Christmas at CABÜ
Deep within the Killykeen Forest on the shores of Lough Oughter, a magical place surrounded by nature waits to be discovered.
CABÜ By The Lakes is the perfect forest getaway - think the Catskills meets Norway. A resort surrounded by nature with a focus on well being was just what we needed on the lead up to Christmas. The resort is tucked away in Killykeen Forest in Co. Cavan and is easy to get to being just a couple of hours drive from Dublin or Belfast.
CABÜ is a hideaway for anyone looking to relax and reboot and get back to enjoying the simple things in life. However, don’t be fooled, this is not wild camping! CABÜ offers a restorative stay amongst nature, without sacrificing style and comfort. This is high end luxury in natural surroundings and it is both family and dog friendly! Spend a long weekend hiking, swimming, fishing or just relaxing in a tasteful cabin in Ireland's beautiful lake district.
With a choice of woodland log cabins or modern lake houses, the accommodation at CABÜ is both cosy and beautifully styled. We stayed in a dog-friendly log cabin nestled between silver birch trees. A log burning stove takes centre stage in the open plan living space and makes this cosy retreat feel warmer. Timber walls decorated with rustic touches such as old fly-fishing reels and vintage botanical hangings create a beautiful backdrop to the homespun kitchen and living room. A collection of Aztec rugs and giant floor cushions tie the room together whilst the cabin is peppered with lovely touches like a balsam fir incense burner, black picnic hamper and a little cocktail bar.
Outside there is a BBQ and Nordic style garden furniture. At night, we powered up the BBQ and sat outside in the crisp air, cooking dinner over a couple of beers. Back inside the stove was roaring, creating a lovely space to snuggle after dinner.
Surrounded by nature, CABÜ is a great base for exploring Killykeen Forest Park and discovering the Lake District. Once you park up on arrival there really is no need to reach for the car keys during your stay. CABÜ leads straight out to the forest where there are plenty of beautiful walks and mountain bike trails. Hire a bike from the resort or lace up the walking boots and embrace the forest.
If water is your element, you are in luck! Located on the shores of Lough Oughter there is plenty of fun to be had on the water. CABÜ provides boats, guided fishing tours, canoes and stand up paddle boards at a small additional charge. Watching the sun prepare to set from a paddle board on a chilly winter afternoon is a beautiful way to escape the demands of modern life. The Lough can also be enjoyed from the shore. Grab the picnic hamper, champagne flutes and a cosy blanket from the cabin and head down to the banks of the Lough for a romantic sundown. The sunset over Lough Oughter is truly spectacular.
After each day in the great outdoors, we spent the evenings embracing shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of forest bathing. The spa at CABÜ allows you to slow down and immerse yourself in nature with a number of hot tubs, a Japanese onsen and barrel saunas nestled amongst the trees in the woodland.
After an hour soaking in the onsen, head to the Sitooterie (a covered communal chill out area) to roast smores and enjoy mulled wine by the giant central wood burner that is roaring every day. Settling into a cosy armchair in the Alpine chic Sitooterie you could be forgiven for feeling like you’ve been on slopes all day! With sheep skin throws over the chairs, (fake) antler chandeliers and fire pits, its hard to believe you are in Ulster and not Vermont!
The cabins and lake houses are available year round. We can imagine how beautiful the woods are in early spring when everything is starting to bloom. Summer must be great fun, long days out on the water followed by warm evenings BBQ’ing and lounging on the deck with friends. The changing colours of the trees in autumn must be quite the show, but we loved CABÜ in winter and in particular, Christmas. Fairy lights on the trees, icicles on the fountain and frost on the tips of the ferns helped create a magical stay!
The verdict CABÜ is all that its cracked up to be and we left feeling relaxed and reset. Don’t hesitate to book your stay, but come prepared, bring all your groceries and perhaps even your own fire wood as add-ons like this are pricey.
