We have recently come back from our annual weekend trip to Rosslare with my husband’s family! This was our second year back, and we loved every minute. Between myself and my sister in law we had four kids! Our kids are 3 years old (nearly 4), 2.5 years old, 18 months old and 10 months. It sounds a lot more hectic than it is!

(Clown car pictured below, on the way down)

We stayed in the Leinster Lodge again this year at the fantastic Kelly’s Resort Hotel and Spa. The lodge has 6 en suite bedrooms, a kitchen, living space as well as a utility room. There was 12 people in our group in total so taking the lodge makes a lot more sense. It’s located right across the road from the hotel, beside the carpark so there is easy access to all of the amenities.

(Pic from last year outside the Leinster Lodge!)

From the moment we arrived the hotel staff could not have been more helpful. We arrived down at lunch time, slightly earlier than check in. The front staff were so accommodating allowing us to take a hotel room for a few hours to allow the baby to nap, which was much needed after the nearly 2 hour car drive from Dublin!

As soon as the baby was down, I brought the kids for a quick lunch in Le Marine restaurant in the resort which has a great kids menu. Lunch is the only meal not included in the all inclusive rate for the weekend. And then it was off to the creche! Kelly’s offers a creche service for under 3’s called the Starfirsh Club, this is where our kids spent most of the weekend! The girls were so great with the kids, getting down to their level and helping with toilet visits and nappy changes! There is also the Pirate’s Club for over 4s, we saw them being brought for expeditions around the hotel over the weekend! The hourly fee for the starfish club is €3 and babies under 1 year of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Kids Clubs opening times – 8.45 am – 5.00 pm

They have 4 sessions available – 8.30 am – 10.30am / 10.45am – 12.30 pm / 1.45pm – 3.00 pm / 3.15pm – 5.00 pm

Afternoon tea is served every day from 4pm, which includes the usual treats of scones, cakes, cookies for the kids. Again, this is included in your bill.

 

Kids dinner is served  The Ivy  from 5pm. This is is the main dining area with a full bar, buffet area, activity area, and located beside the kids clubs, consists of a buffet full of toddler approved meals. Chicken nuggets and chips, penna pasta, bolognese sauce, steamed vegetables, chips and much more! There are an abundance of high chairs available so you are never ill equipped for any of the meal times. Lunch for the kids is also served here, with a varying menu each day!

Then 6pm comes and it’s disco time! The kids all flood the dance floor, the music is blaring and they are buzzed from the ice cream that they’ve just taken from the full ice cream fridge which arrives just after dinner time! A kids paradise really!

Then we head back over to the lodge for bathtime and bedtime! The lovely housekeeping staff provided cots, bed rails and even a bottle steriliser! It’s so handy coming to Kelly’s knowing you don’t need to bring any of the big heavy stuff that usually takes up so much room! Kelly’s also provide a babysitting service, they can give you a list of trusted babysitters who charge €12 per hour, with a minimum of 2 hours. This allows the adults to head over to the Beaches restaurant for dinner, which is adults only. Again the food is included in your rate, with the exception of any drinks! After dinner there is the option of heading back to the Ivy which has live entertainment, dancing, and a bar with an extensive cocktail list and the usual wine and beer!

The next morning when everyone is up, it’s over to breakfast with the kids! We head back to the buffet area in the Ivy, and again an amazing breakfast is available for the kids and adults. We chose from scrambled eggs, sausages, pastries, yoghurts and my kids favourite the pancake maker! There is also breakfast served in the Beaches restaurant (where adult only dinner is held) which is where most of the adults eat breakfast without kids! Although they are still very much welcomed!

We spent Saturday afternoon in the pool with the kids. There are two pools: one for just kids are one for adults! And a great shop that offers goggles, swim suits, pool toys and anything else you might have forgotten!

While the kids went back to the creche for the afternoon, the adults played a game of padel! Kelly’s has so many activities that really makes the resort perfect for families of all ages. We also can’t forget to mention the Sea spa which has an offering of so many amazing treatments, not to mention a hair salon, mini golf, a tennis court. The resort itself is located on Rosslare Strand, which has stunning beaches allowing for beautiful walks for the whole family. If your kids are like mine, they appreciate a good sandpit. Kelly’s offer the Mecca of all sandpits! A huge pirate ship outside before the beach, overlooked by the Ivy restaurant where parents can watch on while enjoying a cup of coffee or even a cocktail! 

In my opinion, Kelly’s is the best hotel in the country when it comes to having something for everyone. We travel quite a lot with our three smallies, and finding a hotel that caters to 3 kids under 3 as well as for myself and my husband are impossible to find. Kelly’s has yet again ticked every box, including great value for money. The staff are so friendly and well used to the chaos of kids. The wonderful Kelly family are present, checking in on customers and making sure the stay is everything you had hoped for!

Check out Kelly’s resort website here for rates and availability

https://www.kellys.ie