By Megan Martin
When you have children, holidays, staycations and even days out take on a whole new sense of planning. My husband and I recently left our toddler at home (supervised, of course) for a two night ‘babymoon’ ahead of number two’s arrival. The only requirement? An absolute child-free zone. If you’re interested, we chose the Monart spa hotel in Wexford and loved every minute of it. When we were on holiday recently at an all-inclusive resort, as soon as we dropped our precious two year old to the kids club, we were straight to the only ‘adult-only’ pool in the vicinity to make the most of our temporary childless existence.
All that is not to say we dislike children, but I like to think we put in the same level of effort when it comes to planning a trip with kids in tow, as we do without.
Now, when looking at holidays or hotels that we plan to bring our son to, we prioritise family-friendly locations, child-safe activities, family rooms and any other extras that might make our stay more comfortable and toddler tantrums less noticeable.
If you have older children, you have undoubtedly visited, or at least heard of, the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny. If, like us, you’re relatively new to the parenting game, you’ll soon get to know the ‘hot spots’ around Ireland that are catered towards families – I have yet to try Centre Parcs or Amber Springs, but they’re on the list.
Newpark is famous amongst families for its on-site Jurassic park, a walk-through park with life-sized robotic dinosaurs, a fairy trial, playground, go-kart track, mini wildlife farm, huge bounce zone, snack shacks and more. It is worth noting, however, that while the Dino park is open to hotel guests everyday, the park is not fully operational outside of its opening hours (hours change based on school term times so it’s worth checking out the website).
When we stayed, the park was closed to outside visitors so while we could enjoy the dino trail and playground, the bounce house, snack shacks and wildlife ‘feeding time’ were not open. Fine for us with a toddler who was happy to take in the dino sites from his buggy, but likely disappointing for older children.
Inside the hotel, families are everywhere and it’s a very welcoming environment. We made great use of the games rooms, one catered to younger children and one for older kids, as well as the community family room that included a fridge stocked with milk (genius) and baby changing facilities. Of course we had to hit up the pool which was a big hit and if you can take turns, try to check out the adult only outdoor infinity pool. I also managed to squeeze in a treatment at the spa which was divine.
One of the best perks about Newpark is its vicinity to Kilkenny’s bustling food and shopping scene as well as historical sites. For dinner one night we ventured to the nearby Ristorante Rinuccini for the most incredible Italian feast after a local recommendation. I was slightly terrified about the formal setting when we arrived but the staff were incredible and our toddler was thankfully on his best behavior – after all delicate centrepieces were removed, naturally.
All in all, Newpark is a solid choice for a family-friendly staycation and Kilkenny has a lot to offer for all visitors, regardless of family size.