Last year my family and I took a midweek break to Wexford.
I used to visit Wexford every summer when I was growing up but I’d never been down as an adult and in particular not with my children.
A mid-week break offer brought me back to the sunny south-east last week and made me remember why I had loved Wexford so much growing up.
Our three-day stay was at Ferrycarrig Hotel and it was the first time I ever stayed at a hotel with the kids as we would usually book an AirBnB. I get nervous about the kids getting fed up in hotel rooms and prefer to stay somewhere more like an apartment so I really didn’t know what to expect on this trip.
Only moments after arriving at the hotel though I realised I had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Our family-sized room was located on the ground floor with a french door that opened up onto the lake. Our room contained three beds (one double, two single) an ensuite bathroom, TV, sofa, dining table and tea and coffee making facilities.
A family stay for two nights bed and breakfast and one dinner for a family of four sharing is available from €430 for the total stay. This price also includes the kids club which runs daily.
As well as instant access to the green area and beautiful lake our hotel room opened out to the hotel’s playground which is located beside the Dry Dock bar and restaurant which is a beautiful spot for eating outside.
The Dry Dock is also ideal for eating with small children with a fantastic kids menu and colouring-in packs to keep them entertained.
The Ferrycarrig hotel is only a short drive from the Wexford Irish National Heritage Park and if you’re heading down that direction it is an absolute must-see. The park shows you how the first inhabitants of Ireland lived with ancient houses, chapels burial mounds.
As well as taking in all the historical sights children can also paint their own Viking shield, visit the Fairy Woods and sift for pieces of gold to earn a reward. You can also buy ice cream inside one of the huts which giving how hot it was on the day was very much appreciated.
The park is huge and I’d say we only did about half of the activities in the hour we were there. I enjoyed the visit so much that not even being stung by a wasp could spoil it. In fact when the staff at the gift shop heard I’d been stung they immediately went and got me some vinegar to bring down the swelling.
The facilities at the Ferrycarrig were superb. As well as the Kids club, there is also a movie night package which includes two DVD rentals, a share size bag of Malteasers and two bags of popcorn to keep the kids entertained at night.
The hotel is also able to organise a babysitter for you which we took advantage of on the second night of our stay as it was the same night as our third wedding anniversary. Because we were having dinner by ourselves we ordered room service for the kids and were surprised to find out that room delivery came at no extra charge.
One thing that I found really helpful was the baby prep room that was on the same floor as our room. It came equipped with bottle sterilisers, microwave, high chairs and other practical bits to help you prepare bottles or feed your baby in your hotel room.
Ferrycarrig has an extensive leisure centre on-site which includes heated swimming pools, steam rooms, hot tubs, gyms and spa facilities. I treated myself to my first ever full body massage and it was the most relaxing experience I’ve ever had.
The morning we were checking out we found goodbye balloons tied to the handle of our door which was a really lovely touch that the kids really enjoyed. The balloons were also a great distraction for them on the drive back to Dublin.
Ferrycarrig hotel had everything we could have asked for and more when it came to accommodating the kids and our needs and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of taking a short break to the south-east of Ireland.
