Last weekend, Dara and I headed off to the Lyrath Estate Hotel*, which like the title of this posts suggests, really is a little piece of tranquility. We have stayed there once before, but it was for a work conference and we definitely didn't get a chance to enjoy the peaceful side of this gorgeous hotel, so I couldn't wait for this trip, especially since the week leading up to last weekend was stressful to say the least!
When we checked into the Lyrath, we were very pleasantly surprised to find out that our room had been upgraded to one of their gorgeous corner suites and it's definitely the biggest hotel room I've ever stayed in, I mean we had two sofas for gods sake! Thanks the three huge windows in the room, it was lovely and bright and had an amazing view of the hotel grounds and woodland area, which just added to the peaceful vibe in the hotel.
I really loved the decor of the room too, especially the gorgeous rug and the beautiful orchids which actually happen to be my favourite flower. The room featured a smart TV in the lounge area from which you could access Netflix, YouTube etc, and we also had a TV at the end of our bed which resulted in us watching four episodes of 'Taboo', Tom Hardy's new TV show that we've recently become hooked on, it's a definite must watch (and not just because Tom is an absolute BABE).
Since we were only staying for a night, and spent the most of the afternoon in the Oasis Spa, and then had a delicious dinner in Yindees, we didn't actually spend a huge amount of time in our room, so I think the next time we come back to the Lyrath we'll definitely stay for two nights to really make the most of a suite as stunning as this one!
For some reason, hotel bathrooms (and the complimentary toiletries) excite me just as much as the room itself does. I wonder if I'm just a total weirdo and alone in this or does anyone else love hotel bathrooms?! Of course the bathroom was just as extravagant as the rest of the suite and had a massive bath and a rainfall shower. I absolutely love the black tiles in this bathroom, it looks so chic and quite different from the usual look hotels go for and the toiletries were from The Handmade Soap Company (they're Irish, so be sure to check them out). Trust me when I say the Cedarwood & Lemongrass scent is absolutely divine, and having looked at their website, I am very tempted to treat myself to one of their candles in the same scent.
As I mentioned above, we spent most of the afternoon in the Oasis Spa, which was actually heaven on earth! I remember when we were staying in the Lyrath for the work conference, on our way to the conference centre we could see this amazing outside/inside hydrotherapy infinity pool and I was dying to try it out, so getting to spend an hour in it, and the sauna and steam room before our spa treatments was total bliss.
We had the 'Couple's Experience' which included the 'Rasul Mud Treatment' and a massage in the couple's suite. The mud treatment was a very interesting experience, and definitely something I'd love to do again. I'll try my best to explain it, but if you're ever visiting the Lyrath, definitely book yourself in for it! On the website it's described as "a cleansing ritual taking place in your own private mosaic tiled steam chamber, where you apply mineral mud’s to detoxthe body and nourish the skin."
We were shown to our own room that had a shower, and a little steam room and a table that had a body scrub to use first, and then three different types of mud, one for the face and chest, one for the arms and torso, and one for the legs. After applying the mud (we looked absolutely hilarious, but unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me), we sat in the steam chamber for about half an hour, completely relaxing and letting the mud do it's job before washing it off and proceeding to the couple's suite for our heavenly massages.
I say this every time I visit a spa, or have a massage, but I really am going to make a habit of getting a massage maybe once a month because it's just so relaxing and switching off from the outside world even for half an hour does me the world of good.
By the time we had finished up in the spa and gotten dressed, it was almost time for dinner in Yindee's, the Pan-Asian restaurant in the Lyrath which looks out over the main lobby of the hotel.
As Yindee's was on the fourth floor of the hotel, the same floor as our room, it probably took us less than a minute to walk to which may sound silly, but when you're as relaxed as we were after our afternoon of pampering, it was very convenient!
For starters we both had the chicken satay, for the main course I had the Massaman Curry because I'm a total wimp and cannot handle anything remotely spicy, and for dessert I had the Kola Bhaji which was basically a banana fritter but a hundred times better due to the fact that the batter the banana was in was crunchy and crispy. Every single course was delicious and I will definitely visit Yindee's again even if I'm not staying in the hotel. We also tried two of their cocktails, and if you ever eat at Yindee's and you like fruity cocktails, you have to try the Spiced Mango & Mint Daiquiri, but be warned, they are too good to just have the one!
Obviously, me being the breakfast fiend that I am, I couldn't write this post without mentioning the Lyrath's ah-mazing breakfast offering. Not only do they have a ridiculously good buffet, where you can get all the usual hot foods, cereals and fruits, but they also have pancakes that you can order, honey that drips from the the honeycomb right before your eyes (I'm sorry but this just fascinates me), and porridge with all the toppings you could wish for. The entire week leading up to our stay, all I could think about was the breakfast and it certainly didn't dissapoint, although it did leave me in a total food coma for a few hours afterwards!
I hope you enjoyed this rather long but well deserved review of the Lyrath Estate Hotel, thanks so much for reading, and if you've made it this far, well done!