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4th July 2019
04:00pm BST

The room: Oh the room! A tastefully-decorated suite with real wow factor and amazing views. We could happily live there. In fact, it's probably bigger than our house.
The bathroom: Twin sinks, large bath, and a rainfall shower (sans door so you do end up soaking the whole floor, ugh). MASSIVE plus in the form of a second separate toilet, meaning your guest can still do their business while you and a bottle of bubbles soak in the tub.
The products: Divine-smelling Rituals minis in the room. Needs-no-description Elemis and Kerstin Florian in the spa.
The hairdryer: Attached to the wall with one of those annoying coiled wire that keeps pulling you back – ugh – and worse, you have to keep your finger on the button to keep the dryer on. What sadist came up with that? The dryer does, at least, give a decent gust of air, but all three heat settings were indistinguishably scorching.
The robe: Super-soft soft inside, not a hint of sandpaper scratchiness. Big enough for a gal possessing of a pair of hips to properly wrap herself in, not like the scrimpy robes found in so many hotels that make you feel fat while leaving you literally cold.
The spa: Small but perfectly formed and filled with couples. The Oasis Spa has treatment rooms and thermal suite (steam rooms, sauna and tropical showers) as well as an indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy pool. There's a swimming pool as part of the separate health centre but we didn't venture that far. Our package included a 25-minute treatment, which gave plenty of time to lounge about in the relaxation room.
The food: We had dinner in the formal Yew Restaurant, although there's also a more casual option in The Grill & Bar upstairs. For €49 per person you can enjoy three courses. I chose slow cooked pork belly to start, followed by roast chicken with bok choi (a tad salty but with quality gravy) for mains, and a deconstructed cheesecake with honeycomb to finish. With the addition of a bottle of delicious veggie- and vegan-friendly Prosecco it was a meal to remember.
The win: A breakfast of dreams. Full Irish and healthy options on the buffet, plus omelettes, pancakes and porridge made to order. Come for the home-made brown bread, stay for the scrambled eggs. We ate our fill at 10.30am and didn't need another morsel for the rest of the day.
The fail: Charging €11.50 for two modest slices of brown bread with tuna and leaves in Tupper's Bar. They should at least throw in a tomato when you get past a tenner.
The locale: Kilkenny city is just a 10-minute drive away, and has a host of cafes, shops and historical sights to potter around. The nightlife is famously vibrant (read: occasionally wild), but with two bars and live music in the hotel it's as easy to stay put.
Her was invited to visit Lyrath Estate for a one-night stay in exchange for a fair and honest review. The '24' package, which includes B&B, dinner and 25-minute treatments for two, starts €156pp sharing for midweek and from €190pp at weekends. For more information, visit Lyrath Estate's website. Explore more on these topics: