The best five-star hotels in Ireland
An insider's guide to top five-star hotels in Ireland – from luxury country houses to plush city boutiques – including the best for gourmet dining, historic interiors, fabulous spas, cosy bars, tennis courts and outdoor pursuits, in places including Dublin, County Galway, County Mayo, Cork and County Kerry.
The Merrion Hotel
Dublin, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
This five-star hotel's location is unbeatable: the Edwardian pomp of Government Buildings is just across the road, with Merrion Square, the National Gallery and National Museum, and the Grafton Street shopping district all within a few minutes’ walk. The décor is all Georgian grace and symmetry to the front, with spacious and light-filled Garden Wing to the rear, enclosing pleasant half-acre quadrangle of fountains and manicured greenery. Ireland’s largest collection of private art adorns the walls of the charming ground-floor drawing rooms; and open turf fires offer additional charm. Read expert review From ￡316per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Park Hotel Kenmare
Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
Think delicious log fires, waiters in dinner jackets, and aged malt whiskey. Explore the coastal roads and Sheen falls on a complimentary bike; play golf in the hotel grounds; beach comb along the bay, or have a Guinness in the colourful town of Kenmare. Many also come for one of the most pampering spas in Ireland. The 46 cocooning bedrooms are charmingly antiquated, all with fine art in gilded gold frames, heavy fabrics, and antiques. The restaurant overlooks the grounds leading down to the bay and serves a tantalising menu that reflects the ever-changing richness of the area. Read expert review From ￡255per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
InterContinental Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
Come here for luxury, style and impeccable service in spacious surroundings a 10-minute taxi ride from the city centre. The interiors are swish: look for smart furnishings and a profusion of fresh flowers – and look too for the excellent collection of Irish art hanging throughout the hotel. The tried-and-tested InterContinental service is combined with a relaxed Irish ambience. The upper rooms offer wonderful views of the distant Wicklow hills and Irish Sea, though ask for a courtyard-facing room for complete quiet. Bathrooms come complete with L'Occitane toiletries and marble trim. Read expert review From ￡199per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Ashford Castle
Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
The sort of place the Queen Mother would have loved: lavish, gilded and thoroughly over-the-top Ashford Castle is a grand, castellated stone castle overlooking Loch Corrib, within a 350-acre estate once owned by the Guinness family and used in Fifties film The Quiet Man. The theatrical interiors – which now include a cosy billiards room and glamorous red velvet cinema – overlook formal gardens and a new Victorian-style greenhouse, housing a pool and spa. Activities range from fishing with a local ghillie, horse riding, and joining the Irish School of Falconry. Read expert review From ￡294per night
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The Shelbourne Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
The signature red-brick Victoran fa?ade of The Shelbourne Hotel stands splendid on the northern side of St Stephen's Green. Its main bar and The Saddle Room restaurant are popular fixtures on the city's social scene and afternoon tea in the Lord Mayor's Lounge is a Dublin tradition. Rooms are something of a curate’s egg: all are naturally very well appointed and the south-facing rooms boast splendid views across the treetops of the Green to the distant mountains. A new gym, pool and spa completes the look. Read expert review From ￡222per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Ballynahinch Castle Hotel & Estate
County Galway, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
Imagine a manor house on the edge of a peat-dark, salmon-rich river, surrounded by mature woodlands and with glimpses of the grey Twelve Bens mountains range beyond, and with the ocean just a few miles away: that’s Ballynahinch. The original eighteenth-century building has been much adapted over the years, but its key qualities – tranquillity, space, relaxed comfort and natural beauty – remain splendidly intact. Ballynahinch trademarks an unfussy combination of comfort, luxury, and warm service. The foyer and bar areas boast open fires and flagged floors; the plush drawing rooms are quiet; and the dining room offers long windows overlooking the river. Read expert review From ￡171per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Marker Hotel
Dublin, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
Another draw for Dublin’s emerging Docklands district; The Marker is at the forefront of Irish design – with dining and service levels to match. It trades on style. Its fussy lobby can seem a little chaotic, but its emerald-green pool area and the building’s checkerboard fa?ade suggest that time and money has been spent on the visuals. You’re also likely to meet Dubliners in the hotel’s ground-floor and rooftop bars. Head chef Gareth Mullins serves modern, sophisticated and beautifully presented Irish cuisine in the light-filled Brasserie restaurant. Read expert review From ￡236per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Lough Eske Castle
County Donegal, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
Lough Eske has been garlanded with praise – and no wonder: this five-star hotel offers marvellous service and hospitality. And a splendid setting too: the hotel and its grounds lie on the shores of beautiful Lough Eske, surrounded by some of Donegal’s most rugged landscapes. The original castle dates back to the 14th century, and the castle’s history is reflected in baronial furnishings, grand sandstone staircases and acres of polished wood. Sink into a deep armchair – and reflect that Lough Eske has remembered why guests are drawn to Irish country hotels in the first place: think open fires, in-depth local knowledge, Irish informality and genuinely warm service. Read expert review From ￡189per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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The Westbury Hotel
Dublin, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
On first impressions, The Westbury Hotel feels like a modern and opulent business hotel, but there is a warmth behind the white marble floors and dark wooden panels. Portraits on the walls hint at the family who own the hotel and, while not cheap, it’s a friendly, unpretentious and cosmopolitan place to stay. There are lots of nods to locally sourced products: Irish wool carpets and crisp Irish linens. Afternoon tea, served in the Gallery, is a must – it’s become something of a Dublin institution. Dinner at the Wilde Restaurant is good for entertaining business clients beneath the Waterford crystal chandeliers. Read expert review From ￡263per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Gregans Castle Hotel
Ballyvaughan, County Clare, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
Lovely Gregans Castle enjoys a beautiful setting, on a shoulder of the spectacular Burren and with wonderful views across to Galway Bay. For all of its long past and present excellence – the original building is a manor house dating from the 18th century, and the hotel's combination of antique furniture and modern art are very impressive – this an unfussy, unpretentious sort of place, though without ever stinting on the luxury. It's quite small, with only 21 bedrooms in various permutations. The Burren, indeed, is the main event here: this spectacular karst limestone upland is unique in Ireland, and is at its most marvellous in spring, when a profusion of rare spring flowers bloom in the rocks. Read expert review From ￡206per night
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Ballyfin
County Laois, Ireland
10Telegraph expert rating
Imagine an intact and beautiful 600-acre walled demesne of woods, hills and water in the heart of Ireland – with the neoclassical Ballyfin lying at its heart. It is one of Ireland’s finest country houses, now restored to life with grace, and reopened as a luxurious hotel. The beauty of the house and its park, and the stratospheric standards of hospitality here, makes Ballyfin a truly remarkable place. Think Downton Abbey: glorious rooms, including a spectacular library and saloon, an intimate Gold Room, and world-class stucco work. There's masses to do, including archery, shooting, walking and cycling paths, boating, coarse fishing, tennis and croquet. Dinner is served with ceremony. Read expert review From ￡700per night
Hayfield Manor
Cork, County Cork, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
Hayfield Manor exudes period-style elegance, and guests can expect a serene and pampered ambience. Despite a new build just 20 years ago, the Scully family owners have retained a period property feel. The commanding double-wing oak staircase replicates the one from the first house design, while the lobby marble fireplace is original. There is a 16-metre pool that overlooks the enclosed garden with sauna, steam rooms and outdoor hot tub, and a spa using Elemis products. The hotel’s premier restaurant, Orchids, serves modern Irish cuisine and has garden views. The afternoon tea here is extremely popular. Read expert review From ￡201per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Aghadoe Heights Hotel & Spa
Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
A five-star base in a spectacular setting amid the lakes of Killarney, where you'll feel at home whether you've booked to unwind in the spa, play golf, fish or explore the great outdoors. The wellness centre is award winning. Other facilities include an indoor heated pool with waterfall, a gym and tennis courts. Each of the 74 rooms and suites has a view, but some look over garden or farmland, so try to book one on the lake side. Menus in the Lake Room draw on Continental cuisine while making the most of local produce. Read expert review From ￡165per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa
Wicklow, Ireland
9Telegraph expert rating
Powerscourt is situated on the grounds of the beautiful eponymous estate, with spectacular views across a wooded valley to the Sugar Loaf Mountain. The hotel goes for a certain grandeur of style – think a proliferation of chandeliers and coving, wide windows and staircases, and deep carpets – but there’s a relaxed atmosphere which keeps any stuffiness well at bay. The hotel gardens are delightful, with formal lawns giving way to native planting of birch and beech; and this too helps to keep matters nicely informal. The concierge is always on hand to offer local advice, and set up golf, archery, cycling, clay-pigeon shooting, and fishing (all local), plus excursions to the Wicklow uplands and coast. The ESPA spa is the hotel’s stand-out asset. Read expert review From ￡170per night Check availability Rates provided by Booking.com
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Adare Manor
County Limerick, Ireland
8Telegraph expert rating
Built in the 1860s, Adare Manor became an upmarket hotel in the 1980s. A recent renovation and expansion has revitalised the original building and introduced a vast but intelligently styled extension. Gold leaf detailing, original heraldry, oversized marble fireplaces and stained-glass windows can be admired throughout. Activities on offer include expert-led falconry, archery and fishing. The cinema should prove popular on rainy days, as will the La Mer spa. The Oak Room serves sophisticated but unfussy Irish cuisine, while The Tack Room bar serves rare Irish whiskeys and hosts occasional live music sessions. Read expert review From ￡280per night
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