ORANMORE in Ballymena

What an amazing experience. Delicious food good drinks and excellent music if you’re in Ireland, this is a must do. Located in Northern Ireland, south west of Belfast.

Absolutely stunning location for a really special break and first-class friendly staff. We enjoyed the spa. It was a little crowded on the weekend days, but not unpleasantly, so - there was still space in the hot tubs and saunas. We booked a private riverside hot tub for an hour, and I would absolutely recommend that. Sitting watching a heron fishing in the river while drinking a cocktail is really very cool. I would really recommend visiting on a weekday, though, to get the most. The spa cafe (Elements) is lovely, and the cake was delicious. There are enough different saunas and sitting areas, and hot tuns and pools that it is easy to spend a few hours a day in there and not get bored. We also had a golf lesson with Barry, and he was absolutely fantastic - really helpful and insightful and definitely improved both of our games. The TopTracer driving range is brilliant fun - if you have never used one before, it transforms your time at the range - definitely worth some time. The restaurants are very good, not quite gourmet, but good food, clearly carefully prepared and well presented. It's mostly simple but quite delicious. The highlight for us was the steak at the Castle (restaurant at the golf course). One criticism would be the wine selections - unless you want to drink an entire bottle, the selection is a bit uninspiring. The room was comfortable and clean, we had a river view, which i would definitely recommend the upgrade for. Unfortunately our shower drain wasn't very effective and there was a very slight damp smell in the bathroom. The final recommendation would have to be the afternoon tea - especially if you have a sweet tooth. The savoury items were much more creatively thought out than your standard finger sandwiches and the cakes were a delight. My only criticism was the balance, I could have done with one or two less cakes and one or two more savouries- but then I suppose an afternoon tea isn't supposed to be about the savouries. Overall- if you are looking for somewhere to take someone special I can't recommend it enough.