Woodenbridge Hotel

Courtesy of a very good Groupon deal we spent two nights very recently at the Woodenbridge Hotel in the lovely Vale of Avoca. It is a 3 star hotel and its décor and general ambiance would certainly only warrant a 3 star — i.e. brightly coloured flowery and madly patterned carpets and curtains, shabby bathrooms and just about ok bedrooms, although the view made up for the plain and ordinary rooms. However, I did notice a planning application where the Hotel intends to upgrade and renovate the premises and bedrooms which are badly needed. The bedroom was roomy and had a single and a king bed — but it was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept in — rock hard with the mattress covered with a waterproof sheeting — also I had to ask them to put a proper fitting sheet on the bed after the first night as the sheet was clearly for a much smaller bed and kept coming off while I got so cold and chilling sliding onto the horrid waterproof mattress covering during the night! Another gripe, the cold tap produced hot water during the night time only — Faulty Towers or what?
However, the quality and value of the food, not to mention the friendliness of the staff and the beautiful location of the Hotel… plus of course, the deal we got… more than made up for my gripes. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast served to us each morning with a good choice on the menu which was top quality, ranging from healthy homemade museli, berries and Greek yoghurt, to a huge full Irish and also smoked salmon with scrambled eggs. We enjoyed dinner each evening in the bar (as the restaurant was closed at this time of year) sitting beside a roasting log fire. Again, there was a very good choice and generally, while rather basic, homecooked type food, it was very good quality and rather tasty! Another plus, WiFi was available all over the hotel but the reception in that party of the County is rather poor — however, that was not the fault of the Hotel.
All in all, a good experience for a cosy winter break away with lots to do and see nearby.