This considerable expansion will see the development of a two acre spa garden, two tier fitness suite, spa eatery and extension to one of its other F&B outlets.
£2m investment, solely funded by Galgorm, will add to the existing, award winning facilities which include: 122 bedroom hotel, three AA rosette River Room restaurant, unrivalled riverside Thermal Spa Village, gym and the wedding, conference and events offering.
The Spa Garden and fitness suite, due to open in July 2017 will be available for both guests and hotel residents alike. The beautifully landscaped Spa Garden, situated towards the rear of the multi award winning Thermal Spa Village, is to feature sun sheltering olive trees from Tuscany and beyond, meandering walkways, bespoke water feature designed by local artist Billy McCullough and relaxation beds to while away the time and to let the mind simply drift.
Adjacent to the two acres of garden is the creation of a first floor studio, purpose built for the Fitness Suite. Classes such as pilates and yoga will be offered to residents and spa members.
Resort & Spa which sits with 163 acres of spectacular parkland, on the banks of the River Maine is also set to develop a 60-seater Spa eatery known as Elements. The timber frame dome has been carefully selected and constructed to cause minimal impact on the surrounding environment, and will have a strong ethos of healthy eating.
Constructed on two floors and opening out onto a large decking area, the restaurant will create the centrepiece of the resorts Thermal Spa Village. Whether you are detoxing, dieting or just trying to give your body a health boost, the menu at Elements will offer choices from sumptuous soups to Greek and Thai salads.
A further extension will take the onsite Italian restaurant Fratelli taking it from 100 seater to 180 seater restaurant. Fratelli Galgorm will encapsulate a further successful brand concept from its sister site in Belfast City Centre, La Taverna @ Fratelli. La Taverna, meaning Tavern will offer authentic Venetian sharing plates and platters and an all-Italian wine list.
“We are delighted to be working on the next exciting phase of the development at Galgorm,” says Colin Johnston, GM at Galgorm Resort & Spa. “This project was undertaken to create a world-class addition to the already outstanding guest facilities here.
“Our investment is entirely privately funded and clearly displays our faith in the future growth and prosperity of Ballymena. We believe that through this development we can continue to raise international awareness of the Ballymena Borough and Northern Ireland and illustrates that Northern Ireland can compete on the global stage.”
