Tiny island two hours from the UK that American holidaymakers flock to in summer
THERE’S a tiny island in Cork that’s home to a huge five-star resort and an award-winning adventure park.
Located in Cork Harbour, Fota Island is home to a 780-acre five-star resort and a 100-acre wildlife park named Fota Island Wildlife Park.
For nearly 800 years, Fota Island was the private home of the Smith-Barry family who were the descendants of Philip de Barry.
Philip de Barry arrived in Ireland from Wales as part of the Norman invasion in the 12th century.
After being granted lands across the county, including Fota Island, de Barry took up residence in Cork.
Following the death of Mrs Dorothy Elizabeth Bell, the last remaining Smith-Barry, the estate was sold to University College Cork in 1975, and transformed into a tourist attraction.
One of those attractions is the Fota Island Resort, a sprawling five-star resort that hosted the Irish Open in both 2001 and 2002.
Spanning across 780 acres, the luxury resort is one of very few resorts in Ireland – and it’s a huge hit from holidaymakers from the US.
The hotel’s general manager, John O’Flynn, told the Business Post earlier this year: “This month, we will welcome back our luxury American group business which will continue throughout the summer.”
“We love welcoming our American guests as they absolutely adore the resort and what it has to offer including the five-star customer service and experience that we pride ourselves in delivering.
“It reminds us of how special Fota Island Resort really is and how lucky we are to work here.”
The resort, which is just a 15-minute drive from Cork, is home to 131 en-suite rooms, which are available in classic, deluxe or family.
A large proportion of the rooms feature a private balcony and are interconnecting, making them ideal for families.
There are also eight suites at the resort, which are more suited to special occasions.
Holidaymakers can also book to stay in self-catering lodges, featuring all the modern home comforts.
There are a number of facilities on-site, including a large indoor heated pool, a Hydrotherapy Suite, a Hammam, a fitness suite and a golf course.
The Fota Island Resort also has several restaurants, including the Amber Lounge, Fota Restaurant, the Cove Restaurant and the Clubhouse, which is slightly more casual.
Other attractions on the island include Fota Adventure, an award-winning adventure park that’s located in 22 acres of woodlands within the ground of Fota Island Resort.
There are a huge number of activities on offer at Fota Adventure, including kayaking excursions, family-friendly assault courses and orienteering.
Those holidaymakers who want to learn more about the island’s history, can visit Fota House, Arboretum & Gardens, the former family home of the Smith-Barry family.
Fota House is now managed by the Irish Heritage Trust, while the gardens and arboretum are under the joint care of the Trust and Office of Public Works (OPW).
The huge mansion claims to be one of the “finest examples of Regency architecture in Ireland” on its website.
Meanwhile, the grounds are home to a range of exotic plants, which have thrived on the island for nearly 200 years.
Entry tickets to Fota House, including a guided tour, cost €12 (£10.22) for a full-paying adult and €6 (£5.11) for a child.
Both road and rail bridges connect Fota Island to Cork, with car journeys between the two taking around 20 minutes.
Direct flights operate between several UK airports and Cork, with flights taking just over an hour from most locations.
For example, Ryanair operates direct flights between Birmingham International Airport and Cork, with one-way fares starting from £29 in September.
Ryanair also runs direct flights from London Stansted to Cork, with one-way fares starting at £15 per ticket.
There are plenty of other islands dotted around the coast of the UK, including Drake‘s Island, which is just south of Plymouth.
TINY UK ISLANDS
Drake’s Island is situated in the Plymouth Sound and hopes to one day be transformed into a fancy holiday resort.
Morgan Phillips purchased the island in 2019 and had ambitious plans to turn the land into a holiday resort, planning to build a large museum, a heritage site, and a well-being resort centre on the island.
Earlier this year, Phillips decided to sell the island.
At the time, Ali Rana, head of national investment at commercial property marketer Carter Jona, told Plymouth Live: “Morgan has taken it as far as he can and it is time for someone else to progress the future of the island.”
It is understood that plans for the island’s overhaul still stand in place despite it being up for sale in the market.
The Drake’s Island website states: “Our plans are centred around our committed desire to regenerate Drake’s Island and inject a new lease of life into the existing historic buildings.
“The beauty and heritage of the resort lends itself to a best-in-class development to take full advantage of its outstanding position.”
The development isn’t expected to be complete until 2027, and will cost around £22m to complete.
Day trippers heading onto the island can book a guided tour to learn about the island’s history, wildlife and paranormal activities.
Other little-known islands to visit in the UK
Staycations are becoming increasingly popular with Brits who aren't keen on forking out for flights and hotels abroad, and luckily enough there are plenty of little-known islands to visit.
- Caldey Island, which lies just off the coast of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, is owned by monks and is home to a grand monastery. The island welcomes daytrippers from Easter until the end of October, but it is closed to visitors on Sundays.
- Foulness Island, which sits just off the coast of Essex, is home to 150 residents. Brit holidaymakers can visit the English island on the first Sunday of every month. To step foot on the island, visitors will need to complete a registration form on the Foulness Island Heritage Centre website before arriving.
- During World War II, Cramond Island was fortified in preparation for an enemy invasion. While it was left unscathed at the end of the conflict, it was abandoned. Today the island, just outside of Edinburgh, remains as it was left all those years ago – waiting for a war that never arrived.
Meanwhile, this small UK theme park has announced that it will build new holiday lodges.
And this £300m holiday resort is also set to be built in the UK.