Monart Destination Spa

Review of the bar garden terrace restaurant for lunch.
The service is outstanding. I am from the area, so it was nice to have locals talk proudly of the place and tell little tid bits about the grounds and famous guests.
The setting is perfect too, overlooking landscaped gardens. Had a stroll around after to see up close and personal.
The hotel itself feels so relaxed with people walking around in robes.
The only slight downside was the actual food itself. I made the wrong choice and regretted it– got the fish and chips with pea purée. Indeed it was a posh version, quite filling but just didn’t do it for me. I’ve had better elsewhere.
Next time will try something different, but the menu isn’t great on choice. Nothing sticks out as being too appetising.
Prices in line with a 5 star hotel. No arguments there.

I’m just back from a wonderful weekend celebrating our 10 year anniversary.
This was probably the most money I have ever spent on a hotel but it wasn’t bad value compared to many other options I looked at. The «no kids» policy stole it. There’s nothing worse than being at a nice hotel and having screaming kids running around the place.
You walk around in robes and slippers like a commune or something similar. The thermal spa is brilliant, although I would agree with Sheena. No Jacuzzi? That’s very odd. A few outdoor hot tubs would be awesome and in keeping with the hot and cold extremes of the thermal spa. I also found it strange that they don’t play music in the thermal spa. Some nice relaxing chill-​out music would have made the experience a lot better.
Dinner options are a little on the dull side. Don’t get me wrong, the food is lovely and very well presented but it’s just boring! Many pubs I frequent have more varied menus.
Breakfast can’t be faulted though, it was stunning with as much food as you could manage to eat.
There was an extensive wine menu but no other sort of drinks menu. I could see people ordering cocktails so they must have just asked for something to be made. No beer or whiskey list either, something many hotels are guilty of. I also didn’t like that the wine menu just had names and dates. There were no descriptions so if you don’t know what a wine is like, you are just picking randomly.
The grounds are stunning and beautiful to walk around.
Overall, I ended up spending a little over € 1000 for two nights but the room (B&B) plus one dinner was just under € 500 and the rest was on treatments, product, lunch, dinner and gratuities. I’m still shocked by how much money was spent but I only plan to have a 10 year anniversary once in my life.
Oh, keep an eye out for the maitre d’ who looks and sounds like a younger Stephen Fry. He could easily be a younger brother.

I had a cracking weekend in Monart the weekend just gone. Came back home relaxed as can be. Docked a star because it is hard enough to call it value for money although maybe I’m just not rich enough to be going.
There are more comprehensive reviews to be read below but plus points include great, big rooms and beds, attentive staff, the comfort of strolling around in robe and slippers, and some great meals.
Felt the breakfast was a little disappointing both mornings (eggs benny and omelette) but made up for it with the lemon curd, raspberry and honey smoothie.
Dinner in the bar was nice. Ribs on the asian sharing plate were amazing. Dinner in the restaurant was top notch too. Tuna carpaccio to start and monkfish for mains. Some nice touches with amuse bouches and sorbet too.
All in all a great stay. Has to be experienced at least once.

Monart is absolutely stunning and i have no doubt i will be back. I don’t think i have ever felt as relaxed in my entire life!
I am however giving it 4 stars rather than 5. The reasons are:
— The lack of Jacuzzi/​hot-​tub. Given that they have a salt grotto, 4 varieties of sauna, steam room etc it seems odd to not have a Jacuzzi.
— The evening meal– a little disappointing. The food was dry and really could have been a lot better, although the wine list is superb. (It should be noted that breakfast was infinitely better than dinner– fabulous hot menu and very extensive buffet too)
— The treatments– at 100 min a pop, you expect something very special and really they are fairly average.
In contrast, here are my pluses:
— The entire place is immaculate– i cannot grasp how they keep it so clean! Literally not a speck of dirt to be found ANYWHERE.
— The layout and architecture of the hotel is exceptional– the amt of glass used in the structure gives a great feeling of natural light throughout. At night the walkways are candlelight and it’s just beautiful.
— The staff are all very pleasant and helpful– particularly in the restaurant.
— Being able to wander around the entire hotel in the robe/​slippers is just wonderful. Most other spa hotels i’ve been to only encourage this in the actual spa area, but in Monart because it’s a ‘destination’ spa, everyone is be-​robed all day.
— The 2 hour thermal suite experience is really fabulous and you feel a million dollars after it
— The rooms are gorgeous– very spacious and each one has a balcony outside– although ask for a room with a view of the lake at the back, as opposed to the wooded area at the front!
Next time we won’t bother with treatments, order food and champagne to the room and not get out of the robes for the ENTIRE stay! I will definitely be back despite my comments about the food etc– it is a fabulous place and i was raging we only stayed one night.

Having just spent a wonderful weekend at Monart Destination Spa, I felt that I should share the experience. First and foremost the service provided by the staff at this resort spa is the best I have experienced in Ireland, if not anywhere. From the valet to the chambermaids, everyone involved should be commended on making myself and my wife feel appreciated during our stay. Special mention goes to Maria at reception, Michael the valet, Mark (I think) the manager and Juri our waiter. The service is unobtrusive, but you know there is always someone there if needed, so it is perfect.
You enter through the Georgian house, where there is a library, drawing room, conservatory and sitting room with newspapers and Wi-​Fi. Walking through a glass tunnel to the main reception is like a trip into another world, where relaxation is the only item on the menu. To emphasise this you are encouraged not to bring newspapers through, Wi-​Fi links are severed, there is very little 3G service — it is another world; and the better for it!
Beautifully manicured gardens surround the property particularly at the back, which has a large pond (small lake) with bridges and lighted walkways. There is a definitive split in the layout with the rooms on the left of reception, and the spa, gym and dining areas on the right.
The rooms are excellent, large and bright with either an outside decking area or a balcony. The spa really is a place you could spend a long time (and we did) just lazing around, popping in and out of the various rooms. These included, sauna, steam, salt, cauld, sanorium amongst others. The treatments were excellent (try the mud room with a friend :)).
Dining is either in the bar or the main restaurant, the bar food is very good and the restaurant is as good as most fine dining places I’ve been too. There is a great wine list which caters for all tastes and budgets, and an excellent selection of drinks from the bar menu.
Monart is worth a visit and we will be back… probably next year as we have to save a bit first!

If you want to absolutely spoil yourself rotten, this is the place to do it. From the berry smoothy that they greet you with at check-​in and the fluffy bathrobes that you wear in virtually all areas of the resort, to the lovely grounds suitable for meditative strolls or vigorous hikes, this place a cocoon of luxury.
Being a sauna fan, I spent many hours in the variety of «Thermal Spa» experiences, from the warmish caldarium to the über-​muscle melting Swedish sauna outdoors. I loved the salt grotto, and kept falling asleep in the «light» relaxation room. But most of all, I lazed about on the heated (!) body-​form loungers in the hydrotherapy pool area.
We had a couple of good meals (be warned-​there is NO place to get food that is not a part of the spa, so expect to buy every meal, every day), and the included breakfast was sumptous. I pigged out on croissants with house-​made marmalade and smoked salmon eggs benedict.
The only off-​kilter notes were at dinner, where each dish seemed to have one thing that didn’t fit well. The crab ravioli starter had a delightful filling but the pasta itself was so far on the al dente side that it just tasted uncooked, and the delicious mint ice cream that came with dessert was badly paired with a berry concoction that didn’t blend well on the palate. There was a good wine selection, and the extra «Happy Anniversary» greetings we got from all the staff made the night a success anyway. Our favorite non-​breakfast meal was actually from room service.
Of course, we treated ourselves to massages as well. For those of you who are more of the modest sort, you’ll be pleased to know that keeping your «pants» on is mandatory. Seriously, they even have «disposable» version for people like me who, well, erm, showed up assuming it would be like every other massage I’ve ever had in a spa. Had I known, I would have worn my special pirate boxers. The ones with the… oh, never mind. The massages were quite nice, and the «Dark» relaxation room afterward was a treat.
Over all, the entire place is an aroma-​therapy, breakfast-​in-​your-​bathrobe, clothing-​optional-​between-​8am-​and-​9am, melt-​in-​the-​sauna, glorious experience.
Bottom Line: I only read about the clothing optional part in the literature… I swear…