It’s a rite of passage if you relocate to Ireland… to dip your toe in Dublin’s Forty Foot.
Take it from me, the Sandycove bay is all part of the odyssey, like it was for James Joyce’s great creation Leopold Bloom.
The Irish as we all know are a hardy bunch and think nothing of swimming in the sea, no matter the weather.
And no matter the weather, even on the hottest day of the year, the Irish Sea is challenging.
But they’ll expect that you dip your toe in Dublin’s Forty Foot.
Better then to make an experience of it from the Anantara Marker Hotel, one of the Leading Hotels of the World, overlooking the Waterfront on Grand Canal Square.
Swim on the wild side
Wild Swimming is part of the ‘Dublin Like Never Before’ menu of experiences.
They bill it as an unbeatable mix of adrenaline and tranquility.
With potential spottings of wild seals and dolphins, although in my one and only swim in the Forty Foot I only saw budgie… smugglers.
They promise too seals popping their heads up above the Craggy Rocks in Vico Bathing Place down the coast.
Where you may also catch sight of Vico’s most famous resident, the black-eyed Bono.
And we top off the adventure with a delicious breakfast or beach picnic for all to enjoy for €295 per person.
Spoon playing
If culinary is your thing, and it should be as this is Ireland, then the Marker offers a Spice Spoons package in Howth.
With a sail around Dublin Bay on a fishing boat, seal and dolphin-spotting.
Before you stop off at Kish Fish, home to one of Ireland’s most prestigious salmon smokehouses.
And then return to the hotel to try your hand at baking Irish soda bread. €
From €1150 for two, €75 per person for additions. €150 for the cooking class alone.
One more cuppa coffee
For the road… and when in Ireland learn to make an Irish coffee.
A coffee master and mixologist will talk and drink you through an immersive lesson with this Crafting an Irish Coffee class. €50 pp for Discovery Members – join here.
And there’s more
Now, we’ve been here before back in Bono’s backyard in Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel where we were regaled by a seanachai, or Gaelic storyteller.
In this case Derek Brennan who will introduce us to Ireland’s hidden secrets and legends in his Docklands Walking Tour €75 per person.
An Irish stud
And no we’re not reverting back to Bono here, we’re talking pure thoroughbred racing stock at the Irish National Stud and Gardens in Co. Kildare.
You’ll see the wonder horses in their stables or out in their paddocks and learn about their breeding and pedigrees with the help of a private guide.
Go one step further with ‘The Irish Racehorse Experience’ and become the owner, trainer and jockey in an immersive experience which offers the chance to partake in an interactive, virtual race. €250 per person.
Another kind of handicap
And this one is for the golfer in you, at the Royal Dublin Golf Club in Clontarf.
You’ll be chauffeured to the club and then hook up (sorry) with a professional at Ireland’s second oldest golf club, located on Bull Island in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
A whiskey tasting awaits post-game on the hotel’s picturesque 360-degree rooftop. €210 per person.
All dram good fun.