After a cake and chocolate-free Lenten campaign, a feast was called for.
And where better to delight the taste buds than a night's fine dining in the Cove restaurant at the five-star Fota Island Resort.
The menu was of the tasting variety, a five-course frenzy of scallops, pork belly, tender loins of beef in whiskey gravy, and not forgetting the porridge-like fresh cod dish that was as appetising as it was intriguing.
The Fota Island Resort is located in the heart of a 780-acre estate just outside Cork City on the road to Cobh. A meandering drive through the wooded grounds of the hotel is what greets you on arrival. And while the imposing, modern hotel building may look alien to its surroundings, once inside and checked into your bright, spacious room, it immediately has the desired, relaxing effect.
It being Easter weekend, I was expecting the hotel to be busy. What I wasn't expecting was the place to be full of children. There were a few running around the breakfast area but, to be honest, I barely noticed them all weekend.
In fact, the hotel had it all under control with an Easter Egg hunt around the grounds of the resort, designed, no doubt, to get the kids out of the hotel and tire out the toddlers for the benefit of the parents.
While the kids were off learning about the true meaning of Easter for some, finding Easter Eggs, I was also partaking in a spot of outdoor activity: 18 holes at the Championship Fota Island Golf Course.
The golf facilities at Fota Island are as good as you'll find around the country with a very welcoming environment and a nice mixture of members and guests.
I played the Belvelly Course, which brings you on a journey right around the island, and while it was a very tough 18, it was also a complete joy to play, in great condition and with a challenge on every hole.
It also had some very difficult greens, none more so than the 18th, where the water that surrounds the green was three balls richer by the end of my round.
A post-golf lunch was devoured in the hotel bar, the Amber Lounge. The char-grilled burger, complete with fat chips stacked like a game of Jenga, was as good as it gets, and while I had liked the look of the homemade pizzas on the menu, they were upwards of €22, a ridiculous price for an individual pizza - they would want to be something special.
Located on the other side of the island is the ever-popular Fota Wildlife Park. Now I am not normally one for zoos and the like, but since it was only a stone's throw away, I thought I'd take a stroll down to see what the fuss was all about.
The wildlife park is set in 70 acres of Fota Island, with lots of green space and designated trails to allow you to see what's on offer. There is a very impressive collection of animals including cheetahs, bison, emus, kangaroos, zebras and not forgetting the good old scimitar-horned oryx.
And then there is the monkey colony; from the gibbon to the colobus to the Colombian Black Spider Monkey. To see them going about their monkey business was a joy to behold.
Most were chasing, shouting, climbing, scratching, jumping, while others were just hanging around, literally. They seemed like a well-adjusted bunch and I could imagine if they were in their natural habitat they would be doing something similar.
There was one lad who was trying not to use his hands as he walked across one of the high ropes - maybe he was one of the more evolved types, trying to impress his country cousins that had paid in for a gawk.
I can certainly see the benefit of Fota Wildlife Park as there were lots of families and tourists enjoying a day out. It was evidently an education of sorts for the kids who were really enjoying their up close and personal experience with the animal kingdom.
But with the quality of nature programmes on television at the moment and now in high definition and even 3D, I wonder is there any need to see animals in wildlife parks anymore?
Back in the hotel and it was time for one of my favourite hotel pastimes; checking out the spa facilities.
The concept behind Fota Island Spa is one of wellbeing, catering for both the restoration of personal energy and vitality or holistic relaxation and pampering, or so they tell me.
And even if you don't indulge in a treatment, you cannot miss out on the hydrotherapy suite, which is definitely one of the best that I have ever encountered.
A wide range of water-powered treatments are spread out around a decent sized swimming pool with tropical showers, jacuzzi, shoulder massagers and even a walking river, which is renowned for its assistance in healing sports and fatigue related injuries.
My favourite, though, was the foot massager - two plates on the floor of the pool that shoot water jets into the soles of your feet. So if you see someone laughing uncontrollably when nothing appears funny, the likelihood is that they are under the spell of the foot pumps below.
Around Fota Island
The Fota Island Resort is a great base to see what else is on offer in the vicinity. I travelled into the cathedral town of Cobh the following morning and it is such a quaint little place, steeped in history, that a few hours wandering the narrow streets and enjoying the sea views from up high is time well spent.
That afternoon, I took off in the car, heading east towards the Deise County, Waterford. It was an area I had never been through before, but the drive is especially pleasing with tremendous views throughout.
There is also plenty of places to stop off along the way with the towns of Youghal and Midleton less than an hour form Fota. And while you're passing through, it would be rude not to pop into the Old Midleton Distillery to learn a bit about one of the world's most famous whiskeys.
And if all that country air is making you feel just a bit too healthy, then a good night out in Cork City will soon sort all that out.
Ed Leahy
Fore more information about Fota Island Resort, visit: www.fotaisland.ie or download the excellent free iPhone App.
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