Ravenport Resort, located in Curracloe village, is a new and modern retreat in coastal Wexford, a short distance from one of Ireland’s most famous beaches - we stayed here on a busy bank holiday, and were mostly impressed.
This brand-new resort opened in the summer of 2024, and, as the first phase of a larger golf resort development, it is fair to say that Ravenport is still evolving.
A coastal links golf course, designed by the same people who designed Druids Glen, is due to open in 2026, and also next year Ravenport’s ‘holiday lodges’ will extend the site as well.
Here, we go over our experience during our stay.
Our room
As it stands, the hotel at Ravenport has 49 bedrooms, each with well-appointed ensuite bathrooms complete with complimentary eco-friendly toiletries.
Our room was modern and bright with a king-size bed, large screen smart-TV, and a good-sized window overlooking the front of the hotel. It has tea and coffee facilities, a safe, a mini fridge, complimentary still water, a pair of generously sized robes, an iron, and a hairdryer.
Whilst we were impressed by the room for the most part, there were one or two areas that we felt could be changed to help elevate the feeling of comfortable luxury.
We were slightly disappointed that for a relatively new hotel, the tea and coffee facilities comprised only a kettle and a container of teabags and coffee sachets. A coffee-pod machine, alongside the kettle, is an obvious omission in what is otherwise a contemporary hotel room.
The room was large and spacious, which was great, but perhaps it lacked a seating area - even a small armchair and table in the corner would’ve made sense in this space.
Ravenport gets the most important aspects right (i.e. it is a very comfortable room for a great night’s sleep). But, perhaps, a little more time could have been taken in a few small areas.
Honestly, any new hotel will likely have the odd minor ‘snag’, really, though these details didn’t especially detract from what we found to be good quality accommodation.
Gym, pool, spa
After checking in and checking out our room, we headed down to try out the Lir Spa and Health Club facilities (most of which are complimentary).
It comprises a 15-metre swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a sauna, and a steam room, along with decent-sized changing facilities.
Lir also provides a number of spa treatments that can be enjoyed, though prior booking is recommended and there are additional costs.
There’s a compact but well-equipped gym (there’s enough equipment for most guests to get a good workout, but you wouldn’t want too many people to be in there at once).
It was more than enough of a gym for us to enjoy a solid workout, before heading to the pool area.
The swimming pool is a good size as was the poolside jacuzzi. Both the sauna and steam room were large enough to relax in.
Dining at the Willow Bar
In the evening, we headed to the Willow Bar - Ravenport’s bistro-pub - for something to eat.
During our stay, the Willow Bar was taking walk-ins only, and as it was a Bank Holiday Sunday night, we did have a short while to wait to get a table.
The bar seemed popular with locals maybe as much as it was with residents, which is clearly a good sign when it comes to the quality of the food being served up.
We browsed the menu online whilst we were waiting, but at that point were unaware that the bar was running a reduced Sunday menu, so some bites we fancied weren’t actually available. Thankfully, there was still enough to catch our eye and satisfy our hunger.
We thought the menu was quite well-priced for the quality of the food. Starters were priced at €8 to €12, whilst mains were €18 to €24 and desserts were €8 to €9.
The menu detailed all the local suppliers of the produce used in the dishes, which is a nice touch.
We skipped the starters opting to save ourselves for what were delicious-sounding desserts.
Going straight to the mains, we very much enjoyed the slow-cooked featherblade of beef, with fresh seasonal vegetables and gravy. The beef was melt-in-the-mouth tender, and along with the accompaniments made for a very flavoursome dish.
For dessert, we opted for upside-down strawberry cheesecake and lemon meringue roulade. The roulade was one of the nicest desserts I've had in a long time, so light and refreshing. The cheesecake was also a big hit.
Overall, the food was high quality and it was clear that thought had been put into the ingredients.
As we’ve already said, the pricing was fair - and it was fair because the food was good.
We were more than satisfied with our dining experience, but, we can also see how at €12 for a starter and €9 for a dessert, we might’ve felt differently had the meal not been so tasty.
Some guests might find the menu to be on the pricey side, and, currently, it is the only on-site dining option.
The Willow Bar itself is in a lovely setting, and in the brighter, warmer weather the large outdoor terrace would be a great spot to enjoy food and refreshments.
On busy, indoor nights, such as the night we were there, the hotel could probably benefit from having a bit more space and extra dining capacity - though we understand this is something that’s expected to change in the future as the resort continues to develop.
Breakfast
Following an extremely comfortable, restful sleep, it was time to head for breakfast.
Ravenport has a dedicated breakfast room on the 1st floor (it's not served at the Willow).
As you’d probably expect on a bank holiday weekend, when the hotel’s at high capacity, breakfast was busy.
The layout of the breakfast buffet was a bit tight and narrow, with pinch points emerging if guests didn’t stay in a single-file queue.
Essentially it was self-service for the most part, nevertheless, it would have benefited greatly from a few more staff members. Food and juice options took some time to be replenished though this didn’t appear to be the fault of the staff, who were clearly doing their best.
Quality-wise, the food was good. There was a decent selection - with cereals, pastries, pancakes, and multiple cooked breakfast items - plus the usual juices and a self-service hot drinks machine.
Our thoughts …
We really enjoyed our stay at Ravenport.
It wasn’t without faults, but, when we stayed here, the hotel was still new, and clearly the resort as a whole is being improved and fine-tuned all the time.
Allowing for the odd teething issue, we were impressed overall during our stay.
The rooms are large, bright and very comfortable.
Lir Spa and Health Club is a great facility, especially as Ravenport currently isn’t the largest you’ll ever stay at.
Whilst there’s currently only one dining option, the quality of the food was very good, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
It should also be said that room rates for a hotel of this quality are very reasonable.
Not to mention the hotel’s location means it’s a perfect base from which to explore the stunning nearby Curracloe Beach, which is a short drive away.
Wexford's Curracloe Beach
Guests will also find other places to visit nearby, including the Irish National Heritage Park, Wells House and Gardens and Blackwater Open Farm. Each of these are within 20 kilometres of the hotel.
We will definitely return to the Ravenport in the future and we are confident that our second stay will be even better than the first.
