Hotel review: Druids Glen is a legendary golfing location with a country club feel
At The Deluxe Guestroom Co Druids Wicklow Glen,
An easy, 45-minute drive from Dublin City, Druid’s Glen is a 360-acre estate, enfolded in Wicklow’s greenery, giving all the feels of a country escape close to the capital.
This makes it a great option for a fuss-free weekend away with minimum driving.
The pretty seaside town of Greystones, with its long beach and vibrant cafe and restaurant scene, is minutes away by car, as is Great Sugar Loaf, should you fancy a short but rewarding hike.
Built in 1995, this golf resort has something of an American country club feel.
The large, bright lobby, with its triple-height ceiling, comfy seating, and imposing stone fireplace has ski lodge vibes, while the feature staircase, flanked by a curving stone wall with a conical wooden roof, draws on Glendalough’s round tower for inspiration.
Despite the multiple influences, it’s an impressive space that anchors the resort.
Owned by the family-run Neville Group, who are constantly investing, bedrooms are spacious and elegant while the main restaurant, Hugo’s, is beautifully designed, with lots of natural light connecting diners to the leafy resort that surrounds it.
A friendly welcome and warm, scented hand towels upon check-in make a good first impression, with our request to swap around dinner bookings handled beautifully.
Service proves inconsistent afterwards, however; In the Garden Rooms and Bar we find it worryingly indifferent, at first, with no greeting or interaction beyond taking our order.
Breakfast, mostly staffed by young students, is fine, if a little inattentive. Dinner at Hugo’s sees a long wait to locate menus for our table, so we share two until more can be found.
One of our drinks is forgotten, too. Most staff are charming and helpful, but there’s room for improvement to make this feel like a five-star offering.
Bedroooms, designed in a soothing palette of soft mauve, pistachio, and sand are generous in size, well-designed and very comfy.
Our family room has plenty of space, good storage and seating, a decent desk, and dresser.
Cool, cotton sheets, excellent beds, charging spots, and plenty of lighting options create a well-conceived space.
The bathroom, with French L’Occitane products, is roomy and luxuriously appointed however, the dark marble feels dated and would benefit from a refresh.
Extra bath robes are delivered within minutes of our arrival to accommodate the teens.
A selection of delicious, home-made cookies with glasses of milk and Butler’s chocolates for the adults are a welcome touch.
A neat coffee station with kettle and Nespresso machine has four cups (often an oversight in family rooms), plus Barry’s tea, Nescafé pods — including decaf — and Walkers shortbread.
The little fridge would be a great place to store fresh milk for our tea, rather than the UHT up top.
The Garden Rooms’ casual menu includes offerings like a great Druids Irish beef burger, with Cashel Blue and grilled onions, and tasty Wicklow Wolf beer-battered haddock, with triple-cooked chips.
Dinner in Hugo’s is excellent, with ambitious dishes like cider-cured sea trout, slow-roasted quail, and stone bass with Jerusalem artichokes.
Breakfast is a decent affair too, with a good selection of hot and cold dishes and interesting beverage menu. Overall, we’d love to see even more provenance across the menus.
Druids Glen has a great pool with a Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, ice bath and hot and cold showers.
The glass exterior makes it feel calm and bright, with a well-equipped gym that overlooks the pool and a spa with seven treatment rooms.
An illustrated map suggests a beautiful walking trail, and, with two parkland golf courses, the estate is blessed with mature trees.
Play a round of golf or visit the refurbished club house, the impressive 18th century Woodstock House, where you can rent clubs.
Service needs to be ironed out to match the warm and professional welcome received at check-in. The rear of the hotel, which is passed to access the walking trails, is scruffy and in bad need of a lick of paint.
Hotel is well designed for wheelcahir users with guest room options, wide corridors and easy access to all areas.
Very! Along with family swimming times, a fairy trail, outdoor playground and indoor playroom there’s a kids club, golf fun and sports club during school holidays. A baby pantry is stocked with steriliser, microwave and dishwasher.
Only service dogs allowed.
Yes.
- Druids' Glen Hotel & Golf Resort
- Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow
- druidsglenresort.com
- B&B from €211 per room
- 8/10 — This five-star resort has great family facilities and is a short drive from Dublin.
- Jillian Bolger was a guest of Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort