# Weekend away - Athlone?Westport?



## onway (9 Feb 2006)

Looking for a nice hotel for a weekend break . Thinking of Radisson in Athlone or somewhere in Westport. Any ideas out there?


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## SteelBlue05 (9 Feb 2006)

Depending on what kind of a break you want I would say dont bother with Westport. I was there last year and the pubs are horrible, full of drunken stags etc, also quite rough. But the countryside is obviously very nice, great beach at Mullaranny I think it is called. Stayed in the WestPort Woods hotel I thin it was, it was ok.


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## Marcecie (9 Feb 2006)

they have cut back a lot on the stag/hen parties in Westport so unless you intend to spend a lot of time in the pubs (which can be quiet busy) the area round Westport is great.


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## markowitzman (9 Feb 2006)

hotel westport far superior than the woods and knockranny also good.
Quay cottage is great seafood restaurant.
Knockranny great for quiet drink esp at dusk as sun sets on clew bay with reek overlooking it all (weather permitting!!)


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## ClubMan (9 Feb 2006)

Please note the  on duplicating posts/threads.


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## Humpback (10 Feb 2006)

Would definitely go for Westport over Athlone. Much more to see scenery wise. And it's far better being closer to the coast than beside a river, imho.


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## kazbah (10 Feb 2006)

I loved Westport - you can climb Croagh Patrick if you're up to it!  It's accessible to loads to see and do.  I spent a long weekend there but there was a crowd of us and we rented a house.


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## gauloise (10 Feb 2006)

If you are heading West why not try the Radisson in Sligo Rosses Point. There are some super beaches around here, The Point (golf course also) , Streedagh, Mullaghmore..I could go on forever! Somelovely restaurants in the town, great pubs..great spot!


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## mickeyg (10 Feb 2006)

Is the Radisson in Rosses Point?? Is that the old Ryan hotel which was close by the golf course??


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## MissRibena (10 Feb 2006)

Nope, the Raddison is on the site of another old hotel (The Swan or something) on the road out to Rosses Point. 

Sligo town itself would be my choice. Athlone is grand but it's too close to where I live, Westport is lovely for scenery etc. but I've been a million times.  I just can't tire of Sligo eventhough it's only up the road; scenery, culture, walks, the coast, decent shopping, decent access, nice pubs and restaurants.  The drive up is even nice.

Rebecca


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## Danmo (10 Feb 2006)

Not much to do in Athlone.


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## gauloise (10 Feb 2006)

The hotel by the Golf Course in Rosses Point is the Yeats Country and quite a nice hotel but food not great..eat out if staying there! It has a leisure centre and spa treatment room etc.other wise the Clarion in Sligo town is great and also has a leisure centre.  Miss Ribene I couldn't agree with you more I've been going to Sligo since I was 10..still haven't tired of it..now the kids beg to go !


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## mickeyg (10 Feb 2006)

Whereabouts is the Clarion - is that the one on the site of the old "Swan"?? You would recommend it??

m


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## Cyrstal (10 Feb 2006)

Danmo said:
			
		

> Not much to do in Athlone.


 
Kind of a sweeping statement??

Great Pubs(Seans, Gertie Browns, The Palace Bar)
Great Restaurants(Left Bank, Olive Grove, Le Chateau, Pavorottis,Hatter's Lane, THE WINE GROVE!!)

The Shannon is beautiful, and the walks by the lakes are second to none.

Good water activities, fishing, sailing.

Bowling, cinema....

For kids there's two big indoor Play centres, and Glendeer Pet Farm....

Athlone Castle, Clonmacnoise is nearby

Good shopping.....

Hmm....think that kind of disproves the point of not much to do in Athlone??


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## gauloise (10 Feb 2006)

No, the old Swan is still there though perhaps under a different name. The Clarion is located just on the outskirts of the town. I think it was built on the grounds of an old hospital . Myself and family have stayed there and found it lovely. Check out their site on  for more info.


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## cosy (10 Feb 2006)

Well said Crystal.  

*This piece was taken from the "Westmeath". Comments on the Lonely Planet travel guide.Dave O’Connell editor *

Bohemian Athlone is a confident, booming town of historical importance, stuffed with ‘history and gourmet restaurants’ where you can ‘gorge mind and body in one pretty town’, according to the controversial new Ireland edition of the Lonely Planet guide book. 
It is described as a town of split personality; its eastern side has a hard-edged, no-nonsense feel - but cross the river and you enter a world of painted houses, interesting antique and knick-knack shops, tempting restaurants and twisting streets, all hiding behind the mighty bulk of the castle. 
The new guide - a bible among those tourists who trek off the beaten path - has already drawn massive attention after calling for a shake-up of Ireland’s image as the Emerald Isle, but Westmeath as a whole fares particularly well, described at the outset as a county of scenic splendour with loads to distract the visitor. 
And among Athlone’s highlights are the Castle, Viking Tours, Sean’s Bar, the Dean Crowe and - in its prestigious Something Special class - the Wineport in Glasson. 
“This outstanding restaurant, in a sweet-smelling cedar lodge on the lake‘s edge, showcases chef Feargal O’Donnell’s award-winning modern Irish cuisine and carefully chosen wines. 
“The atmosphere is surprisingly relaxed and it’s a family-friendly place with a decent children’s menu,” say the Lonely Planet critics. 
But little gems include the Bastion B&B - described by the authors as ‘the most fantastic B&B with twisting wooden staircases, cactus collections, eclectic bits of artwork and odd curios, so you literally don’t know what to expect around the next corner’. 
The town’s culinary reputation is also acknowledged, with the Left Bank - ‘probably the town’s best restaurant’ - Le Chateau, the Olive Grove, Kin Khao and cafes at the Slice of Life and Foodies. 
Outside of the town itself, the Lonely Planet authors also single out Lough Ree, particularly for its bird life; Glasson for its lively pubs where Grogan’s comes in for particular praise as ‘an authentic old man’s bar and lounge with peat fires and a great atmosphere where smiling staff serve good seafood and hearty pub grub that’s a cut above the usual’. 
Goldsmith Country too warrants a mention, and recommended reading includes the Lough Ree Trail, A Signposted Tour from Athlone librarian and Westmeath Independent columnist Gearoid O’Brien. 

*This is the seventh edition of the Lonely Planet Ireland guide, and it is written by Dublin-born author Fionn Davenport who doesn’t pull his punches when it comes to our out-of-date image.*


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## selfbuild (10 Feb 2006)

the following ([broken link removed]) should give you a better idea of stuff to do in Athlone .... 

If you do go to Athlone, you cant miss having a ipnt in Seans Bar - the oldest bar in Ireland (certified by the guinness book of records)


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## dino (10 Feb 2006)

Head to Seans Bar in Athlone at about 5.30pm on a Saturday evening. There is usually a trad session and the place will be hopping.
Check out the Kin Khao Thai Restaurant. Tom Doorley had it in his top 100 restaurants of Ireland and said it was the only real thai restaurant in Ireland. Hatters Lane is also a gem of a restaurant. 
The Radisson and the Prince of Wales Hotel are both in the centre of town and offer good weekend rates. The Hodson Bay Hotel is about 4 miles outside the town looking over the lake and it just opened it's new leisure centre. For something really special try the Wineport Lodge Hotel. 
Coosan Point, Hodson Bay, Glasson, Killinure are all nice places for walks during the day.


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## bleary (10 Feb 2006)

For the radisson in Sligo the best deal I have seen is through pigsback 
109 euro for 2 nights b&B plus dinner not bad when i compared it to Westport prices a few weeks ago -You get it through their 4 star luxury breaks option


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