Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Sligo

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa is a 4-star hotel with 132 modern rooms and suites, all with complimentary Wi-Fi and the practical comforts that matter on a golf break. After a day on exposed links, you want a strong shower, a comfortable bed and enough space to keep clubs, shoes and waterproofs out of everyone's way, and this place ticks those boxes.

Standard rooms work well for mates' trips and societies, while suites give you extra living space if you're travelling as a couple or you want somewhere to unwind after dinner. Many rooms make the most of the setting with views across the bay or out towards the surrounding countryside, so it's worth requesting your preferred aspect when you book.

Food and drink are straightforward and golfer-friendly. The Brasserie is the main restaurant and holds an AA Rosette, with a menu that leans on Irish produce, local seafood and Sligo beef, alongside familiar favourites if you want something simple after 36 holes. The cooking is taken seriously here, with seasonal ingredients and enough variety to keep things interesting over a few nights. Waves Bar is the more casual option for pints, lighter bites and the kind of easy atmosphere that suits groups replaying the day's highlights.

For recovery, the leisure club is a real bonus. There's an 18-metre pool for a proper swim, plus a hot tub, sauna and steam room to loosen up after a windy day on the links. If you're playing several days on the bounce, the thermal facilities make a noticeable difference before the next early tee time.

The spa is well regarded locally and offers Elemis treatments, facials and a range of massages. If you're feeling it in your shoulders, lower back or calves after a long walk, it's a good shout to book a sports-style massage mid-trip. The therapists will work on the areas that tend to tighten up after multiple rounds, and you'll notice the benefit when you're standing over a tee shot the next morning.

This is a hotel built around location and function. You're staying here because it puts you beside County Sligo Golf Club, around 20 minutes from Enniscrone and Strandhill, and close enough to Castle Dargan if you want a change of pace. The rooms are comfortable, the food is solid, the leisure facilities work well for golfers, and the setting, looking out over Sligo Bay with the mountains behind, is hard to beat. It's a straightforward, well-run base for a serious golf trip to the northwest.