Just across the Sarsfield Bridge from the main commercial heart of Limerick, the Limerick Strand Hotel is a relatively new seven-storey hotel. Accessed from the rear, it has a pleasant, unexpectedly quiet ambience in the spacious ground floor areas and takes full advantage of views from the upper floors with picture windows, balconies and terraces - and glass-fronted lifts (blue-lit at night) allow guests with key cards to enjoy the city sights and the distant views of the Galtee Mountains.
This well-managed Limerick Hotels suites with balconies are especially desirable, but accommodation throughout is pleasant and comfortable, and the smart bathrooms all have bath and shower.
Although equally attractive for leisure breaks, the Limerick Strand Hotel is especially well equipped for business guests - an executive floor has a dedicated lounge, and all rooms have laptop safe, high-speed internet access, plus cable and on-demand tv and individual air conditioning. There’s a choice of 13 meeting rooms for groups of various sizes, and cutting edge conference technology.
Leisure and off duty business guests will all appreciate the Energize Health Club, which has a 20m pool, plus children’s pool, sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, also a gym and beauty therapy rooms for both men and women.
Good food is available at either the River Restaurant, or the Terrace Café and Bar, with a large heated terrace.
River Restaurant
Situated at the front of the hotel and overlooking the mighty Shannon, this aptly named restaurant is elegantly appointed and, unusually for a large hotel, it's a pleasant place to explore some of the foods of the region.
Executive Chef Tom Flavin is a Failte Ireland Food Champion and he works hard to make food provenance and seasonality a point of difference throughout the hotel, and especially in The River Restaurant, which offers a rewarding dining experience, and where a very good breakfast is also served.
Serving a good breakfast has always been a point of pride for Chef Flavin and the hotel has been a winner in our Irish Breakfast Awards. The buffet boasts over 100 items - yet it is not the wide variety that makes it exceptional, but the care that has gone into the selection. Leading off with a mini-feature on the benefits of organic honey, this unusual breakfast menu next highlights some key suppliers - including J. O’Dea Smoked Cheddar, Achill Island Sea Salt, Flesk Meats of Macroom (Irish Sausages) Leah’s Foods, Listowel (Black & White Pudding) and Sean Duggan, of Croom (Free Range Eggs and Honey) - thus setting the quality tone. It also presents what must be one of the country’s most extensive offerings of cold buffet and hot dishes from the chef’s station, in-house bakery and their own Limerick Strand Pantry Range Preserves & Chutneys. It is an outstanding offering by any standards - and it runs like clockwork too.
The kitchen team engages closely with their carefully selected suppliers at all times, ensuring diners a true taste of Limerick.