HAMLET COURT HOTEL

ENFIELD
COUNTY MEATH
Hamlet Court Hotel enquiries
www.thehamlet.ie

• It’s an exceptionally friendly family run hotel.
• It sits comfortably in lovely local countryside.
• It’s a real gem, actually.

We were enjoying a fine breakfast, remarking how the freshly baked scones were so warm and crumbly, when I heard the lady at the next table say to her partner “this place was a great find, wasn’t it?”

Yes, I thought, that sums up the Hamlet Court Hotel pretty well – a great find indeed.

We had heard it was a really popular wedding hotel, and had won awards. We were not sure exactly where it was, Kildare or Meath? We were not certain of where we were going and of what to expect. When we arrived at the hotel we first saw this lovely olde world pub with lots of colourful hanging baskets full of flowers, and then drove around to the ample parking at the back.

If you enter the hotel from the parking area, there is a bit of a walk through to the reception, and the bedrooms are built around the car park. Although this seemed odd at first, when we learnt that the original pub which was built in 1858 is the subject of a preservation order, there would be no better option when it came to building the hotel. It all marries seamlessly together now, although the 30 bedrooms were not completed until the end of 2003.

Our bedroom was lovely and had all the little extras that make for a comfortable stay. With internet access, bowls of fruit, bottled water, power shower and full size bath, robes and slippers – not to mention the chocolates – this was more like a luxury resort than a simple country hotel. But what really impressed us most of all was the staff.
Every single person working there was noticeably friendly, courteous and helpful and without exception seemed really happy to be working there. The key must be owner John O’Neill. I have never seen such a hands-on proprietor – one minute he was behind the desk sorting out LAN cable for the laptop, next thing he was proudly bringing out dishes to the dining room. He chatted away to each table and obviously had many regular diners from all over the locality as well as residents.

Regulars we would be ourselves, if we lived close enough, for the food was excellent. We thought the chef might be French, but learnt he was from Mayo. We started with great home-made breads, and had excellent fish and vegetarian choices and sumptuous desserts.

Another surprise was the classy wine list. This was a very intelligent collection with some pretty special vintages; all were very well priced too. We heard they plan to extend the list to over 200 wines, making this a real gourmet venue.
And so to the weddings. With nearly 150 weddings in 2006 and 176 booked for 2007, they must be doing something right. I expect it is down to that care and attention to detail that makes sure the wedding day goes without a hitch.
They have a custom built bridal suite, two conference suites which can be configured as required and a special wheelchair-friendly bedroom.

They genuinely seem to care about their guests in the Hamlet Court Hotel, and that really is something special.