One of the main reasons that people like to come to Ireland on holidays is the welcome they receive. As parents holidaying at home, the last place we want to end up on holidays is somewhere the children aren't really welcome. From our arrival at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Cork, it was clear that this was not the case and that kids were welcomed with open arms.
The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa is situated around 15 minutes away from Cork city centre – what’s lovely about the location is that you are close to the city whilst also being very near key attractions such as Fota Wildlife Park (which is less than 10 minutes away) and the beautiful town of Cobh is very close too.
Check-in was very warm and friendly – in fact the warmth of the staff was something that lasted over the entire duration of our stay. They really couldn’t do enough for us. We were a family of two adults and four children, and we felt extremely comfortable in our inter-connecting family rooms for our entire stay. The rooms are tastefully decorated and come with everything you need after a long day of outings around town including the most gorgeous little toiletry welcome packs for the children.
Families also get to enjoy a host of additional benefits to enhance their time in the hotel including free stays for kids under 16; free dining for kids under 12; fully supervised seasonal indoor and outdoor activities in The Blu Birds Kid’s Club and a kid’s activity pack on arrival. They even offer a late checkout on request so that everyone can leave without any stress.
Families are exceptionally well catered for in the hotel too. Children are welcome in the swimming pool and there is an outdoor play area. They also offer a babysitting service which would be handy not only to enjoy dining but also to visit The Spa and Fitness Centre where you will find a gym, sauna, steam room, and hydrotherapy pool, as well as 9 newly renovated treatment rooms for the ultimate in rejuvenation.
We didn’t get to try The Spa on this occasion as Cork is such a gem to visit for things to do. We spent a few wonderful days exploring including a visit to Fota Wildlife Park, The Titanic Experience in Cobh, The English Market and Mahon Point Shopping Centre for some retail therapy and a quick movie to get out of the rain. We certainly didn’t exhaust everything that Cork has to offer either. We left a visit to Blarney Castle & Stone, The Blackrock Castle Observatory, The Cork Butter Museum and a drive to West Cork for our next visit.
The dining options in the hotel don’t disappoint either – as you’d expect there is a generous and hearty buffet breakfast. The most family friendly touch though was the breakfast buffet which is at a lower level to the adult’s buffet and includes a host of food that the kids will love too. It was dressed for Halloween at the time of our visit which was ridiculously cute. It’s worth noting that the buffet is also accompanied by a freshly made-to-order menu including favourites such as pancakes and waffles.
Evening dining can take place in Maestro’s Restaurant or for a more relaxed dining occasion, Banks Bar has a substantial menu too. Although we do know that Cork has some spectacular restaurants, we didn’t feel the need to leave the hotel as the range and quality on food on offer was so good and the portions were hearty.
For smaller children, there is a healthy kid’s menu which both the kids and mum/dad will be happy with such as mini Caesar salad and holidaying hummus for starters, getaway gnocchi, faraway fish and citybreak chicken and I can confirm that the kids desserts don’t disappoint either.
The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Cork is a true family friendly hotel where mum, dad and the kids can really relax. It’s close enough to Cork city to allow for some daily adventures without long journeys where you end up with tired and cranky kids. All in all, we found the Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa in Cork to be a great base from which to explore Cork and we'd highly recommend a visit.
Do yourself a favour and book a stay now – you’ll be glad that you did. You can check out their special Family-Friendly Packages now.
