that Dara and I were joking that we could happily live there 24/7 and not feel cramped! The room was gorgeously decorated, with a rich purple colour scheme, plush carpets and even a chandelier. Like the title of this post suggests, the bed was the comfiest bed I have ever slept in, it was like sleeping on an actual cloud and I woke up feeling so well rested. Even Dara, who struggles to get a good nights sleep anywhere but his own bed slept like a baby which really says something. 

Our suite also had a sofa in front of a huge tv which to our delight had Netflix so of course we ended up watching pretty much all of season 2 of Ozark. The hotel does have a pool and brilliant leisure facilities which I actually packed a swimsuit especially for, but in the end we just loved our room so much and the fact we could totally kick back and relax in front of the tv that we didn't end up making it down to check it out, but I think sometimes you need a nice, totally chilled weekend right? 

As if the huge, comfy bed, the giant tv and sofa weren't enough, the Glenbarrow suite also had a walk in closet, a coffee machine, a separate toilet and the most magnificent bathroom. The bathroom was one of the things that had me saying "Wow" as soon as we walked into the room as it has a glass wall shower feature so you can see straight into the bathroom through the shower from the main bedroom room. The shower itself was actually a double rainfall shower so you could have a shower side by side with your other half if you wanted to. There was also a big bath in the bathroom which had a very cool water faucet (I think that's what you'd call it anyway) and some gorgeous toiletries from Rituals which were a real treat. This suite really did have every single thing you could want or dream of in a hotel room and the best part is that the price of the Midlands Park Hotel suites aren't that much more expensive than what you'd pay for a regular double room in some other hotels that I've stayed in. Particularly if you can stay on a week night, it's seriously good value for money. While we didn't experience the hotel's other room types, I can only imagine that the quality of them was just as good as our suite, and they are even more budget friendly if that's what you're looking for.

The Food:

If you've been following me on Instagram for any amount of time then it's probably very obvious that I seriously love food, so when lots of people were messaging me telling me how good the food in the Midlands Park Hotel was, specifically in the Kelly's Steakhouse, I couldn't wait to try it! Kelly's Steakhouse is right next to the hotel, and actually right below where our suite was. We had looked up the menu beforehand and it all sounded very delicious. I love when a menu has 3 or 4 different options that I'd love to try, although it does make deciding what to order that bit trickier because I'm very indecisive especially when it comes to food! I ordered the nachos for starters, 'The Smokey' burger for mains and the Rocky Road Hot Pot for dessert and Dara had the Caesar salad to start, the very interesting and exciting 16oz Hot Rock Sirloin of Beef for mains and the Warm Chocolate Fondant for dessert. After we had finished our meal we both agreed that it was one of the best we'd ever had. Every single bit of food was delicious and so well presented and we thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are planning on visiting Kelly's Steakhouse then I'd definitely recommend trying out the Hot Rock Sirloin of Beef. It's served on a volcanic rock that's been heated to 420 degrees so you can cook it exactly how you like it. Of course I had to try some of Dara's beef purely for the purpose of this post of course and I can attest to the fact that it was seriously yummy. 

Breakfast in the Midlands Park Hotel was much like our dinner the evening before and didn't disappoint. There was a continental buffet with lots of pastries, fruit, cold meats and delicious blueberry muffins and then there was a breakfast menu so you could order whatever you wanted from the kitchen. Unusually for me, I didn't go for the Belgian waffles that would usually tempt me but instead had the traditional Irish breakfast and a lovely Java Republic cappuccino which was a nice surprise because I love good coffee. We were both pleasantly surprised at how fast our breakfast was served after we had ordered especially since we'd gone down for breakfast at 10am which is always when it's busiest. Again, like with the rest of our stay, the staff were so friendly and really attentive.

Reading back over this review it almost sounds like the hotel has paid me to rave about it but I can promise you that's not the case, I ain't that easy to buy! We genuinely enjoyed our stay in the Midlands Park Hotel so much and I couldn't recommend it enough. It's so lovely to find such a stunning hotel that I can recommend to you all knowing that it's on the more affordable side of things because we all need to treat ourselves to a break sometimes, right?

One thing I will mention just so this post isn't all me gushing over how much we loved the hotel is that parking is only included for guests who are staying on a B&B basis and is only covered from check-in at 4pm until check out at 12pm. For the time you spend there outside of that, you will have to pay for parking as the hotel doesn't own the carpark right next door, but that's the case with lots of other hotels that I've stayed in so it didn't bother us too much and certainly didn't taint our view of the hotel at all.

Thanks so much for reading this review and if you're looking for a lovely break away, I hope you strongly consider the Midlands Park Hotel! A big thank you must also be said to the wonderful staff at the hotel for making our stay so pleasurable and to the hotel for having us as their guests.

The Comfiest Bed I've Ever Slept In - Midlands Park Hotel Review

24.9.18

Actual Spa Heaven - Galgorm Resort & Spa Review

You know when you hear so many rave reviews about a hotel and you think to yourself, "Surely it can't be as amazing as they're saying, it's only a hotel after all"? Well that's exactly what I thought when I heard people going on and on about Galgorm Resort & Spa until they very kindly invited myself and Dara up to stay for this past weekend,  and let me tell you, all of those people were right, it is absolutely incredible! Even when I asked on Instagram for recommendations for things to do around the Ballymena area, so many people advised me to just stay in the hotel and enjoy it and it wasn't until we actually got to the hotel that I understood what people meant. The Galgorm Resort literally has it all, with 4 restaurants to choose from, huge grounds, a thermal village you could easily spend a week in and even a blow-dry bar! 

The Room:

Let's start with our room, shall we? We stayed in one of the Deluxe River View Rooms which was absolutely huge and looked out over the Thermal Village and the River Maine. As our room was a deluxe room, there was actually a separate check-in desk where they even had little canapes and flavoured water for us on arrival which I thought was oh so fancy! The rooms in Galgorm have such a lovely, cosy, almost heritage style decor with wood details and tartan accents which I loved. The mini bar in the room which had bottles of Pepsi, Fanta, 7UP, wine and larger was complimentary as were the little snacks (sweet potato crisps and biscuits) that we found on the desk area. 

The room had a very cool gadget called the 'Suitepad' which had all of the information about the hotel that you may need, including menus for the restaurants etc and it also gave you the ability to book spa treatments and order room service which I thought was very handy! There was also a rather large tv in the room but unfortunately we had forgot to bring our Chromecast and the tv didn't have Netflix capabilities so we settled for watching the new series of Ozark (who else is obsessed?) on Dara's laptop instead. I'm sure watching Netflix in your hotel room wouldn't even cross most people's minds so the tv wouldn't be a problem, but I just said I'd mention it if you're like myself and Dara and I who love to be lazy in the evenings!

 Just like the main room, the bathroom was huge too with a massive walk in, rainfall shower, a gorgeous bath and a sink that had a very handy mirror with LED lights. My absolute favourite part of the bathroom had to be the Aromatherapy Associates toiletries. When I say they smelt like absolute heaven I promise I am not over exaggerating. I love when a hotel has top quality products in their bathroom and I actually didn't even use the shampoo and conditioner I had packed once because the Aromatherapy Associate shampoo and conditioner left my hair so soft and shiny! As I type this I'm also looking up the body lotion they had in the bathroom too as it smelt so delicious (lavender oil and ylang-ylang make the best combination) and left my skin so soft and moisturised that I totally need it in my life!

The Food:

Like I mentioned at the start of this post, Galgorm has 4 restaurants all with quite different cuisines so there's something to suit everyone's taste. There are even two different options for breakfast and since we stayed for 2 nights we got to try them both, all in the name of research of course! Lots of the offers that Galgorm currently have include dinner so you can have a super relaxing break away and not have to leave the hotel at all, which sounds like heaven doesn't it? Obviously I can only give my opinion on the food and restaurants that we tried, but I've had lots of people say that they really loved all of the other restaurants in the resort too, which is always good to hear!

On our first night in Galgorm we had dinner in Fratelli, their Italian restaurant located just outside next to the main building of the hotel. I am a self confessed pizza fiend and was very excited at the thought of eating my body weight in carbs and I certainly wasn't disappointed! I had the mini dough balls with garlic and parsley butter to start and I could honestly have eaten 4 plates of them, they were that tasty! Then for mains I had the Salsicia Piccante pizza which again was delicious but just a little bit too spicy for me because I'm a total whimp when it comes to any kind of spicy food, and that was totally my fault for ordering a pizza which literally has the word "spicy" in it's name! 

If you've read any of my previous hotel reviews you'll know that the breakfast is one of my favourite parts of staying in a hotel, especially if it's a buffet breakfast! There are two options for breakfast in Galgorm. The River Room breakfast is a set menu with a continental buffet served in the gorgeous River Room conservatory and then there's a buffet style breakfast in Gillies restaurant. We had breakfast in Gillies on our first morning and my eyes were definitely bigger than my belly, but if you go to a buffet breakfast and don't eat way too much then what's the point?! They had everything you could possibly want for breakfast including a pancake station, and I have to say even the quality of the fried food like the sausages and rashers was top notch. 

Then on our last morning in the resort we had breakfast in the River Room just because I wanted to see the difference and try both of them out so I could report back on which I'd recommend more, but to be honest the breakfast in the River Room was just as delicious as the buffet breakfast in Gillies. I think it depends on what kind of atmosphere you're after, as the River Room was so lovely and quiet and chilled out whereas breakfast in Gillies was busy and lively. I ordered the crepes with poached pear, clotted cream and pistachio crumble in the River Room as well as some rashers and sausage on the side because I just love a bit of sweet and savoury. They also had the continental breakfast buffet too so it was nice to have some fruit and yogurt too. All in all I was very impressed with both breakfasts and their coffee was delicious each time!

The Spa & Thermal Village:

I've definitely saved my favourite part of the Galgorm Resort & Spa for last and I could go on and on about how much I loved the thermal village for days! The thermal village in Galgorm really has to be seen to be believed, and then you'll need a whole day to try out all of the features. There's a sauna with views of the river, so many jacuzzis, a whole thermal suite with lots of different health benefits, a snow room, the comfiest water beds that are impossible not to nap on, a hydrotherapy pool and even heated seats that looked out onto the river. We were honestly blown away by the sheer size of the thermal village and spent the majority of our time in Galgorm either napping on the water beds and heated seats, or enjoying the steam rooms and saunas until we had big, tomato-like faces!

One of my favourite parts of the Thermal Village was the Sanarium which was basically a sauna with a lower temperature than usual sauna's. I could have stayed in there for hours, it was just so peaceful! Another part of the thermal village that I loved was the heated seats that they had next to the main pool and also outside the hydrotherapy pool. They were the perfect way to dry off after a dip in the pool and there were quite a few times I found myself dozing off on them.  If you're feeling a bit peckish from all of the relaxing, the Elements cafe in the thermal village is the perfect place to pop into as they do things like soup, paninis and even cocktails if you feel like treating yourself to one! We both had a delicious tomato soup which came with bread and the best butter I've ever tasted and it was a lovely little break from our day of relaxing. 

I must mention as well that Galgorm Resort & Spa is just a 40 minute drive from the Giant's Causeway and a 30 minute drive from The Dark Hedges (for any Game of Thrones fans). We headed up to the Giant's Causeway after breakfast on Saturday and stopped by The Dark Hedges on the way back to the hotel and were back with enough time for a lovely few hours back in the thermal village!

If you're looking for a super relaxing getaway, then I couldn't recommend Galgorm enough. Every member of staff we came into contact with was so friendly and helpful, the hotel itself was so peaceful and chilled, and even though it was a very busy weekend with a few weddings going on, not once did we feel like it was crowded. If you're looking for a base to explore some of the sights in the North, or you just want to get away for the weekend and not have to leave the resort at all, then Galgorm Resort & Spa is definitely one to consider. 

A big thank you to Galgorm for having us as their guests this past weekend, and although this stay was complimentary all opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are 100% honest and my own because what's a blogger's opinion worth if they aren't honest, right?! I hope this review was helpful, and if you have any questions about our stay do let me know. Thanks so much for reading!

Actual Spa Heaven - Galgorm Resort & Spa Review

3.9.18