A Weekend At The Woodlands 1971

Woodlands Hotel in its prime. Or thereabouts.

s with so many other sad sacks around here who want their childhood back, GG would love to party like it was 1979 again.

And to help us on our drunken way, we’ve managed to track down an old Woodlands Hotel pamphlet from that era, courtesy of Sir Ben of Sweeney.

Printed in 1971 – by The Record Press Ltd in Bray – the purpose was to lure the weary traveller from outside of town more than the local yokels.

This was back when The Woodlands Hotel still had class. This was before Cabana’s, the nightclub where dreams came to do a quick death rattle and roll to the latest hysterical hairdo on Top Of The Pops that week.

Below, we’re reproducing the spiel contained in the pamphlet but what’s probably most revealing here is the 1971 price list.

Not only could you enjoy a luncheon for 75p or afternoon tea for 30p but dinner would set you back just £1.75.

As for staying the night, room and breakfast cost £2.50, for 3 days or more was £4 per day, a week for a single room was £25, and for a double, a bank-busting £50.

And if you’re the sort of person who prefers a private bath, that was just 50p per person per night.

Now, here’s the pamphlet spiel…

The Woodlands Hotel is set on 10 acres of rolling countryside. The hotel is immediately surrounded on three sides by enchanting woodlands with the towering Wicklow mountains in the background. On the fourth side our private grounds lead to the beach just 200 yards away.

Here is the perfect seclusion in this enchanting, old-world, seaside village, yet you are only 10 minutes from Bray, 25 minutes from Dun Laoghaire and 35 minutes from Dublin.

Cuisine is under the personal supervision of Cordon Bleu Everild Allen. If you like to wine as you dine, you’ll find a well-stocked, pleasing cellar.

We have a gracious residents’ lounge for your enjoyment, overlooking the flower garden and lawn.

The Woodlands is open all year and is a popular centre for residential management conferences and seminars during off-season.

The French windows in the dining room overlook a splendid garden, while on the south side of the hotel, just around the corner, we have the most delightful suntrap.

You’ll love sunbathing at The Woodlands – or perhaps having tea amidst the flowers and gaily-coloured umbrellas.

All rooms, of course, have central heating, hot and cold water, telephones, shaver plugs; many have private bath. Most rooms have splendid views and room service is prompt and friendly.

Basil Fawlty couldn’t have written it better himself. On the back of this hardy sell are some nearby attractions and activities…

Things you can do! The coastline is excellent for sea fishing, boating, bathing or sunbathing… There are 18-hold golf courses at Woodbrook, Delgany and Greystones itself, a nine-hole at Bray and lots more just a little further afield… You can go racing at Leopardstown (11 miles), Phoenix Park (20 miles), Baldoyle (25 miles)… And pony trekking nearby… Sightseeing or mountain climbing anywhere in Wicklow… Picnicing on the fabulous Silver Strand or Brittis Bay, only half an hour away by car… And you must see Lough Dan, Lough Tay, Glendalough, Powerscourt Demesne (we will gladly arrange a car hire for you)… And if you just want to relax and take it easy, there’s always The Woodlands to come home to – you’ll like that…

Darn tootin’ we will. You can go explore the hotel’s rich history here, and witness its poor demise over here. And here. And we might have a new hotel soon.