Tag: Ireland Hotels
View All TagsCountry House Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Donegal Hotels / Hotel Awards / Solis Hotels / → All Tags
Comfy Beds But No Marmalade At 'The Best Country House Hotel In The World'
It was when news popped into our inbox of Lough Eske Castle winning the title Best Luxury Countryside Hotel In The World at the Luxury Hotel Awards that we had two burning questions. What is Lough Eske Castle? And what are the Luxury Hotel Awards?
According to the website:
The World Luxury Hotel Awards are accepted as the pinnacle of achievement for Luxury Hotels worldwide. This Award was established as a celebration of ultimate achievement in hoteliering. It is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step & such differentiated themselves from "good hotels" to "exceptional hotels".
The list of this year’s winners is here, if you want to take a look. But in the meantime, what’s more interesting to us is a peek at Lough Eske Castle – especially as, apparently, it’s won the same award for the past three years.
St Patrick's Day Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Ireland Hotels / → All Tags
The Lodge at Doonbeg Will Find Your Long-Lost Irish Relatives for St. Patrick's Day
In honor of the upcoming holiday, we'll highlight a few wacky St. Patrick's Day packages that must have been thought up by a leprechaun.
Do you get a little green with envy when you see people sporting "Kiss Me I'm Irish" buttons and shirts on St. Patrick's Day? Find out if you have any Irish in you at the Lodge at Doonbeg in Ireland.
If you need help learning more about your family tree, the County Clare hotel recently added on-site genealogists to help you research your Irish heritage, coordinate visits to villages where your ancestors once lived and even connect you with a long-lost relative.
International Hotel WiFi / Hotel WiFi / WiFi Heaven / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / Ireland Hotels / → All Tags
The Ritz-Carlton in Ireland is Giving It Up for Free (The WiFi, That Is)
If you've been reading our Annual WiFi Reports, then you know how we feel about International Hotel WiFi (If you need a refresher, go see about our recent WiFi Hell at the Sheraton Frankfurt.)
You also know that the more you pay for your hotel room, the less likely your internet connection is to be free. And the repeat offenders who make our naughty list year after year are the luxury brands like the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carltons. But there might be an exception to that crappy rule.
Check out this amenity listing at the Ritz Carlton Powerscourt near Dublin, Ireland:
Halloween Hotels / Harry Potter Hotels / Hotel Packages / Budget Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Oxford Hotels / → All Tags
Get Your Harry Potter Fix for Halloween at These Hotels
While dressing up in costume and checking into the Hilton San Francisco might win you a free hotel stay, it doesn't include treasure hunts, Harry Potter screenings and an afternoon of witchcraft. Nope, for that you will have to head to the rather luscious-looking Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland.
The castle is having a Harry Potter-inspired Halloween. This might surprise you, given that the place has nothing to do with Harry Potter whatsoever – in fact, the tenuous link they make is that the castle was built in 1228: “a time when magic in Europe was the norm.” Hmm.
Castle Hotels / Hotel Packages / Country Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Booze / → All Tags
Celebrate 250 Years of Guinness In Style At Ashford Castle
Ashford Castle – an actual, 13th-century castle in County Mayo, Ireland, that doubles as as five star hotel – is celebrating its 70th birthday next month. So far, so worthy. Forgive us being slightly more excited about the fact that Guinness is turning 250. Now that’s worth celebrating.
Luckily, the folks at the castle agree with us (it was once the country retreat of the Guinness family, which probably has something to do with it). So they’ve designated October as Guinness Month and 15 October as the date for a five course "Black and White dinner", where the head Brewer will talk about the black stuff.
Fashion Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
What a Hotel Designed By a Famous Milliner Looks Like
Ever wondered what the results would be if you were to hand over the interior design of an Irish hotel to a famous milliner? Wonder no longer since the g Hotel in Galway opened in 2007, boasting Philip Treacy as the design mastermind behind its whimsically luxurious decor.
Philip, a hometown boy from Galway county, gained fashion notoriety over the last several decades as he designed hats for fashion houses like Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, and Chanel as well as for the British royal family. As Design Director of the g Hotel, however, Philip had a chance to spread his aesthetic and reflect his influences beyond headgear, turning out chairs in Warhol's pink camouflage pattern and a reception area reminiscent of the interior of a seashell.
Hotel Spas / Ireland Hotels / → All Tags
Ireland's Cliff House Hotel a Surprising Spa Destination
Ireland's definitely not the first place we'd think of when we're planning a spa vacation but the new Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, south of Limerick, is putting up a good fight.
A recent UK Times review reported hearing plenty of American accents among the guests too so the secret seems to have got out into the world already. How come nobody told us before?
Anyhow, Cliff House's spa complex is called "The Well" and it's full of nice stuff like:
an indoor infinity pool, outdoor Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, fully-equipped gym, and treatment rooms staffed by expert therapists. Cedar- clad steps lead to a natural rock pool for that refreshing dip in the sea.
And their therapies use products made from seaweed growing off the Irish coast. There are currently no all-inclusive spa packages to speak of, but FYI rooms start at €200 (US$255) and you can add a serenity spa package for €115 (US$150).
Just as a side note, we are big on hotels that keep an eye on guest feedback, and at Cliff House they're smart enough to give a management response to TripAdvisor reviews. It's nice to feel like you get heard when you're complaining or complimenting.
[Photo: disheaka]
Conrad Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Hotel Animals / → All Tags
Giddy Up: Mount Juliet Conrad Hotel Perfect For Horse-Lovers
Calling all horse lovers: the Mount Juliet Conrad Hotel in Ireland is doing everything right for you. Not too many hotels have an equestrian center on site, but Mount Juliet does, complete with new stables, two arenas and both of those fence-jumping trails (show jumping and cross country fences, for those in the know).
The new equestrian center has just been officially opened and added to the list of reasons to book in to Mount Juliet. Those lucky enough to get to the opening saw all kinds of horsey stuff, including Ukrainian Cossack riding and, as they describe it, some "stylish side-saddle" demonstrations. We're sorry we missed it.
Mount Juliet is a pretty huge estate about two hours from Dublin, in County Kilkenny, and it's got a golf course, spa and a variety of kinds of accommodation. They offer equestrian packages that include bed and breakfast, lunch, a one-hour trail ride and a one-hour riding lesson--with riding hats and boots provided, so novices like us are welcome--starting at €245 (US$380) a night.
Non-horse-lovers are also welcome as they have a stack of other packages that might match your preference.
Killer View / Ireland Hotels / → All Tags
Room With a Killer View: Peace and Harmony in County Cork
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
We feel instantly relaxed just looking at this view from the Kingsley Hotel in Cork, Ireland, next to the River Lee. Green and quaint, relaxed and quiet, and that's just what we need during this hectic season.
The Kingsley is a luxury hotel not too far from Cork International Airport, so it's easily accessed, and the goal of the staff is to offer "international graciousness combined with Irish hospitality". It's a 131-room hotel with a spa and health club attached, and more than just one room or two that sports this peaceful view.
[Photo: timchambers]
Related Stories:
· Hotels in Cork [HotelChatter]
· Ireland Travel Guide [Jaunted]
W Hotels / Peninsula Hotels / Bali Hotel Reviews / Ireland Hotels / → All Tags
PM Linkage: Jewelry Designer Does Bambu Indah in Bali
Links:
· Hotels are not just for fashion designers. Jewelry designer John Hardy gets in on the game [Luxist]
· America Inn wants to know whose neighbors are noisier? [Budget Travel]
· Leona Helmsley gets put in the ground [NY1]
· Luxury hotels keep popping up in Ireland. The latest is the Fitzwilliam Hotel [Belfast Telegraph]
· Peninsula Chicago's pool is voted best indoor hotel lap pool [Chicago Tribune]
· No W Hotel for Long Island's Patchogue [NY Newsday]
Ireland Hotels / New Hotels in Europe / Ritz-Carlton Hotels / → All Tags
A New Ritz-Carlton Coming Soon to Ireland
In the July/August issue of the European Travel Commission's newsletter, they highlighted several new and upcoming hotels in Europe. We'll be taking a closer look at some of these hotels this week but we're always interested in hearing your recommendations for hotels in Europe. So send 'em our way.
Look for the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt to hit the hills of Ireland sometime in the next couple months. It is officially listed as "opening in August," but so far the on-line reservations system isn't taking any bookings for any night before October. Apart from this picture here, we couldn't find anything but architectural drawings on the site either, so we expect there are still plenty of construction workers racing around.
This will be a fancy castle where you get the best of the country and the city. Built next to a golf course but in the land where the movies Braveheart and Excalibur were filmed, it is nevertheless just 16 miles from Dublin and 45 minutes from the airport. Parts of the castle itself date back to the early 1700s.
Rooms promise to be palatial as well, with the smallest coming in at 540 square feet. Apart from the "recessed TV in the bathroom," however, we're not seeing any notable amenities on the list. Weekday rates start at 255 euros ($344) and bump up to $398+ on weekends. (Factor in a gouge fee to go online with your laptop of course).
Here's an interesting twist: two of the 20 spa rooms are VIP rooms. So you don't have to mingle with all that Ritz-Carlton guest riff-raff when you're relaxing...
Eco-Hotels / Ireland Hotels / Hotel Blog Watch / Green Hotels / → All Tags
Get Green and Poetic at Northern Ireland's Omagh
Being green is good, and a particularly green part of Northern Ireland can be found at the Omagh Hostel. It comes recommended by Jamble, a new mag whose tagline "green without the extreme" we rather like. The Omagh Hostel is a part hostel, part budget hotel and private double rooms start at a very reasonable £25 ($50).
The Omagh is not especially fancy, but it does pride itself on being both relaxing and inspiring, and being very green. They heat with biomass boilers, fruit and veg used at the hostel is organically grown on site, they recycle and compost everything in sight (guests usually not included!) and monitoring of energy usage has seen a consistent reduction.
The Omagh Hostel even has a cute blog called Banana Rambles which tells tales of life at the hostel, their pursuit of green-ness and even features poetry from previous guests. Now publishing your poetry isn't a service offered by too many hotels.
Related Stories:
· Northern Ireland coverage [Jaunted]
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