Hotel Westport

Just a short stroll from Westport town centre this large modern hotel offers excellent facilities for both leisure and business guests. The conference and business centre provide a fine venue for corporate events, their wide-ranging short breaks are legendary - and this well-managed hotel has become a favoured destination for family holidays, due  to its convenient location, great facilities and can-do attitude.

The location in particular is worth a special mention, as the hotel is quietly located yet close to the town centre which is accessible along a riverside path, allowing young families to enjoy exploring the town without having to take the car out.

The hotel’s extensive leisure facilities include the white flag standard Ocean Spirit Leisure & Spa, which is a major attraction for families, who also a appreciate the Panda Club, for children 4-12 years old, which operates in conjunction with the Irish school calendar holidays (summer and other main holidays, and mid term breaks).

Constant refurbishment and upgrading is an ongoing feature of the hotel, and all bedrooms are well-appointed with all the usual amenities. The whole hotel is unusually wheelchair-friendly, and staff are invariably helpful and friendly which, together with the quiet but almost-central location and outstanding facilities, make this a very pleasant place to stay.

Conference/banqueting (500/300); free broadband wi/fi; laptop-sized safes in bedrooms.

Rooms 129 (6 suites, 48 premier, 74 family, 8 for disabled, 104 no smoking, 42 ground floor); B&B €140 pps, ss €20. Children welcome (under 3s free in parents' room; cots available without charge; baby listening; baby sitting arranged; children's playground, playroom & kids club). Pool table. Lift. 24 hr room service. Leisure centre (swimming pool, fitness room, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room); spa, treatment rooms, massage, hairdressing, beauty salon. Cycling. Crazy golf. Garden.

Islands Restaurant:

A typical hotel dining room in many ways, this is where both breakfast and dinner are served. A sensible policy of seating people towards one end of the room and trying to seat couples facing the same way makes for a good atmosphere at quieter times, and - as elsewhere in the hotel - charming service from the mainly non-Irish staff is invariably friendly and caring.

Guests are met promptly at the door and seated at tables simply set up with white cloths and napkins; a jug of water and basket of breads quickly follows, along with the wine list and upbeat traditional menus, which are imaginative for an hotel and strong on local ingredients; a food sourcing statement is given, also a list of suppliers, all in Co Mayo.

Daily soups come with homemade soda bread, and an appealing choice of starters may include Killary Bay mussels and clams (with a tomato & wild garlic sauce, perhaps), Kelly's of Newport traditional pútog (black pudding) with caramelised pears and onion relish and - for a small supplement on the dinner menu - baked Newport oysters. Among the mains, you may find baked organic salmon (from nearby Clare Island), and treats such as pheasant when in season, along with favourites like chargrilled steaks and at least one imaginative vegetarian option.

Predictable desserts may be the weak point in a meal here, but there's also a daily trio of Irish farmhouse cheeses (with notes). The offering overall is well above average hotel standard, and with enough daily changes to ensure that you look forward to your meal each evening on a short break.

Breakfast is cooked to order off-season and there is a range of stewed fruits on offer, also a fish of the day.