I will openly admit that I was one of those people who (because I hadn’t yet been to visit the Galgorm) was skeptical about it.

Pricey, yes.
Overrated, maybe?
Worth the hype?
I was about to find out.

Months and months ago Mum booked herself, my sister and I in for an overnight stay at Galgorm Resort. We’ve never gone away together before, so this was a special treat for us all.

Truth be told, I was a little unsure about the choice of the Galgorm at first as it definitely makes for an expensive sleepover! However, both my mum and sister had already been before, on several occasions. I 100% trusted their judgement and was secretly delighted to be getting the opportunity to stay myself!

The time soon came for us to pack our bags and I asked for some ‘Galgorm Recommendations’ on my Instagram! I was so interested to hear what people loved about the resort - would it be the spa, a particular cocktail or breakfast perhaps?

A few people did reference the amazing spa, but I was surprised by the negative comments about price, especially from people who hadn’t been to the hotel before. Someone joked that I’d need to “sell a kidney” before visiting and another commented on how they couldn’t “understand what all the fuss was about”, it’s “just a hot tub and overpriced cocktails.”

Admittedly, I let the negative messages unnerve me a wee bit. I had no idea what to expect of the Galgorm. I suspected the spa would be lovely and anyone I knew who had been before always raved about it, and always returned again. I was ready to find out for myself what the fuss was about!

I stood excitedly at my doorstep as mum and Ems pulled up to collect me and was surprised to find two pizzas in the boot of the car when I went to put my bags in! “Just in case!” shouted Ems from the passenger seat. That turned out to be a very good call indeed!

We were staying in one of the cottages at the Galgorm Resort. We’d have facilities to make pizza and Ems suggested that it would mean we could spend the evening at the spa without having to worry about leaving to get dinner. We were stopping off for lunch on route to the hotel anyway so we would have a good meal then.

And we would have a good meal indeed at Jake’s cocktail bar and grill at The Junction, Antrim. Ems had pre-booked a table and as we settled down to look at the menus I was pleasantly surprised to see the cocktails so reasonably priced at £6.95. A bramble for me, a pink fizz for Ems and tapas for us all. The mini burgers were absolutely delicious, especially the southern fried chicken! The cocktails were yummy too - a perfect start to our girls night away and the bill was surprisingly nice as well - even better!

With full tummies we made the final stretch towards our destination. On arrival we were greeted by the cutest little wagon as we made our way to the cottages - this is where mum checked us in and collected our key.

My first impression of the cottage was that it was very tastefully done. In fact, everything about the Galgorm is like that. Everything feels so luxurious and lovely. We were staying in number 11 - the pink door - and no sooner was the door opened and we were in mooching around, oohing and aahing at how gorgeous the place was.

The decor was class, so very much to my own personal taste too - my Neal’s Yard bags and bottles felt and looked very much at home! It wasn’t long before we got our bearings, settled in and began to relax.

Our check in time was 3pm and we had arrived not long after then. We didn’t have access to the spa until 5pm so decided we would take a wee walk so mum and Ems could show me the hotel and to see how/where we would enter the spa. To our surprise and delight, the cottages have a separate handy little entrance into the spa - you really couldn’t be closer!

After a leisurely stroll around the gorgeous grounds and hotel, we took a table in the River Room conservatory and ordered some drinks. The drinks menu was extensive, I hardly knew what to order, everything sounded so delicious! I settled for an English Marmalade and boy, was I in for an absolute treat!

I must mention that my cocktail was £10. I’d recently paid 13 euros for a cocktail in Sligo - I’m not adverse to paying that for one drink. (Obviously it’s a different story if you’re looking to down 3, 4 or more!) But I would happily pay £10 again for another English Marmalade cocktail in that beautiful setting. Highly, highly recommend!

At this point I was most definitely starting to relax. The hotel grounds are really stunning and it was nice to get a wee walk around at the start of our stay. I so love being close to water and it’s a winning feature of Galgorm to be beside the river.

5 o’clock came and it was time to dawn our iconic brown robes and make our way down to the thermal spa. I let mum and Ems lead the way as they knew where they were going.

Up until this point, I hadn’t really had much spa-experience. Yes, Matt and I have been to hotels with a spa - but nothing quite like the Galgorm. The closest experience would probably be Farnham Estate, and Matt laughed when I texted him that the “Galgorm is like Farnham spa on steroids!” And it’s totally true! The Thermal Spa Village at Galgorm is impressively extensive. Looking at the map prior to our visit reminded me of how I used to pore over the map of Alton Towers as a kid, dreaming of and imagining a time that I’d actually get to go to this amazing place! The map of the Galgorm spa is similarly exciting - so many areas to explore, relax and unwind. The vibe is definitely less “scream with your hands in air” and much more chill.

At first, the spa felt busy with people. The (many) hot tubs were full and there was a bit of buzz about the place - brown robes everywhere! We headed into the indoor hydrotherapy pool to enjoy the amazing jets and bubbles that soothed aches and pains, starting the de-stressing process. I could keep my shoulders under those powerful jets all day. So good!

I really liked the aroma steam room by the hydrotherapy pool too. I love the use of essential oils so no wonder that was my favourite steam room. After spending a rather glorious hour there we moved on to one of the many outdoor hot tubs.

Next up was the salt cave. Gosh, I could have stayed in there for ages. A lovely temperature and beautiful aesthetic, breathing in the properties of the salt infused air, enjoying the detoxifying and purifying effects of halotherapy, before a very quick dip and dash in and out of the plunge pool!

By this time, I was starting to get peckish so we headed to The Alpine Garden cabanas and saunas. We popped the heater on and closed the curtain on our hut - a lovely little private spot to sneak out some snacks and pop open a bottle of Prosecco! Ems’ bag was like the Mary Poppins bag! There was all sorts of good stuff coming out! But I was glad of some crisps and chocolate while chilling in yet another gorgeous area of the spa.

From our cosy cabana we could keep an eye on the alpine vitality pool and took our chance to get in when the time was right. (Each area of the spa has a maximum person limit at the moment so it’s worth nothing before piling on into the hot tub or sauna!) Night was closing in whilst we enjoyed the infinity pool by the river and the twinkly lights came on. This was probably one of my favourite moments from the spa - I could have lay in that pool by the riverside all night long, had someone let me! Absolutely beaut.

We got straight out of the pool and into one of the little saunas that was dotted along the row of wooden huts. What a class setting and it seemed even more magical in the dark!

At 9pm we made our way back round to the stunning Palm House for a final cocktail (we all had the ‘English Garden’) to enjoy at the hot tub. It was such a beautiful way to close off a perfect first day at together at the spa. I finished the night lying on one of the hot beds next to the hot tubs, trying not to fall asleep to the sound of the music.

Almost the last ones to leave, we thanked the staff and sleepily made our way back to the cottage. Thankfully we didn’t have far to go! Within minutes, we were back and the oven was on.

We continued our ‘spa’ theme, treating our skin with my NYRO beauty sleep shower oil and wild rose facial oil, before tucking into pizza in our pjs!

By 11.30pm I was struggling to keep my eyes open, so I retired to bed and pretty much fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!

My alarm woke me at 7.30am and I hit snooze, allowing myself 5 extra blissful minutes to doze before getting up and pottering to the breakfast bar to turn on the coffee machine. We weren’t booked in for our breakfast until 11.45am, deciding to get up and make the most of the spa from 8am until 10.30am. This meant that we’d have plenty of time for us all to shower, pack and check out before breakfast. Looking back, this worked out perfectly. I brought fresh orange juice, croissants and muffins for us to enjoy with tea and coffee in the cottage before we headed back to the spa.

We headed for the indoor pool first as it was one of the things we hadn’t managed to do on the previous day. We enjoyed a morning swim followed by some time to relax on the fabulous water beds.

Feeling super relaxed, we then made our way over to the gorgeous Beltane hot tubs and fire for a blissful soak.

What followed was one of my favourite thermal spa experiences (except for the river pool from the previous night) - the Celtic sauna followed by a longer dip in the plunge pool. This particular sauna has the most gorgeous view and we enjoyed watching a crane across the river. You really feel immersed in nature at this spa and everything is so clean and well maintained too. Coming out of this hot sauna and literally stepping straight into the plunge pool was class. Ems and I managed a few minutes this time round before wrapping ourselves in our robes and savouring the tingling feeling and buzz you get when your body has been in cold water!

To conclude my Galgorm Thermal Spa Experience, I enjoyed a final go in the hydrotherapy pool and heated rooms, before laying up on one of the lovely heated beds. It is safe to say I was feeling sufficiently ‘zen’.

We said a sad goodbye to the spa and meandered back to the cottage. I was wholly and completely relaxed … oh, and wholly and completely ready for my breakfast!

We all had plenty of time to shower, change and pack before closing our little pink door and dropping our key off at the little wagon. Now it was time to head into the hotel for breakfast!

Many of you will know of my love of food but it really is all about breakfast. I’ve always been a breakfast girl - even if my Dad and I used to sit across the table in silence eating our boiled eggs each morning before school!

It seemed like a long time since we’d eaten our croissants and blueberry muffins at the cottage and I was definitely ready for a hearty feed. Thankfully, there was plenty on offer at the Galgorm. I started with a continental breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, pastries etc, followed by a delicious fry, followed then by crepes! In the end we really had had 4 breakfasts that morning and I wasn’t mad about it!

During breakfast we made plans for the afternoon. Had the weather been nicer, we definitely would have headed further north to the coast, but it was drizzling and the rain wasn’t expected to lift for the remainder of the day. I suggested a visit to creative gardens for a wee mooch and mum wanted to have a nosey in Cameron’s in town.

I always like a wee wander around the Creative Gardens. They have a great selection of indoor plants and I can never resist another plant for the house! Needless to say, I did indeed come home with a new plant and pot, but not for home, for work instead. Every time I see it, it will remind me of our brilliant girlie getaway.

Before our final stop of the day, I took mum and Ems to Chocoa for the best hot chocolates in town. I knew mum would really love the decor and we’d all enjoy a ‘house milk’ - no matter how much we’d already scoffed at the Galgorm!

Ah, I cannot begin to tell you just how much I enjoyed my first ever experience at the Galgorm. It exceeded all my expectations. The thermal spa was an absolute tonic for us all and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The cottage was gorgeous, and breakfast too. The cocktails were worth every penny, even if we did bring our own Prosecco to enjoy alongside! But truly, I was blown away by the place and look forward to visiting again.

I hadn’t intended on blogging about our stay at the Galgorm but I did, partly as a lovely memory to read back on, but also for anyone who - like me - has never been before and is hesitant to spend the money to go. I would 100% recommend and can’t wait to bring Matt and Phoebs some day too.