RichardInSF

In fact, I just arrived at Ballyfin. The drive up to the main house is certainly impressive as is the service at reception on arrival. Will discuss more after a night or two.

ThudAndBlunder

Killarney is a bit of a Marmite town. Personally I can't stand the place; I think its boozy Paddywhackery makes it the Temple Bar of Irish towns. Would much rather base myself in Kenmare and stay at the Park Hotel Kenmare.

Earthman

Agreed.
I'm frankly puzzled where our esteemed moderator got his recommendations from.
Reading DavidO's threads on Ireland here would surely have been the place to start.
I agree Kenmare is a far nicer town to base yourself for the ring of Kerry. I've stayed at both the Brennan brothers owned Kenmare park and Sheen falls.
The former is a real dose of old fashioned surroundings and super service by the hands on Brennans and their team.
Sheen falls,I'm not a fan of its outside building design but inside is nice ,service is very good and outside the gardens and river are beautiful.
Both are way ahead of any of the places mentioned upthread with the exception of Ballyfin which has to be the best now in Ireland if not one of the best anywhere.
If Richard finds fault there,I'll be shocked to be honest.

quitecontrary

I agree with Earthman - DavidO had excellent recommendations in his thread on Ireland - especially Ashford Castle and Gregan's Castle. I haven't stayed at them yet but I've had lunch at Ashford Castle and I loved the ambiance and the surroundings. I know there are a lot of mediocre hotels in Ireland. I know someone who's not used to 'Luxury' hotels who stayed at the G in Galway a couple of years ago and even they weren't impressed.

offerendum

Was interesting so far, know it`s getting very interesting

RichardInSF

Simply stated, it's difficult to imagine that anyone, even a very picky guest, could ever dislike Ballyfin. This hotel has only been open three years and it's a great experience. There are only 15 rooms and having seen both my room (the Butler's room, a junior suite) and one room a class below (the Sir Charles Coote room, stateroom level), I recommend a junior suite as the minimum preferred level. Note that if the hotel is not full they will probably upgrade you one level.

The service is truly outstanding. Staff will anticipate your needs or quickly learn them and you do not hear the word "no" from the staff when you have a request.

This is not a place to use as a base for touring, it is a place to check into and never leave the spacious grounds until you check out. The ideal first stay is two nights or possibly three max. You can tour the grounds via walking, bicycle, or electric golf cart. There are a few side activities available and a very nice, warm indoor pool, along with spa treatments (which I did not try).

Prices include pretty much everything -- three meals a day; laundering of up to 5 garments per room per day; an in-room minibar with softdrinks and mineral water; a cocktail hour with free beer, wine, or champagne; internet; and snacks any other time if you need them. Extras are alcohol with meals, dry cleaning, various sports activities such as shooting or archery, and of course spa treatments.

Food is outstanding and service is impeccable. I had only house wines and they were very nice.

Virtuoso doesn't get you much here, mostly just a bottle of house wine. But you won't care because you'll just love the place so much.

Problems? Yes, there are some. Internet service was variable in my room despite an effort to fix the problem. This is a place to go with your partner; people are here for privacy, not to meet other guests. I personally don't like in-room amenities in large reusable bottles. And although I am confident they have a few tricks up their sleeve for kids, this really is a resort for adults. I would like to see a rate plan that does not include lunch to encourage longer stays that possibly include some touring.

But don't let any of those get in the way. Save up and stay here for at least two nights to get away from the rest of the world or to break up an active tour. You won't regret it.

RichardInSF

For the last night, given I had an 11am flight out, I moved closer to DUB to the K Club in County Kildare. The K Club is also set on a large estate, but in this case most of the property is taken up by two well-known golf courses, one of which was the site of the Ryder Cup in 2006.

I paid for the highest level regular room but got upgraded at booking to a suite. When checking in, I was assigned to the Presidential Suite (with a second adjoining bedroom locked off). It was a great room, the best hard product of any room I got in Ireland. The hotel building is recent and the room was more modern and very well kept.

Service was also very good. Virtuoso special benefit is a US$100 (about 75 Euros) room credit which can be spent in the restauants, bars, spa, or even to buy things in the gold course pro shop.

The area along the River Liffey is very peaceful. In addition, the hotel has fishing rights along a significant stretch of this river, which I believe is famous among fishermen. BTW, what the Irish call a "river," most Americans would call a "stream."

Google maps says it's a 35 minute drive to the airport but everyone said during morning rush it would be an hour. It took 40 minutes.

I'd definitely stay here again even without getting such a good room which was marvelous given the level we booked but, to be honest, really would be a bit subpar if one expected a traditional luxury hotel presidential suite. Another suite was called the "High Kings Suite" so maybe High Kings trump Presidents!

Summing up the trip, the hotels in order from best to worst were

1. Ballyfin (duh!)

2. K Club

3. Merrion

(big gap)

4. Hotel G

5. Killarney Park Hotel

(big gap)

6. Bushmills

I'd stay again in the top 4 on the list but not in the last 2, but I am sure for a number of forum regulars, only the first 3 would be acceptable.

FlyerEC

^
Yes , first three .
You ' ll have to add & stay at better ones on your next visit .
Not to miss Ashford Castle , Sheen Falls Lodge , .. then
Glad you ended your trip well

irishguy28

Veal crates are banned in Europe. Veal is merely the meat from a young calf - typically male, as the females are kept for their use on dairy farms.

Most Irish farms are not intensive, so the calves are not raised in the sort of factory conditions common in other parts of the world. They mostly are separated from their mother at birth, and raised in pens (most calves are born in winter when the vast majority or animals are housed) until such time as they can go out to pasture, or to slaughter (whichever comes first).

Pausanias

Richard - I think you missed out on a lot of the west coast for the sake of staying on the east coast - 3 hotels out of six and those were surprisingly poor choices. Your thread said West Coast so I want my money back! Scenery-wise you might have toured the Dingle Peninsula (my favourite spot in Ireland), then around the Ring of Kerry to Cork, and sacrificed luxury for spectacle. Ballyfin does look kinda nice though I'm not struck on the all-inclusive thing at this sort of resort - some far-flung island, yes, but not there.

RichardInSF

I must have confused people then because 6 nights did involve the west coast, starting at Giant's Causeway and heading south and west, including a full day on the Ring of Kerry (and related rings, Skellig being the most dramatic of all). The towns of Galway and Killarney were chosen to be on the western side of Ireland rather than for the excellence of the hotels there. I did have vastly higher hopes for Bushmills based on it being Virtuoso (among other things), hopes that -- as I noted -- were dashed firmly starting with the check-in experience.

Earthman

The cliff house in Ardmore co Waterford,though South East Coast , in a beautiful seaside village with a michelin star restaurant would have been doable and you'd have liked it. Super place.

LindaTerrill

Bushmills is not Virtuoso.

Most visitors to Ireland go to the Cliffs of Moher, and they should. For your next visit, include the Cliffs of Kilkee, which are about an hour south of the Cliffs of Moher. Stunning. Continue from there to the Killimer-Tarbert ferry to cross the Shannon and on to the Dingle Peninsula. No lux hotels there, but the characters you'll meet will more than make up for the rather basic accommodations. Ireland's one of my favorite places on earth!