Thursday 10 September 2015

Relax & Rewind @ The Radisson Blu

Recently mum and I got invited to spend a night away in the 4* Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Rosses Point. As we live in Sligo Rosses Point isn't much of a drive from us - so it was like a holiday at home! 

After getting our hair dyed and blowdried (making the most of it), we checked in and met with Berni from the Radisson, who arranged our stay. We had a coffee and a chat and Berni welcomed us to the hotel and told us what our stay would consist of. As well as the overnight stay, we were also being treated to aqua aerobics, dinner at the award winning Classiebawn Restaurant, breakfast, and 2 mini treatments at the spa. A generous package indeed!

As we checked in at 3 and our aqua aerobics class wasn't until 7, we decided to take a spin down to Rosses Point beach and take a few photos. It was such a beautiful sunny day it would've been a shame to waste it! I tried to do some dramatic look-at-me-I'm-moodily-looking-at-the-sea poses but I probably looked demented. 


Our room was Business Class and was lovely and spacious. We were pleasantly surprised by the petit fours left for us - and the Nespresso machine! We had a drink looking over the balcony at the stunning view of the sea and Knocknarea mountain before donning our swimming costumes and heading to the pool for a quick soak in the jacuzzi. Of course the bubbles only started where I was sitting so it looked very dodgy for a minute or so - mum found this hilarious, natch. The pool was quite cold after the warm jacuzzi so we plunged in. I've never tried aqua aerobics before so I was quite apprehensive. The YouTube video I'd watched of it seemed gentle so I thought it'd  be easy - oh how wrong I was! Our instructor, Gillian, was so energetic and fit, I was nearly dying after just the warmup. I never knew you could sweat under water! It was great fun, mum and I were having such a laugh. I swear I have co-ordination issues because there was one move I just could not get the hang of. It was like the water version of pat your head rub your stomach!



My legs were quite jelly-like, and after the 45 minute long workout I'd definitely worked up an appetite for our dinner. We headed down at 8.30 and were promptly served by the friendly wait staff. I don't eat dairy anymore and was happy to see the menu had options, as well as gluten free options if you're a coeliac. 

We were served some bread with a bulb of roasted garlic (and I had an orthodontist appointment the next day - sorry David McConville) to whet our appetites. We were served an amuse bouche of Coopershill venison, beetroot jelly, pistachio dust and chopped walnuts with pea sprouts to prepare us for our meal. I'm used to having soup as an amuse bouche so this was an interesting change. I will assume the venison was cooked blue as it had the texture of raw meat. I wasn't a huge fan of the meat but the rest was delicious - not for the faint hearted though!

I ordered the trio of melon to start and mum had a tian of chicken with mango, coriander and guacamole. Both were absolutely delicious - who knew melon could be a fulfilling starter?! Next was the mains. I chose duck breast with quinoa, broccoli and a mixed berry & orange jus. I've never enjoyed quinoa very much but this was gorgeous, I could've eaten a whole bowl of just the quinoa. The duck was cooked to perfection and so juicy - a quacking dish. Sorry, I had to. 

Dessert is always tricky when you're dairy free so I enquired with the waiter who advised me the salted caramel popcorn panna cotta was made with coconut milk. I was absolutely delighted with this as it's what I would have ordered anyway! Again, it was just perfect. The presentation was beautifully simplistic on all the dishes and the staff were very attentive and friendly.



We were well and truly stuffed after our meal and practically waddled back to our room to nurse our food babies. I had a quick bath, properly making the most of the hotel, and we were off to sleep in no time at all. I had probably the best sleep I've ever had in a hotel - usually I wake up boiling hot and thirsty, but not this time! The beds were so comfortable and the room was very quiet.

In the morning we rushed down to breakfast, as if we hadn't eaten enough the night before. The hotel offers both a fried and continental breakfast. The continental breakfast selection was fab: fruit, cereal, pastries, cold meats, cheese, yoghurt, nuts and seeds...they even had gluten free granola and soya milk, which was a huge plus for me! The fried breakfast had your standard breakfast fare: black & white pudding, eggs, mushrooms, beans, bacon, sausage, etc. I was a bit disappointed there were no hash browns because hash browns make a breakfast in my opinion.

After breakfast it was time to head to the spa. We threw on our robes and slippers and spent around an hour in the thermal suite, enjoying a foot soak and scrub in the foot baths, before chilling in the relaxation room. I actually fell asleep for a few minutes! I've decided I want a relaxation pod in my future house (ha). We were then called in for our treatments. Funny enough, my therapist was also called Lucy! I got a mini manicure and facial. I haven't had a facial in ages and my skin has been acting up a bit lately. My facial was absolutely lovely and my skin has felt great all day - I'd love to have a facial every week! I went for a cool shimmery purple shade for my manicure. The polish used was a Vinylux by CND which I was told would last about a week. Sadly, not even an hour after having them done the polish started to 'shrink' and smudge off, which is a shame. 

Unfortunately it was then time for us to snap back to reality and go home. We were so relaxed it was sad to have to leave. Getting the opportunity to do this more often would be heavenly. A girl can dream!

Thanks again to Berni and all at the Radisson Blu Rosses Point for making us feel so welcome and treating us to a relaxing stay. Check them out here.

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