Christmas is always a lovely time in Kenmare. It’s quiet and peaceful, compared to the madness of summer, but there’s still a great buzz about the place. The town looks pretty and festive, with the Christmas lights on, the beautiful crib set up in the park and the attractive shop window displays. Always a lovely place for a short stay, Kenmare is somehow more special at Christmas with the quirky, unique shops for that unusual Christmas present, the award-winning restaurants, the lively pubs and the quaint cafes.  For a special afternoon treat, you really must visit Kenmare’s latest attraction; Cupan Tae offers you beautiful lace tablecloths, fine bone china teapots and cups, a whole array of different flavoured teas and delicious home-made cakes.

The Kenmare Bay Hotel, whilst closed weekdays at the moment, comes alive at the weekends. We have 4 weddings in December and 4 Christmas party nights. Our special New Year’s package includes tickets for our fabulous Gala Dinner where we’ll help you welcome in 2009 with champagne at midnight.

There’s every good reason to take a family break at the Kenmare Bay over the Christmas period. We have some fantastic offers on, both in the hotel itself and in our Holiday Homes and Lodges. The children will be well catered for with our kids clubs, restaurant play area, special children’s menus, kids drop-in play room, outdoor playground and of course our fabulous Leisure Centre with a 20m pool and a children’s pool. It’s the perfect time for a family getaway; the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort and the town of Kenmare provide everything you will need for an enjoyable and relaxing break.

The Hotel will be closed from the 5^th January until the beginning of February, at which time we will open fully and will be gearing up for the season ahead. There are so many special offers on at the Kenmare Bay, you’re spoilt for choice. If you like horse-riding, we have the package for you; if you want to ‘Look Good and Feel Fabulous’, we have that covered; looking for a great value golf break? Look no further. Or if you just want a relaxed and pampered break with your Mum or best mate, we’re happy to oblige. Check out the ‘Specials’ web page for a detailed list of all our offers.

Finally, if you’re still looking for that illusive present for a special person in your life, take a look at our range of vouchers on our ‘Gift Vouchers’ web page. Easy to order, easy to package, bound to please.

All that’s left for me to do now is to wish all of our guests – past, present and future – a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We thank you for choosing the Kenmare Bay Hotel and we look forward to welcoming you back during 2009.

 Andrew Rees

General Manager

Mulled Wine Recipe

Ingredients

1 lemon or orange

6 sticks of cinnamon

12 whole cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

red wine

¼ cup sugar

Method

Combine the spices and citrus in a dry red wine, such a Burgundy. Add ¼ cup of sugar. Heat this through for at least 15 minutes, but don’t boil. A clean large coffee pot is a great method for heating the wine.

Use an inexpensive wine for this recipe, but don’t get something that tastes absolutely horrible.

Serve immediately with warm mince pies and lots of Christmas goodwill.

One day in accommodation:

No one believes them when I tell them, that working in accommodation, is like working as a shrink…

The only difference is that I only see them after, not during the “sessions”.

Believe me or not, a house can tell you a lot about a person or a family.

No! We are not going through the rubbish, but we are the ones,

who are going into the Houses & Bedrooms, first thing after the guests leave.

Some Guests are messy, others are neat!

The other excitement is to fight against time…. After check-out,

you have only couple of hours before check in, so its full steam ahead!

Once I wake  up in the morning, my day starts off well.

I get a list of rooms, when I arrive telling me which holiday homes &

rooms are staying, departing & arriving. All the housekeepers know what to do, we have our set routines.

We are often waiting for the holiday home keys to come in as the guests vacate the holiday homes.

Finally the first one comes in, and a race starts between us to get to the house, then the cleaning starts!

Oh No, there is red wine spilled on the carpet…well-well,  we have two options, pour white wine on it, and neutralize, or just clean it with one of the carpet cleaner product.

We choose the second option. I take two steps back,

just to get a better view to see if there are no stains left, and I fall over.

Yes, someone forgot a suitcase. Someone will miss that, so I have call to reception, to contact the owners.

Finding phone chargers is a day-to-day thing and trust me, we could open a shop from them now,

if we didn’t try always to find the owners.

Finding someone is not always successful or they just don’t need what ever they left.

In that case we keep it for a year in a box (just in case!) after that we take it to one of the charity places

in town, or to the hospital.

After all the analysing, and of course, all the cleaning, our day is finally over.

We talk to the maintenance  if anything needs to be repaired.

Everyday when we leave, our last thought is that we did our best in our department to make everyone’s stay enjoyable, clean, and memorable.

Angela Pelles

Renew Beauty Centre

Tip of the month

As you all know Summer is setting in (well at least that’s what it is supposed to be doing) so our top tip for the month is to moisturize! “The key to hydration is through exfoliation”-that was drummed into us at beauty school and it works! Its common sense really, what is the point of lashing on moisturizer if it’s not going anywhere. Your moisturizer needs to penetrate deep down into the skin to hydrate it, so how do I get it to do that I hear you say? The answer is simple, through exfoliation! Exfoliate twice a week before bed-time is the best. You have two choices, First a Scrub which contains granules which removes dead skin, build up of dirt and grim-good for oily/combination skin types, Second is a Peel, you have a choice of a hydrating gel or cream that gently removes the build up of dirt and grim while hydrating the skin, good for dry/sensitive skins. You will find your moisturizer will absorb into your skin much better, plus you will use LESS moisturizer! Your wallet will love you for it. I can promise you your skin will be glowing!!

Here are some great home recipes for exfoliating the face and body:

Coffee Scrub for the Body- ‘This scrub is a great one for tackling cellulite. Caffeine is known for braking down the soft fat that causes cellulite. Use three times a week for best results!

Ingredients:                                                            

2 cups of coarsely ground coffee

½ cup of sugar or sea salt

2-3 tablespoons of massage oil.

 Method

¬     Mix all together in a bowl.

¬     Take a hot shower to moisten skin & open pores.

¬     Using circular motions rub the coffee exfoliate onto your skin, with strong, even pressure.

¬     Shower off and pat yourself dry.

¬     Apply a good anti-cellulite body lotion (My favorite is Estee Lauder Slimming body gel; this also has caffeine extracts to further stimulate the brake down of that soft stubborn fat!) Volia!!!  You are now glowing!!

By Amanda Arthur

For more information please contact Renew Salon at:

·     Killarney Court Hotel – (064) 37070

·     Riverside Hotel – (064) 39200

·     Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort – (064) 42599

Peaches in Lemongrass Syrup

330g (11/2 Cups) Sugar

Juice of 1 Lime

2cm piece of ginger, peeled

6cm piece of lemon grass, sliced

1 Cinnamon Stick

6 Peaches

250g blackberries or blueberries

Combine sugar & 3 cups of water in a heavy based pot.

Stir over heat until sugar is dissolved

Add lime juice, ginger, lemon grass & cinnamon – simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes

Add peaches & simmer until peaches are tender

Remove peaches & peel, then return to syrup

Allow to cool

Serve peaches & a little strained syrup with a few blackberries & ginger cream

We have a very hectic start to our day in the front office. Our first priority is to get the night audit done, so as to start the day’s business. Usually the tours are up and about ready to settle their accounts at 7.00 am. Of course there is always a comment about the weather and the hope that it will improve.

The tours are usually gone by 8.00 am and we then have a bit of quiet time until our private guests check out. We spend this time greeting the guests on their way to breakfast, filing and tidying the reception area after the first busy hour of the day. Hanneke the Reservations Manager starts at nine; we hand over any queries from the night before and it’s at about this time the phone awakens and keeps us on our toes for the day.

After breakfast we start to get busy with check-outs until midday. As our guests check out we take time to enquire if they had an enjoyable stay. There are a lot nice comments made about our hotel, especially in relation to our new leisure centre, holiday homes, lodges, the comfort of our hotel rooms, close proximity to town and friendly staff. If there are any issues we do our best to address them so the guests leave happy with their stay. We say a sad farewell and hope to see them in the future.

The afternoon is spent in preparing for the arrivals that day. The key cards have to be assigned, and we make sure the special requests are done and we are organised for all the groups. At 3.00pm we cash up, and hand over to the receptionist on the late shift so they are up to date with the day’s events. The tours check in late afternoon; they are often American, Australian, Dutch, German and French. We do our best to communicate with all nationalities, and if we don’t speak the language we try to improvise in any way possible.

Between check-ins we take dinner bookings, any request such as extra towels, room service etc. Once we had to contact Kenmare hospital to get a wheelchair for a poor lady who had had an accident while stepping down from the coach. We do our best to ensure everyone has a pleasant and comfortable stay.

The rest of the evening is spent printing up the registration cards and filing the following day’s arrivals. We are always busy on the phone taking reservations and answering any queries people have. At the end of the late shift we cash up, tidy the desk and have everything ready for the person the next morning. There’s never a dull moment!

Mary & Sandra

Head Receptionists

Everyone’s talking about the weather. Sure what can we do about it? Well just ignore it and book yourself in at the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort! We’ve loads going on to take your mind off the wind and rain.

Firstly, we are bringing back the hugely popular Irish Country Nights, including Set Dancing. These will run throughout the summer months, every Wednesday evening from 9.00 – 11.00 pm, starting on the 9^th July. With music by The Breens and Autumn Gold, there will be plenty of different dances to keep you on your toes. If you don’t want to take part in the dances, come and watch – it’s hugely entertaining. Entry is free.

We’re delighted to announce that Eleanor McEvoy will be here in concert on Friday, 25^th July.  Eleanor is a recipient of the Big Buzz Award for Best Traditional Female Musician and is currently touring to promote her new CD – ‘Love Must be Tough’. Tickets are only €20 each (over 21s only) and the show will kick off at 10.00 pm, with doors opening at 9.00 pm. Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of Ireland’s top female traditional vocalists. Tickets are available from the hotel or Soundz of Muzic, Henry Street, Kenmare.

And as if that weren’t enough, John Spillane will be performing at the hotel on Friday, 22^nd August. John, who won the Meteor Ireland Music Award in 2006, is well known throughout Ireland. Tickets for this show are €20 each also (again, over 21s only). What an opportunity! Don’t miss these 2 fabulous artistes.

If you’re thinking about getting away for a few days, try one of our 4* luxury lodges, from only €79 per person, per night for a minimum of 2 nights. These lodges are the height of luxury. They comprise 2 double/twin bedrooms, both en-suite and so are perfect for 2 couples or a couple with older children. Our Standard Holiday Homes sleep up to 7 and are more geared to young families. Take advantage of everything we have on offer to keep the kids amused; the Leisure Centre with a gym, 20 m pool and kids pool; kids clubs, outdoor playground, kids menus, kids drop-in playroom and teen activity clubs. We’ve got kids covered this summer!

And finally, there’s no better time to book your visit to the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort. The beautiful town of Kenmare, with its award-winning restaurants, is hosting the Munster Fleadh Cheoil in July, from 15^th – 22^nd. This is a huge event with a wide selection of indoor and outdoor concerts, dancing, singing, céilithe and workshops. The Kenmare Bay Hotel is hosting a mixed Ceili on the evening of Saturday, 19^th July and then is proud to be hosting the closing ceremony for the event on Sunday, 20^th July.

So don’t let the cold weather get you down; come and enjoy the warmth and hospitality of the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort

A day in the life of…….Laura Meagher - Health Club Administrator

A general day for me begins with a quick tidy up of my desk to organise my files and scattering of papers. A quick polish around reception to make sure it’s a welcoming haven for any member wishing for a nice work out or leisurely swim, and I’m ready to face whatever the day has to offer.

Throughout the day I’m kept busy handling bookings by phone and email for Renew Beauty Centre. In between handing out towels and giving directions to the changing rooms to our residents, I receive enquiries from people interested in joining the club. I show them a brochure and explain our rates and together we come up with a package suitable for them and their family. I like to show them around the premises so they will know where they are going on their first day. Hygiene is a top priority in the health club and so shoe covers are always worn on a show around (not for wearing on the head, as two older gentlemen thought one day!). New members are always pleased to hear that a fitness programme is included in the membership, which gives a little guidance until they become familiar with the equipment.

Once they have filled out all the paper work, it’s up to me to make sure everything is in order. All their details are put into the computer and they are assigned a keyring to scan each time they come in. I like to inform members of the benefits of membership, such as being able to enter competitions to win a dinner for two, beauty treatments and weekends away and of course the benefits of increased health, fitness and well being.….

Once all the paper work is processed and filed away I can get back to putting together financial reports and graphs for my managers.

In the afternoon it starts to get very busy for the group swimming lessons with our manager and swimming instructor Deirdre Miles and it’s a flurry of activity as I keep track of payment for the lessons. I love to watch all the little kiddies getting ready for their lesson as they jump around the pool and soak the poor teacher, I always think to myself, why don’t grown ups have that kind of energy! And just as Deirdre is getting a rhythm going, one little hand goes up in the air “teacher I need to go to the toilet!” and then of course one by one all the little hands go up and we can only smile as they all scamper across the deck to the changing rooms…

As my day is winding down I go through reports for the day’s takings to make sure everything is as it should be and put my welcome letters for new members into the post. I handover any relevant details to my colleague who will cover the reception for the evening and say goodbye to the rest of the team. As I head home I feel pleased with my day and truly believe that the health club team live up to the slogan, “where your well-being is our inspiration”.

Message from the GM –June

There’s always something going on here at the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort, be it a wedding, a large lunch function or an evening’s entertainment of some sort.

Last weekend was no exception. Not only did we provide lunch for those taking part in the Two Ton Motorcycle Run - a charity event in aid of the Children’s Hospital in Crumlin - but we also hosted our own charity event in the hotel. This was the annual Teddy Bears Picnic, spearheaded by Select Hotels of Ireland, in aid of their chosen charity Barnardos. The day went brilliantly; over 250 children, along with their parents, enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon with bouncy castles, face painting, balloon modelling, nail decorating and a disco. Toby the Turtle even put in an appearance, much to the kids’ delight. We raised over €2,250 for Barnardos children’s charity and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. We would like to say a huge thank you to all who supported us – either by attending the event or by providing goodies or prizes for the raffle. We’re already looking forward to next year’s event, which is somehow going to have to be even bigger and better!

A couple of weeks’ ago, we also had the Kingdom Veteran Vintage & Classic Car Club here for lunch. The hotel forecourt was awash with vintage cars of all sizes, shapes and colours. We are lucky enough to have plenty of car parking place close to the hotel, so that the owners could keep a check on their cars at all times if they wanted to. This group stays with us regularly and we are looking forward to welcoming them back to the hotel in October.

We’re gearing up for summer – even if the weather isn’t. Our kids’ activities are all in place ready for the holidays. We have a restaurant play area for children, which is open during breakfast time and early dinner time. We have a kids’ club every Saturday and Bank Holiday Sunday at the moment, and then daily during July and August, where children are supervised by qualified child minders. Activities include circle time, arts & crafts, board games and DVDs. We will shortly have a special kids’ room, where parents can take their children to play with toys, board games, do some colouring or watch a DVD.

For July and August, we will be running a Teen Club. For the teenager seeking thrill and adventure, we have arranged afternoons at Star Outdoors Adventure Centre – just 10 minutes from the hotel. Activities will include kayaking, water games, land orienteering, archery and a sailing trip. For your budding little beauticians, we have a teen beauty workshop in our very own Rejuvenation Suites in the Bay Health Club. They will learn about make-up, nail art, skin care, hair care, tanning and how to become a Beauty Therapist.

As well as all our extras to keep the children entertained this summer, we of course have our very own Leisure Centre with a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and a gym. The Kenmare area also offers a wealth of attractions to keep the whole family amused. These include golf, walking, fishing, horse-riding, pet farms, Crag Cave and indoor soft play centres.

Plenty of reasons to choose Kenmare and the Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort for your family holiday!

Gingerbread

230 g Plain flour

1 teaspoon bread soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground mixed spice

110 g butter, chilled & diced

110 g black treacle

110 g golden syrup

110 g muscovado sugar

280 ml milk

1 egg beaten

Heat oven to 180 oC

Sieve dry ingredients, except sugar, and rub in butter

Melt treacle with syrup until approx 40oC

Dissolve sugar in milk over low heat

Whisk milk into flour mixture

Whisk in treacle, followed by eggs – mixture should resemble batter

Bake for 45 mins – 1 hr

Cool completely in the tin

Wrap in greaseproof paper and keep for a couple of days before slicing