Charlotte Ryan headed to food-loving West Cork to visit Inchdoney Island Lodge & Spa, to review its thalassotherapy treatments.
Located right on the water's edge, facing straight down into tumbling waves and pristine beaches, it's no surprise that Inchdoney Island Lodge & Spa embraces its seaside charm.
Nestled along the coast, just a 15 minutes drive from Clonakilty, the hotel has been running since 1998 and is home to Ireland's first thalassotherapy spa using seawater to cleanse and treat the skin, a practice that some believe dates back to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
"Go to the ocean to heal", goes one quote attributed to Hippocrates himself, the Greek philosopher and "grandfather" of modern medicine, and who am I to argue with Greek philosophers?
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I was invited, along with my boyfriend as a plus one, to stay for two nights to experience some of the treatments, and took the opportunity to explore a bit of Clonakilty while we were there.
With a storm brewing over Dublin, we hit the road for what we hoped were bluer skies down south, and after a wet and windy drive just short of four hours long, we almost audibly breathed a sigh of relief pulling up to the hotel.
It's a striking building, hedged in by flower-filled pathways and accented with large windows that gaze out onto the ocean. When we arrived there were still guests and visitors walking the beach or stripping off wetsuits, a glimpse at the community that springs up around the resort on good weather days.
Inside the interiors are a calming mix of rustic coastal design and polished craftsmanship, which carried through to the room: a decent sized double room with a king sized bed, a balcony, two deck chairs and retro-style additions like a vintage radio on the vanity.
After freshening up - the Elemis products adding a luxurious touch - we hit the road again for the unbelievably picturesque drive to Clonakilty, the road hugging the water and the sun just setting. We'd asked Nathan at reception to recommend a spot for dinner and he directed us to Kirby's at the Whale's Tail in the centre of town.
Set in an industrial style dining room with two chandeliers and blue lighting, this seafood-heavy restaurant could have seemed like a bit of a mismatch upon first entering if it hadn't been - excuse the pun - full to the gills.
We opted for the Ardshallagh goats cheese bon bons to start, which were intense and perfectly crisp, followed by the seafood board, our attempt at maximising how much local produce we could try. The haddock goujons were well seasoned with herbs in the batter, crisp exterior and delicate flakey fish; the crab claws were super sweet and came drenched in butter sauce, which made up for the comparatively bland shredded crab meat on the side. The smoked salmon, prawns and sushi rolls were fresh and delicious.
The highlight was the brown bread, which was homemade with Murphy’s stout, homemade and had a shatteringly crisp crust, contrasting perfectly with the seafood. A side of truffle rustic-style fries came with fluffy potatoes and a (thankfully) conservative amount of truffle.
We rounded off our night at the hotel with two games of chess in the cosy Residents' Lounge, a spot that demonstrated what every good resort should do: offer enough to keep guests entertained without having to leave its grounds. Its plush couches were filled with chatting couples and families, making for a very relaxing space.
The next morning we were up bright and early for a yoga class on the beach, which is complimentary to guests on certain days of the week. Deborah, the instructor, led our little group to the beach to find it swallowed by the high tide, so we relocated to a patch of grass overlooking the ocean. There, she led us through a nicely challenging practice, with some gentle meditation, leaving us very ready for our breakfast.
Breakfast is held in the Gulfstream Restaurant, located on the third floor, high enough to let you gaze out over the water, not a blade of grass in sight. We both opted for the eggs royale - mercifully a proper sized portion, rather than two eggs and a dribble of sauce on a teeny English muffin - and plundered the buffet, filled with local Clonakilty products.
Keen to make the most of the stunning day, we again went to the main town, stopping in Revel, a concept coffee and home store, for two flawless flat whites, a moreish take on a Snickers bar and a decadent chocolate Guinness cake.
Up the road, Michelle Mitton Design Gallery stocks an impressively curated range of homewares from local creators, from artisanal candles and textiles, to Irish made jewellery designers like Dublin-based Juvi. A real treasure trove for home birds.
Then it was back to the resort for our trip to the spa, passing as we went coffee trucks, the surf school, local pop-up businesses and more that had sprung up around the hotel with the glorious weather.
We tried the seawater massage bath treatment (€45) and the seaweed wrap, just two options in their thalassotherapy spa, which also features a main pool filled with seawater.
For the baths, the seawater is pumped from the ocean directly outside the hotel and heated to 34 degrees, with detoxifying salts added. Over 20 minutes, massage jets shoot into the water, creating a gentle massage. When it was done my skin felt subtly polished, a slight residue of silt showing just how fresh that water was.
Next was the seaweed wrap, which involves being covered in a seaweed paste from head to toe and wrapped in a heavy blanket to leg the algae get to work on nourishing the skin. As you are bound by the blanket, this wouldn't be one for someone who gets claustrophobic, but the thickness of the blanket almost lulled me to sleep and my skin felt supple and smooth afterwards.
Finally, we returned to the Gulfstream Restaurant for dinner, which started with a plate of mini canapés: goats cheese bonbons, a vibrant seafood medley with prawn and a rich chicken mousseline. We paired that with six natural rock oysters, which came with a classic raspberry mignonette and Tabasco sauce and were potentially the best thing I ate all weekend: plump, fresh and indulgent.
For mains, I chose the turbot with caviar sauce and pureed cauliflower, which was cooked perfectly but had too many mild flavours together. My boyfriend had the trio of Irish pork, which came with confit pork belly, roasted pork fillet and slow braised pork cheek. The autumnal flavours of apple and chanterelle mushrooms, with a cider jus, worked really well here.
We rounded off our meal with a mango pavlova, the meringue of which was made with potato starch and therefore vegan.
All in all, it was a dreamy two days away, and I believe it would have been regardless of the weather. The resort, run by a welcoming and relaxed staff, made for a calming base to explore this stunning part of the country, and the scores of visitors relishing the natural wonders around them created something special that money can't always buy: community.
The details:
We were invited to Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa for a two-night stay for the purpose of review.
Prices for their Taste of the Sea package, which includes two nights accommodation with breakfast each morning, Seawater Bath and Classical Algae Body Wrap each in the Island Spa, dinner in the Gulfstream Restaurant on one night and access to the spa, start at €395pp for a Deluxe Terrace Room.
To plan a visit, check out the resort website here.
Meals eaten in Clonakilty were paid for by the journalist.
For more staycation inspiration, check out our family reviews of Westport Adventure Park and Eccles Hotel and Wild Atlantic Camping, in Cork.
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