My fiancé and I decided to make the most of our day off on St Patrick’s Day and head away for the night.  We hadn’t decided where we would go but we were both agreed we would go somewhere convenient to Belfast so we could head off after work on Tuesday evening. 

To my surprise my fiancé went ahead and booked a hotel but wouldn’t reveal where we were going.  The only clue I had was that it was approximately an hour’s drive from Belfast, however which direction I didn’t know.  For all I knew I could have ended up back home however thankfully we didn’t.

So at 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon I waited patiently to be picked up from work.  It was a beautiful afternoon and we headed in the direction of Newcastle.  To my delight a short time later we arrived at the Slieve Donard Hotel.  I had only ever visited the hotel once before however did not have the pleasure of staying over.

Having checked in we decided to book a meal later that evening in the Percy French restaurant.  The Percy French Inn is a pub-style bistro set within the hotel grounds.  For starter we had the salmon and then for our main courses we had the Vegetable Lasgane and the Murg Malia Curry.  The portion sizes were more then adequate, neither of us were able to finish our meal even though we tried very hard.  I had chosen the Vegetable Lasagne for my main meal however I did sample the curry.  I did find the curry very spicy and was glad that I hadn’t ordered it as I don’t like my food too spicy, however my fiancé thoroughly enjoyed it.  During our meal we were sat at an open fire and enjoyed a couple of drinks.   

Our experience at the hotel was very enjoyable however I was slightly disappointed with our bedroom and felt that it did not reflect the standard of the hotel.  The bedroom was very standard and did not display any of the nice views that surrounded us.  Although the bathroom was quite spacious the shower head which hung above the bath resulted in water splashing out onto the floor.  I have no doubt that there are many luxurious rooms within the hotel and on our next visit we will look forward to staying in one of these rooms.  

The Slieve Donard hotel stands in six acres of private grounds overlooking the ocean waves.  The location of the hotel is truly stunning and is without doubt one of the hotels unique selling points.  Throughout the hotel there were welcoming roaring fires which give the hotel a real sense of homeliness.

The Spa at Slieve Donard is situated over two floors, with stunning views across the Irish sea and the Mourne Mountains.  On the ground floor there is what is known as the Active Floor which incorporates a 20 metre Swimming Pool and Vitality Pool, with adjacent Amethyst Steam Room, Rock Sauna and Drench showers, unfortunately we did not come prepared so we had to give this a miss.

We did contemplate climbing the Slieve Donard Mountain while we were in Newcastle however having heard it could take up to four hours we decided to only walk as far as the mast.  Before we left for our walk we enjoyed a superb buffet breakfast at the hotel.  I really enjoyed the locally produced cereals and bread that were on offer.  I was also very impressed by the fresh fruit salad which included fresh raspberries.  One thing I also liked about the breakfast was the fact that the hotel gives guests the option of semi-skimmed milk or full fat milk. 

The hotel with its magnificent views and Victorian architecture is without doubt the perfect location for weddings in Northern Ireland.        

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