Tourism boost as Killykeen holiday complex opens
Kate Carolan, the compay's Sales and Marketing Manager, says there has been brisk business in the latest addition to Cavan's tourism offering: “We opened the booking system 10 days ago and have 88 booking so far, all from Ireland.”
This Monday sees the 'soft opening' of the €4m revamp of the Killykeen holiday complex. The first eight cabins of 'Cabu By The Lake' will welcome visitors to surrounds that combine modern comfort with rustic traditional style.
Kate Carolan, the compay's Sales and Marketing Manager, says there has been brisk business in the latest addition to Cavan's tourism offering: “We opened the booking system 10 days ago and have 88 booking so far, all from Ireland.”
Situated on the shores of Lough Oughter, the holiday complex offers fishing, boating and opportunities to explore the beautiful natural environment, all accessible from a private jetty. The site is currently still in a state of flux as contractors busily finish up work on the holiday complex that underwent significant revamping.
“We have about 12 employees on site at the moment,” Kate tells the Celt. “They are getting to know their way around so they can assist our guests when they arrive.”
Log cabins and Lake Houses are scattered amongst the woodland as a base to engage in woodland walks, bike rides and forest bathing in what the operators describe as the “perfect respite for mind and body”.
The eight cabins are part of a complex of 28 Scandi-style holiday homes scheduled to be fully opened to the public by the end of September. Originally built in the late-1980s to showcase the potential of Irish timber, the Coilte owned complex shut its doors following the foot-and-mouth crisis of 2002.
Killykeen Forest Holidays Ltd, owned by London-based property developers JP Ledwidge and Olivia Hutchinson, purchased the site for €750,000. They invested €4 million in refiurbishments that include a shop, off-licence, bar and restaurant, and outdoor spa area.
The new outdoor spa area has hot tub pods, sauna barrels and a single storey treatment room building, while the former tennis court will be replaced by an outdoor seating and lounge structure known as 'The Sitooterie'.
Quite unique
Marketing Manager Kate hopes that many of the Covid restrictions will aid the future prospects of the holiday offering: “For us this year will really be quite unique. We are getting a lot of bookings from people who are not going to Spain and Portugal. What we are hoping is that they like it so much so that for three nights next year we will be in their diary.” There are other considerations Cabu have to manage: “For now all the activities will have to be pre-booked to allow us to sanitise them between uses. The treatment rooms will be used as changing rooms. It will be opened 12 months a year. If you are visiting Cavan you know what to expect weather wise, if you wear the right clothes there is no such thing as bad weather.”
Optimistic
Projecting occupancy rates emerging from Covid lockdown is fraught with difficulty: “We can accommodate about 100 at any one time. It's difficult to anticipate the first year because of what's happening. We hope to hit about 70% occupancy. It will change through the different months, but we are optimistic.”
The isolation of the forest environment is seen as a great selling point in the current climate.