Hotel review: Glengarriff's Eccles Hotel & Spa has West Cork charm — and room to improve
Spa, Eccles & Hotel Glengarriff
Encircled by the ethereal Caha mountains, the native rainforests that dapple Beara and the shimmering majesty of Bantry Bay, Eccles Hotel in Glengarriff occupies the kind of timeless holiday setting worthy of a John Hinde postcard.
The emphasis is on timeless; as one of Ireland’s oldest hotels, Eccles has been welcoming guests since, quite unfathomably, 1745 and to this day remains an iconic landmark on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Given its pedigree, the Eccles impresses from the get go. Walking up to the hotel’s Victorian facade, where wrought iron verandas embellish the hotel’s suites, a yesteryear wonder exudes.
Inside, its traditional lobby is inviting with a reception flanked by lounges centred around roaring fires (even in June!), with old-school encyclopaedias on their mantles.
Guest rooms are located along a series of fine hallways with impressive high ceilings and original mouldings, however there are some jarring elements.
Room signage has an unbefitting hand-painted look and the spa entrance appears like a door to a hotel bar, adding an incoherent look to this grande dame.
Irish customer service has ramped up in recent years but it’s particularly stand-out at this property. Staff at the spa are genuine and obliging and the restaurant team are personable, polished, and knowledgeable.
While walking through the village in the evening, a young staff member who’d finished her shift recognised my friend and I and asked if we were enjoying our stay.
That’s a warmth and hospitality which even extends off the clock.
I was staying in one of the hotel’s bay view twin rooms with double bay windows overlooking the water (and the car park which is less obvious from the higher floors).
It’s a fine, comfortable space, albeit a little tepid with the soft grey colour scheme. Beds are cosy and very generously pillowed and cushioned (there are 10 in all!) backed by a pleasant elderflower wallpaper.
The opposing end of the room, however, features velvet chairs, a French style vanity table, art deco style mirror and a poof seat featuring imprints of Latin architecture which all just adds to a mélange of styles: I feel there’s a lack of identity to the space.
The en suite bathroom with shower is compact but fresh.
Rooms are kitted with a Nespresso machine, tea, coffee as well as bathrobes to mosey down to the spa in.
The en suite is generously stocked with Voya products as well as a handy supply of vanity kits.
Garnish Restaurant is Eccles flagship dining experience and features a new summer menu curated by the hotel’s head chef, Eddie Atwell.
Expect a strong sustainability ethos here with menus focusing on produce from West Cork artisan producers, aided by a fine crop of fresh ingredients sourced from the hotel’s own polytunnel.
Dishes are rich in imagination, flavour — and ingredients — and include the likes of butter poached hake served with crab and cabbage roll, sherry caramel, lime confit, herb cream and confit potatoes.
They’re served on stylish tableware too which adds to the experience.
The dining setting is a little less inspired with meals served in the quite conservative dining room or on the panoramic terrace which despite the beautiful views, could do with a little TLC with its flooring.
Breakfast is served in the same setting with lovely cooked-to-order items along with a more modest buffet station for the price point.
The hotel’s top amenity is its spa which sits in the east wing of the property and offers myriad treatments featuring Voya organic products.
The facility also features a wonderful outdoor thermal suite with sauna, seaweed baths and two bubbling hot-tubs scenically overlooking the water.
There’s a charge of €15pp for 25 minutes but that guarantees more privacy for what is a highlight of the hotel experience.
Beyond the hotel itself, Glengarriff is the perfect base to explore Beara, the peninsulas and beyond, and the village is a dream spot to simply park up and explore with nearby attractions include boat trips to Garinish Island or sunset kayaking tours across the bay with the likes of Outdoors Ireland.
- A cohesive style direction for the hotel could reposition it as one of the country’s leading properties.
- One wheelchair friendly room.
- Yes
- No
- No
- Eccles Hotel & Spa
- Glengarriff, Co Cork
- eccleshotel.com
- The bill: Bayview double rooms from €243
- Our rating: 7.5/10
- This historic West Cork landmark property has oodles of charm but room to improve to meet its full potential.
- Thom Breathnach was a guest of Eccles Hotel & Spa