Go overnight

GEMMA TIPTONstays at the Kelly's Resort Hotel in Co. Wexford.

I WAS IN the changing room at Kelly’s, easing my slightly damp self back into jeans after a swim. A nearby mother was trying to do something similar with her two children. “First I have to go and play my crazy golf,” her daughter announced. “Then ping pong. Then I’ll need my nap, because I’ll be quite tired, and then it will be time for tea.” Her little brother heaved a very deep sigh. “I lovvve the place,” he breathed. And I realised I knew exactly how they felt.

Institution though it is, I hadn’t stayed at Kelly’s before. I had called in for tea once, when early to the Rosslare ferry, and remarked on its amazing art collection, but hadn’t stayed the night.

This may have been a good thing, as Kelly’s seems something of an addiction: talk to many guests and they’ve been returning every year. A woman I met in the lift told me she’d been going there annually since she was six.

We had booked for Mother’s Day, and, walking along the sunny corridor to our rooms, we remarked on the number of mothers of all generations, from grey ones to ones with lots of children to new ones just getting the hang of things. In a different sort of hotel this might sound like hell, but Kelly’s absorbs everyone, gives them all their own space, and one of the most seductive things about it is that everyone seems to be having a genuinely nice time.

Kelly’s calls itself a resort hotel, the idea being that everything you need is right there, which is a good thing, as wandering down to Rosslare, and going for a windswept walk along the Slobs, we realised that you could soon exhaust the amenities of the area. Not so the hotel itself – it has a fantastic spa, two swimming pools, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, the crazy golf – I got a hole in one and beat the rest of the family – snooker and pool tables, table tennis, a kid’s club, a gym...

The rooms are very nice, too, unpretentious but comfortable, and you can ask for extra things – like a tea tray – if you want them. Initially I was disappointed, as the room I was sharing with my brother was at the front of the hotel and had no sea view (Kelly’s is right on the beach).

But what we lost with the sea we gained in a stunning sunset, and a walk along the little boardwalk to a sheltered bench satisfied my appetite for crashing waves the next day. If you don’t think a sunset would compensate for a lack of sea view, make sure to specify what you want when booking – they don’t cost extra, but it is first come, first served.

You can opt for packages from full board to BB, and even though we hadn’t chosen one that included lunch we enjoyed our dinner so much the first night that it seemed a shame not to go for lunch (a buffet affair) the next day.

The dining room, as with the rest of the hotel, is hung with artworks that are the result of generations of Kellys’ passion for collecting. So you’ll see Picasso, Rouault, Miró, Warhol and Calder, alongside Irish artists including Louis le Brocquy, Tony O’Malley and Jane O’Malley.

After dinner a band set up in the lounge. We stayed for a couple of numbers, and watched couples twirling on the dance floor.

The next day we relaxed in the lounge. Watching a waitress clear a nearby table, then pause to rearrange and plump up all the cushions, I realised what it is that makes Kelly’s so good: it’s love. Love in the sense of being dedicated to doing the best you can, an attention to detail that second-guesses what people might want and need, and a pleasure in giving people a fantastic time. Go reported last month that Kelly’s is bucking the recessionary trend, and a stay lets you know why: it’s really, really good. It’s not pretentious, not cool, not overly fancy, not anything save an excellent family-run hotel with the kind of Irish hospitality that once made us famous all over the world.

WhereKelly's, Rosslare, Co Wexford, 053-9132114, kellys.ie.

WhatFour-star resort hotel.

Rooms118, including two suites.

Best ratesBB from €77pps. BB plus dinner €121pps. All-inclusive €137pps. Check website for more packages, including spa treatments.

Restaurants and barsBeaches restaurant, La Marine à la carte, La Marine bar, Ivy lounge.

Child-friendlinessChild heaven.

AccessTwo rooms are fully wheelchair accessible.

AmenitiesSwimming pools, spa and thermal suite, lots of children's activities (including Pirate Ship outdoor play area), tennis and badminton courts, gym, snooker, croquet and bowls, beach walks, jogging track. Golf and horse-riding nearby.