Detailed Review
Hayfield Manor is a luxury hotel tucked away in a leafy corner, just one mile from Cork City Centre in the South of Ireland. Family owned and managed, this deluxe 5 star hotel has been planned with meticulous care to look and feel like a large period house.
Hayfield Manor combines grandeur and opulence with the comforts and facilities found only in the most modern establishments. The hotels guests can expect the charm and character of an inviting manor house, while enjoying 5 star amenities in Cork's first 5 star hotel.
The hotels Drawing Room and Library are there to fill those magical moments that mean you are on holiday. Leave the pressure of everyday routine far behind, as morning coffee, sumptuous afternoon tea and after dinner gatherings become a must whilst in Hayfield.
Hayfield Manor offers its guests an uncompromising level of service, personal yet efficient. It has a very relaxing atmosphere and charm, popular with both residential guests and Corkonians alike. The hotels location is convenient to fine dining, shopping and entertainment venues. In Cork you are never too far from a golf course. Angling, tennis, equestrian and clay pigeon shooting also prove popular with our guests.
Located just 15 minutes from Cork International Airport and 5 minutes from Cork City centre - Hayfield Manor provides serenity, privacy and peaceful seclusion for all our guests' comfort. The hotel provides an ideal base to discover the delights of the 2005 European Capital of Culture - Cork City. If you fancy a day trip the South of Ireland boasts numerous places of interest. Also the city of Waterford, home to the world renowned Waterford Crystal is only an hour away.
Independent Reviews
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"Purpose-built and convivial luxury hotel, the only five-star in Cork"
Hayfield Manor
By Jamie Dunford Wood
Hayfield Manor, built and opened in 1996, is a five star ’luxury hotel’ on the edge of Cork. ’Manor’ is something of a misnomer - Hayfield is not rural, but a handy ten minute walk from the centre of Cork. It’s been designed to have the feel of a traditional country house hotel, as a large slice of its clientele are Americans, in particular those off the cruise ships which dock at nearby Queenstown - coincidentally the same place many of their fateful forebears set sail from on the Titanic.
It could so easily have missed, but the architect here has triumphed. It’s partly because he has not tried too hard - the exterior is elegant without being grand, based partly on the look and feel of a building that it replaced, a family home of a prominent Cork family. But above all, it’s the arrangement of the public spaces which create a real sense that this is the place to be.
First, there is a small and discreet reception desk, informal and relaxed. To the left, a sitting room and a library, both looking onto a small formal garden behind. To the right are Orchids, the main hotel restaurant, and a convivial bar, giving onto a new restaurant called Perrotts, popular amongst Corkies who travel here for lunch. On cool days, a peat fire burns in a grate, stoked by a gregarious concierge in a top hat. And in the centre, a sweeping double staircase leads up to the rooms. The whole effect is harmonious as well as busy and bustling - everyone is here to have a good time: golfers on their way out to the hotels’ newly acquired nearby course, guests preparing to go deep sea fishing, corporate clients enjoying a cream tea, or people simply relaxing in the bar. The buzz is infectious.
Service here is Irish - that’s to say extremely friendly. Most of the front of house staff are Irish - a rarity in hotels these days, many of which are staffed almost exclusively by enthusiastic workers from Eastern Europe. Here, they provide the staff for the kitchens and restaurants. Compared to a sleepy Dorset village, however, they are all in accord that this is a great place to work, within walking distance of some of the best pubs in Ireland.
Other than the golf and the hospitality, the other great draw here is the spa. Recently entirely renovated, it sports a range of treatments and massages and a large pool. With Ryanair and Easyjet coming into Cork, Hayfield Manor makes for a perefct and spoiling weekend in extremely good company.
The rooms
The rooms upstairs are all of a decent size - since this is a custom-built hotel, the proportions are generous and uniform. The decor is a little bland, a touch corporate - sentimental Cork scenes grace the walls, while reproduction antique furniture sets the tone. Colours are muted - beiges and creams. It’s designed to appeal - or at least accommodate - both the American and the corporate clientele, the hotel’s two biggest markets. The only clue that this is a new build is the height of the ceilings (lower than you would expect in a real country house) and the lack of cornicing. Bathrooms are modern, with power showers above the baths and enticing toiletries. A few of the deluxe rooms are done in a more contemporary style - but even here, there is nothing to frighten the horses. Each room has a pull-out iron and board, a useful touch.
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