20 October 2023: There’s a new energy on the Ashford Castle country estate following today’s launch of Éalú, a new vibrant state-of-the-art health & fitness centre for guests of both Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle (images attached).
Éalú, meaning ‘escape’, features a pavilion-style building with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, a fifteen-metre swimming pool with a gym, a functional fitness studio, and a therapy room. The new dynamic space has been created to offer guests a place where they can feel energised, rejuvenated and invigorated, while also providing plenty of opportunities for lively family fun time in the pool. The new Biophilic design of the building, created to nurture the relationship between people and nature, seamlessly brings the outside in, combining natural light with views of the stunning west of Ireland landscape.
Niall Rochford, General Manager of the Ashford Estate said: “Éalú will be many things to many people as it’s a place where guests can work out, chill out or enjoy time with family and friends. While there is already an abundance of activities for guests to enjoy on the Ashford Estate, we had always planned for a full-size pool. That was our starting point for Éalú, the concept for which evolved and grew, along with our ambition, resulting in something that is so much more. Éalú is different. It’s a space that exudes energy and we think that guests of both properties are going to love it.
“Its development is part of our owners, Red Carnation Hotel’s ongoing investment in the estate and its wider commitment to tourism in the West of Ireland. The new development follows a multi-million Euro investment and we are thrilled to welcome an additional ten team members to the estate who will help ensure that Éalú is recognised as one of the finest hotel health & fitness centres in the country.”
Filled with light, the pool area is complemented by relaxation loungers, a jacuzzi, an essence-infused steam room, and a Klafs sauna in bespoke Swiss stone pine wood, as well as a separate children’s splash pool. Experienced trainers are available in the gym, functional fitness studio and therapy suite to help tailor the activity to personal goals to help you sweat, stretch or simply be still.
Within the gym, state-of-the-art fitness equipment from the renowned ‘Life Fitness brand includes treadmills, cross trainers, upright and recumbent bikes and rowing machines, all with premium entertainment and performance consoles to help you elevate your performance.
A free-weights section has dumbbells and benches, and fixed weight machines, for upper and lower body workouts. The Halo app provides on-demand workouts for every level of fitness including live and recorded interactive classes, as well as access to personal training scheduling.
In the therapy suite, holistic personalised massage is tailored to the needs of the body and mind. The Diamond Well Living Collection from the Forbes-recognised brand, Natura Bisse, is used.
Easily accessed from both properties, guests at Ashford Castle and The Lodge at Ashford Castle currently have exclusive access to Éalú during their stay. Opening hours are 8.00am to 8.00pm daily, with reserved adult-only hours for the pool, each morning and evening. Éalú membership will open to the public over the coming months and the fitness studio will introduce a range of curated classes, including yoga and interval training, with qualified trainers.
For those needing a brief or extended ‘escape’ to the countryside, Éalú is the perfect complement to The Spa at Ashford Castle, the only hotel in Ireland to achieve a Forbes Five-Star Spa ranking. It features five calming treatment rooms, an invigorating hammam, a relaxing steam room, a relaxation pool, and a beautiful terrace with wonderful views over the tranquil lake waters, The Spa is the perfect offering of five-star luxury, unrivalled service, and warm hospitality. The Spa was also recently named Ireland’s Best Hotel Spa, for an eight consecutive year, at the World Spa Awards.
