In need of some pampering and relaxation while back in the home country we decided to pay a visit to the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt in County Wicklow (now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection).
Our wish list went something like this: a luxury hotel within an hour’s drive of Dublin city centre but with a secluded country setting. And with plenty to keep us occupied nearby if we decided to venture out. Demanding, us?! Luckily the Ritz-Carlton ticked all the wish list boxes and so we set off for Wicklow on a sunny Friday afternoon giddy with excitement at the prospect of the weekend ahead.
The Room
We stayed in Mountain View Suite with a bedroom, a sitting room, 2 bathrooms and a walk in closet. Obviously I was obsessed with the walk in closet, it’s been added to the must have list for our next apartment! The room was very high tech with all the electronics operated by touch screen and there was even a tv built into the bathroom mirror. The award of most entertaining gadget goes to the electronic curtains. Hours of fun!
I was a big fan of the classic furnishings and the spaciousness of the rooms. The marble bathrooms were lovely with a comfortable bath tub and separate rainforest shower. As an added bonus I could lounge in the bath as long as I wanted due to bathroom number two!
The bed was huge and so comfortable, I was more reluctant than usual to leave!
The View
Our room had a furnished terrace overlooking the beautifully manicured gardens and with a great view of Sugar Loaf mountain. It was a little chilly but we managed to take advantage of the view with a lovely bottle of bubbly on the balcony one evening. And a few satisfied glances over to Sugar Loaf in recognition of the early morning climb we’d managed that morning!
The Gardens:
The Hotel
The hotel is very grand and, despite the size, it feels very personal and homely. it’s hard to believe there are 200 guest rooms. The facilities are first class with an excellent spa, a 20 meter Swarovski lit swimming pool with child free hours and a well equipped fitness centre.
We enjoyed breakfast in the Gordon Ramsay restaurant. The quality of the breakfast food was very high and any labelled items appeared to be locally sourced which I loved. I loved it a little bit more when a fellow guest popped open a bottle of bubbly at 9 a.m. to accompany their breakfast. Yes, as you do!
Our room rate included 70 euro resort credit daily and with this we enjoyed lunch and wine in the Sugar Loaf lounge and dinner and drinks in McGills, the old school Irish bar which we were pleasantly surprised to find in the hotel. And not forgetting some room service chicken wings to take care of our late night munchies.
Overall
We had a fabulous time at the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt.
We were pampered. We indulged in some lovely food and drinks. We had fun sightseeing in the local area. And we left feeling a million dollars. I can’t wait to visit again!
Things to do
The hotel is located in the Powerscourt Estate which is also home to the amazing Powerscourt Gardens and the Terrace Cafe. Powerscourt Waterfall, Ireland’s highest waterfall, is 5km away at the foot of the Wicklow mountains. Sugarloaf mountain is a nice climb taking approximately an hour and the reward is panoramic views of the Wicklow mountains and the Dublin and Wicklow coastline.
Powerscourt Waterfall:
For a spot of retail therapy one of my old favourite haunts, Dundrum shopping centre, is within a half hour drive of the hotel. Dublin city centre and all its attractions are also within easy reach.
Address: Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, County Wicklow
Effective October 1st, 2013 the hotel ceased to operate under The Ritz-Carlton brand. The hotel now operates as the Powerscourt Hotel under the Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels, an exclusive group of luxury and upper upscale independent hotels in the U.S., Latin America, Asia, and Europe.