Ireland: Experience the Emerald Isle’s Best Hotels and Inns
With its green hills and rugged coastline, Ireland offers travelers truly wondrous scenery. It is not surprising that so many poets and writers wax enthusiastic about this mysterious island. From Dublin to Blarney Castle, you’ll find plenty of interesting adventures in Ireland.
A journey to Ireland would not be complete without a stay in Dublin. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes, as the easiest way to see the sites of the city are on foot. The Guinness Brewery is a popular attraction, as is the National Gallery, where you’ll find works ranging from Manet to Picasso. From there head in any direction and you are sure to find something of interest, from Blarney Castle and the lakes of Killarney in the southwest to the unique landscape of Connemara in the western portion of Ireland. Don’t forget to set aside a few days to explore Northern Ireland and Belfast.
If you aren’t sure where to go and what to see, seasoned travel writer Karen Brown recommends several interesting Ireland itineraries on her comprehensive website. Her readers also have voted for and chosen the following lodgings as Ireland’s best places to stay:
Located in Ireland’s picturesque region of Connemara, the Quay House has been chosen by Karen Brown readers as Ireland’s “Most Romantic” inn. The view alone invites romance. Most of the guest rooms and studios face the town harbor of Clifdon. The inn is the oldest building in town and originally served as the harbor master’s house. It now houses seven guest rooms and seven studios, each with a unique theme. The dcor ranges from posh Irish country to the eclectic Out of Africa safari room.
The enthusiastic innkeepers at Ballyvolane House encourage their guests to relax and enjoy themselves. Their passion for innkeeping has earned Ballyvolane the Karen Brown Readers’ Choice Award for Ireland’s “Warmest Welcome.” This idyllic Irish country home is surrounded by spectacular gardens, and also offers seven kilometers of private salmon fishing along the River Blackwater. The tastefully furnished guest rooms include special items such as clawfoot tubs perfect for a long, restful soak. Spend an hour with a good book in the drawing room or ask the innkeepers to prepare a picnic lunch and you can find a sunny spot on the inn’s grounds. Four-course dinners are served each night in the beautiful dining room, featuring an ever-changing seasonal menu.
The grounds at Ballaghtobin are part parkland, part tillage farm where acres of wheat and Christmas trees are grown. An old ruined Norman church rests next to the charming ivy-covered main house. The interior is elegant and includes three lovely guest rooms, each with a private bath. Guests are encouraged to put on their walking shoes and tour the extensive grounds, taking what 18th-century Irish gentry would no doubt praise as a proper country walk. Ballaghtobin was chosen by Karen Brown readers as Ireland’s “Greatest Value.”
If you wish to indulge yourself at one of Ireland’s best lodgings, The Merrion is a stunning Dublin hotel and was chosen by Karen Brown readers as Ireland’s best “Splendid Splurge.” The historic hotel is opposite from Leinster House, the home of Ireland’s Parliament. Guest rooms and suites, as well as a hugely extravagant penthouse, are spread among the historic main house and the garden wing. All of the rooms are spacious and elegant with views of the city or hotel gardens. The Tethra Spa offers a wide selection of massage treatments, as well as a fitness center and swimming pool. The Cellar Bar is an excellent spot to enjoy a pint or a glass or wine, and it is found in the hotel’s original wine vaults. There are two restaurants, the more casual Cellar Restaurant and the Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Ireland’s only two-star Michelin Restaurant.