Phyl Clarkevisits the Glasshouse of Sligo
CHOOSING A HOTEL for a weekend away with a mum in her (very sprightly) 80s and four sisters is a potential minefield. As I'd be unable to please everyone, I concentrated on the elder stateswoman when selecting our accommodation.
Our usual style is Irish country house, but this time the lady decided to throw caution to the wind and plump for the Glasshouse, in Sligo. As long as it's comfortable, she kept saying, as if that wasn't a prerequisite for staying anywhere. I was worried.
The weekend started well with the celebrity buzz of Diarmiud Gavin being filmed at Connolly Station as we left Dublin, Mum having met him at Chelsea - sure he was practically a personal friend.
We whiled away the hour and a half we had to spare before our train departed. "Better to be early and have a cup of tea," she said as I thought of the washing that I could have hung out on the line. Yes, Mother.
After a pleasant train journey we walked the 10 minutes from Sligo station to the hotel, taking in the relaxed atmosphere along the way.
The Glasshouse is perfectly positioned in the centre of town, on the banks of Garavogue River. The irregular angle of its glass exterior makes a dramatic impact on the skyline, and the drama continues when you enter the lobby. The swirl of pop-art colour is a little eye-watering, and I felt we could be anywhere from Manhattan to Madrid once inside the door.
We received a warm and friendly reception. Bedrooms are well fitted out and spacious, and although the vivid colour theme continues, it has been taken down a peg or two, to a simple modern palette of a single shot of bright with dark walnut storage. Sheer tinted curtains give a cocoon-like ambience to the rooms, the needs of guests being well catered for in the en suite, and with the homely touch of kettle, tea and coffee.
As members of the family were arriving at different times and by various modes of transport, we had agreed to meet in the bar before dinner in the restaurant.
Retro red and a curvy vibe dominate the View bar, which runs alongside the riverbank. It was a good location for a mother and her five daughters to catch up, but a rather loud, enthusiastic group meant we had to cut short our drink and go to the restaurant (acoustic engineer, anyone?).
The restaurant also runs alongside the river, and our table for six was pleasantly situated at the window.
Unfortunately, we were one of only a few tables occupied, and a niggling worry about the food crept into my mind, despite the "award-winning" claims on the Glasshouse website.
The room cried for the buzz of hungry guests savouring their meal, and I felt sorry for the professional and unpretentious staff.
It's difficult to produce a menu that pleases all members of my family, which includes one vegetarian and a mother who insists on having a steak that's well done but not burnt, but the Kitchen, as the restaurant is called, served us a meal that, after okay starters, absolutely shone with the main courses.
Whole baked sea bass was declared the best ever by the whole-sea-bass-expert sister, and a succulent rack of lamb could only have come from the west of Ireland. Damian Fitzpatrick, the chef, deserves a bigger audience.
Not wanting to over-reach ourselves, we took it handy and retired early.
Breakfast was the usual hot buffet, with the addition of a good selection of fresh fruit. But Mrs Whole Sea Bass fancied some plain yogurt, which she was told would be brought to the table. When a tub of her favourite Glenisk was produced from a carrier bag we realised that someone had taken the trouble to go to the shops to buy it. Full marks, Glasshouse.
The remainder of the weekend went by with a spot of shopping, lunch at the nearby Osta Cafe & Wine Bar (great view, salads and coffee) and a delightful seaweed bath at Strandhill, arranged by thoughtful sister.
Dinner on Saturday night, at Montmartre, was the culinary highlight of the trip - so good that we unanimously decided it would be worth a trip to Sligo just to go there again.
Having eaten our way through the weekend, and snapped up some bargains at TK Maxx, I was relieved to see a list of churches and Mass times posted outside the breakfast room on Sunday.
We plumped for the noon Mass at Sligo's beautiful Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and our so-laid- back-he-was-almost-horizontal taxi driver offered to pick us up afterwards.
Nice people in Sligo. I'll be back.
The Glasshouse, Swan Point, Sligo, 071-9194300, www.theglasshouse.ie.
Modern pop-art-style hotel, keen on lime green and orange, built on the site of the Silver Swan Hotel.
116.
Best rate Two nights' B&B €155pps in July and August.
24-hour front desk, terrace, free broadband internet access, soundproof rooms, individual climate control, breakfast buffet.
Bars and restaurants Two bars, AA Rosette restaurant.
Reduced-mobility facilities and rooms.
Underground car park.
Family rooms available.