The Dingle Skellig – a cycling hotel

I recently spent a few days at the Dingle Skellig hotel and spa. As a cyclist your needs are slightly different from the majority of tourists and very often it is the small things that can make a big difference to your stay.

Dingle Skellig Bike Storage Room

Safe and secure in the bike storage room

Track pump on hand to pump up your tyres

Having a dedicated safe and secure bicycle storage room where each bike is individually locked enables you to rest well at night knowing that your prize possession is safe and sound.

There is a side entrance near the bike room with CCTV monitoring that enables cyclists to get out on their bikes and back without having to walk their machines through a busy reception area.

Having a track pump on hand to pump up your tyres each morning, is another small thing that makes a big difference.

Being able to wash and dry your cycling gear in a proper washer and dryer within the Hotel is another big plus. No more washing gear in the bath or having to trudge down to the nearest laundrette.

Washer and Dryer – Washing powder available from reception

Kitchen area near bike storage room

There is also a reasonably sized kitchen area alongside, where a cycling team on a training camp could prepare food for the day and wash out their water bottles.

When you have been out in the rain your bike will need a wash, and there is a dedicated area for this too.

If your cycling day starts very early, the Dingle Skellig will provide a cold buffet breakfast and tea/coffee once notice is given in advance.

Dingle Skellig Cold Buffett breakfast.

The Peninsula Spa within the hotel provides a full range of regular and sports massage treatments. There is also a sauna, steam room and outdoor hot tub to relax and rejuvenate tired legs after a long day on the bike.

Downstairs there is a great Leisure centre with a 17m swimming pool with dedicated lanes for those in training which would especially suit triathletes. There is also an indoor jaccuzzi and a eucalyptus steam room. Alongside is a well equipped gym and exercise room.

Food is always an important consideration for bike riders and The Dingle Skellig satisfies every palate. The Coastguard restaurant offers a fine dining experience overlooking the bay, but with decent size portions that will satisfy the hungry calorie burning cyclist.

The Coastguard Restaurant

Dingle Skellig Blasket Bistro Seafood platter

Blasket Bistro

The Blasket bistro is more relaxed but the quality of the food is to the same very high standards.

Many cyclists now travel with their families and it’s great knowing that while you are out on the bike the kids are being entertained in the very popular kids club and even the teenagers have their own hangout in the Teen Klub with play stations, x-boxes and a pool table. There is even a creche for the youngest family members. The staff are all very friendly which leads to a relaxed family atmosphere throughout the hotel .

Dingle has a great selection of cycling routes that would take weeks to explore but here I have covered a few popular routes for all levels of cyclist in detail as entertaining blog posts along with downloadable route maps.

The Dingle Skellig 4k and 18k routes.

The Dingle Skellig Slea Head 44k and 62k routes

The Dingle Skellig 112k route

Bike hire is available locally from ;

Paddy’s Bike Shop – Open 7 days a week from 9 -7 pm and the first place to visit for an emergency repair. Will deliver hire bikes to hotel with prior notice. Mainly Hybrid bikes.

The Mountainmanshop – Will deliver bikes to hotel with 5 – 7 days notice in high season. Hybrid bikes.

Foxy Johns – Pub, hardware and bike hire.

There are no large bike shops in Dingle, with Tralee and Killarney being the two nearest towns with cycle shops catering for more advanced cycling needs.

The Dingle Skellig is a great location for cyclists of all levels and abilities. Whether for a family weekend away, a week long break or a team training camp every cyclist will leave wishing to return as soon as possible again. I know I did !

To book your stay at the Dingle Skellig now, you can just click HERE 

Barry

www.thecyclingblog.com