Jasper2009

Seems like Fairmont has been managing the Carton House in Ireland since sometime last year:

https://www.fairmont.com/carton-house-ireland/

Room rates for a Fairmont room look quite reasonable, while room rates for signature rooms and suites look rather insane at 4x-7x the standard rate.

Has anyone stayed at this property by chance?

Synthesis

Just finished a 3-day stay here and it was VERY good!

Fantastic value for the room which I paid 180EUR/night for (using a 3 for 2 nights promotion) - bill ended up being more than 3x though due to spa services and dining inside.

Check-in was very good and I have a feeling we might have been the first Limitless guests and were made to feel especially welcome. Booked the base room and was given a multi-category upgrade to their Executive Suite with balcony which was very nice. Lovely room, though after having stayed at the Fairmont The Plaza in New York even the fittings/furniture here seem comparatively simple.

What I love about this property is that every bar/restaurant has a completely different design and sphere, as do many of the other studies/lounge areas. Perfect to get some work done on a laptop or read a book whilst having plenty of diverse environments to do it from. The property of the grounds (the golf resort area) are humongous too and make for great walks.

Spa treatments are something that do seem to be needing to be booked way in advance as we only managed to get a short slot each, not at the most convenient times. The reflexologist was definitely skilled though (she could feel energy/blockages well) - something I'm in tune in very well lately and something I've noticed not many people are able to tune into.

Small gym but very good equipment that can definitely make for good training of every muscle group.

Breakfast was included in the rate and that was at Morrisson's - they bring a small setup of confectionary (croissants, jams, bircher musli, fruit, etc.) and you get to choose from several a la carte dishes. It was very good!

We also chose to have dinner at the Michelin-rated Morrisson's restaurant for one of the nights. Chose the 4-course meal as opposed to the full 7-course meal as we weren't too hungry. It was good/ok, but not something I would have again...
Ate lunch at the other 2 restaurants the other days and those were good - quite limited menu's though. The Carriage House is a fun place to sit.

Staff is very friendly and helpful too.

All in all a fantastic stay and I will definitely return, perhaps even plan a retreat some time in the future. Very easily accessible at only 30 minutes from Dublin Airport too.

FlyerGoldII

My wife and I are coming to this hotel in first week of Sept. Staying at this hotel for over a week.
Our first time in Ireland.

Can we see many Irish attractions (outside of Dublin and outside of local town- Name is ???) easily if we are based at this hotel.
I have rented car, but I have not paid up front- so I can cancel without penalty. Should I keep the car, or cancel the reservation and travel by bus, taxi (does Ireland have uber- if so, will it serve guests at this Fairmont hotel), train

Two things I want to see - Cliffs of Moher and adjacent coast; also Tara and adjacent attractions. Can the Cliffs be seen in 1 day- ie we return to the hotel at night, after leaving in the daytime. If same day trip to Cliffs of Moher feasible from this hotel, should we do it by rental car or by coach/bus?

starflyergold

The hotel is a fair bit outside of Dublin and having a rental car will make it much easier for you to explore the country. The nearest town is Maynooth (population 15k). Taxis are expensive and hard to get at times (Uber only uses licensed taxis in Ireland). Cliffs of Moher are on the Atlantic coast (a 3h or so drive). Theoretically it can be done in a day but I would not advise it. Alternatively from Dublin you can book bus tours (13 hours) to the Cliffs or you drive and stay over a night (Galway is worth visiting). Hill of Tara is a 30 minute drive from the hotel.

FlyerGoldII

Thank you, for the information.

My rental car for the 8 days (I have not pre-paid for the car) costs about US$600 or CAD$750. (automatic transmission - full size car). Is it worth renting it or not?

What other day trips are feasible from the Fairmont?
What about going to another country- ie Belfast NI?- can it be done same day by rental car?

Is it worth it taking a car for trips from Fairmont/Maynooth to Dublin? How is the traffic between those 2 locations? How is the traffic and parking within Dublin?

What would be the taxi fare between Fairmont/Maynooth and Dublin?

starflyergold

That seems a reasonable rate. To travel to Dublin you be better off taking the car. You can calculate taxi fares here: https://www.transportforireland.ie/f...are-estimator/ (Hotel-Dublin around €43.60 - €65.20 ow) There is paid on street parking or parking lots throughout the city. Traffic can be heavy as in every city. Lots of tourism available around Dublin and the coast. https://www.ireland.com/en-us/ Glendalough https://glendalough.ie/heritage/monastic-city/ in Wicklow is worth visiting. Belfast is 2 hours by car. Normally you can take your rental car to the North, but check with the agency.

FlyerGoldII

Thank you, for the information.

Do I have to worry about toll roads around Dublin or the rest of Ireland. If there are tolled roads, are there manned toll booths? if not, does the car rental company supply a transponder for the car?

starflyergold

No manned toll booths anywhere in Ireland. All electronic and I presume the rental company will provide this. Google is your friend.

allbrosca

Just a heads up re rental cars in Ireland. My credit card insurance coverage did not include Ireland and I had to buy insurance from the rental company.

FlyerGoldII

I just spoke to the Fairmont concierge today. He said that same day trip from hotel to Cliffs of Moher is feasible, but taxing and tiring.
We will be there at Fairmont first week in Sept - still long days.
Hopefully some days, that weather at the Cliffs will be clear, or at worst cloudy without winds. I would in advance see the weather forecasts for the day I am going, to make sure it does not rain nor is it windy.

We will have a rental car.

He said that it is 4 hours drive each way (if we take a 1 hour rest stop each way). So we could leave at 9 am and arrive back at 8 am- we would be at the Cliffs of Moher location for 4 hours - 1 pm to 5 pm.

Can anyone give their experiences of taking a 1 day trip to the Cliffs of Moher from this hotel, using a rental car?

nrouxel

I have not been to Carton House, but IMO, Cliffs of Moher are not worth 3 hours drive. There are many other place to be seen near Dublin.
(And Cliffs of Moher are not the most spectacular cliffs in Ireland )

AMRivlin

No expert on Ireland, but Cliffs of Moher are fine. Take a tourbus. Viator.com

FlyerGoldII

No tours leave from the Fairmont or from Maynooth. Tours (all day) leave from Dublin - at a horrendously early time of 7 am (at the latest).

if a tour could start from or pick up and drop off passengers at the Fairmont or at Maynooth - I would do it.
Otherwise, only options are rental cars or hiring private drivers with their vehicles- latter option is expensive but one gets personalized service.

Any recommendations for Irish travel companies offering privately hired drivers. I spoke to the Fairmont concierge- one can hire drivers through him- but quite expensive at 95 euros per hour- maximum 10 hours a day.

ABG

Why are you staying 7 nights in one hotel? I see there is a 4th night free offer, but after that split the stay up among another hotel to get a better sense of place.
my fav near the Cliff is the family owned Gregans Castle, but you are probably too late for rooms in early September
maybe look around Galway?

FlyerGoldII

Diamond Member- with all the benefits of that status. I had 8 nights of suite upgrade certificates- I am staying at the Fairmont for 8 nights.
I like to enjoy the 1100 acres of land- in a secluded area. Not too far from towwn - Maynooth. Not too far from the amenities of a large urban area- Dublin (ie 30 min)- I like on trips to be near and visit easily the larger urban centres, but I ldo not ike to stay within large urban centres.. That is why I have a 1 week timeshare at the Marriott Ko Olina, Oahu, Hawaii- in a nice secluded landscaped location near the beach, but 45 min drive from Honolulu and 15 min drive from the smaller town of Kapolei.


For this trip, I am exploring all options- eg rental car, tour buses, privately hired drivers- in taking one day (same day return) trips to the Cliffs of Moher (and Burren National Park) and also Northern Ireland (Belfast and/or the Giant Causeway).