Doing it in style in Donegal!

The rugged coastal county of Donegal has always claimed a strong hold on my heart as it is home to many fond memories; from running along the majestic beach as a child in Rossnowlagh and disco dancing as a teenager in Downings, to hanging out in the Las Vegas bling of Bundoran where amusement parks and slot machines and walking ‘rogie’ filled many a day away!

Therefore, it is no surprise that when it came to penning my first novel, Crazy For You, away back in 2007, I based a lot of it in Donegal in a fictional town called Killshannon which is loosely based on the fishing village of Killybegs.

My book also featured many scenes in Donegal town itself with its Diamond centre, quirky cafes and craft shops, so when Harper Collins, my brand new publishers, decided to re-release Crazy For You in an all new look 2014 version for Valentine’s Day this year, I took a trip to Donegal town to see how much it had changed since my first version of Crazy For You was written seven years ago.

There is a sense of warmth and homeliness in Donegal and while I love and cherish memories of staying in caravans and self-catering apartments from childhood days, this time we decided to do Donegal in style!

We chose to stay a night at the 5star Solis Lough Eske Hotel for a night of luxury, and it’s location just outside the town made it an ideal base for exploring the area and absorbing all I needed to bring my novel up to date.

The Lough Eske Castle is the only Irish hotel to claim a World Luxury Hotel Award and has won the World's Best Luxury Country Hotel title for the past FOUR consecutive years and the moment I mentioned to friends where I was going, those who had been became wide eyed with envy and it didn’t take me long to discover why.

We were met at the door by a friendly uniformed porter who took our bags and the staff at reception ran through our itinerary which included a ‘Smoke Your Own Salmon’ activity with chef David Doherty, dinner for two in the Cedar’s Restaurant and a full body massage the following morning for me at the award winning Spa Solis – so far, so great!

Our ground floor room was majestic to say the least. It had a separate living area with its own television (so we didn’t have to fight over the remote, explained our concierge), a luxury bathroom, stocked mini bar and patio doors which overlooked a picturesque courtyard. It was luxurious yet cosy and we settled in immediately, chilling out and enjoying the surroundings before it was time to meet the chef and sample some salmon smoking!

We met chef David outside the kitchens where he had prepared a table of spices and flavours, and he carefully explained and showed us how to prepare the salmon which was fresh from the waters of Killybegs. We sipped a glass of cold wine as he demonstrated the work of art, then brought us outside to the smoking room – a wooden hut which did exactly what it said on the tin, and in true ‘here’s one I made earlier’ style, he presented some delicious smoked salmon, took it back to the kitchen while we waited and within minutes we were tucking in to its succulent taste, marvelled at the attention to detail which had gone in to preparing the popular dish.

Our dinner was  served in Cedar’s Grill Restaurant later that evening where Jim had six oysters on chilled ice with lemon and shallot vinegar for starters and I chose the Pork Belly with fennel, apple compote and balsamic dressing. I tried one of the oysters (my first time tasting them!) and with a little tobasco sauce for an extra kick, I actually liked them! Our main course was the most delicious fillet steak with sides of seasonal vegetables and pepper sauce and we squeezed in a white chocolate panna cotta for dessert. The service as impeccable, the restaurant busy and David the chef even took time out to see if we were satisfied with the service and we both agreed that hands down, the food at Lough Eske is the best we have ever tasted!
We rounded the evening off around an open fire with some new found friends from Belfast and Jim treated them all to a few tunes on the guitar, and the following morning I eased into the day with a wondrous massage in the Solis Spa, followed by breakfast served to our room.

We said goodbye to the Solis Lough Eske Hotel with a heavy heart – it is truly a magical taste of luxury and shows Donegal hospitality at its finest. Our friends were right when they said it was one of their favourite places in the world and I can totally understand why the list of awards keeps getting longer.

On our way home, we explored the town while I made notes that could contribute to the new style of my novel. We visited the Craft Village where we met artist Johnny McCabe and watched him work at a mind-blowingly accurate portrait, just one of a collection of watercolours, pencils, pastels and oil paintings he had on display.

We finished our trip with a quick bite in the Abbey Hotel in the town centre, lapping up the atmosphere and stopped off for a drink in The Reel Inn Bar which shows old style Donegal in its finest form.

With its warmth and homely feeling, Donegal still holds that same place in my heart as it did seven years ago, and I have a feeling that it’s something that will never go away.

Enjoy a Mid Week Tranquility Package at the Lough Eske Hotel which includes 2 nights bed and breakfast with four course evening meal in Cedar’s Restaurant, complimentary use of Spa Solis Thermal Suite and heated pool, 20% off Spa treatment and traditional afternoon tea on the afternoon of your choice. Based on 2 people sharing. From €395 per room. Available until 31^st March 2014. To book, visit www.solishotels.com/lougheskecastle

Crazy For You by Emma Heatherington will be released by Harper Collins (Harper Impulse) on 13^th February as a digital download (Kindle, etc). Available on Amazon.co.uk