A couple of hours for pool and thermal; longer if you book a treatment or a spa stayHow long
PaidEntry
Age rulesBest for
Pool & thermalFacilities
FreeParking
The Burrendale Spa & Country Club — a warm 12-metre pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi tucked below the Mournes, with a treatment spa next door.
What you'll enjoy: A heated 12-metre indoor pool with a separate baby pool, plus a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and a fully equipped gym in the Country Club. The spa alongside has eight treatment suites and a nail bar for massages, facials and nail treatments.
How long: A couple of hours is plenty for a pool-and-thermal session. Add a treatment and it becomes a half-day; the overnight spa packages turn it into a proper break.
Book ahead: Spa treatments are by appointment and a 50% deposit secures your booking. Overnight spa packages are booked by phone. It is worth phoning ahead for the Country Club too, especially at weekends and school holidays when the pool gets busy.
Who it's for: The pool welcomes families, but under-16s must be accompanied by an adult and can use the pool until 6:30pm. Spa treatments are for ages 17 and over only. So it works as a family swim earlier in the day, or an adults' spa afternoon later on — plan around whichever you're there for.
Cost: Charges apply for Country Club and spa use (hotel guests have complimentary use of the Country Club). Overnight spa packages are advertised from around £155 per person sharing. Confirm current day rates and treatment prices with the spa direct.
When: The Country Club is open 7 days: Monday to Friday 7am–9pm, Saturday 7am–7pm, Sunday 8am–6pm. The pool closes briefly for morning water-aerobics classes (Tue–Thu, roughly 11–11:30am). The spa is open 7 days by appointment.
Plan your visit
What's on offer
There are really two sides to Burrendale. The Country Club is the leisure side: a heated 12-metre indoor pool (1m at the shallow end, 1.4m at the deep end), a separate baby pool, and a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi to move between afterwards. There's a gym too. The spa is the treatment side — eight individual suites plus a nail bar, offering massages, facials and nail treatments, with hair and make-up available. The two are separate, and the age rules differ: the pool is family-friendly at the right times, while the treatment spa is adults-only (17+). Reviews are generally warm on the facilities and the staff, and describe good value for the setting; a few visitors have found the pool hall a little dim, and the leisure side can be busy at peak family times. It is a calm, comfortable place rather than a vast destination spa — best treated as a relaxed few hours close to the Mournes.
Heated 12-metre indoor pool with separate baby poolSauna, steam room and jacuzziEight treatment suites and a nail barFully equipped gym in the Country ClubAt the foot of the Mourne Mountains, NewcastleGift vouchers available, valid one year
The age policy, up front:
Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult in the pool and can swim until 6:30pm. Spa treatments are for ages 17 and over only. If you're bringing children, aim for a daytime pool session; if you want the quiet spa side, that's an adults' visit.
Before you set off
What to bring
🩱Swimwear and a towelTowels are provided for the spa thermal areas; a swimsuit for the pool is your own.
🩴Flip-flopsHandy for moving between the pool, sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.
📞Your booking referenceTreatments are by appointment with a deposit — have the details to hand.
🧖Time to slow downCome a little early so a rushed swim doesn't eat into the relaxing bit.
Good to know
Everything before you go
Cost
Charges apply for Country Club and spa use; hotel guests have complimentary use of the Country Club. Overnight spa packages are advertised from around £155 per person sharing (dinner, bed & breakfast plus treatments). Confirm current day rates and treatment prices with the spa direct.
Opening hours
Country Club, 7 days: Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat 7am–7pm, Sun 8am–6pm. The pool closes briefly for water-aerobics classes on Tue–Thu (around 11–11:30am). The spa is open 7 days by appointment.
Age policy
Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult in the pool and can swim until 6:30pm. Spa treatments are for ages 17 and over only. Please confirm current rules when booking.
What's included
Country Club: heated 12-metre indoor pool, separate baby pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and gym. Spa: eight treatment suites and a nail bar for massages, facials and nail treatments, with hair and make-up available.
Book ahead
Yes — treatments are by appointment with a 50% deposit; overnight packages are booked by phone. Worth calling ahead for the Country Club at busy times too.
Gift vouchers
Available to buy and valid for one year from the date of purchase.
Parking
Free on-site parking at the hotel.
Accessibility
The hotel and Country Club are on a largely single-level site. For specific access needs at the pool or spa, contact reception ahead of your visit.
How long to allow
A couple of hours for a pool-and-thermal session; longer with a treatment or an overnight spa package.
Phone
Spa appointments: 028 4372 1304. Hotel reception: 028 4372 2599.
Address
51 Castlewellan Road, Newcastle, County Down, BT33 0JY
Questions
Before you go
Can I bring children?
Children can use the pool accompanied by an adult, until 6:30pm; under-16s must be accompanied. Spa treatments, though, are for ages 17 and over only. So plan a daytime family swim, or an adults' spa visit — the two suit different parts of the day.
What facilities are there?
The Country Club has a heated 12-metre indoor pool, a separate baby pool, a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and a gym. The spa has eight treatment suites and a nail bar for massages, facials and nail treatments, with hair and make-up available.
Do I need to book?
Spa treatments are by appointment and a 50% deposit secures the slot; overnight spa packages are booked by phone. For the Country Club it's worth calling ahead at busy weekend and holiday times. Spa appointments: 028 4372 1304. Reception: 028 4372 2599.
How much is it?
Charges apply for Country Club and spa use, and hotel guests have complimentary use of the Country Club. Overnight spa packages are advertised from around £155 per person sharing. Day rates and treatment prices are best confirmed with the spa direct.
What are the opening hours?
The Country Club is open 7 days: Mon–Fri 7am–9pm, Sat 7am–7pm, Sun 8am–6pm. The pool closes briefly for water-aerobics on Tue–Thu mornings (around 11–11:30am). The spa is open 7 days by appointment.
Getting there
The Burrendale Hotel, Country Club & Spa is at 51 Castlewellan Road, Newcastle, County Down, BT33 0JY, on the edge of town on the road towards Castlewellan and with the Mournes right behind. There's free parking on site. Tap below for directions.
Newcastle sits where the Mourne Mountains meet the sea, and the Burrendale is set just back from the town on the Castlewellan road, with the hills rising behind it. It's a long, low, four-star country hotel — the kind of place that fills with weddings and golfers as easily as spa-goers — and the Country Club and spa are its quiet centre.
The leisure side has been a local fixture for years: families come for the pool and the little ones' pool, regulars come for the gym and the morning classes, and the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi give you somewhere to unwind afterwards. Next door, the spa keeps things gentler again — eight treatment suites, a nail bar, and the option to make a night of it with dinner and a room.
What makes it worth the trip isn't scale — it's the setting. You can swim, sit in the warmth, and then step outside to woodland and mountains. Tollymore and Castlewellan forest parks are both a short drive, and the Newcastle promenade is minutes away. Treat the Burrendale as the calm anchor to a day out in the Mournes, and it earns its place.