Martin Crummy visits the heart of Limerick City with his wife and two daughters to review the Limerick Strand Hotel.
Exploring more of what Munster has to offer was the theme of this trip, from a hotel right in the centre of Limerick City.
We, as a family of two girls (aged four and eight), were invited to stay for two nights at the Limerick Strand Hotel. Just before the madness of summer, it was the perfect opportunity to get out of Dublin and explore Munster some more.
The hotel is ideally located on O'Callaghan Strand in the heart of Limerick City Centre. There are stunning views of The River Shannon and the girls really enjoyed getting a birds-eye view - especially from the glass lift - of every landmark in the historical city of Limerick.
We arrived down to Limerick City on a Friday evening after a longer than usual trip on the M7.
The focus for the kids when we arrived was to check out the swimming pool, there was a lot of excitement all week about the swimming pool. Before that, though we checked into a very well-organised family room on the fifth floor. It has two large double beds and one single - the perfect arrangement for our two-kid family - and lots of storage for our bags.
The kids went straight for their "Little Explorers" pack on arrival - colours and sweets are the themes here.
On the fifth floor is a kids' play area with board games and a very popular ping-pong table. To be honest, we weren't very good at table tennis but we had good fun trying.
Next on the list to explore was the Energize Health Centre which was so easy to access from our floor. There was no trekking down to reception to get another lift or anything like that. We took a lift from our floor straight to the health center - perfect. It has four pools altogether, including a 20-meter swimming pool, sauna, and jacuzzi. The family changing rooms - again not something all hotel pool facilities have - was a great addition and they worked a treat.
It was fairly quiet on Friday evening and a little busier on Saturday but not once did we feel we couldn't let the kids splash about in the pools.
Later that Friday night we had dinner at the new look River Bar & Restaurant. Again, stunning views of the River Shannon and live music accompanied a very tasty dinner enjoyed by all the family. The menus demonstrate the hotels' commitment to supporting local suppliers and offering good value for money.
Children's menus are carefully considered too and offer a selection of firm favourites with a great balance of healthy meals and special treats. Our request of plain pasta - no butter, no nothing - for our picky eater - was perfectly presented and devoured by our youngest.
Al fresco dining is available too (pity about the rain!) so guests can enjoy the splendid views from the wrap-around outdoor terrace from morning till night.
While the food and drinks were of very high quality in the restaurant, one dining experience at the Limerick Strand Hotel beat all others. It's a simple machine at breakfast, but it's one that brings a lot of joy. Both kids couldn't get enough of the very popular pancake station.
On our last morning the machine was away for some maintenance (I am guessing from the overuse!) but the staff were straight over to our table offering fresh pancakes from the chef. They were devoured by the kids.
It is a buffet-style breakfast with a nice added touch of getting fresh eggs - fried, poached or an omelet - cooked by an on-site chef.
The staff was notably attentive, getting us fresh coffee and even some oat milk on our final morning with them. It is easy to see why the hotel's breakfast was the winner of Best Hotel Irish Breakfast Menu at the Georgina Campbell's Irish Breakfast Awards 2020.
Our top tip is definitely to try the hotel's own range of baked goodies. Pastry Chef Leia has been busy creating bread baked daily in-house including Brioche, Chocolate, Orange, Lemon & Poppyseed, and of course the Irish breakfast staple Soda Bread.
The hotel is a great location to set about learning more about the area. In our last trip to Limerick we explored the city and had a great time at King John's Castle. This time we wanted to see a bit more of Munster and opted for a day in Bunratty Castle. Only a short drive from the hotel.
It is really easy to organise your activities right in the hotel as they offer super local attractions discounts. Their offer includes King John's Castle, The Escape Rooms, and The Hunt Museum and for some excursions discounts for Killaloe River Cruises, Scattery Island, Burren Smoke House Aillwee Burren Experience, Caherconnell Stone Fort Lough Gurr Visitor Centre and Bunratty Castle.
Our Bunratty Castle experience, at a discounted rate thanks to being a hotel guest, was a great day out with an awful lot to see. It was a really fun experience, with lots to see and lots of great views over the Clare countryside from the top towers.
Trevor was our guide for the day and he told us lots of interesting facts and tales about the old castle and folk park. You can really spend a day there. It is not only the tours of the castle that are fasniating - all through the Castle and Folk Park there are displays and animators to bring the activities to life. The kids had a great time at the playground, feed lambs, at the fairy trail, the train ride and you can book a jaunting car tour, a traditional horse-drawn carriage ride.
The Village Street is the place we spent the most time. It is a street that comes to life because the animators. The school headmaster, the lady outside the GP's house all make it a wonderful experience.
Well worth a visit as well is social media star Eoin Reardon who has a residency at the Castle this summer.
The Details
We were invited to The Limerick Strand Hotel for a two-night stay for the purpose of review. The hotel has a real feel that you check in and not leave - your every wish is catered for and it was the perfect relaxing city break.
Bed and breakfast starts from €175.00 per night. For more information and to check out stay packages available, please visit www.strandhotellimerick.ie
More information on the Local attraction discounts can be found here.
For more staycation inspiration, check out our reviews of The Westin Hotel and The Conrad Hotel.
