“People are looking at the home holiday market for breaks with their families, and when they do, they want facilities so that the kids are well looked after -- and by having a spa the parents can look after themselves too,” says Lucy Murphy, Sales and Marketing Executive for Quality Hotels.” or many Americans, a trip to Ireland often means a family holiday, whether to research one’s heritage or to reconnect with distant cousins and their culture. But while traveling with children means the joy of sharing the experience, it can also mean the hassle of constantly corralling family members with varying attention spans and differing agendas. Quality Hotel and Leisure Centres, a relatively new chain, has emerged to fill this niche in Ireland’s travel market by combining family-friendly accommodations with upscale amenities and choice locations. “People are looking at the home holiday market for breaks with their families, and when they do, they want facilities so that the kids are well looked after--and by having a spa the parents can look after themselves too,” says Lucy Murphy, Sales and Marketing Executive for Quality Hotels. With ten branches ringing the periphery of the island, Quality Hotels covers the major cities like Dublin and Galway, while also offering a seaside village option as it does in Youghal, the medieval town just southwest of Waterford where I visited. Like much of Ireland, Youghal is blending its storied past with its rapidly modernizing future. The town’s old walls still stand, an 18th century clock tower dominates the main street, and the Gaelic-speaking village of Ballymacoda lies just down the road. At the same time, Ireland’s largest indoor family entertainment center—Perk’s—is also located here, complete with tenpin bowling, a pulsing laser arena, a ghost train and Blackbeard’s Adventure Play Centre. This branch of Quality Hotels is a moderate-sized compound, located right on the beach, offering simple, straightforward guest rooms—almost all with seaside views—as well as two-bedroom apartment-style suites (some with sea views) consisting of two bedrooms, a double room, a twin room and a separate bathroom, and featuring fully equipped kitchens, including washing machines and dryers, microwaves, and dishwashers. And after a full day of sightseeing—or even in lieu of—families can take a break by splitting up for a few hours to pursue different interests. On-site there are two game rooms for kids, as well as supervised cinema nights and day camps where children can take swimming or other sports lessons while parents enjoy a dinner alone or a few stolen moments relaxing in the spa. A minimalist unassuming oasis scented by hot geranium oil bubbling above candle flames, the spa’s main room is located just on the other side of a large plate glass wall from the indoor swimming pool, where parents can rest doubly easy by keeping an eye on family members. Here the hotel presents a limited, but varied, smorgasbord of treatment options. Senior therapist Joanne Collins has worked at Yougal’s Quality Hotel since it opened a year and a half ago. Trained in beauty and holistic treatments as well as physical therapy, Collins has worked in the industry for over 15 years. Over the course of her career, she’s made a point to keep abreast of new developments, continually incorporating new thinking into her treatments. Thus she likes to meld reflexology, Pilates, and a unique treatment called the Indian Scalp Massage into her style. The Indian Scalp Massage originated in the barbershops of India hundreds of years ago, but Collins went to London to learn it, studying there with a traditional Indian practitioner. Designed to relieve headaches and stimulate hair growth by relaxing all the muscles which link to the head as well as the scalp muscles themselves, and to bring fresh oxygen and blood to the brain, this massage lasts for 45 soothing minutes. It begins with an in-depth back massage that moves seamlessly up the spine to the head where vigorous alternating horizontal and vertical strokes warm up the muscles, rubbing the tightness away. After that, it’s time to turn over, where Collins gently works reflexology points along the front of the scalp and face. The end result is not just a respite from tension headaches, but a quiet mind and an all-over sense of well-being. Another popular treatment is the Micronized Marine Algae Body Wrap. Although the hotel does sit right on the seashore, their marine algae is imported from France from Thalgo, a company which specializes in excellent hydrating sea-based products. Farmed from the bottom of the ocean and processed using as few chemicals as possible, Thalgo’s powdered seaweed has a close affinity for the skin’s composition. Before it was applied, I was covered in a soft coat of enzymes in the form of a soft plasma gel to help the algae bond with my skin. It dried quickly and was followed by a warmed, thick full-body seaweed mask. At that point I lay down and was cocooned in a light plastic sheet and a towel, followed by a heavy plastic overlay. The mask retained its calming temperature for the next 15 minutes while Collins gently but firmly massaged my head and neck. With the shower already running and set to a invitingly steamy temperature, it was time to unwrap and rinse off the mask and return for a light short body massage with moisturizing cream to seal in the softness. Quality Hotel Specials for March: Midweek specials include 2 nights bed and breakfast and 1 evening meal for €99 per person sharing, and 3 nights bed and breakfast and 2 evening meals for €149 per person sharing. Weekend specials offer 2 nights bed and breakfast and 1 evening meal €129 per person sharing, and 3 nights bed and breakfast and 2 evening meals €189 per person sharing. Special Rates for April: Midweek specials include 2 nights bed and breakfast and 1 evening meal €109 per person sharing, and 3 nights bed and breakfast and 2 evening meals for €159 per person sharing. Weekend specials offer 2 nights bed and breakfast and 1 evening meal €139 per person sharing, and 3 nights bed and breakfast and 2 evening meals for €199 per person sharing. Other rates apply for St Patrick’s weekend, and Easter holidays. Quality Hotel Youghal Redbarn, Youghal, East Youghal, Ireland. Tel: + 353 (0) 24 93050, Fax: 353 (0) 24 20699 Email: info@qualityhotelyoughal.com Website: www.qualityhotelyoughal.com