The best hotels in Ireland
Whether it’s an ancient castle or a contemporary cocoon on a remote island, Ireland’s hotel scene is having a golden moment. But as well as storied landmarks emerging from elaborate facelifts, there is also a new generation of hoteliers shaking things up and doing things differently. It all makes for a compelling reason to check in – be it among the Georgian streets of Dublin or the wilds of Connemara.
Cliff at Lyons, Co Kildare
When aviation tycoon and co-founder of Ryanair Tony Ryan renovated this tiny 18th-century village on the edge of his grand Lyons Demesne, it was a full-frills affair. Some of the cottages and rooms peppered throughout the buildings sport canopied, four-poster beds and fireplaces rescued from French châteaux. It’s all as pretty as a picture and set right on the edge of the tranquil Grand Canal in the Kildare countryside just outside Dublin – an area generally under most visitors’ radar. But one of the most buzzworthy things about Cliff at Lyons is what’s going on in the dining room at Aimsir. Named after the Irish word for ‘weather’ and serving dishes of hyper-local ingredients that can only be fished, harvested or sown in Ireland, it was awarded two Michelin stars just four months after opening and instantly became one of the country’s red-hot tables.
**Address:**Cliff at Lyons, Lyons Road, Celbridge, Co Kildare
Telephone: +353 1 630 3500
Website: cliffatlyons.ie
**Price:**Doubles from about £105
Ashford Castle, Co Mayo
You can’t help feeling a little frisson of excitement the first time you set eyes on Ashford Castle. As you round a bend along the meandering driveway its full splendour slides into view. In 2015 the hotel – which is part 13th-century castle, part French-inspired château that once hosted George V – reopened under the Red Carnation Hotels group following a reported £40 million transformation. The great outdoors reigns here: there is clay-pigeon shooting, fishing, horse-riding and falconry, as well as four-wheel-drive off-road safaris and bracing walks – in the mornings accompanied by the hotel’s resident pair of Irish wolfhounds. But there’s also an indoor pool, spa and private cinema for when the weather turns wild. The staff, though, are Ashford’s secret weapon; some have worked at the castle for decades and possess a genuine warmth that just can’t be faked.
Address: Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo
Telephone: +353 94 954 6003
Website: ashfordcastle.com
Price: Doubles from about £280
Park Hotel Kenmare, Co Kerry
The Park Hotel Kenmare is something of a gold standard when it comes to traditional Irish-style country-house hospitality. The Victorian pile dating from 1897 peers out over the tranquil expanse of glistening Kenmare Bay. But the Brennan family, who run the hotel, know that they have to move with the times. So they’ve added the game-changing Sámas spa that uses cult organic Bamford products, a pool with a view and an array of weekly activities such as yoga and hikes through the dramatic, heather-flecked Kerry countryside. As a bonus, walk out the front gates and you will find yourself on the postcard-pretty streets of heritage town Kenmare.
Address: Park Hotel Kenmare, Kenmare, Co Kerry
Telephone:+353 64 664 1200
Website: parkkenmare.com
**Price:**Doubles from about £180
The Westbury, Dublin
The Westbury puts an insidery spin on a stay in Dublin for its guests. The Irish-owned Doyle Collection, with its clutch of stylish properties in London and beyond, knows the value of a local welcome. Tucked just off Dublin’s main shopping thoroughfare, Grafton Street, it could not be better placed for browsing the shops or visiting must-see Dublin highlights such as Trinity College. The hotel’s rooms are emerging from a rolling programme of makeovers that has injected a light and bright Thirties spirit, with silvery hues set off by black, white marble and chrome. There are art tours, which start with the hotel’s enviable collection. There’s the glamour of The Sidecar bar – which recently hosted a pop-up residency from New York’s Dead Rabbit cocktail parlour. And, to complete the classic Dublin experience, there’s the elevated bistro grub of the Insta-friendly Wilde restaurant.
Address: The Westbury, Balfe Street, Dublin 2
Telephone:+353 1 679 1122
Website: doylecollection.com
Price: Doubles from about £250
Ballyfin, Co Laois
A stay here means lounging in lavish luxury. This one-of-a-kind Regency mansion on a huge private estate surveys the velvety green landscape of Co Laois. It was built in the 1820s for the aristocratic Coote Family, but its current owners staged a no-expense-spared renovation. The look is unashamedly grand country-house style – four-poster beds, silk-lined walls and one of the finest private collections of Irish art and antiques you’d hope to find, which adds to the extravagant yet tasteful tone. A stay here gives you a true sense of what it must have been like as a guest at one of the country’s most opulent historical house parties – but with better food, plumbing and Wi-Fi. Visit in May when the woodlands are ablaze with bluebells.
**Address:**Ballyfin Demesne, Ballyfin, Co Laois
Telephone: +353 5787 558 66
Website:ballyfin.com
Price: Doubles from about £495
Ballynahinch Castle, Co Galway
When Indian cricketing legend Prince Ranjitsinhji, Maharaja of Nawanagar, called Ballynahinch Castle home in the 1920s, he used to catch the train from the edge of the estate to play the occasional match in Dublin. The railway line is long gone – it has been repurposed as a scenic trail – but Ballynahinch’s spell endures. One of the most magically situated hotels on the entire island, Ballynahinch is buried deep in Connemara, set above the languorously flowing, slate-coloured Owenmore River. A recent reboot has spruced everything up but has not affected the place’s essential charm – and its new owners have had the good sense to leave the inviting Fisherman’s Pub unaltered. The salmon fishing attracts a serious angling crowd, but Ballynahinch is many things to many people.
**Address:**Ballynahinch Castle, Recess, Connemara, Co Galway
Telephone: +353 95 310 06
Website:ballynahinch-castle.com
Price: Doubles from about £190
The Shelbourne, Dublin
The Shelbourne is one of Dublin’s most storied landmarks. Overlooking an elegant Georgian square on one corner of St Stephen’s Green, it has been both a social and historical hub in the capital for nearly 200 years. Irish literary greats and A-listers have all nursed pints of Guinness in its diminutive Horseshoe Bar and in 1922 the Irish Constitution was drafted on its first floor. It’s also somewhere loved by locals, whether it’s tea in the Drawing Room, dinner in The Saddle Room or a drink in the new, hidden-away al fresco terrace on the first floor. The rooms to book are those in the Heritage Wing; some have bosky outlooks over the treetops and channel an elegantly updated historic look courtesy of designer Guy Oliver.
**Address:**The Shelbourne, 27 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin
Telephone:+353 1 663 4500
Website: theshelbourne.com
**Price:**Doubles from about £165
Gregans Castle Hotel, Co Clare
More manor house than mansion, the castle in Gregans Castle actually refers to a 15th-century tower house across the road. Now run by the second generation of the Haden family, the antique-strewn rooms and suites are injected with just the right amount of modernity (but no TVs), a dining room with a passionately locavore chef and the cosy Corkscrew Bar for pre- and postprandials. One of the aces in Gregans’ hand is its setting on the edge of the lunar-like, limestone landscape of the Burren in Co Clare. Strike out across the other-worldly scenes in the company of Gregans’ neighbour and local sheep farmer Shane Connolly, who will give you a potted history of the astonishing botany and archaeology, plus a social history of the area, on one of his entertaining half-day rambles.
Address: Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare
Telephone:+353 65 707 7005
Website: gregans.ie
**Price:**Doubles from £176
Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands
It might be the wild, lonely magic and edge-of-the-world feeling you get, but almost anyone who spends a night here starts dreaming about going back. This isn’t your conventional hotel experience; it’s more an immersion in island life, under the care of husband-and-wife team, Ruairí and Marie-Thérèse de Blacam. The modernist building mimics the dry stone walls that criss-cross the island, and its five suites have views of the island’s weather-worn landscape, sculpted by the relentless crash of the Atlantic Ocean. Grab your picnic lunch, brave the icy waters, hike past towering cliffs and beaches or take a rod and try your luck at the end of the pier. You’ll want to get back in time for dinner to sample the simple but superlative food, which might include freshly landed lobster, just harvested potatoes and salad from the onsite greenhouses.
Address: Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Co Galway
Website: inismeain.com
**Price:**Doubles from about £365, minimum stay two nights
Adare Manor, Co Limerick
Although it has always been one of Ireland’s most regal retreats, the chandeliers now have added sparkle at this Neo-Gothic mansion, thanks to a recent multi-million-euro renovation. As befits the erstwhile home of the Earl of Dunraven, the decorative theme throughout now whispers rather than shouts baronial splendour. You can be massaged with Celtic Ogham Stones in the La Mer Spa or there is also a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, which will host the 2026 Ryder Cup. The menu of the recently Michelin-starred Oak Room is peppered with ingredients plucked from the walled garden and foraged from the surrounding woodland within the 800-acre estate. Beyond the gates, the cutesy historical village of Adare beckons, with its thatched cottages, restaurants and archaeological ruins.
Now read our full review of Adare Manor
**Address:**Adare Manor, Adare, Co Limerick
Telephone: +353 61 605 200
Website: adaremanor.com
Price: Doubles from £325Like this? Now read:
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The Stable Yard, Burtown House & Gardens, Kildare
It’s still a relatively hidden gem (so don’t tell everyone).
What is it?
Less than an hour from Dublin, The Stable Yard House is part of a selection of beautifully decorated cottage houses set within the grounds of the historic Burtown House, a Georgian villa dating to 1710. The only Quaker property in Ireland still inhabited by the family who built it, the estate is open to the public. James Fennell and his wife Joanna live in the main house and are happy to give guided tours of the grounds and gardens.Sleep
The Stable Yard House has three bedrooms (one of which is cleverly hidden behind a sturdy bookshelf) and the interior is a glorious mix of rustic, antique and repurposed furniture; there are opulent chandeliers, wicker-style mirror frames, plus a plentiful selection of photography, art and history coffee-table books, portraits and landscape paintings. The kitchen has large old cabinets, gorgeous crockery and an Aga, as well as a massive fireplace with wooden beams, and is perfect for cooking big family meals. Guests also have access to a private courtyard garden, tennis courts, and the vast woodland and gardens with stone sculptures which are part of the estate.Eat
If the welcome delivery of fresh produce grown in the estate’s kitchen gardens doesn’t inspire you to get cooking, there is always the option to order food directly from the restaurant. Freshly made meals are delivered straight to the house, ready to be heated in the Aga. The Green Barn is an ambitious venture by the Burtown House owners, whose vision has placed it firmly on the forefront of the Irish farm-to-fork movement. Almost entirely self-sufficient, it serves honest, uncomplicated contemporary dishes with a constantly changing menu of seasonal produce that comes straight from the kitchen garden that morning. The interior is based on a Scandinavian barn with a New England twist, combining high ceilings and rustic textures with flowers from the garden and potted vegetables on the tables.Who comes here?
Those who appreciate farm-to-table dining and have a desire for a slower, more considered lifestyle.We like
James and Joanna’s long-term plan for the family estate: they want to take over the remaining 180 acres of former estate farmland and create a nature reserve and develop agriculture tourism within this landscape. The next phase of the development is to build Scandinavian-inspired contemporary cabins, due to open in 2020.We don’t like
A small thing, but there were no toiletries in the otherwise impeccable bathrooms. By Karin MuellerAddress: The Stable Yard, Burtown House & Gardens, Burtown Little, Athy, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Telephone: +353 59 862 3865
Book your stay
Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Ireland
Why stay? To be far removed from the rest of the world: this is the edge of the edge of Europe, teetering on the vast, churning waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
What is it? An extraordinary take on the remote-shack vernacular, this is rugged-island living reimagined for the style-savvy traveller with pared-back, intelligent simplicity. Inis Meáin is the middle and least visited of the trio of the Aran Islands off Ireland's west coast.
Behind the scenes It's owned and run by Ruairí and Marie-Thérèse de Blacam, a husband-and-wife team with an easy, welcoming charm. Ruairí grew up on Inis Meáin, and after several years working as a chef in Dublin, Italy and France, the island's pull proved too strong and the couple returned and opened the restaurant-with-rooms in 2007. Part Italian-style agriturismo, part contemporary safari lodge, the hotel was designed by Ruairí's architect uncle, who founded one of Ireland's leading practices. The duo's inspiration came from their many travels. The exterior echoes the austere stonewalls that lattice the island and is one of its most arresting features.
Sleep All five rooms have a retreat-like sense of tranquillity and are done in a spare but warm style: iroko carpentry, oak floors and walls hung with black-and-white photographs of the islands. A single, slim window runs the length of each room, giving wide-angle panoramas of the coast. Bathrooms are small but functional, tiled in polished black granite with powerful showers but no baths. There are fishing rods, bicycles, deck chairs, binoculars and beach towels, but no TVs or telephones: the landscape is your entertainment.
Eat Ruairí mans the stoves and his cooking is simple but skilful. Guests sit down at 8pm for a four-course set feast that changes daily, but there's no pressure to mingle. Freshly landed lobster, seabass and vegetables from the hotel's garden (in a beetroot carpaccio, for example) all appear. Lunch is provided in a backpack with a flask of soup and some still-warm foccacia to take wherever you wander.
Who comes here? The hotel attracts a diverse bunch from local creatives, chefs, and CEOs to curious travellers from further afield. At dinner you could be sitting next to a retired couple from Dublin or some loved-up honeymooners from New York. Almost half are returning guests.
We like Waking up to breakfast delivered silently in a custom-made teak box. There is still-warm brown bread and fruit cake, homemade muesli, yoghurt, mackerel paté, cured salmon, a luscious chocolate pot, and a boiled egg, which even has its own Aran jumper.
We don't like It's all about the views here, but some windows have no blinds, so chances are you will be up with the sunrise. Bring an eye mask.
Out and about Hike around and discover the island's towering cliffs and deserted beaches; you can wander for hours without seeing a soul. Visit playwright JM Synge's thatched cottage, stock up on merino and cashmere pieces at Inis Meáin Knitting Company's factory shop, above, and savour a quiet pint in the island's only pub, Teach Osta.
Address: Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites, Inis Meáin, Aran Islands, Co. Galway, H91NX86, Ireland
Telephone: +353 86 826 6026
Price: Doubles from about £170, including breakfast and transfers
Book your stayBy Aoife O'Riordain. Published in Condé Nast Traveller January 2016
James RamThe Cliff House Hotel, Co Waterford
What is it? A slate-fronted five-star on the glorious bay at Ardmore, an ancient Christian settlement turned fashionable seaside town between Cork and Waterford. At the back, soaring windows, decked terraces and sedum-covered roofs cascade down to criss-crossing pathways and a natural swimming pool in the rocks.
Behind the scenes There's been a hotel here since the 1930s: black-and-white photographs of its first incarnation, Kelly's, include a charming pre-war scene of a little girl sitting on the diving board. In 2005, it was transformed beyond recognition by Barry and Gerri O'Callaghan, who made their money in educational publishing and have a holiday home across the bay. They also own The Cliff Townhouse in Dublin.
Sleep There are 39 spacious, colourful, light-suffused rooms and suites. All have super-king beds, egg-shaped baths and at least one tweed-upholstered wingback chair looking longingly out to sea; most have terraces or balconies.
Eat The catchphrase of Dutch chef Martijn Kajuiter is 'Let's Go Disco', and the food at the Michelin-starred restaurant is decidedly psychedelic, starring potatoes disguised as pebbles, deconstructed asparagus, and scallops with dollops of green and yellow paint (sorry - scallop carrageen and three-corned leek). It's all Irish-produced and mostly delicious, if a bit overwhelming. The bar menu includes Yawl Bay crab sandwiches on soda bread from heaven, and the staff don't mind tiny, butter-smeared fingers grabbing the Irish linen. In sunny weather, you can feast outside.
Who comes here? Irish couples and family groups in celebratory mood. Dubliners with second homes in the area - this is Ireland's answer to Rock.
While you're here Book an Anne Semonin or Voya treat at the lovely spa. Stride along the Cliff Walk, stopping at the fourth-century St Declan's Holy Well, where a midnight mass is held every 23 July. Kayak with surf dude Ronan O'Connor of Ardmore Adventures. Eat crab crème caramel courtesy of Paul Flynn at The Tannery in Dungarvan.
We like The setting. The staff: warm, and adorable with children. Smoked salmon for breakfast. Wallowing in twin outdoor peat baths gazing at the sea and sky.
We don't like Some of the design is more miss than hit. But with views like these, it seems ungrateful even to notice.
Address: The Cliff House Hotel, Middle Road, Dysert, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, Ireland
Telephone: +353 24 87800
Price: Doubles from about £150, including breakfast
Book your stayBy Lisa Johnson. Published in Condé Nast Traveller July 2013
The Europe Hotel & Resort, County Kerry
What is it? A super-smart escape on the shores of Lough Lein, one of the famed Lakes of Killarney.
Behind the scenes It was built in 1961 by the Liebherrs, an Austrian family who snapped up the prime lakeside frontage - no doubt for its hills-are-alive backdrop. It is still run by the same family, assisted by Irish staff (many of whom have clocked up decades at the hotel). In 2008, there was a substantial refurbishment, which included the addition of a vast ESPA spa.
Sleep The 187 rooms call to mind an understated hutning lodge, elegantly combining tweed, tartan, cream wool and chocolate-brown leather with dark-wood furniture; there's a nod to the Irish heritage in the Celtic artwork. Lake-view rooms have big balconies in case the elusive Irish sun deigns to shine.
Eat Dinner at the grand Panorama Restaurant is a dress-up affair: settle into forest-green leather banquettes for silver service and classic dishes, where local ingredients are the stars (meltingly tender Kerry lamb with puy lentils; fresh-off-the-boat Atlantic crab). For more buzz and less starched linen, the Brasserie has a bistro-style menu (surf'n'turf; fish and chips), and its adjoining Champagne bar, with its mirrored bar-counter and Chinese-lacquer-red lighting, is great for a pre-dinner Kir Royale.
Who comes here? Young professional couples rolling up in sporty coupés for weekend spa breaks; generations of well-to-do families returning year after year for their annual get together; golfers teeing off at the neighbouring world-championship course.
While you're here Bliss out at the gorgeously sleek, two-level spa, where two heated, outdoor infinity pools reflect the ever-changing colours of the lakes; there's also a saltwater pool in the indoor thermal suite. Go for holistic-inspired treatments using marine mud and algae in one of the 16 plush therapy rooms, while the children ride Austrian Haflinger ponies in the grounds.
We like The rousing traditional Irish music in the old-school bar on Saturday nights. Sing-alongs are actively encouraged.
We don't like The large-scale restaurant can feel rather too formal.
Address: The Europe Hotel & Resort, Fossa, Killarney, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Telephone: +353 64 667 1300
Price: Doubles from about £190
Book your stayBy Grainne McBride. Published in Condé Nast Traveller April 2013