Hotel Review: Monart Destination Spa, Wexford, Ireland

Monart is a 5 star adults only destination spa in Wexford in Ireland. It is approximately one hour and thirty minutes drive from Dublin city centre in the south of the country.

Friends of mine have visited here before and so three of us decided to go together – two who had been previously and myself on my first visit. It is very relaxing so lets have a look.

Monart Pricing

A triple room cost us €270 per person for a total of €810. This gave us two nights bed and breakfast plus one dinner in the restaurant. This is pretty decent value at €135 per night per person. It also includes unrestricted access to the thermal suite.

This is a spa hotel so you can also purchase treatments. I selected a Swedish Massage which is 60 minutes and €85, plus a Skinfit Facial For Men at €100. Yes, I was treating myself!

Arrival at Monart

When you arrive at Monart, an attendant assists you in unloading the bags from your car and then they are delivered to your room later on. Another person takes your keys and takes the car away to parking which is nowhere to be seen. It is quite something!

Inside you sit on nice sofas in the glass atrium to check in. Small cakes are delivered to tide you over while you’re filling out the necessary paperwork. All good so far!

A Triple Room

After the glamorous arrival experience, I have to say the room is a bit of a let down. While the beds are comfortable, the decor is a little bit tired and in need of a refresh which is unfortunate.

The people I was with who had stayed at Monart before even commented that they remembered it being much nicer previously. It is a shame, but at the same time the beds are comfortable and the linen soft and clean.

DVD players are available on request as are things like ice buckets and extra slippers. When requesting anything from Reception, delivery of the item is prompt – usually a few minutes maximum – so service is exceptional.

Interestingly, the hotel won’t provide you with a cork screw if you bring your own wine. You need to call down and someone will come up and open the bottle for you. Curious, but fine.

The Bathroom Is Nice!

Happily, the bathroom is both spacious and well appointed. It features a large bath as well as a completely separate shower, with a marble effect tile. You enter through double doors which adds to the feeling of space.

Plenty of towels are provided and the Pevonia spa products are really nice. They smell good, lather up well and are just exactly what you need when cleaning up. Very good indeed.

Early Dinner In The Bar

Friday night we decided to eat in the bar rather than the more posh main restaurant. As it was booked out for the dinner times we ate on arrival around 5pm.

The staff in the bar are very friendly and we selected the Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc wine from New Zealand. It is very tasty and we lived off the stuff throughout the weekend.

Alas the food quality in the bar is not particularly good. The Guinness bread is a taste sensation but the other parts of the meal let the bread down somewhat.

The girls didn’t rate the mushroom soup or the bruschetta at all while I found the item I had to be very average. There is nothing wrong with the food, it just did not stand out as amazing. A shame!

Breakfast Time

Breakfast at Monart is not to be missed. First of all, everyone is welcome to dine in their robes and about 90% of people choose to do exactly that. It is also in the very nice formal restaurant which is a sight for sore eyes in the morning.

There is both a cooked to order menu with a decent array of choices as well as self-service options. These consist of yoghurt, fruit, danish, and water. You can order as much as you like too and the food quality is excellent. Breakfast is faultless!

A Look Around Monart

There are a number of rooms off reception in the old building which are formal in nature. The design is very upmarket and the rooms are quiet and used for reading or relaxing. These are lovely rooms and well worth spending time in.

The grounds are manicured to within an inch of their lives and people wander around clad in robes and slippers enjoying the serenity. It is particularly pretty and well worth checking out.

Thermal Suite

You can spend hours at a time in the Thermal Suite and we certainly did exactly that. It contains a Salt Grotto, Caldarium, Infra-Red Pro, Sanarium, Aromatic Steam Room, Traditional Finnish Sauna, Heated Benches & Footbath & Kneippe Cure Pool, Experience Shower and an Outdoor Log Cabin Sauna.

Sound like gobbledygook? The spa brochure on the Monart web site explains what all these are. I can tell you they’re all really nice and relaxing, especially the Infra-Red Pro. There is also a 55 square metre Hydrotherapy pool to relax in also. No pictures of course because that would be cheating – you just need to go and check it out yourself.

Dinner at Monart

Dinner in the formal restaurant is a really proper affair. Robes are not appropriate attire and most people tend to dress up a little without going overboard.

Orders are taken by staff who know the dishes well, make suggestions, and who are always available to assist. The amuse-bouche had something one of our party didn’t eat, so an alternative was promptly found.

Let me say that Monart gets things right in the restaurant. Not only are the courses well timed but the food is utterly spectacular. The food served in the bar is not on the same planet as the restaurant.

Wines to pair the meal are suggested though you can order what you wish. The food coupled with the beautiful lighting really made for an excellent experience. Full marks to all!

Overall Thoughts

Monart Destination Spa gets most things right. Service is truly 5 star being friendly, efficient and has a personal touch that the Irish are exceptionally good at. The Thermal Suite is an experience anyone would love and the treatment technicians are great at their job. The knots in my shoulders were found and worked out with gusto!

The food in the bar is average which lets the property down a bit and the room we stayed in is very tired indeed. There is no wow factor there which is at odds with the rest of the place. Happily the exquisite dinner and the sublime breakfast spread hit it out of the park.

Since the cost is not prohibitive at €135 per night for dinner, bed and breakfast, it is a place well worth a visit. It is an hour and a half outside of Dublin but that makes the trip extra special. Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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