Planning a staycation in Wexford? Check out our review of one of the county's most famous hotels.
Located at the point of the River Slaney where it broadens out just before joining up with the Irish Sea, the Ferrycarrig Hotel couldn't be better situated thanks to that beautiful, nature-provided setting.
Taking as much pride in their work as the hotel does in its location, the staff at the hotel were some of the best ever encountered in the service industry, with the stay only slightly hampered by issues that were sometimes out of their control.
About a ten minute drive from the centre of Wexford Town, the hotel is perfect for those who "want to get away from it all", but also don't want to be SO far from everything they'll feel completely isolated.
For anyone who might make this their first staycation of the year following that everlasting lockdown, pre-booking everything is a must. The spa was completely booked out days ahead of our stay, and even being added to the cancellation list didn't result in getting a slot. We did book ahead for the impressively large pool, but the only available slot was at 6pm, right before the booked dinner slot for 7.30pm.
There can be no sense of spontaneity while we readjust to a sense of normality, further proven by a 30-minute wait for a taxi to bring us from the hotel into town. These specific issues aren't the fault of the hotel, but just to be taken into account for staycationers ahead of time.
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We stayed in the hotel during one of the warmest weekends in recent years, and it was here that we discovered the hotel room didn't have air conditioning. Maybe under normal circumstances, an open window at a waterfront property would provide enough cooling, but not that weekend.
Otherwise, the rooms were lovely; the beds big and comfortable, the bathrooms clean and filled with nice products, the windows and/or balconies giving lovely views of that river. There were no mini-fridges to store drinks, which resulted in a lot of buckets of ice being ordered to the room (there were also no ice machines to be found), while the TV had maybe ten channels, only half of which were actually tuned into anything.
If it sounds like we're being overtly critical, the overall experience was a positive one, but the small negatives do slowly add up, and mostly are fixable issues.
It can't be overstated how pleasant and helpful the staff were, from the wait staff during breakfast and dinner that assisted in every way possible, to the receptionists who were only too happy to make suggestions on things to do and see and visit in the area. The service was fast and immaculate, the food ranged from good pub grub to fancy a la carte courses, and between the adults-only restaurant section to the playground-adjacent outdoor dining area, all sorts of guests were brilliantly catered for.
There is also free parking outside the hotel for guests, and free entry to the leisure club, including that large pool and an equally large gym.
Currently priced from €180 to €270 per weekend night, depending on what size room or suite you'd like, with enough pre-planning a night at the Ferrycarrig Hotel would make for a great escape from reality for 24 hours (or more).
Images via Ferrycarrig Instagram
