It's in the Detail
It was my birthday last week and Mr T took a few days off so that we could spend some quality time together (we have both been very busy since the start of the new year). We received a very generous voucher for a 5 * Hotel Resort in East Cork and decided that my birthday was the perfect occasion to use the voucher. Going online and booking the room was easy and painless, so was the booking of a five-course dinner in their fine dining restaurant.
We arrived at the 17th century manor house and were greeted by friendly staff who had the reservation and everything was prepared for us, I even received a letter addressed to me (on white paper, not stationery), welcoming me to the hotel. The room was simply wonderful with a large bed, a little corridor with an espresso machine and fridge, a dressing room and a big bathroom. Everything was utterly clean and quiet - I was in heaven.
The grounds of the hotel invited to walks and afterwards, I went to the bar which was located in - what must have been the original dining room. High ceilings were beautifully decorated with original plaster and the seats were nice and comfortable. The chardonnay I was given was at a perfect temperature and the oaky notes put me nicely at ease. I noticed that the background music wasn't a good fit with modern pop music but I was way too comfortable to be too critical.
Arriving at the booked time in the evening at the restaurant, the staff had our details and lead us to a beautiful dressed table. The menu was short but had very good choices and changing things around wasn't an issue. We weren't rushed and the food arrived beautifully presented and tasted delicious. So far so good....... please keep in mind that this is a 5* resort located in a 17th century manor house and beautifully restored....... and it was a romantic occasion and a stylish setting..... I was listening to Salt'n Pepper's song 'Push it' where the chorus is 'push it push it real good'....... and that's the one detail that put me off big time. There is nothing wrong with the group or music if I had been anywhere else (I was a big fan of the group in my 20s). The music was heard throughout the public spaces of the hotel and the playlist must have been created by someone who had no idea where it was being played - that is the only explanation I can come up with that the music was so mismatched as it was. Light classical music or even some soft jazz would have made the whole experience perfect. It's all in the details....