The Lough of luxurious: Christmas cosiness with Fermanagh’s most interesting

Lough Erne Resort is nestled on the county’s stunning lakelands

The Catalina restaurant at Lough Erne

Gillian admires one of many many Christmas timber at Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh

Stairway to Heaven in Fermanagh

The Lough of luxurious: Christmas cosiness with Fermanagh’s most interesting

Impartial.ie

Final weekend was a very damp and drizzly one once I visited Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh.

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Final weekend was a very damp and drizzly one once I visited Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh.

The primary storm of the season, Storm Atiyah, was brewing, however the blustery climate outdoors solely made the Northern Eire lodge appear much more cosy – and extra Christmassy.

Stepping out of the rain and into the resort, its traditional olde-world ambiance was instantly comforting, and after check-in, we counted at least seven twinkling Christmas timber on our approach from reception to the carry. An open hearth blazed within the hallway, festive garland adorning its mantelpiece, and despite the fact that it is a five-star lodge, there’s an actual homely really feel to the place.

Sure, Christmas had properly and really arrived at Lough Erne Resort, which is nestled on a 600-acre peninsula. We settled into our room, styled opulently with a country-estate really feel, and took in its views over the Fermanagh lakelands, which have been particularly eerie within the evening’s harsh winter climate.

Eating

The lodge has three eateries: the Blarney Bar, the Lough Bar and Grill, and the three AA rosette Catalina Restaurant, the place we dined on a Friday evening.

There have been a couple of empty tables after we visited, which made for a slight lack of ambiance, however this was no reflection on the standard of meals served up by government chef Noel McMeel, who has beforehand been named ‘Finest Chef in Fermanagh’ by the Eating places Affiliation of Eire.

The Catalina restaurant at Lough Erne

Our meal started with an amuse bouche of cured salmon with squid-ink cracker and beetroot gel, which whetted our urge for food properly earlier than our waitress offered us with a tray of rustic breads to select from – a home-made soda bread, a curry-infused creation, and a treacle brown bread – with accompanying rock salt, basil oil and Abernethy Butter (made in Dromara in Co Down).

For starters, I selected the ‘Smoked Lough Neagh Eel with Comber Potato Puree and Armagh Brambly Apple’, which was served with a superbly cooked, plump seared Irish scallop. The fragile flavour of the melt-in-your-mouth seafood was complemented deliciously by the tart, crunchy apple and creamy potato puree.

Subsequent, there was a light-weight primary course: seared Irish fillet of halibut with caramelised parsnip puree and caviar. I fortunately cleared my plate, whereas my eating companion raved about her ‘Thornhill Roast Duck Breast with Mandarin Orange Jelly and Toasted Hazelnut’. “I do not need this to complete,” she mentioned, savouring the final of her dish.

I took a danger for dessert and ordered one thing I would by no means eaten earlier than: soufflé. That evening’s menu supplied a blackberry model, served with vanilla ice cream and pouring custard. And the chance paid off: should you can think about consuming a candy, berry-flavoured cloud, it will in all probability style one thing like this.

Fore!

Lough Erne Resort is famed for its two championship programs, together with the top-100 (UK and Eire) Faldo Course, designed by Sir Nick. And its Faldo Academy boasts a “state-of-the-art observe and tuition facility with video evaluation and golf clinics obtainable”.

Non-golfers like me can nonetheless benefit from the course’s stunning vista over the waters by following the scenic pathway across the lodge property and alongside the lake.

The Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven in Fermanagh

Fermanagh has its fair proportion of landmarks to discover, together with the Cliffs of Magho and the Marble Arch Caves (at the moment closed, however reopening for the brand new season in March).

Maybe the county’s hottest attraction is the Stairway to Heaven. Situated about 25 minutes from Lough Erne, it kinds a part of the Cuilcagh Legnabrocky Path. With magnificent views over the rugged panorama, the stairway has turn out to be a daily on Instagram. The stroll takes two-and-a-half to a few hours from the automotive park to the highest, and the issue degree is medium.

Nevertheless, on the wild and windy morning we walked it, the mist was so heavy, we might solely see a couple of metres forward.

Pampering time

Windswept after our hike, we returned to the heat of Lough Erne Resort, the place I used to be booked into the Thai Spa for a Physique Bliss remedy – and my pleasant masseuse, Khorjai, ensured the therapeutic massage lived as much as its identify. After working her magic on my weary muscle mass, she tells me that she flew right here from Phetchaburi in central Thailand after efficiently making use of for a job on-line.

Submit-pampering, there was contemporary fruit and inexperienced tea within the Thai-style rest room, and visitors may also sit back within the spa’s sauna, steam room or rainbow bathe, the place important oil-infused water flows from the rainforest bathe head.

Gillian admires one of many many Christmas timber at Lough Erne Resort in Fermanagh

Adjoining the spa (whose corridors are lined with some pretty Thai murals), is a leisure centre with pool and Jacuzzi, and there is additionally a well-equipped gymnasium, the place Barack Obama reportedly labored out throughout his keep.

The lodge, positioned simply outdoors the city of Enniskillen, is simply two hours’ drive from Dublin. A brief journey to make for an opulent slice of heaven…

And talking of heaven, I will undoubtedly be making a return journey in additional beneficial circumstances to deal with that picket stairway!

Get there

Lough Erne Resort has a Christmas Film Marathon package deal, together with an in a single day keep, a collection of Christmas motion pictures, mini snacks, breakfast and use of the infinity pool, from £225pps. Reserving, obtainable till December 23, is topic to availability.

See lougherneresort.com for extra.

NB: This function initially appeared in The Herald.

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