All Aboard! This luxury cruiser stay is a fun way to escape and relax …
Wineport Lodge in Glasson, near Athlone in Co Westmeath has long been a destination for fans of good food and wine and relaxed but top-notch service. The lakeside setting on Lough Ree is spectacular – water gently lapping, swans nesting in the reeds, and when we were there in summer, electric blue dragonflies dipping – and the smart timber-clad lodge with wooden deck sits unobtrusively into the landscape.
Wineport’s bedrooms are luxuriously simple and extremely comfortable – but staying on board Full Circle, a Dutch steel cruiser which beautifully finished in cherrywood, with awning and festoon lights, is a magical alternative to a night on dry land.
Sometimes, when you are really tired and frazzled, you daydream about spending a night outdoors – in a treehouse, or a tent – or on board a boat, being rocked to sleep on open water.
The cruiser is moored, and you never cast off, but the fact that you are on the water (at times, Full Circle rocks very gently) and separate to the Lodge gives you a pleasant sense of privacy and detachment. It would be a romantic little escape for two but our family of four fitted in perfectly nicely. (The boat sleeps six but one snug cabin with a set of bunks is only suitable for children and not great, gangly ones at that, though they must be over 12, or one of those adults who are blessed with the ability to sleep anywhere.)
The deck has a table and chairs and white leather seating, below deck, also panelled in cherrywood, there are two large double cabins, one loo and one shower/loo combo, and the aforementioned very snug cabin. Voya products are provided along with towels, slippers and bathrobes. Rookie mistake for two members of our crew – wheelie bags don’t work – bring a soft bag you can toss aboard before you clamber up the stairs, and wear flats or runners. We resisted the urge to pack Breton stripes and Doobs, as we called them in the nineties – Dubarry’s leather deck shoes, to all our Gen Z readers.
There are two hot tubs on a deck on the lakeshore where you can bob away in the warm bubbles, with a glass of bubbles, if you fancy, before dinner in the restaurant. (We spotted two couples having the bubbles in the hot tub at 11 o’clock the next morning. We decided they must be Millennials.)
Book in advance for a treatment in the Cedarwood Spa or bring your trunks for a dip in the heated infinity pool. Dinner can also be served on board, which I imagine would be just fabulous on a fine evening, the sun setting directly in front of you. You can have breakfast on deck too. We were charmed to see other boats pull up at Wineport’s jetty, their skippers hopping off to order breakfast for the family on board before chugging off again across the lake. They were greeted like the old friends they probably were.
We tried out Full Circle during the summer but we agreed that it would be terribly cosy for an autumn or winter break. The heating system is excellent, the shower is piping hot (if the teenager hasn’t gone in just before you) and it would be fun to snuggle under the puffy white duvet with a bit of a squall outside. Wineport Lodge itself is very cosy, with a wood burner in reception and floor-to-ceiling windows I’d love to see the rain lashing against.
We hopped onshore for dinner in the restaurant, with views over the lake, before which we had a G&T on the terrace. It’s all very relaxed and friendly there, with nicely trained young staff who are efficient but not officious. I could feel myself slipping down the gears. I’d like to tell you we stayed up on deck after dinner, the festoon lights twinkling, drinking rum and playing cards into the small hours, but those cosy cabins beckoned, and with the promise of excellent coffee and a hearty breakfast the following morning (fulfilled) we settled down for the night. Only the odd gently rock reminded us we were on board – that and the rustle of the swans in the reeds.
Details to note: Our night aboard Full Circle was so jolly, we are booking in again. The average price for the boat is €500 per night for up to six; there are all sorts of different offers including dinner and breakfast etc: have a look at www.wineport.ie, @wineport_lodge or call 090 643 9010.