The Westgrove Hotel

Naas,
Kildare
The Westgrove Hotel enquiries
www.westgrovehotel.com

• Super Spa and lovely service
• Excellent Restaurant choice and very good food
• Spacious and elegantly designed

I found the Westgrove Hotel & Conference Centre easily enough from the N7 out of Dublin. Parking was painless, welcome was warm, the place was elegant and yet quite unpretentious and our room was lovely. I was booked into the spa for a full two hour Elemis Ritual treatment, and was meeting a very good friend there, and so I was looking forward to a relaxing, rejuvenating and fun visit. I was not disappointed, we had a really lovely time and to top it all we discovered that the restaurant, Kirby’s, was a real culinary gem.

ACCOMMODATION AT WESTGROVE HOTEL

We had a spacious suite, with flat screen television, large sitting area, working desk space and free broadband internet access, huge bed with lots of pillows and lovely linen and a bright spacious bathroom with separate bath and large power shower. By the time my friend had arrived I was well settled in, and having attended to some work on my laptop, I was ready to visit the spa.

SPA HAVEN AT THE WESTGROVE HOTEL

The staff were gentle, friendly and very professional. Wrapped in fluffy robes we were soon ensconced in the relaxation room with a delicious platter of fresh fruit and cold drinks. After a while catching up on news, I was whisked away for my two hours of pure indulgence while my friend reclined in the whirlpool bath to relax her hard working bones. The Elemis Absolute Spa Ritual is the ultimate skin therapy. Following a full body deep-tissue massage I enjoyed a beautifully rejuvenating facial – and I did indeed nod off to sleep at least twice during the treatment! It was pure bliss, my skin felt wonderful afterwards and I floated back to our room to meet my friend reclining on the sofa in her robe in front of the television. All that relaxing and detoxing had given up an appetite, and so we began to get ready for an early dinner!

DINING AT THE WESTGROVE HOTEL

We had two dining options, the contemporary cuisine at The Exchange Restaurant or some elegant fine dining at Kirby’s. Since we were feeling like movie stars at this stage after our spa pampering, we opted for Kirby’s. What a wonderful gastronomic experience that turned out to be. Opting for the lighter dishes due to our cleansed state, we both chose fish for our main courses. For me it was the Whole Baked Sea Bass with Bock Choi and anchovy and garlic butter. Now I have often opted for Sea Bass – it does appear on many menus these days and the wild version is certainly superior to the farmed – but rarely does it come whole. It is invariably a fillet, pan-fried and presented with skin side up, and often over cooked and drier than it should be. This time it was different, with head and tale and all skin in place, the flesh was as moist and tender as it could possibly be. It was cooked to perfection. Herself opted for the Pan Seared Fillet of Turbot with Pea, Crab and Saffron Risotto, and this was the best way to serve the mighty turbot which was also cooked just right. A mark of an excellent chef this – being able to cook and present fish at its very best and not ruin it with overcooking or fussy extra flavours. We had started with King Scallops – delicious – and a Crottin of goat’s cheese in Filo pastry. We were treated to an Amuse Bouche of some delicious pheasant on a bed of spinach.

Other great dishes on this menu were Roast Monkfish “pot au Feu”; Roast Haunch of Venison; Dry Aged Rib Eye Steak and Pan Friend Angus Fillet.
The wine list was fairly extensive, with choices from both Old and New World. We decided that a Sauvignon Blanc would probably fit the bill, and indeed the New Zealand Saint Clair Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough with flavours of passion fruit and hints of gooseberry was just delicious.
The next morning my friend had to return to the city for an early meeting, and a tray with coffee, fruit and toast was delivered to our suite at 6am. How thoughtful and kind of the lovely staff at Westgrove Hotel to organize this. For me however, it was an extra hour or two in bed, followed by a leisurely breakfast in Exchange before I headed South. Choices here ranged from fruit, cereal and pastries to freshly cooked dishes to order. I enjoyed some scrambled eggs with delicious brown bread. The atmosphere was leisurely and pleasant, and set me up for the long drive ahead.
Although it was the first time either of us had stayed at The Westgrove Hotel, and I know they are very popular with conferences and weddings, our visit was just perfect on this occasion. This is certainly one for our Best Hotel Experiences list!
Get the best rates at www.westgrovehotel.com