My cousin, also my maid of honour treated me to a lovely spa break at Monart Spa. It was very much a last minute decision, but I am so happy as I had such an enjoyable and relaxing night away …oh and did I mention she is one of the most fun people out there I would say we spent about 96% of our time laughing.
Below I have written a piece about my stay at Monart Spa and if you would like to skip to my review of the hotel, spa, facilities and food just scroll past ‘My Adventures at Monart Spa’
My Adventures At Monart Spa
We arrived at 2.30pm Sunday and upon driving through the gates, we were then greeted by the parking valet, who helped us with our bags and then took our car keys and off we went to check in. While checking in, we were talking to the receptionist she mentioned that this is a ‘robing environment’ and Monart Spa encourages guests to stay in their robes or cosy clothes for the duration of their stay (bar dinner which is a classy/ casual look). Once we checked into our rooms, we got changed into our robes and swimwear and went straight down to the spa, as Caoimhe had booked us in for some divine massages. We had dinner booked for 9.30pm, which actually turned out to be a really great thing, as even though it was late, it meant we weren’t rushing form the spa after our treatments which ended at about 5pm to get dressed and ready for dinner to early, it meant after our treatment we could relax and lounge and enjoy. While at spa we tried to keep with the recommended program that is up on the wall recommending what amenities to use and who long to stay in them etc etc. The spa as you can imagine, was very relaxed and quiet, mostly full of groups of women with the odd couple thrown into the mix. Everyone just kept to themsleves. My favourite room by far (always has been and always will be) was the stream room and what I like about the stream room at Monart Spa was that they have a forest theme, the walls have a display picture of being in the middle of a forest and they have aromatherapy oils in this room and when when you breath in, it is like being outside in the streamiest forest breathing some lovely purifying air. We had an aromatherapy massage each followed by a few minutes in the dark/ seep relaxation room. The massage couldn’t of been nicer and I had a lovely girl named Sarah, look after me. I was in heaven. The other thing I really like about this spa and any other spa that can do it, is making good use of BIG GIGANTIC windows that make can turn it into an outside inside … kinda place. I immediately think anywhere that use’s nature and naturalness as an element, is a winner in my eyes.
After spa’ing’ until our hearts content, we went back to our rooms and got ready for our dinner. If we had of been smart we should of ordered a small room service pre dinner as we had another hour and a half until our dinner booking at 9.30pm. But we went to the The Garden Lounge bar (which also serve food) and had some pre dinner drinks. *Honest moment* having only learned recently that some alcohol is not suitable for vegans (I’m still learning) I paid careful attention to the allergy warning on the drinks menu, which Monart Spa has also paid special and diligent care into making. But once I found a lovely cruelty free Elderflower cocktail I was a very happy lady. After our drinks we then went into the onsite restaurant and a delicious meal, but given how relaxed we were we actually got very tired very quickly and the lovely staff organised that our desserts be brought down to our room, where we delightfully ate it in our PJs. After a lovely fun day of relaxing and talking we both went to sleep. I woke up at about 7.30am and went for a lovely walk around the hotel, the old house to get a few snaps and outside around the gardens and lake. We then went for a lovely breakfast IN OUR ROBES and totally indulged for what was left of our stay. After breakfast we went back to our rooms and checked out of our rooms and went back to the spa for one more hour of feeling like two queens before we drove back to reality.
We had a really lovely stay here and we hope to go back soon, as it really is the ideal place to just relax and indulge and would be an ideal night away with mothers / daughters (18+), friends and couples.
My Thoughts
The Hotel
The hotel it’s self is fab. When you walk in, you must walk through the old building first and I love that in this building they have kept the interior grand and classy, as it would of been, with antiques carefully placed across the rooms. This building is used to read, avail of wifi and to relax. While I briefly checked it out, there was only one other person here and I can see why it is considered an even further place to unwind.
The hotel garden and grounds are maintained very well. The two days that we were staying we could see gardeners doing maintenance and helping it to keep it’s natural beauty.
The whole layout of the new part of the hotel is done very openly with huge windows everywhere and very cool art pieces throughout, my favourite part being a huge tree growing through the reception area coming out of the ground, so beautiful.
The Bedrooms
The bedrooms are equally as nice. We had a ground floor room at the very end if the building, which was great as it let a lot of natural light in and allowed easy access to the gardens. The rooms a clean and pristine with a love beige classy decor.
The Spa
The spa is everything that you could want from a spa and more. Given how busy the spa can be with people, there are maybe only two rooms that you might have to wait to get into, otherwise there is ample space for everyone. The staff are very helpful and friendly. There are lovely naturally flavoured water and warm teas and healthy snacks available in the dry relaxation room away from the thermal suite (obviously there is drinking water available in the thermal suite too). Every facility that you would like is available here including a sauna, a sanarium, stream room and a hydrotherapy pool. There are plenty of towels and everyone wears swimwear, robes and slippers. The changing rooms are lovely with plenty of space with big lockers and the showers are also very spacious and supplied with luxurious shampoo, conditioner and body wash. The vanity area near the bathrooms is supplied with face cleanser, eye make up remover and moisturiser, body butter, deodorant and hair sprays.
The treatment rooms and area are great too and the staff are very attentive and diligent. I had the most amazing massage given to me by a lovely lady named Sarah, who really helped to release stress from my back .
All the products are cruelty free, not tested on animals, ethically sourced and made with natural ingredients.
Food
There are three different places to eat at Monart Spa; The Restaurant, the Garden Cafe and the Spa Cafe. I can’t speak for all of them as we only ate in the restaurant but the food is delicious and they have a separate menu vegan menu for most meals, which is definitely a great thing and gives a few extra options for vegans and vegetarians, as apposed to most hotels. My only recommendation is to read the allergies list, as even on the vegan menu there was ‘Amuse Bouche’, which contains egg and milk amongst other things.
The food was delicious and very elegantly presented. Our waitress brought out a bread selection for us, followed by delicious spreads to choose from. The food is very filling so be sure to keep room for dessert. We had some cocktails and wine from the bar and while they were very nice they are on the expensive side, my cocktail was €12.50 (or something along those lines).
Breakfast was also very delicious. With a lovely spread of fresh fruit, breads, and toppings such as nut and seed mixes, fruit jams and yogurt, amongst others to choose from you can then order from the hot food menu. Again, there is a separate vegan/ vegetarian menu (this menu is fully vegan) and is soooooo good. I opted for a vegan fry and caramelised banana (OMG amazing)!! You can also order healthy vegan juices and smoothies to go with your breakfast.
Star Rating
*****
You are staying in an award winning 5 star spa retreat with lovely 5 star service.
Have you been? What did you think?
x
Saoirse.
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