The Slieve Donard Resort and Spa Opens after £15million transformation
October 2006…It took 125,354 bricks, 143 new windows, 7,600sq metres of carpet, 78,529 gallons of water (to fill the pool!), 26 bricklayers, 23 joiners and even a ‘creative water engineer’, but 18 months and £15million later, the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, Northern Ireland, has thrown open its doors to 70,000sq ft of luxurious hotel living.
The Slieve Donard has stood at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, Newcastle, Northern Ireland for more than a century. Standing in six acres of private grounds, leading to an expansive beach and the world famous Royal County Down golf course, the hotel’s redevelopment has drawn on the elements of natural beauty that envelop its imposing Victorian architecture. Magnificent views across the Irish Sea bring the ‘outside in’; creating an environment for relaxation that is second to none.
The project has added more than 50 new enormous and superbly appointed bedrooms to give a total of 175, as well as a 16 treatment room Spa - one of the largest and probably the most highly specified in Ireland. The hotel has expanded their conference facilities and carried out a radical re-design of the property’s extensive landscaping to showcase the magnificent Slieve Donard building in its seaside setting and to better accommodate helicopters; the chosen mode of transport for an increasing number of the hotel’s guests!
Designed by ESPA, the company responsible for Spa Meccas such as The Metropole Hotel in Monte Carlo and The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong, the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa will undoubtedly rival any spa in Europe today.
As well as treatments, designed to balance mind, body and soul, the extensive leisure and exercise facilities include a 20 metre pool, vitality pool, thermal heat experiences, fitness suite with top of the range cardio vascular and resistance machines and luxuriously appointed changing rooms.
The exacting specifications include a variety of natural materials; sandstone from Scotland, Westmoreland Green Slates, and locally hewn Mourne granite. Fabrics have also been designed and where possible sourced locally, from suppliers such as Ulster Carpets and Ulster Weavers. These sit comfortably alongside furniture made in Cork, tiling, bathroom fittings and accessories sourced from Italy.
Commenting on the Slieve Donard’s redevelopment, chairman of Hastings Hotels Group, Dr Billy Hastings said: “At the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa we have created an experience, not just a ‘stay’. Guests who spend time with us will undoubtedly agree that we have hit the right note with both the surroundings and the first class service that we provide.”
“The re-development team visited similar resorts; Turnberry, Gleneagles, the Sheraton in Edinburgh, the Grove in Hertfordshire and the Four Seasons in Hampshire amongst other hotels to ensure that we were all fully aware of the design requirements and the standards of finish needed in a project like this.”
The £15million spent on the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa development coincides with major investments at both Royal County Down Golf Club and by the District Council in Newcastle towards the “new look” promenade facilities of the area. In total £25 million will be spent on this area over a five year period, to help affirm Newcastle’s position as the premier destination resort in Northern Ireland.
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For further press information, please contact; Claire Griffin, Joanna Cadbury, Kathryn Peel or Emily Wilson at Grifco – 0207 385 7090 Claire@grifcopr.com, Joanna@grifcopr.com , Kathryn@grifcopr.com or Emily@grifcopr.com
