Trabolgan – the real story! (written Sept 2008)

Perhaps you’re thinking of a trip to Trabolgan with the family and wonder whether it’s for you?

The same dilemma faced up recently when we set about planning our family holiday.  We were travelling with our 2 yr old and our neighbours were also coming – they have a 3 and half yr old and 1 and half year old.

It was always going to be somewhere in Ireland, as we weren’t ready to haul the kids through airports and face delayed flights, hot weather etc. We decided on Trabolgan as our family destination, or as their brochure states – ‘the holiday of choice’.

Like you, we heard the stories from friends, family and neighbours who had visited and had mixed reports. It seems that somewhere, very close to us all, there’s somebody who has visited at some time or another.

We visited for 7 days – Friday to Friday. We arrived about 4.30pm on the first day, having drove from Meath. Give yourself 4 hours if you’re travelling say from Dublin. You’ll probably do it in less at there’s good road all the way.

The first thing to say is that it’s not Disneyland Paris or anything like large ‘resorts’ that are available in the UK or throughout Europe, so don’t expect this. It’s a small Irish holiday village, nestled away in a secluded grassland, tree and countryside setting.

The approach driveway is well away from the main road, however the ‘main road’ is somewhat out on its own, so you’re guaranteed not to have car loads of night clubbers arriving anywhere near you.   There’s also an initial barrier checkpoint before passing through to the main area, so access is strictly for day trippers who can use facilities, weekenders and families holidaying in the resort.

You must pass the first checkpoint and park in the reception car park and then visit reception (a short walk) before receiving your car tag and then passing through another barrier checkpoint which is controlled by the reception staff who view you from the reception building right next door.

So you find your accommodation and unload the car. The car by the way is right outside, you’re not lugging suitcases down dark laneways as we had heard! Sometimes, there’s one or two steps down to the door, as some car parks are slightly elevated and are higher that the level of the houses so just something to note if there is anyone needing assistance.

What about the accommodation I hear you ask? Let’s be honest then – these houses have been there over 20 years so they’re well used. If you’re expecting 5 star accommodation penthouses, then don’t. They’re of a standard that you might find from an apartment when holidaying abroad – other people have been through them before you. They are cleaned after each departure and of course, there’s clean bed linen on beds before you’re arrival.

To use my wife’s description – the houses are quaint, little rows of houses with different coloured doors. All houses have kitchenettes with kettle, cooker, microwave and cups, plates and utensils. Depending on the type of accommodation you choose, you’ll have a washing machine and dishwasher. There’s also heating and hot water in all houses – which I should say you don’t pay anything extra for – it’s all included in your price, however you must bring your own powders, detergents etc. You’ll also need to bring your washing up liquid, your own tea towels, bathroom towels, toilet rolls and any other basics that you desire.

We had booked the smallest of accommodation – the alpine – as we only had 1 child. It had a small living area – 1 small couch, 1 small table, kitchenette, a bathroom with shower and 1 bedroom. It was fine for our size family. Our neighbours had booked the largest home – the noble fir – as they were expecting their parents to be coming. As things go, the parents didn’t travel and they had the house to themselves and the 2 children. I viewed it and I thought it was quite large with plenty of space.

If you’re expecting every crevice, corner, crack and every item of furniture to be spotless – they try but there’s no need to go screaming out of the place if you find a cobweb or a bit of a twig under a chair.

Speaking personally, I spent most of my teens and my entire twenties camping, hostelling and hiking around Ireland so I’ve seen the best and the worst of accommodation. I’ve slept in cars, caves, boats, bushes (on, in & under), trees, hammocks, ditches and beds so I have a good grounding on what will suffice and what won’t. The bottom line folks – it’s fine and it’s liveable. It’s not as clean as my house or yours but then nowhere is. (Although with a 2yr old, you should see our house now and again!)

So you’re in now – what’s there to do? Trabolgan is about families and with a big, big emphasis on children, from 2 up to early teens.

If you’re planning a weekend or trip away with the lads, or if you’re planning a weekend away with the girls, Trabolgan is not the place to be doing it, so please to people out there who may have inclinations on doing this and shacking up somewhere to drink and party – it’s not the place for you. It’s a quiet holiday village. You’re miles from anywhere and there’ no night clubs or taxis!

I’ll go ahead here and list the activities so that you all have a good inclination of what’s available:

Outdoor Playground – a bark covered outdoor area but to be honest, it’s disappointing with a slide, climbing frame and a couple of swings. Again all well used and needing some maintenance.

Indoor Play Areas – Flories Den and Jungle Safari are indoor play areas with climbing frames, tunnels, ball pits, small slides, nets etc. well used but in good nic and great to keep the kids entertained. Padded areas all round but supervision is required.

Stage Shows – afternoon and evening shows include pantos and sing-alongs for the children. It’s the usual ‘blue coat’ standard, cheesy for the adults but again, it’s all for the kids. There’s bob the builder and barney shows and they last about 30 minutes. There’s also Angelina allerina an florie the fox.

Trabolgan Adventure Sports (TAS) – there’s archery, go-karting, zip- wire tower, small trampolines, a small paddle boat area. There’s also outdoor tennis courts, astro court for footie, as well as indoor climbing wall, basket ball and badminton. Again, all facilities are well used but it’s worth giving a a few of them a go while you’re there.

Other: There’s a shingle beach area which isn’t ideal to walk along but you can get close and throw stones which was better than any playground for our 2yr old! There’s an outdoor ‘pond’ area which is enclosed by a waist high fence. To be honest, this could be made more of a feature if some decking was used – it has some ducks, geese and other birds and you can throw some bread which again the children found great.  There’s an outdoor crazy golf area which is well weathered – you might do it once while you’re there but it’s not a daily attraction.

Swimming Pool – One of the highlights is the pool area which has a wave machine. There are 2 lifeguards on duty full time and in fairness to them, there’s no messing. The pool is constantly monitored – if you take little ones into the deep area – you’ll hear the whistle blow! Prior to the wave machine starting, you’ll hear a siren sound, then it’s actually good fun when the waves start. I know you’d never leave children on their own at the pool but just a note that when the wave machine gets going, it will knock over children and adults alike – good fun but just a note that they should be close to you at all times. We timed our arrival just before ‘dinner time’ each day (about 4.30 ish) when we hoped most people would be back at their accommodation having naps and getting food. This worked well for us and we found we had large areas to ourselves every day.

There’s a little ice cream hut in a dry area where you can get some pool toys and light refreshments and there’s a winding slide that is also good fun. Adults must go first and then wait at the ‘drop’ end which means that children have to go down the slide on their own, where parents grab them as they splash in. Fine for older children but we obviously wouldn’t let out little 2 yr old go down this thing on his own!

Shopping & Food – Trabolgan is a little self contained complex – the main centre where entertainment takes place is a small area but it includes a coffee shop, restaurant, amusements, a small supermarket, the pub and the ‘cove’ where the afternoon and evening entertainment takes place.

Overall: You’ll do most of it in 2 or 3 days and depending on how long you’re staying, evening times can be a bit repetitive. Holidays are what you make of them, so if you’re expecting to be blowen away every night, it doesn’t happen. Get up off the bum, get out go for walsk and explore – that’s what it’s about. Walks with the family, enjoy time together.

Would we visit again? My answer is yes. You’ll do the Trabolgan stuff in 2 or 3 days but it’s ideal to use as a base for activities in the Cork Area. For time with the family, to see the little ones enjoying themselves – smiling, happy, singing and dancing – then absolutely yes.

Down Side:

At time of writing (Oct 2008)there is no Internet anywhere in the complex. If you need to send or receive any urgent emails, then Internet cafe in Middleton beside Tescos is 30 minutes drive.

There is limited mobile signal, however certain places in the complex do pick up a signal.

DayOut Tip: We were staying for a week and brought lots of food, cans and bottles with us, however if you don’t fancy lugging that all the way to Cork, there’s a large Tescos 30 minutes drive away in Mahon Point Shopping Centre where you can stock up. There’s also a small supermarket in Trabolgan itself where you can purchase nearly everything you need. Prices are perhaps a few pence more than you might expect at home.

Fota Wildlife is 30 minutes drive and is well worth a visit. If you’re been to Trabolgan, write a review for us and we’ll share it with our users.