Travel has a myriad of motivations, some journey to find their inner selves, others to escape from reality, and an increasing majority to seek a good night’s sleep. Busy schedules, burnout, and other stresses of present-day life are driving the trend of sleep tourism. Ireland and global hotels are boarding this thriving industry of sleep, which is projected to be worth around $585 billion (nearly €548 billion) by 2024, as per data analytics specialists Statista. The sleep industry covers a wide range of products and practices, from applications and eye masks to meditation and medication.
One could debate that with such lucrative figures, it’s logical to convince people they require more sleep. However, it also corresponds to changes in life situations and phases. There might be phases where you don’t demand eight continuous hours of slumber from your hotel room. For those choosing hostels and budget accommodations, their needs might boil down to a secure place where they can leave their things and grab infrequent short naps. On the luxurious end of the spectrum, dedicated experts are exceeding pillow mists (presuming they were effective) and investing their energies in ensuring your full night sleep. But the real question is, what are they offering and how far are you willing to go to attain tranquility?
Highlighting conducive spots in Ireland:
Lyrath Estate provides a matchless sleeping experience in Kilkenny. The Nama-stay package encapsulates a pillow menu brought by a sleep concierge, an eye mask, and pillow mist that’s become quite common these days. Its highlight is the room’s QR code, which allows a pre-sleep exercise comprised of mindfulness and breathwork guided by Rachel and Hannah Healy of YogaMara. Add to that comfortable beds and stunning woodland surroundings. The overnight stay, inclusive of breakfast, costs €302 per room. Visit lyrath.com for more details.
The Shelbourne.
The Shelbourne Spa’s exclusive Ground Sleep Ritual, utilising Peigín Crowley’s natural Ground products, combines a jasmine and geranium oil massage with breathwork, offered as either a 60 or 90-minute session, starting at €165. With the Fall in Love with Sleep package, guests can extend their visit with dinner and an overnight stay for €850. To enhance their sleep further, Crowley suggests a hot bath prior to bedtime, a so-called “thermal dump” to normalize body temperature and induce deep sleep. Visit theshelbourne.com for more details.
Dromoland Castle, located in Co Clare, was bestowed the title of TripAdvisor World’s Best Hotel for Sleep in 2023. Besides its incredibly comfortable beds and serene castle surroundings, guests are treated to rotating nightly surprises including Dr Barbara Sturm Good Night Supplements and Herbal Infusions, eye masks, chocolates, and an encouraging card to promote good dreams. The O’Neill Sisters offer guided meditation in the Whisper Room post-spa treatment. Room prices, inclusive of breakfast, start at €780. More information is available at dromoland.ie.
Recognised as a royal-choice accommodation, Ballyvolane, a delightful country house in east Cork, once played host to Charles and Camilla in 2018. So exceptional was the quality of sleep that the future queen’s office reached out to understand where the mattress was sourced. It’s known that Jenny, one of the owners, responded mentioning “King Koil,” thereby establishing the sole information about the sleep comforts of the monarchy. The Co Kildare mattresses can be experienced firsthand with prices starting from €300 B&B per room. Check out ballyvolane.ie.
Fota Island Resort completes the quartet. This leisure destination has built a reputation for quality relaxation and luxurious retreats. Be it a short break or a longer holiday; the resort will not disappoint.
Fota Island in Co Cork is an ideal location for a solo getaway. It features a unique service of a bath butler, who prepares an aromatic Voya bath in your room. In addition, you’ll be provided with a body scrub, face mask, and the choice of either a Lazy Days Seaweed Bath or an Organic Warm Spiced Mud Bath. This luxurious 45-minute relaxation session comes with a herbal tea for sipping. A one-night stay at the resort, inclusive of dinner and breakfast, costs from €234 from Sunday to Thursday.
No 1 Pery Square in Limerick City also caters to solo travellers. A peaceful night’s sleep is achievable without the disturbance of a snoring partner. They offer a Headspace Escape package starting from €299. It includes a one-night stay, a herb-infused cocktail, €25 dinner credit, an hour-long spa treatment, thermal suite time, and a soothing in-bedroom bath with lavender and rosemary salts.
For an international perspective, consider the Park Hyatt in New York, where a good sleep system is prioritised. As per the current trends in the sleep industry, leading-edge bedding technology holds the key. The Park Hyatt boasts Sleep Suites featuring Bryte Balance Smart Beds with state-of-the-art technologies; these are said to help you counteract jet lag, encourage fast sleep, and maintain longer sleep hours. These include adjusting mattress stiffness during the night as well as audio and “soothing motions”. Included is a Wake Assist to help you start your day, which generates feedback on your sleeping performance. These personalised settings can be saved for future stays. Prices start from around €1,600.
Lastly, why not explore the GDAS Health and Wellness Resort in Bali.
The Small Luxury Hotels GDAS offers an extensive ‘Sleep Well’ plan, designed to help you regain command over your sleep cycle. This five-day programme utilises methods such as yoga, meditation, and a Balinese cleansing ceremony. They will most likely recommend reducing your caffeine, alcohol, and screen consumption. However, the location’s incomparable tranquillity makes it worthwhile. Prices start from €219 per night. Find more at slh.com.
Hästens Sleep Spa oftens hosts guests in plush seats upholstered with horse mane, harking back to the times of Bewley’s on Westmoreland Street. The famous Hästens mattresses, each costing around €50,000, could be seen as a worthwhile investment. A night’s stay at the Hästens Sleep Spa hotel in Coimbra, Portugal, priced from €410, can convince you of that. The opulent choices of linen or satin pillowcases might just ruin you for any other bedding. Visit cbrboutiquehotel.com for more.
The serene waters of Lake Garda, coupled with the personalised sleep programme offered by Lefay Resort & Spa, may just be your perfect sleep solution. Using a mix of Chinese and Western techniques, the friendly professionals at the resort tackle all your sleep disruptions, from digestive issues to a restless mind. The programme includes acupuncture, massages with unique names such as ‘The Embrace of Morpheus’ and ‘The Colour of Man’, aroma-hydrotherapy, reflexology, and a facial, among others. Moreover, you’ll receive Qi Gong, yoga, and moxa (heating at acupuncture points), dietary advice and personal training consultations, completed with a unique herbal tea. This complete service costs €3,250 per person; more details at lefayresorts.com.
Finally, the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas cannot be overlooked as a haven for rest and relaxation.
At Anantara Kihavah in the Maldives, a scientific sleep enrichment programme is on offer, with durations ranging from five to 21 days. The programme commences with an “epigenetic hair test” which helps determine your current wellness status, as well as providing dietary recommendations. A comprehensive suite of activities follows, including yoga, meditation, breathwork, tailored meals, and therapeutic massages. There’s also assistance from a sleep expert, and well-crafted products from Subtle Energies. The programme starts at a price of €1,010, with a further cost of €6,620 for five nights’ stay.
Elsewhere, Castle Hot Springs in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert provides temporary Sleep Retreats, with the subsequent one taking place from June 6th through 9th. Led by sleep specialist Dr Rebecca Robbins, participants can engage in a variety of activities, including hikes, yoga, and relaxing in the resort’s natural hot springs. Accommodation is available in cabins or bungalows at a nightly cost of €1,399, plus an additional charge of $500 (€470) for the Sleep Retreat.
In matter of enhancing sleep no matter where you are, small changes can make a difference. Light sleepers often travel with essentials such as earplugs and eye masks. Regulating room temperature by turning off the heating or air-conditioning could prove beneficial, depending on external weather conditions. Apps like Calm offer sleep soundtracks featuring ambient noises such as rainfall and ocean waves. If you desire quietness, it’s recommended to request a higher floor room when making a booking. Rooms located at the end of a corridor are usually quieter and avoid accommodation near lifts if possible, as these tend to generate disruptive noises.
Are you travelling to London soon?
The HVN, a spa retreat situated in Knightsbridge (also known as the Wellness Haven), boasts that it’s the sole proprietor of the country’s only HydroBed. They advertise their Soothing Sleep Ritual as providing feelings of levity and deep relaxation, enhancing the circulation of energy within the body and promising a wide array of beneficial effects aimed at calming you until you drift to sleep. After such experience, you’ll reemerge renewed back to the city’s bustling roads. A 90-minute session is priced at £375 (equivalent to around €440), and for a two-hour session, you can enjoy the Relaxing Full-Body Ritual that pledges to aid in the adjustment of your sleep cycle. Visit their website at the-hvn.com for more information.