Best Staycation Spa in Northern Ireland

The Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort is the ideal place to Stay, Spa & explore a Self-Drive Food Tour on the Causeway Coastal Route.

 

We booked our stay

Delighted to have time to take the day and night off from the current normal and dive into a luxury stay at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort, we booked, downloaded the APP and drove with more luggage, shoes and toiletries than usual.  My husband and I enjoyed an overnight stay, relaxing Spa day and delicious food & drinks.

 

Reading the website information and on our booking confirmation we were very much reassured about the Hygiene Commitment and the arrival procedures of staying at the Resort.

As we packed our bags, we felt happy and confident about our upcoming Staycation in the Safe Haven of Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort.  Our excitement to stay was enhanced by the additional information received by email in advice of our stay to download the Resort App to maximise our experience, reduce touch points on materials and a place where we would be able to find out all areas of information about our stay.  Most importantly we were able to browse the drinks and food menus before arrival, our main discussion was where to have our first cocktail.

 

Checking In

Just 45 minutes to drive to our holiday, upon arrival, we were greeted by that familiar friendly smile at the well-dressed door a welcome sight.  Guiding us to use the mandatory temperature check and sanitise we used the Zoono™Hand Sanitiser, which provides an antimicrobial coating that lasts up to 24 hours and kills 99.99% of germs.

Check in was a seamless experience as part of the social distancing measures was having staggered check in times, and your own designated check in time in advance (you also have a duty to be on time, we were on time).

Evident by their smart uniforms and welcoming smile, all staff we met were pleased to be back at work, interested to find out about our stay and what we wanted to enjoy on the Resort.

 

All informed before arrival I expected to see our room door closed with an unbroken cleanliness seal and this was the case, the hotel had kept their promise with their Hygiene Commitment steps.

Our Spa time was booked in from 4:30pm so it was time to celebrate with drinks in the Conservatory & the Gin Library (Ireland’s largest Gin Library), with comfortable seating and bright uninterrupted views looking over the Maine river.  Presented in crystal it was time to toast with Prosecco in hand.  Happy Staycation to us!

 

The Thermal Spa Village

We both felt extremely comfortable that we had an allocated Spa Experience start time, and in line with recommendations we got Spa ready in our room with our extremely soft Spa Robes & Spa Flip Flops.

When we arrived at the Spa it was evident, we were only going to meet a few other guests.  Social distancing measures within the Thermal Spa Village meant that I could keep my own commitment to social distancing as the number of guests using an experience at any one time were limited.  The continuation of smart uniforms, face masks and cleaning operations, it was evident the Spa Team were on point to achieve their team commitments.

Recent investment has been spent with the customer in mind and it is being continued, the outdoor areas, new steam and salt experiences, communal hot tubs and private hot tubs looked stunning.

 

Time to really relax.

 

Using the pre-arrival email suggesting Book your Spa and Explore the Area, I took the chance to explore the many private, bespoke treatments and experiences on offer.  I pre-booked one of the private Serenity Bathing Experiences, you know because I’m worth it!  Actually it was with my husband in mind, he doesn’t go to enjoy a Spa experience very often, so it was going to be a proper Spa experience introduction for him.

It did not disappoint, and accompanied by a Spa team member we dandered across the manicured gardens and discussed all the updates of the Spa and shared out ‘lockdown news’.  I’m starting to get into the swing of talking to other humans again, in their actual company I mean.  Arriving at our Serenity Experience we were left in complete privacy.

 

Surrounded by Apple Trees and hedgerows our private Serenity Experience was truly divine.

Heated loungers in our own cabin and private hot-tub with cocktails on arrival, Spa staycations are just sublime.

 

So much space and places to enjoy we spent time in the 20 metre pool, relaxing on soft water floating loungers, heated loungers, visited the Snow Room, Saunas and Salt Room, we even had time for a Cappuccino and later on a Cosmopolitan at the Elements Spa Cafe.  It was lovely to take in the original part of the Spa, close to the River Room and I reminisced of fondly visiting for some ‘me time’ after the birth of my first daughter, many years ago. I just can’t possibly tell you everything about the Spa, it’s time to book it for yourself.

 

You can book an overnight stay, several different packages, different rooms and cottages, several Spa experiences in Irelands first Thermal Village Spa,  all on the website https://www.galgorm.com/

 

If you would love a Food Tour to explore during your visit then incorporate it into your stay, just have a look at the entire overnight, Spa and Food Tour Toast The Coast experience https://www.toastthecoastni.com/book-a-tour/

Pre-Dinner Drinks

Table service only, we relaxed at McKendry’s pub and stepped into Gillies Grill promptly at 7:30pm.  Very relaxed after a really good chat our waiter actually helped us decide our food choice.  It’s been so long, and we had so much choice, it seemed more difficult than usual to make a decision, we wanted to try many dishes. In the end it was Scampi, Spicy Chicken and Galgorm Beef Burgers.  All ordered from the electronic menu version housed in the APP, not long to wait we enjoyed with a well overdue chilled bottle of wine.

 

We had a table in the corner after dinner to enjoy the pub entertainment whilst glancing over at other guests in their own little social huddles, wondering where they travelled from and what they had for dinner.

Breakfast

Not a fan of a buffet I was pleased to enjoy my A la Carte breakfast offering, which ensued the continuation of our safe dining experience.  We were on time for our breakfast booking that we had made during our reservation experience and happily sat in view of the horses in the stable yard, also getting their breakfast.

 

During our retreat from the world for a precious 24 hours it truly felt like an ‘escapecation’ holiday at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort.