GEMMA TIPTONstays at the Hodson Bay Hotel, in Athlone
FOR A moment it seemed as if we had gone back in time, and that the last three years had never happened. The car park of the Hodson Bay Hotel was full (mostly 05 and 06 registrations), the hotel was pretty full too, and the price of our room seemed more in tune with 05 and 06 prices too. What was their secret?
Location is one thing – even if you don’t totally buy into the brochure description of Athlone as a “city of charm, charisma and choice”, the hotel itself, on the shore of Lough Ree, has stunning, immensely relaxing views, though, in a style favoured by many Irish hotel developers, part of the car park comes between you and the landscape.
Phoning to book, I was asked whether I wanted to stay in the hotel, or in the Retreat? What was the Retreat? Well, I was told, it’s away from the children. It was also pricier, but not knowing how many children we might be menaced with in the main hotel, the Retreat it was. Rooms in the Retreat are newer, and have large windows that don’t front directly onto the lake, but do give views of it. “Health and safety” meant that even though we had a balcony we couldn’t actually get out onto it, but never mind. Birds occasionally alighted and seemed to find it hard to escape, but as I couldn’t see any bird corpses, I assumed they made it eventually.
The bedroom was large, done in neutral tones with a splash of colour from snazzy red crushed velvet chairs. The bed was very big and very comfortable, with plenty of pillows, and there was an enormous bathroom (including a jacuzzi bath and separate shower). The sumptuousness of it was belied, however, by a rather mean allocation of fairly small towels, no bathrobes and bog-standard toiletries. I wouldn’t have cared too much, but with the price of the room, I had expected more.
We went to the Waterfront Carvery, where a line of people wearing conference badges offered one clue to the hotel’s busyness. It didn’t fully explain it though, and there was no sign of the threatened hoards of children – apart from one small boy holding up the lengthening queue by asking for several dishes of ice cream, one by one, as his mother looked indulgently on.
We took large lumps of meat, veg and gravy outside and sat in the sunshine. My friend went back in for a glass of wine, which took another age to order, though a small boy wasn’t to blame this time – but, seemingly, a larger, and somewhat inept, barman. After lunch, we wandered down the lane beyond the hotel, past the golf course, and past the indoor swimming pool and the outdoor water sports centre, until the path petered out. We watched a boat trip depart, and wondered what else there was (apart from Athlone’s “charm and charisma”) to attract all the people.
Dinnertime answered our questions. Not because it was excellent (in fact, my “tuna nori roll” was rather odd: tinned tuna in filo pastry on a slice of watermelon). The service was good, the staff friendly, and the couples in the dining room were all enjoying relaxed and possibly intimate chats. Suddenly, out in the corridor, as if following a pied piper, a hoard of children trooped by. Parents paused and waved. Offspring waved back, and then, as quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared, and calm returned. This was the secret of Hodson Bay: kids’ camps, morning and evening. Returning from the bar around 11pm, children were still being collected, and everyone seemed happy with the arrangement.
Breakfast the next morning revealed the sheer number of families with children staying, all expertly managed by the efficient staff. I don’t know if all these families come because their kids love the entertainments, or whether it’s the parents who are willing to pay the price for their holiday peace and quiet.
Go Overnights are reviewed anonymously and paid for by The Irish Times
WhereHodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, 090-6442008, hodsonbayhotel.com.
WhatFour-star resort and spa hotel.
Rooms182, including family rooms and suites.
Best ratesFrom €65pps midweek/€80pps weekends. Special offers include spa and family packages.
Restaurant and barL'Escale Restaurant, Octagon (weekends only), Waterfront Carvery, Waterfront Bar.
Child friendlinessTwo kids' clubs per day 10am-1pm and 6-11pm, ages 4-12, child supervision for under 4s 6.30pm-8.30pm; teenagers' room with pool table and WII.
AccessibilitySix fully accessible rooms.
AmenitiesLeisure centre, with pool and spa, free internet, live music at weekends.