We were invited to stay at the Fitzgerald’s Woodlands Hotel as guests. It’s my choice to write this review and all opinions within are my own. I only share experiences we truly love with you!
The Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel and Spa is located just outside the picturesque village of Adare in County Limerick. Adare is seriously the most Instagrammable place I’ve ever been with it’s stunning thatched cottages and beautiful West of Ireland greenery. And, it’s only a 15-minute drive into Limerick city, making the Woodlands the perfect quiet spot to stay for a chilled out family break.
There’s nothing more fun than travelling as a family when you stay somewhere that is accommodating and geared towards families. It makes all of the difference when there are amenities for both parents and kids to enjoy! It’s a more comfortable and relaxed stay for everyone. Happily, our stay at the Woodlands truly accommodated and catered to all five of us.
The Woodlands Hotel is a family run business and the family is very much involved in the day to day running of the hotel. There was always one of the family or staff passing by with a warm smile and something to say to all of their guests. That created a really positive, relaxed vibe throughout the hotel.
We stayed for two nights in an executive family room and enjoyed tasty dinners and all of the lovely amenities the hotel has to offer as well as a visit to Adare village and a trip up to Limerick city. Limerick is only 2.5-hour drive from our home, which made it a convenient staycation. We left early Friday morning and had 3 full days of fun before returning home Sunday night.
Our Family Room
Our room was stunning. It was so nicely decorated in silvers and purples, it had a feel of elegance when we walked in. It’s certainly not your typical looking family room. It feels like you are really being treated to something special.
There is a large king bed in the room. And a doorway into a separate room that has two single beds and a flatscreen tv. There is also a tv in the main bedroom along with a sitting area and desk. Because we are a family of five, they added an additional single bed into the main bedroom area. There was plenty of room for the additional bed. The best part was that the additional bed was a proper single bed (rather than a rollaway or camp bed) that was just like the ones in the side room so Little Miss had a very comfortable bed for her stay.
The mattresses on the beds were glorious. They were just like ours at home, really soft and comfortable. We had a really restful sleep. Our room faced the front of the hotel but there were no sounds at night, it was quiet and peaceful.
The bathroom had plenty of towels which is always a big plus when travelling as a family. Plus it has a double sink, shower and separate bathtub.
Our Meals
The Woodlands offers room service which is super convenient for families with young kids. Because ours are a little older we ventured out to the hotel restaurants to eat.
Breakfast is a buffet in Timmy Mac’s Bistro. There was plenty to choose from including pancakes, pastries, toast, cereals, fruits, nuts and a hot breakfast. There is table service for tea and coffees and you select the foods yourself from the buffet. My kids adore a breakfast buffet and filled their plates several times!
We also had one dinner in Timmy Mac’s. It’s a casual and upbeat place to eat. They feature some ingredients from the hotel’s organic garden.
3 photos of Timmy Mac’s & the boys enjoying the hotel’s football pitch.
Our second dinner was in the hotel’s organic restaurant, Fieldings. The family was originally farmers then opened a B&B which they expanded into the current hotel and spa. They have returned back to their farming roots by starting an impressive organic garden near the spa. Fieldings restaurant serves produce from the family’s own organic garden and other organic suppliers. There is tasty organic wine and everything is organic down to the sugar and butter on the table.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a sense of occasion to it. We wore our nice clothing and felt like we were out somewhere really special for dinner. The menu in Fieldings Restaurant has seeds inside it that you can bring home and plant it!
The flavours of the organic foods in Fieldings are out of this world. It’s true farm to fork and everything has a wholesome, full taste to it. Service was top notch and the kids were accommodated with colouring books in both restaurants and they could order from the kids menu in Fieldings as well. This was my three-course dinner in Fieldings – it was delicious and beautifully presented.
In Fieldings Organic restaurant, dress by Simply Be (gifted)
I really like how the hotel supports a green earth with their organic gardens, glass bottles of water instead of plastic in the rooms and full containers of sauces, sugars etc instead of sachets in the restaurants. It feels good to eat clean and to stay somewhere that is actively supporting that.
We enjoyed afternoon tea on Saturday, which I highly recommend having if you stay at the hotel or even if you are just passing by Adare. Everything served is homemade in the Woodlands! And everything was flavourful and delicious. My kids faces say it all…
The large platter is for two people. The small platter beside it is for one child. My younger two kids each ordered the kids tea and my oldest ordered the adult tea like my husband and I. They serve hot chocolate for little ones instead of tea if they wish. Each item on the platters was full of flavour. Our server was very professional and lovely to chat with. She refilled our pot of tea several times and made the whole experience really fun.
Kids Activities
There are some lovely activities for kids and families to enjoy at the Woodlands House Hotel including:
Football pitch
Pet Farm
Swimming pool
Bouncy castle
Fairy trail
Organic garden you can walk through
Kids Club
The bouncy castle was not up for our stay but we enjoyed all of the other activities. The pool is big with various depths of water and a kiddie pool which suited my kids really well. The football pitch was ideal for my three men who had a few matches. Little Miss went to the hotel kids club and came out with lots of great crafts and made new friends. The two instructors were both really lovely and kind.
The hotel pet farm, organic garden and fairy trail.
The fairy trail was a highlight for us all. We walked through the organic gardens then to the 1.2km fairy trail. We spotted loads of fairy houses and sprinkled fairy dust that the hotel gives to kids at check-in and made wishes with the magic fairy dust. It was a truly magical experience.
Blowing magic fairy dust into the fairy houses.
Revas Spa
The icing on the cake was a trip to Revas Spa. I’ve never been to a spa that has such an amazing entrance. The walk into the spa was so special, calming and unique. The reception itself was done in the lovely purple and silvers like the hotel. I enjoyed an hour in the thermal suite and then I had the Voyager Massage Journey which uses all organic VOYA products.
After the massage, I enjoyed a cup of fruit and fruit juice in a relaxation room. Just like the hotel, the spa has a really special feel to it and you feel truly pampered and well looked after. The whole experience was a real treat.
Adare
No trip to the Woodlands Hotel would be complete without visiting the adorable Village of Adare. There are some really cute gift shops to browse through and lovely cottages with thatched roofs to admire. The church is worth going into as it’s really beautiful too. There is a park as well which the kids had a run around that’s well-manicured with flowers and trees.
We also visited Limerick City and wen to the ODEON cinema which was only a 20-minute drive away. On a different trip to Limerick, we visited Lough Gur which is one of the earliest sites of people living in Ireland. It’s definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
Final Thoughts
Our stay at the Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel & Spa was relaxing, fun and enjoyable for all five of us. The family-run hotel does an excellent job of catering to kids and parents alike. There is plenty of fun activities for families to enjoy together and also kids club for parents to have a quiet meal or visit the spa.
The decor and service throughout the hotel and spa makes you feel like you are somewhere really special and the positive upbeat vibe from the family and staff makes it a welcoming and comfortable place to stay. The beds were a highlight for me, I found the mattress so comfy and the huge bed gave us plenty of room to stretch out.
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