Castlemartyr Resort

Our experience in Castlemartyr was bordering on heavenly. We were very apprehensive about our first time at the hotel as our previous experiences with other "5 Star" hotels in Ireland have been major disappointments. We need not have worried. We were greeted by a wonderful gentleman from Cork who took our bags and made us feel like he was inviting us into his own home. We had the same treatment from the reception staff who took us through a quick recap of our booking and some relevant hotel details. When we got to our room we initially thought we had been give the wrong room as it was so palacial. The room consisted of a separate bedroom, reception area, dressing room and bathroom alongside a private patio area outside. The bed was incredibly comfortable but be aware, the bedding is "down feather" which we had to ask to be replaced due to allergies but this was done while we dined without any fuss. The reception area has a fridge, tea & coffee facility and a coat closet. The dressing room has full length mirror, wardrobes, steam iron, dressing table, personal safe etc. The bathroom was a palace unto itself. It consisted of a full size bath, walk-in rain shower, twin sinks, and separate toilet area. It also had access onto the patio area. On our first morning we decided on breakfast in bed so we ordered room service. The in room menu was fantastic. Being a Coeliac I was a bit worried about choices but the kitchen are absolutely on top of it. We simply ordered breakfast as normal but added a small note on the door hanger that a gluten free meal was required. Next morning a "Full Irish" gluten free breakfast appeared and it was perfect. That "ease of use" for want of a better term carried on throughout our stay. Lunch in the Canopy Brasserie was gorgeous. Again asking the wait staff about gluten free option garnered a whimsical look and a "you pick it and we'll make it" attitude. That resulted in me having a mouthwatering piece of short rib. Same attitude again for breakfast in the Canopy Restaurant, gluten free options easily catered for as well as a separate Gluten Free bar for cereals etc. Now for the epic crescendo to our stay at Castlemartyr and was Terre! We had read reviews beforehand stating that Terre was the epitome of Michelin Star food in Ireland and we were never disappointed. We've been to plenty of high end restaurants over the years but not at this level so we were sort of expecting perhaps an air of self importance or something but we quickly realised that the staff were really alien chameleons in human disguise. They quickly adapted to and mirrored exactly what their guests required. As we interacted with them they eased off the posh pedal and made us feel so at ease and even had the odd giggle with us. We cannot honestly overstate how important to us this was and how it immensely added to our night. Other guests there obviously wanted a more formal arrangement and that's exactly what they got from their human chameleons. No matter how good food in a restaurant is, if you're made to feel uncomfortable or "unworthy" to be there, it will ruin an entire night so thank you so much Terre host staff. Onto the food! No, you're not goung to get a course by course description here as that would ruin the surprises on the night for you but at no point were we disappointed. It was simply the most divine meal we have ever experienced. Again we had pre warned the restaurant about requiring a gluten free meal and this was magnificently catered for and my food was just as elegant and heavenly as anyone else's. Please understand though, when you go to a food experience like Terre, you have to go with an open mind and an attitude of "whatever they give me I'm going to eat". You cannot go with a pickey eater mindset. Take it that these chefs are at the top of their fields and what they present to you they do so with love and attention so open yourself to new experiences and just try everything. Several ingredients were presented to us that I would normally hate and steer clear of in other settings but in Terre they were prepared with so much skill that I was shocked that I was falling in love with previously hated items. Will we be returning to Castlemartyr? In a heartbeat, without reservation and at any opportunity we can. Thank you Castlemartyr for making our stay so magnificent.

Fabulous experience. From the superb staff and service to the luxurious rooms and beautiful expansive grounds. Highly recommend it and will definitely be back again.

Family friendly five star. Good location, convenient to Midleton and Cork by car. Good facilities, good food. Great service and friendly staff. We travelled with a 2yr old and a 5yr old, they had a great time and loved the trip to Leahy’s farm

One of the best hotels I’ve been to in Ireland and it’s in a lovely part of Cork. The staff were excellent and the dining options are also fantastic. The scenery around the resort is also stunning.

Pet friendly stay - Fabulous stay, our dog and ourselves were treated like royalty by all staff that we interacted with. We stayed in a garden terrace room which was perfect, everything you could possibly want was in the room. It was my first experience dining at canopy and honestly everything I had was so tasty. The same for breakfast, they were running a busy Sunday breakfast service but everything was well organised with plenty of well trained staff and you could visibly see supervisors/hotel managers interacting with and checking in with the guests. Looking forward to returning.