With the onward expansion of multi-national, multi-hotel groups, it is often refreshing to stay at independent, stand-alone places that offer something a little different as Seaview House Hotel.
In Ireland, such places include what was once known as the ‘Big Houses,’ expansive homes that might accurately be called ‘mansions’ today, some of which were once the ‘rewards’ for members of the English aristocracy in the 17thand 18th centuries who agreed to be transplanted across the Irish Sea to oversee the neighbouring, newly-conquered colony. Usually the rooms of such places are a treasure-trove of fine art, antique furniture and a medley of intriguing inherited heirlooms.
The Seaview House Hotel in the village of Ballylickey,west Cork, which has undergone several renovations, fits neatly into such a category. Partially hidden from the road by a garden of trees, bushes and flowering plants and long-time managed in a no-nonsense manner by family member, Katheen O'Sullivan, the property stands on a discreet rural location in one of the most popular tourism regions of southwest Ireland.
The personal touch is often a highlight of a stay at such Irish properties with. In this case, Kathleen, in her late 60s, works extremely hard (previously with her mother ‘so customer service is in my blood,’ she says 'from plate to bed'), from early morning reception management to late night office admin.
Our room, 405, is classic in style - a king-sized bed twin with beige lamps either side; a walnut wardrobe with intricate moulding (similar to that on the headboard); a round coffee-table with two dark green armchairs; and a small dressing table with a vanity mirror in one corner. Four paintings decorate the walls - three pretty seascapes, one Mediterranean-like, with a rustic chateau featured prominently under a distinctly unIrish blue sky; and two definitely Irish in nature, depicting heather-clad hills with a mountainous background. The fourth is a pink and white porcelain rose encased in a frame, emanating an attractive three-dimensional aspect. The room features a central floor to ceiling window overlooking an expanse of garden in front.Tired after a long drive, we headed downstairs in search of refreshment. In a hallway, we noticed a table heavy with information leaflets about activities and tourism attractions in the area, including the Avoca Shopping Center; whale and dolphin watching excursions; the Ewe Experience, an interactive sculpture gardenoften described as ‘Ireland’s Eden;’Bantry Bay Golf Club; Harbour Queen Ferries to Garinish Island which includes sights of playful seals and soaring eagles; the Sheep's Head peninsula, with its many walking trails; Mizen Peninsula with its Maritime Museum and Heritage Attraction housing the Fastnet Rock Lighthouse museum from which Guglielmo Marconi sent one of his first telegraph messages; the Skibbereen Heritage Centre; and the traditional Sunday market at Kilcrohane. In addition to the leaflets, Ela from Poland, employed at Seaview for the last 10 years, acted as an exceptionally, well-informed ‘tourism director.’
Noticing us, friendly Irish staff member, Mary, who has given loyal service here for the last 36 years, ushered us into a large drawing room-cum bar area to two soft armchairs opposite a white, marble-facing open fireside, with a shiny brass bucket containing wood and an intricately-carved, lacquered walnut wood coal bucket either side.
Around us was sedate comfort: butter-colored wallpaper; a rose-emblem carpet on a green background; a mix of lime-green and tan-colored cloth sofas and armchairs; a walnut coffee-table; three bulging bookshelves; a bay-window looking out over the garden; decorative standing and wall lamps; delicate porcelain ornaments from Dresden; and several Murano glass vases. Two paintings either side of the fireplace depicted rustic scenes of lake, glen and mountain. The bar was well-stocked, containing even my wife’s favorite – and not so common - sherry, ‘A Winters Tale.’Every room at Seaview House features different furnishings with walls bedecked with artwork, the decorations ranging from a 150-year-old oil lamp that Kathleen's parents received as a wedding gift to Victorian-era portraits, including a delightful series of black and white sketches of romantic couples along one corridor and one of vivid fuschia, reflecting what west Cork looks like in the autumn when it flowers.One family room we entered featured mahogany and walnut furniture; a tartan couch that can be converted into a bed; a stucco ceiling; and an ornate floor-to-ceiling wardrobe. Two ground floor rooms are specially designed for guests in wheelchairs.
Food in the ‘Big Houses’ of Ireland are usually hearty and Seaview House was no exception. Breakfast consisted of what is amusingly termed ‘the full' Irish, meaning grilled sausages and bacon (from artisan butcher’s McCarthys of Kanturk, north Cork); black-pudding (pork blood sausage with oatmeal made by theClonakilty Blackpudding Company in Cork); as well as tomatoes and eggs. Interestingly, however, the menu also included pan-fried lamb liver and kidney,plaice Meunièreand smoked kippers. Added highlights were fresh fruit pots (with flax seeds), including delicious poached rhubarb, and scrumptious homemade marmalade. The granary bread that accompanied the morning meal certainly lived up to what is expected from a nation that prides itself on this basic of food products, perfected through the generations.
Dinner at the Seaview is also of high quality, with the property employing four chefs with a mix of nationalities. One evening we sat down to starters of warm duck breast salad, a slow-cooked confit of breast complemented by the cool, fresh taste of cucumber, greens, cherry tomatoes, with a vinegar and honey dressing and baked crab crumble, a creamy, succulent sauce over moist chunks of crab meat, crunchy on top. We followed this with roast rack of lamb with rosemary – the meat pink, juicy, Spring-like and pasture-green smelling; and the supreme of guinea fowl – a creamy, bread-crumbed leg and soft breast with herb and apricot stuffing and a whisky sauce. Our dessert choices were profiteroles with chocolate sauce and a warm chocolate fondant.
If it’s a glance into an Ireland of a past era with its historical ramifications, atmosphere and classic furnishings to match and a quiet, strategic location from which to visit many tourist highlights of west Cork, then the Seaview House Hotel is a good choice.
