(L-R) 1. Trabolgan overview. Houses are in the tree areas seen in this photo. 2. Main walk way inside complex
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. Give yourself 4 hours if you're travelling say from Dublin. You'll probably do it in less as there's good road all the way.
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.
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 your arrival.
To use my wife's description - the houses are quaint, little rows 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 (se pic) as we only have 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 - 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. 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.
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's no night clubs or taxis!
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 Ballerina and Florie the Fox.
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.
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.
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. That's me in the orange catching dinner! The go-karting is large and looked like great craic, however I didn't try it out.
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.
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!
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 however. Get up off the bum, get out go for walks and explore - that's what it's about. Time with the family, enjoy time together. You can be guaranteed the children will sleep well though with all they get up to during the day!
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 Trabolgan complex. If you need to send or receive any urgent emails (like me!) then the nearest Internet cafe is Middleton, beside Tescos which is 30 minutes drive. I did some snooping however and I understand that the issue of Internet is being investigated and we may see an Internet cafe there soon - ask about it at time of booking. There is also limited mobile signal, however there are certain places in the complex where you will get a signal. It was actually quite nice to be without it for a few days!
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 Middleton and also one 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 cent more but not outrageous.
Fota Wildlife is 30 minutes drive and is well worth a visit. We hope you enjoy our review - if you've been to Trabolgan and agree or disagree, then write a review for us and we'll share it with our users.
About | Contact | Privacy | Add your venue
© Dayout 2008-2009. All rights reserved.
Company Reg No. 444987 | VAT No. 9667123Q | Registered in Ireland
