Tucked between Donegal Town and the Blue Stack Mountains, we love Lough Eske Castle’s setting, with the lake on one side and woodland all around, it feels wonderfully secluded.
The rooms are exceptionally spacious, whether you stay in the castle itself or in the former stables and garden cottages, and are pretty much as good as you’ll find in any luxury urban hotel.
The decor is fairly formal, and demur though, and the rooms give very little of the historic hotel feel, we’d prefer.
It’s still a great hotel and the estate is just gorgeous, with lovely views all around. Lakeside and woodland trails, and the excellent spa facilities encourage daily R&R, but, back at the castle, we have Cedar’s Restaurant and the Fr. Browne Bar there to inject some life into the evenings.
Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel feels both connected to Dublin and pleasantly removed from it. One of only two castle hotels within the city, it occupies an enviable position above Dublin Bay in the leafy, upper class suburb of Killiney.
What began life as the 18th-century manor house, Mount Malpas, acquired the turrets and castle-like flourishes in the 19th-century that give it its castle folly architecture today.
Inside, the 113 guestrooms are all quite individual with plenty of choice on offer. The decor is 20th century sophisticated, classic style, kind of demure maybe but with some flourishes of colourful wallpaper and fabric.
Two restaurants, a bar, spa facilities, a, more substantial than most, gym and a 20-metre swimming pool grant it more amenities than most castle hotels.
The location is quiet and suburban. Dalkey Village, with its pubs, cafés and little shops, is an easy stroll away, while nearby Killiney Hill rewards a gentle climb with some of the best views in Dublin.
There are plenty of castle hotels in Ireland that rely heavily on their heritage Castlemartyr Castle Resort gives it more than a nod, sure, but it mainly wowed us with the facilities of a genuinely first-rate luxury resort.
The setting certainly helps too. The estate is in peaceful, rural East Cork, and the estate has 220 acres of gardens and woodland, and the ruins of the 800-year-old Castlemartyr Castle.
While much of the accommodation is housed in newer wings, we’d be inclined to choose one of the rooms in the 18th-century manor house if budget allows. The Manor House Grand Suites in particular would be our favourite, having a character more in turn with the historic.
As mentioned, Castlemartyr really, really stands out for the amenities it offers. The spa is one of the finest we’ve come across at an Irish hotel, and the dining is exceptional. Michelin-starred Terre rightly gets most of the attention, but we also like the more relaxed atmosphere of Canopy, whose terrace is a lovely spot to hang out in on a fine day.
Some castle hotels can feel a little formal or overly grand, but Ballyseede has a warmth and ease about it. The location helps too. It’s just outside Tralee in County Kerry, and makes a very convenient base for exploring this, one of Ireland’s most beautiful regions.
The castle dates back to the 16th century and retains plenty of historic character. We preferred the rooms and suites in the castle itself, which feel much more a part of the experience than the separate lodge accommodation.
Another thing that stands out is the food. Ballyseede has built a strong reputation for its dining, and you can see see why. Evenings tend to revolve around the O’Connell Restaurant before drifting naturally towards Pappy’s Bar, a cosy spot with an open fire and a welcoming feel.
The estate itself is relatively compact, but the gardens and woodlands offer plenty of escape. Ballyseede isn’t a castle hotel packed with activities and facilities. Instead, it focuses on comfort, good food and genuine hospitality.
Kilkea Castle is perhaps Irelands most authentic castle hotel. There’s a huge amount of history here, dating back to the 12th century, and is reputed to be Ireland’s longest continually inhabited castle.
It’s in County Kildare, under an hour from Dublin, so it’s very easy to reach.
We liked the variety of accommodation at Kilkea, from rooms inside the castle itself and courtyard rooms, to more modern, more independent, lodges scattered in the grounds.
The castle rooms stand out most, especially the suites, which are old school romantic luxury but don’t feel over-styled.
Dining also leaves a strong impression, from the relaxed, low key feel of The Keep Bar to the more atmospheric experience of the 1180 Restaurant in the old drawing room.
In the foothills of County Offaly’s Slieve Bloom Mountains and surrounded by a scenic 650-acre estate, Kinnitty Castle Hotel offers romance and seclusion.
The history here stretches back more than seven centuries, although the present castle dates largely from the early 18th.
It’s a pretty big castle but there are just 37 rooms, creating a nicely intimate feel. The rooms are spacious sure, but much of the space is given over to common areas which are a particular highlight at Kinnitty.
The Dungeon Bar, Drawing Room and Sli Dala Restaurant are lovely spaces, full of character and atmosphere.
Beyond the castle, meanwhile, lie acres of woodland and parkland, with walking trails, cycling routes, horse riding, archery and tennis all available.
Different from most castle hotels in Ireland, Clontarf Castle is just minutes from the centre of Dublin, making it a decent choice for anyone wanting a luxury city break with a little history thrown into the mix.
Parts of the property date back centuries, but the interiors are contemporary, with not too much of the history on display inside. Purists looking for creaking staircases and medieval ambience may prefer somewhere else, but that’s not really what Clontarf is trying to be.
Instead, it sees itself as an upscale city hotel with castle walls and an interesting history.
Granted though, the rooms are generally more historic, which we appreciate, and some have four poster beds.
The hotel can get lively in the evening with a nice, welcoming bar and the award-winning Fahrenheit Grill Restaurant.
Co. Cavan isn’t generally an obvious destination for foreign tourists to Ireland, it’s an unassuming, typically rural, inland county that many people only end up passing through on their way from Dublin to the more mountainous, coastal charms of places like Sligo or Donegal.
This location might be one of the reasons Cabra Castle is more under the radar for foreign visitors than other castle hotels in Ireland, but it has to be said that the castle itself alone might just make a detour worthwhile.
It is a very impressive, and very large, building, constructed in the early 19th century on the site of a more ancient castle. It was designed in a quite unique Neo-Norman style which gives it the look and feel of a much older property. The interiors are beautifully finished, though having been upgraded and renovated at various times throughout the years, they retain the elegance of a bygone era.
There are lots of antique furniture pieces throughout the building too and with the amount of space inside there are endless places to admire the grandeur and to soak in the atmosphere.
Long the jewel in the crown of Irish Castle Hotels, and more than ever after its acquisition, and subsequent upgrade, by the Red Carnation Hotel group in 2013, the 5 star Ashford Castle is a globally recognized brand.
We could never not put Ashford in a list of Ireland’s best castle hotels. It’s always in the running for Ireland’s best hotel in general in fact.
So you can come with extremely high expectations, and expectations are met consistently and comfortably by this extravagantly beautiful hotel.
Ashford Castle sits on the wooded shores of Lough Corrib in north Co. Galway, with the lake and its small islands stretching out on front and the ancient broad leafed woodlands covering the rear.
The building is huge, and a very imposing sight from the outside, while the interiors are a veritable showcase of lavish splendor. In its history as a hotel it has always embodied old fashioned sophistication and class complimented in recent years by the addition of more modern facilities.
In a beautiful setting in the wilds of Connemara, Galway, Ballynahinch Castle has acres of woods, a lake and a famous salmon fishing river on its grounds, within which you’ll find miles and miles of beautiful country walks. It also makes a superb base for further exploration of some of Europe’s most iconic scenery.
The hotel itself is full of old world charm, and is a relaxed, sociable place that effortlessly mixes the formal and informal, with fine dining in the Owenmore restaurant and traditional Irish Pub ambience in the Fisherman’s Bar.
There are no business meeting facilities here and no spa or the like. It is a place for unpretentious, old style recreation and relaxation, and it has a rich history spanning over 500 years of greatly changing times in Ireland.