I had the pleasure of being treated and surprised with a morning at the Icon Spa in Castle Dargan outside Sligo at the weekend and given we got married there way back when I have a real affinity with the place. Castle Dargan is located just outside Ballygalway about 15 minutes outside Sligo town. It is totally secluded and the perfect wedding, lunch, golf and spa venue. We often pop in for lunch, the food is fabulous and the service always so pleasant and helpful. I won’t go into our wedding day otherwise I’d be here all week but suffice to say it was truly fabulous. The venue is so perfect, the food was outstanding, Kim, the wedding coordinator, was endlessly helpful and the view from the dining room during out wedding dinner was the stuff of dreams.

Anyway, anyway back to me and my spa day! First off going for a massage is one of those things that, as a mother, I find myself gravitating towards more and more for some me-time and some quiet time. Lifting lugging toddlers and sitting at a computer, my back goes through torture on a daily basis and the head space you get from a few hours peace does the mind good. I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself an expert when it comes to massages but I do find that having a lot of knots in my neck Masseuses often concentrate on these and I sometimes find massages uncomfortable. Therefore someone who doesn’t look at it as their mission to rid me of knots by the end of the session is someone I look upon favourably. To date I’ve found three places that gave the perfect massage – the Spa Solis in Lough Eske in Dongeal, The Beauty Salon in Mitchelstown and Castle Dargan.

My husband booked me in for the August Special and chose the 25 minute back, neck and shoulders massage and a 25 minute Elemis Taster Facial. The package was €75 and also included use of the relaxation room and thermal suite and a light lunch in the Middleton Bar.

I used the relaxation area first to relax with some cranberry juice and a magazine (I’d almost forgotten what a magazine was its been so long since I’ve read one!) and then into the thermal suite where I went wrinkly in the Jacuzzi gazing out on the view below.

The massage was absolutely fabulous – what I particularly loved was the fact that firstly my whole back and my neck and shoulders all got equal attention. She also used not just her hands but her knuckles and arms which may sound odd but it was just ah-mazing. I had an Elemis facial after filled with collagen boosting products (yes, yes I’m at that age) and it was so relaxing I do believe I fell asleep while my face mask was doing its thing.

I met up with himself and the big lady for lunch before we hit Sligo town for some Fleadh fun. The package included a ‘light lunch’ but as you can see from the menu before it was a really decent selection of meals. Great value.I’m already planning my next escape to the Icon Spa or whatever spa I can make it to. If you like me are always running and racing, stop and take the time out to treat yourself to something like this that gives you a few moments in this hectic life to just be good to yourself.

The main image of the hotel was taken from their website www.castledargan.com

The Heritage Killenard Spa & Afternoon Tea Hotel Westport – the perfect family getaway