Our Family Stay At The Hodson Bay Hotel, Co. Roscommon ♥

*We were given a complimentary stay in the Hodson Bay Hotel. I was not asked to write a feature but wanted to as we had an amazing time and I wanted to make my readers aware of this lovely hotel.

Last week we set off on our last adventure of the summer holidays and travelled the furthest we ever have in Ireland and to a county we'd never been to before - Co. Roscommon.

I wasn't sure what Roscommon had to offer and to be honest, it's not a county I had ever heard much about before, but when we were asked if we would like to come and stay in the Hodson Bay Hotel, located on Lough Ree and just a stones throw from neighbouring Co. Westmeath, we decided that it would be great opportunity to explore a new part of the country.

The Hodson Bay Hotel is 4 star hotel just a stones throw from Lough Ree. It has such a beautiful location and one of the nicest sights from our stay was watching the sun rise over the lake.

We stayed in a large room with a double bed and two single beds for the boys. The room had everything we needed for our night's stay including a bathroom with a separate bath and shower and lots of toiletries, a TV, tea and coffee making facilities and we were also left some lovely sweet treats by the hotel too which was a lovely gesture.

The room was clean, comfortable and had plenty of space for us all. We didn't actually end up staying in the room for long though because as soon as we arrived Jacek and Beau headed off to the neighboring Baysports, an activity which they thoroughly enjoyed.

Baysports is Ireland's largest inflatable water park and is situated on the lake. They both enjoyed it so much and would love to go back again. If you're looking for a break away that includes activities for both children (6+) and adults then I can't recommend the Hodson Bay Hotel and Baysports enough.

While Tyler and Jacek were off enjoying Baysports, Beau and I made use of the hotel swimming pool, which includes a small pool for little ones and a hydro pool (adults only). We had a lovely time in the pool and it was great to get some one on one time. The pool has views to the lake and also has a sauna and steam room. The hotel also has a gym and I think it's leisure centre is a great aspect if you're looking for a family friendly hotel to stay in that has a swimming pool too.

After all his fun at Baysports Tyler headed off to the Kids Adventure Club (you can read more about this and see Tyler featured on their page here). The Kid Adventure Club runs mornings and evenings until 11 o' clock (the latest I have ever seen a kids club run until and quite handy if you're wanting to enjoy a leisurely dinner during you stay and have the kids entertained!). The kids club is for 4 to 12 year olds and is held in a huge room with tons of activities for the kids. Tyler keeps asking to go back even now! He was given his dinner and dessert with the kids club too in a restaurant in the hotel and I think the Kids Adventure Club alone is a huge draw and unique aspect for the Hodson Bay Hotel. It's definitely an element which would bring me back for a stay.

The Hodson Bay Hotel also has a Tiny Tots Playroom which is also fully supervised. This runs from 6.30 until 9 and has toys for little ones to play with. Unfortunately Beau was far too tired to stay and play, which meant that I had to enjoy dinner alone... but what a dinner it was!

I ate in the L'Escale Restaurant in the hotel and the food was out of this world delicious. This was elegant dining at it's finest and I only wished Jacek could have enjoyed it with me. The restaurant very obligingly served Jacek's meal to him up in the room, which I thought was very kind of them.

I had the goats cheese and pepper option for starters which was lovely and the supreme of chicken for a main, which came with the most delicious potatoes I've ever tasted! I was only sad I was too full to finish them all! As well as L'Escale, the Hodson Bay Hotel also has a juice bar, the Waterfront Carvery and Bar and they also serve afternoon tea.

After a comfortable night's sleep, breakfast was served in a lovely conservatory type room. It was a buffet style breakfast - which I love as it always means there's something for everyone and we all enjoyed it. It set us up for the day before our trip on Viking Mike's Viking Boat, which sets sail from the quay just a few steps away from the hotel and our visit to Athlone Castle (which you can read about here) before heading on our long journey back to Cork.

The Hodson Bay Hotel offers a whole lot for families. There are so many things to do in the hotel itself and the location is just beautiful. If you're looking for a holiday that offers a bit of everything - adventure, activities, outdoors, relaxation, good food and a great night's sleep for all then I can't recommend the hotel enough.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and will be back.