Set amidst beautiful scenery, with the River Maine running through the grounds, this former gentleman’s residence is one of Northern Ireland’s best known country house hotels and, following major redevelopment, has emerged much larger and more contemporary – and ready to take its place among Ireland’s leading hospitality players.
Although so much has changed, the approach through well-tended parkland remains familiar to returning guests, who pass the separate banqueting and conference facilities, which have remained in operation throughout the redevelopment, to arrive at the front door of the original house, just a hundred yards from the river.
Once inside, however, it is all change, with a large new reception area replacing the traditional foyer of the old house (the welcoming fire has been sacrificed, alas), wide corridors and lifts leading to the 48 contemporary deluxe bedrooms that have been built in a new extension that takes up part of the old walled garden area; accommodation also includes some suites and rooms in the old house, most of which have views over the river.
The new rooms are spacious and very appealing, with huge and extremely comfortable beds dressed with fine white cotton sheets, down pillows and duvets, standard lamp for reading, a table and chairs for in-room dining, pleasantly neutral decor and no gimmicks; en suite bathrooms are attractive too although (like a lot of modern plumbing experienced recently), smart new fittings may not always work as well as the traditional ones.
Some rooms have balconies overlooking the river (the sound of water at night is wonderful); with extensive decking on that side of the hotel, however, it could be noisy in summer when there’s a large wedding on.
The hotel has retained its pleasant atmosphere, staff are helpful, and some of the original elegant ground floor rooms are still in use, including drawing rooms and the former dining room which is available for conferences and small weddings or other celebrations.
Garden lovers may wish the walled gardens could have been restored and some other space found for the new development, but the work has been well executed and glazed upper corridors allow views of sunshades over tables at Gillie’s Pub & Bollinger Garden and the equestrian centre immediately behind the hotel as well as new gardens under development, which all adds interest.
Like the impressive new destination Spa, the equestrian centre is very much in demand - and you can see into it from your table at the characterful Gillies Bar & Grill (part of the original hotel), where informal evening meals and breakfast are served.
The Executive Chef for the Resort is Israel Robb, whose hands-on focus is Gillies Bar & Grill – this unusual dining room and bar has oodles of atmosphere, especially when candlelit at night, and offering this strong informal dining option is a big plus for the hotel.
There is also a separate chef for the Great Hall, Donna Turnbull, who is responsible for all weddings and banquets there.
Conference/banqueting (500/300); secretarial services, video conferencing, free broadband wi/fi.
Rooms 75 (9 suites, 7 junior suites, 14 family, 3 disabled, all no smoking); children welcome (under 4s free in parents room, cot available free of charge, babysitting arranged). B&B from about £70 pps. Spa; fishing; horse-riding; walking; garden. Golf nearby. Wheelchair accessible. No pets. L &D available daily. Open all year. Amex, Diners, MasterCard, Visa.
River Room Restaurant:
The fine dining restaurant is in the new build and, although not a large room, the design is interesting with some striking features, unusual lighting (uplighters in the centre of tables, for example, which are atmospheric although it may be hard to read the menu) and seating that offers a mixture of regular tables and large semi-circular booths offering privacy at round tables used for twos or fours – and, unusually, the acoustics are excellent.
Ask for the booth directly facing the river if you crave a full-on river experience; otherwise, large windows afford a pleasant river/garden outlook rather than a view. Tables dressed simply with classic white linen and very little else bode well for a food-focused experience – a feeling swiftly reinforced by efficient, well-trained staff who present the menu and wine list, quickly followed by very good breads and unsalted French butter.
So far so very good indeed and, although the menu itself is understated to the point of being less than promising, you have the feeling of being in good hands. Just four choices are offered on each course and, on first impression, they are conservative – beef, salmon, poussin are all typical main courses; although a (very good) rabbit fricassee among the starters and some combinations, such as the rainbow chard and dry cured ham that come with Glenarm salmon, hint at something interesting going on in the kitchen, descriptions generally give little away.
Head Chef for the River Room Chris Bell's cooking delivers far more than the menu promises. A little pre-starter gets the meal off to a good start and perfectly timed service, together with a succession of perfectly executed dishes outstanding for their excellent balance of flavour and texture and overall attention to detail convey the confidence of true professionalism.
Many a lesser chef would be tempted to ‘improve’ a classic like Irish rib eye of beef with béarnaise sauce and pomme fondant with dribbles, foams and smokes; here it is perfectly cooked and carefully presented without any unnecessary adornment and all the better for that.
Desserts follow the classic theme – a chocolate and praline mousse, for example, served with a refreshing red fruit salad – and strong, aromatic coffee served with petits fours rounds off the meal nicely.
Service, under the direction of Restaurant Manager and Sommelier Antoine Bouquerel, is very effiicient – and the Wine Cellar is available for tastings.
Sunday Lunch is also served in the River Room, and Afternoon Tea is a speciality on Saturday afternoons.
Seats 40. D Wed-Sat 6-9.30pm. L Sun only 12-3pm. Set Sun L £22.95; set 2/3 course D £29.95/34.95; gourmet D £55. house wine from £25; unsuitable for children; air conditioning; reservations recommended. Closed L Mon-Sat; Sun D, Mon, Tue. Gillies Bar & Grill open all day every day. Bar food available in Gillies Pub daily 12-10pm.
