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Get your girlie getaway on in style in one of these three standout locations.
HOUSE PARTY
Live out your Grand Design dreams and check into the coolest house you can find on Airbnb – we found a gem on Dalkey’s swank Sorrento Road in Co Dublin, which sleeps ten and comes complete with a pool, sauna, hot tub, a great kitchen and masses of airy space, both inside and out, for chillin? with your homegirls. Rental is from €1,200 per night, which works out at about €120 each; great value for the craic potential. Privacy means you can indulge in whatever weird rituals your mates best enjoy after a few snifters (did somebody say lady drag talent show?), or you could be real grownups and splash out on booking the likes of Catch Events to provide a very cool cocktail bar and delicious food. Nab good-time DJ The Painted Lady and it’s barefoot disco time. Oh, and don’t forget to fill the fridge with sausies for the morning-after fry-up. airbnb.ie/rooms/9784716 – catchbarsandevents.com – instagram. com/louisajanedesign
SOUL SISTERS
In the midst of planning mania, a restorative break with your best gals could be just what you need to ensure you enter married life as your best self. Elemental Yoga run retreats and workshops that bring the yoga studio into the great outdoors, creating experiences that are meditative, nurturing and totally unlike any henning you’ve known. Setting up camp in various breathtaking locations around the country (think stately pile Lough Ine House in Skibbereen, or modernist haven Linden House in Glengarriff), they’ll work with you to create a bespoke weekend incorporating yoga with elements such as a mobile sauna and hot tubs (imagine this on a wild West Cork beach!), night kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding, drawing, surfing, hiking, foraging or culinary make and do. Ireland’s most beautiful views and food to nourish your spirit come as standard, with prices from €330-?480 (depending on location or add-ons), per person, for two nights? all- inclusive. elementalyoga.ie
ROYAL TREATMENT
If you really fancy playing up the princess card, take your ladies in waiting to Ashford Castle for the Winter Spa Escape package; one night B&B, plus the B Harmonised experience, plenty of spa time and a healthy lunch, for €445 per room (based on two sharing). For after all this luxed-up relaxation, book a complimentary private screening at the hotel’s plush cinema, to enjoy the bride’s favourite cheesy movie (if your hens are of the creative persuasion, they may even want to give you your very own This Is Your Life presentation), complete with popcorn and cocktails. Then it’s a private dinner in the elegant Connaught Room or intimate Wine Cellar, before bedding down in the queenliest surrounds you’re likely to encounter. The following day, take a group constitutional through the breathtaking grounds, and picturesque village of Cong, before hitting the road. Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo, 094 954 6003; ashfordcastle.com
Words by Kate O’Dowd and Lizzie Gore-Grimes