Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, Co. Meath ♥

*We were invited to Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa to experience the destination for the purposes of this feature, however, as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Last weekend myself and Jacek were invited to go and experience the delights of Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa, Co. Meath. We traveled the three hours from Cork and honestly, it was great to be able to get away as a couple and visit Co. Meath again as it's such a beautiful place with lots of history - we had previously visit last year when we took the boys to Tayto Park and stopped by Newgrange.

Dunboyne Castle Hotel & Spa is the perfect destination if you're looking for some rest and relaxation. It's secluded enough to get away from the busyness of everyday life, yet still just down the road from Maynooth and a few minutes away from the motorway heading into Dublin.

The hotel itself looks beautiful, with it's original Georgian House frontier and newer extension built on. The lovely green Georgian door made for the perfect Instagram photo opp! The inside of the hotel is just as lovely as the outside, with large, spacious areas for guests to relax in, enjoy a drink or food and just have an overall good time.

We also ventured into the Georgian House part of the hotel and the library was a lovely place to sit and relax.

 It was so quiet and beautiful with it's large sash windows and glittering chandelier.

We received a warm welcome whilst checking in and were able to go to our room straight away. We stayed in one of the hotel's Deluxe Rooms, which was very spacious and comfortable. The hints of purple within the decor were lovely too.

The bed was large and very comfortable, there was also a table and chairs, lots of storage space for our clothes and bags and a TV with access to many channels. Jacek was also impressed with the coffee and tea making facilities and there was a good travel hairdryer in the dresser drawer too.


The bathroom in our room featured a bath and shower - good to have both options, and a lovely range of bath and shower products that were handmade in Ireland - a lovely touch.

I was really impressed with our room and it made a great home for the evening.

Jacek and then went for afternoon tea - this wasn't included in our stay, but afternoon tea is something we both really enjoy so we wanted to see how the hotel's was. This was served to us in the Terrace Lounge (also available in the Sadlier Bar downstairs) which was nice, bright and airy.

We were able to substitute the sandwich choices - which was great as I don't like cucumber, and I thought this was great as it meant we could pick a filling we would enjoy more - we went for the extra chicken and pesto.

The afternoon tea was served with two large scones, double cream and pots of jam. There was also a selection of cakes on the top tier. The lemon macaroon was lovely. The afternoon tea is €40 for two or €56 if you opt for a glass of prosecco each, which we did of course.

Jacek and I then went for a walk around the outside of the hotel and stumbled on an old wall with just a window and door in it, part of the old castle ruins. It's lovely to see little bits of history to a place when visiting somewhere new. It adds a real sense of charm I think.

We then ventured inside out of the cold and relaxed before heading to the award-winning The Ivy restaurant for our dinner. We arrived for dinner at eight o' clock and it was quite busy, but service was not compromised.

We were given a very warm welcome and shown to our table very quickly. We had a very attentive waiter who took our order and gave us our drinks very quickly - more prosecco! He also gave us a selection of breads and butter.

Jacek had the crab for starters whilst I went for the soup of the day, which was leek and potato. We both really enjoyed our starters. For our mains Jacek had the john dory, whilst I had the corn-fed chicken, both were once again really delicious and the chicken was cooked so well. For dessert we both shared the green tea panna cotta. It was a really treat to finish our meal with.

The atmosphere inside The Ivy is really lovely. There was a great buzz in there but it still felt intimate enough for us to just enjoy our meal together. The food was delicious and the staff were great - what more could you ask for?!

After a good nights sleep we ventured to The Ivy again where a buffet breakfast was being served. The breakfast was amazing and there was such a large selection to choose from too - hot food, pastries, cereals and fruits, as well as a selection of juices. The hash browns were cooked to perfection, the scrambled eggs were yummy and I loved having a croissant with jam and a raspberry Danish pastry as part of my breakfast - a lovely treat for Mother's Day.

At ten o' clock I was booked in for a full body massage at the Seoid Spa. We were given robes and slippers in our room to wear down to the spa. As soon as we entered the spa there was an air of relaxation and tranquility. The low lighting really set the mood and honestly, for me, the spa was the best part of the hotel.

The Seoid Spa is very luxurious and calming. I had never had a full body massage before but was immediately put at ease by my therapist Niamh, who was very friendly. The massage was heavenly and again such a treat to enjoy on Mother's Day. I was so relaxed after it and it was just what I needed after a very busy week. The Voya Full Body massage is €85 and I highly recommend it if you're looking to de-stress and unwind.

I then joined Jacek in the thermal suite, which includes a hydrotherapy pool, laconium, sauna, steam room, cold showers and heated loungers. There is also on outdoor hot tub, which unfortunately was occupied during our time in the spa, so we made use of the sauna, steam room and pool instead. There are relaxation areas throughout the spa which offer water, herbal teas, juices and fresh fruit too.

The spa really was lovely and it's such a highlight within the hotel. I'd return just for the spa alone!

After our amazing, relaxing morning it was time to pack up and head home to Cork. We had such a lovely stay at Dunboyne Castle Hotel and Spa and I highly recommend a visit if you're looking for some relaxation and peace, as well as good food and a friendly atmosphere.