IRISH BREAKFAST AWARDS 2008 NATIONAL WINNER

Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Club

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this is true in hospitality as well as ‘real life’.  Breakfast is the last meal guests will have before leaving any place where they have stayed the night, and the memory will linger.

And it’s an area that can be- and often is - a USP: the extra care that a growing number of establishments take with breakfasts is earning them a loyal following. And not just for the breakfast itself, but because the spirit of generosity and true hospitality, that giving so much more than the basic requirement implies, is carried through into all other aspects of these special places.

Put simply: breakfast ‘talks’.

Hotel breakfasts are often the least enjoyable part of a stay and, all too often, can obliterate the memory of an enjoyable meal the evening before – not so at a growing number of caring and ‘breakfast aware’ hotels, including this fine old hotel, beautifully situated outside Waterford city  on its own wooded island (complete with 18-hole golf course), and reached by a private ferry. The building dates back to the 15th century so this is a place that has its quirks but overall it combines the elegance of earlier times with modern comfort, service and convenience – it’s very comfortably furnished in a luxurious country house style, and discreet, well-trained staff look after guests magnificently.

And, not only is dinner in the atmospheric dining room sure to be memorable, but you may be sure of an excellent breakfast too - including a temptingly presented buffet with fresh juices and prepared fruit, yoghurts, muffins, smoked salmon, local cheeses, Waterford Blas (the local bread rolls) among the treats offered, and delicious cooked dishes including Flavahans porridge, a full breakfast that includes excellent dry cured bacon and sausage, and  other hot dishes including omelettes and scrambled eggs & smoked wild Irish salmon.

Everything is of the highest quality, and service is exemplary too – a fine role model for hotels everywhere.